WPSU closure

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 having WPSU keep its name.

WPSU-TV and radio will become part of Philadelphia-based WHYY, under a plan Penn State trustees unanimously approved Monday, a month after the board's finance committee rejected a similar proposal but one that would have cost the university $17 million over five years. The approved plan does not include that subsidy from Penn State.

The sale of WPSU will be the topic of a special Penn State board of trustees' finance committee meeting at 2 p.m. Monday. The public has until 8 a.m. Monday to submit comments.

Penn State plans to shut down WPSU and its operations by June 30, 2026, but many in the community are urging the university to reconsider the closure while they look for a ‘Plan B’ for keeping public television and radio in central Pennsylvania.

After Penn State trustees rejected a plan to sell WPSU to WHYY, that station's leader called the decision "a shame," and community members expressed frustration about the impending loss of a community asset that serves a large stretch of central and northern Pennsylvania.

WPSU, which recently celebrated its 60th anniversary of bringing public media to Pennsylvania, is slated to close soon, after a Penn State board of trustees committee voted Thursday against a proposal to transfer ownership of WPSU to WHYY.

Penn State is considering transferring WPSU to Philadelphia public media outlet WHYY, and the university’s board of trustees is expected to review the proposal during its meetings Thursday and Friday, according to sources close to the board.