KRCU joins Harvest Public Media in story sharing

Southeast Missouri State University's public radio station, KRCU, announced Wednesday it has joined Harvest Public Media as an associate partner, according to a news release from the university.

Kansas City, Mo.-based Harvest Public Media covers farm and food issues in collaboration with KRCU and other public media stations across the Midwest, so this will mean more agricultural news over local airwaves, the release and radio station officials said.

KRCU will broadcast Harvest Public Media stories during NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered," as well as KRCU's "Going Public," the release said. As an associate member, KRCU will broadcast Harvest Public Media reports and occasionally contribute to the network. KRCU's lead reporter/news director Jacob McCleland has contributed to Harvest Public Media in the past with stories about feral hog eradication, Kentucky's industrial hemp law and fertilizer shipping on the Mississippi River when the waterway was low, the release and station officials said.

In an email to the Southeast Missourian, station general manager Dan Woods said McCleland helped establish the partnership. McCleland said he had been contributing to Harvest Public Media every few months, and it was usually something he was working on anyway. "And we have been carrying their content for a while," McCleland said.

The associate membership formalizes the relationship between the two media outlets and gives KRCU access to all Harvest Public Media's reporting and blog posts and KRCU is included in its news calls every week, McCleland said.

"It gives us more of an opportunity to expand where our reporting is heard ... on agricultural issues," McCleland said.

Under the agreement, KRCU isn't required to file stories with Harvest Public Media, but "just contribute what we can," McCleland said. Full-time members have reporters based at those NPR stations. "The stations pay for those staff members and they work primarily on ag news, mostly for Harvest, but also for their member stations," McCleland said.

Around the region, McCleland said, farmers grow corn and soybeans; farther south, it's wheat; and in Southern Illinois, more vegetables and fruit are grown. There are also wineries in the area, he said.

"This type of critical reporting perfectly fits the needs of our community," Woods said in the release. "Agriculture is an important economic driver in our region."

KRCU has six full-time employees, five part-time, four student announcers and four volunteer hosts, the release said. Woods said in a separate email, the university is the license holder of KRCU. Along with contributions, the station receives funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which accounts for around 25 percent of its annual operating budget, he wrote.

Examples of other local programming includes Tom Harte hosting "Caffe Concerto" weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by "Afternoon Classics" from 1 to 3 p.m. -- classical music programmed locally, Woods said in the email.

"In addition, we produce a local folk program, Your Folk Connection (Saturdays at 7 p.m.), The Elliot Potter Show (indie-rock, folk and country -- Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.), Sunday Night at the Opera with Barb Herbert (Sundays at 7 p.m.) and Going Public (hosted by McCleland) -- Sundays at 5 p.m. In addition, we air Almost Yesterday with Dr. Frank Nickell (a look at the rich history of Southeast Missouri) Wednesdays at 7:49 a.m., and Discover Nature with Candice Davis from the Missouri Department of Conservation Monday mornings at 7:49 a.m.," Woods wrote.

Pertinent address:

1 University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, Mo.