Rural meets metro

Michael Symonds

Michael Symonds tackles the rural meets metro beat at WMUK 102.1 FM in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Symonds started his journalistic career as staff reporter with the Western Herald covering news and community, and cultural issues and events on Western Michigan University’s campus. After this position, Symonds worked as the lead Community & Culture reporter for the Western Herald. In addition to this, he worked as a general assignment staff reporter for WMUK 102.1 FM covering life in Southwest Michigan and hosted the talk show Stupid Questions on 89.1 WIDR FM, where he interviewed myriad guests including political experts and registered student organization leaders. Symonds graduated from Western Michigan University in 2023 with a bachelor's in journalism and digital media.

WMUK-FM

WMUK is southwest Michigan's only locally-owned public radio service. Based in Kalamazoo, we serve the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek metro area as well as the Lake Michigan shoreline, fruit belt and south-central communities of our region. Our mission is to tell stories that engage listeners across our coverage area and beyond. We look past the crime blotter for news we haven't seen anyone else report and turn it into sound-rich features and fresh newscast spots.