'Your Voice Matters' With New KUAF Connects Feature on Upgraded App for iPhone

A new feature on the KUAF app allows listeners to send their feedback directly to the station.

KUAF, the local National Public Radio affiliate for Northwest and western Arkansas, has released an upgraded version of their app for iPhone, including a new feature aimed at increasing engagement with listeners and including listener feedback on the air.

In March 2020, KUAF developed a phone line for listener responses called KUAF Connects. In the 18 months since, KUAF has received and aired dozens of messages from listeners across the 14-county listening area, on topics ranging from how they spent their time during the early days of the pandemic to memories of becoming a KUAF or NPR listener.

Following leaders in public radio programs like 1A and Science Friday, KUAF now has a KUAF Connects feature on their new app for iPhone. This feature allows listeners to respond directly to a number of questions and prompts directly through the app. Listeners' answers are recorded and sent directly to the station, where they can be edited and aired or possibly, could be extended into longer, more in-depth stories. 

"One of the best outcomes of the KUAF Connects line has been hearing from so many listeners about their diverse and very personal experiences with the station," said Leigh Wood, KUAF's general manager. "It's reaffirming to us as staff that the work we're doing is important to our audience and that the audience loves hearing from fellow listeners."

The upgraded KUAF app for iPhone allows users to listen live to KUAF's three digital streams, access full episodes of Ozarks at Large, set alarms, donate to the station and more. The upgraded app's KUAF Connects feature allows users to send messages based on questions and prompts listed in the app's feature.

"More than just asking for memories or favorites from listeners, the KUAF Connects feature will be a tool for KUAF's reporting staff — to find and connect with sources, to include diverse voices and to empower listeners to share their experience with the community," Wood said. "This feature will allow us to interact with our audience on a daily basis, so we can create programming that we know is important to our listeners."

The KUAF app is available for download in the App Store for iPhone and iOS only.