As WHYY moves forward with acquiring WPSU, the CEO of the Philadelphia-based public media station outlined those plans, including having it operate as a stand-alone entity, dialing up fundraising and keeping WPSU's name.
WHYY's board of trustees approved the transaction Thursday. Penn State's board of trustees approved the agreement on Oct. 13, about a month after a board committee had rejected a similar proposal, but one that included Penn State providing about $17 million in funding over five years to support WPSU. That vote led the university administration to say it was shutting down WPSU, triggering a public outcry.
Bill Marrazzo, president and CEO of WHYY, said they’ve had two main goals. One is the preservation of non-commercial, public media.
“In the face of WPSU shutting down with no other alternative on the horizon, and given our good fortune and capability to try to help them out, it made sense to us from a universal access standpoint to make an offer to try to keep the lights on there," he said.
Another goal, he said, is for WHYY to continue to build its audience.
Marrazzo said under the agreement, WPSU will be a stand-alone subsidiary. And, WPSU will keep its call letters.
“It is our expectation, if all aspects of our business strategy work, to actually increase the amount of local content, local programming for residents of central Pennsylvania through WPSU," he said.
Part of that means increasing local membership. Right now, WHYY is looking to raise $8.36 million dollars in support for WPSU. Marrazzo said that is the amount that Penn State would have provided in the first two years under the agreement the Penn State board's finance committee rejected.
So far, they have about $5 million dollars in commitments.
The agreement between WHYY and Penn State includes a 30-day exclusivity period, when Penn State can't accept another offer. That period can be extended if both parties agree to it.
"We're up on all eight cylinders trying to drive ourselves to achieving that goal inside of 30 days," Marrazzo said. "I'm optimistic. But as a businessman, I'm always optimistic and worry about everything. So we'll do the absolute best we can to make the case on behalf of WPSU to an array of funders which, if they're interested, have the capacity to help us solve that problem."
Marrazzo said people interested in helping support WPSU can go to wpsu.org and make a donation. As part of the transfer agreement, gifts and pledges that have been made to WPSU will stay with the station.
The transaction will need approval from the Federal Communications Commission.
Community support
Greg Petersen, WPSU’s former director of broadcasting and member of WPSU’s advisory board, said he’s grateful for the partnership with WHYY.
“It was a much better outcome than a month prior when there was no Plan B at all. And to the administration’s and WHYY’s credit, they didn't just say, 'Oh, well, that's it. We're going to go home.' They rolled up their sleeves and came up with an alternative plan," he said.
He’s also part of the group that set up a fund with the Centre Foundation to support WPSU after Penn State announced the shutdown. That fund, he said, was created in case something else was not worked out.
So far, they've raised about $23,000. Petersen said they’re looking at the options — such as funding for a work-study position or supporting program production — but that money will go to WPSU and public broadcasting.
But now, he said, they’re encouraging people to donate to WPSU.
