Oregon Consultant suggests Jefferson Public Radio ‘spin off’ from university licensee

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Consultant suggests Jefferson Public Radio ‘spin off’ from university licensee

Southern Oregon University is operating with a $12.5 million deficit due to rising expenses and enrollment declines.

current.org

Note this is being considered but its part of the general cuts at Southern Oregon University the license holder of Jefferson Public Radio.

Deloitte Consulting said in a preliminary report released April 28 that the Ashland university would need to cut $20 million to stabilize its finances. One suggestion was to “Spinoff Jefferson Public Radio,” which it said would save $300,000.

“This is an element that’s going to reduce staff by about 14. … So, not an easy path, but finding a new home for that,” Megan Cluver, principal at Deloitte, said during an April 28 special meeting of the university’s board.


In its full report, released Tuesday, Deloitte said the university should consider a review of “auxiliary activities.”

“For units such as parking, the radio station, or other non-core enterprises, the University should assess the impact to the institution; connection to the institution’s mission; and whether they can realistically reach break-even performance and, if not, whether divestiture, outsourcing, or spin-off models may be more appropriate,” the report said.

SOU students protest Deloitte's recommendations to cut up to $20 million; recommended course cuts include Music; Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies; International Studies; Creative Writing - Ashland News - Community-Supported, NonProfit News

Using drums, violins, saxophones — and their own voices — Southern Oregon University students on Monday afternoon made their voices heard loud and clear outside SOU's Hannon Library, adamantly opposing the full plan by Deloitte released Monday that details some $20 million in suggested cuts from...

ashland.news

 

[ted chittenden]

I was struck by all of the items Deloitte was asking the university to cut. It seemed more like a list of what the current Federal administration wanted from colleges and universities to receive funding and I wondered if the current Federal administration had a hand in Deloitte. I turned out to be right despite an episode in the summer of 2024 (though I won't be providing any links here as they are not radio related). For these reasons, I'm glad the students are protesting the proposed cuts.

In the mean time, Jefferson Public Radio may want to look at selling or cancelling the licenses of some of its radio stations that have other public radio stations in the same market. I'm thinking of places like Eureka and Redding, CA; and Roseburg and Eugene, OR. That might help the public radio service make up (at least in the short term) any financial difficulties placed on it by the university as a result of following Deloitte's recommendations.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I was struck by all of the items Deloitte was asking the university to cut. It seemed more like a list of what the current Federal administration wanted from colleges and universities to receive funding and I wondered if the current Federal administration had a hand in Deloitte. I turned out to be right despite an episode in the summer of 2024 (though I won't be providing any links here as they are not radio related). For these reasons, I'm glad the students are protesting the proposed cuts.

In the mean time, Jefferson Public Radio may want to look at selling or cancelling the licenses of some of its radio stations that have other public radio stations in the same market. I'm thinking of places like Eureka and Redding, CA; and Roseburg and Eugene, OR. That might help the public radio service make up (at least in the short term) any financial difficulties placed on it by the university as a result of following Deloitte's recommendations.

If JPR were to be forced to give up the Redding licenses... AM and FM, theyd likely go dark and get deleted.. no one else wants them. I know personally.... flinn had been trying to unload 101.1 for years and no one, not even EMF, for good reason wanted it. The AM is worthless... Redding is not an AM market at all.

I dunno how you got the idea of JPR dumping Redding besides pulling the idea out of a hat. It doesnt cost them much to operate. Itsz a transmitter in a shack and Flinn may have even sold them the tower, as flinn owned that too

Getting rid of 101.1 would be a drop in the bucket of their budget.. now 1330? That might save em a few more bucks

I know Redding pretty well.

 

[ted chittenden]

If JPR were to be forced to give up the Redding licenses... AM and FM, theyd likely go dark and get deleted.. no one else wants them. I know personally.... flinn had been trying to unload 101.1 for years and no one, not even EMF, for good reason wanted it. The AM is worthless... Redding is not an AM market at all.

I dunno how you got the idea of JPR dumping Redding besides pulling the idea out of a hat. It doesnt cost them much to operate. Itsz a transmitter in a shack and Flinn may have even sold them the tower, as flinn owned that too

Getting rid of 101.1 would be a drop in the bucket of their budget.. now 1330? That might save em a few more bucks

side of JPR, I know Redding pretty well.

I've been through the town a few times myself, the last time being in 2000 when the family drove up to a cousin's wedding in Seattle. Besides the two stations you mentioned, KNCA (89.7 mHz, licensed to Burney) is also owned by Southern Oregon University and puts a good signal in to Redding. Outside of JPR, Redding is also home to KFPR, which is owned by California State University-Chico and would be available if Jefferson Public Radio was forced by budget necessity to sell or cancel its Redding licenses--we'll see what happens.

As to my personal knowledge of anything, while I do have a business background (MBA from Arizona State University, 1990), I am in a lot worse position than you are as to predicting what may happen; still I make guesses anyway--I have no money in the till or no profit in any outcomes other than a love for public radio and the news it provides. As to the JPR situation, if the university's Board votes to adopt Deloitte's recommendations--as politically motivated as they are--then selling some of its stations may be in the cards for the service--we'll just have to wait and see.

 

[PTBoardOp93]

As to my personal knowledge of anything, while I do have a business background (MBA from Arizona State University, 1990)

Then you should know how these consulting companies work. They interview the executives (in this case, probably the university president and board chairman), determine what outcomes they want, and come up with a justification for those goals.

Your discussion of politics seems totally random and out of place. There are hundreds of universities that have sold or closed their radio stations in the last 15 or 20 years.

 

[ted chittenden]

Then you should know how these consulting companies work. They interview the executives (in this case, probably the university president and board chairman), determine what outcomes they want, and come up with a justification for those goals.

Sorry but I was taught that the job of the consultants was to determine the means to reach the goals set by the company president and not how to justify those goals. That, the university president and (hopefully) the Board would have to figure out alone.

Your discussion of politics seems totally random and out of place. There are hundreds of universities that have sold or closed their radio stations in the last 15 or 20 years.

Sorry,but the proposed cuts (including the radio station cuts) looked like a cookie cutter standard to me.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I've been through the town a few times myself, the last time being in 2000 when the family drove up to a cousin's wedding in Seattle. Besides the two stations you mentioned, KNCA (89.7 mHz, licensed to Burney) is also owned by Southern Oregon University and puts a good signal in to Redding. Outside of JPR, Redding is also home to KFPR, which is owned by California State University-Chico and would be available if Jefferson Public Radio was forced by budget necessity to sell or cancel its Redding licenses--we'll see what happens.

As to my personal knowledge of anything, while I do have a business background (MBA from Arizona State University, 1990), I am in a lot worse position than you are as to predicting what may happen; still I make guesses anyway--I have no money in the till or no profit in any outcomes other than a love for public radio and the news it provides. As to the JPR situation, if the university's Board votes to adopt Deloitte's recommendations--as politically motivated as they are--then selling some of its stations may be in the cards for the service--we'll just have to wait and see.

I worked in Redding at KWCA 101.1 JPB is the only stable operator/format the stations ever had. Q97 and KShasta are the market leading stations and the rest get peanuts mostly. There is little chance a single station operator would make any profit.