KRCU radio is "Going Public" with its new weekly community affairs program by that name.

The half-hour program will air at 3 p.m. on Sundays, beginning today.

"Going Public" will feature interviews and discussion on issues that affect the KRCU 90.9 FM broadcast region.

The program will focus on Southeast Missouri's arts, history, community affairs, commerce and politics, said station manager Greg Petrowich.

The show initially will focus on candidates who are running in the November election.

Petrowich said the National Public Radio station at Southeast Missouri State University had been looking at ways to cover issues and events in the region.

Three Southeast professors will host the show: Dr. Peter Bergerson, chairman of the political science department; Dr. Tom Harte, speech professor, and Dr. J. Christopher Schnell, history professor.

"We wanted to get a nice, balanced team and different perspectives," said Petrowich. "We really don't expect it to be a political show on the whole."

Petrowich said it is costly to cover news on a daily basis. The new program allows the station to discuss events and issues and interview people in a more relaxed setting, he said.

The first program was taped during the Democratic National Convention, with Bergerson at the convention in Chicago and Harte and Schnell in Cape Girardeau.

Petrowich said the three professors discussed political conventions and whether they are needed.

"We want to have a regional appeal," he said. "We are certainly open for ideas."