There have been several battles between the school board and SFPMG over the years.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Palm Beaches 104.7 The Flame to be purchased by WLRN group
- Thread starter strangelove
- Start date
There have been several battles between the school board and SFPMG over the years.
Why would WLRN not want a great West Palm Beach signal to serve listeners in Palm Beach County. This seems crazy that they would go against this purchase. I guess some religious broadcaster will buy 104.7 and the translator will stay Public Radio for West Palm Beach. SMH
The question here is who represents WLRN? The licensee or the operator? As I said, it's happened before.
What I'd like to know is how far removed was the school board from this transaction. Miami-Dade Schools should have been air-dropping in attorneys the moment SFPMG so much as made an offer on another radio station. Something is off here.
The school board isn't buying WFLM. They will not hold the license. As I said, it's a contentious relationship.
It seems messy. I guess the key would be to see the MPSA between the School Board and SFPMG. SFPMG was basically created to manage WLRN for the School Board, and now they want to use the money they've been given access to by the license holder to purchase what the School Board feels is a competing station. I'd be interested to see what avenues the School Board has to terminate the MPSA relationship with SFPMG and reclaim money that was raised using their licenses. This "covert" purchase, as the PTD calls it and the lawyer's sworn statement confirms, is alleged to be and could be confirmed as a misappropriation of funds, which could blow up the MPSA. The PTD mentions a full audit and a cease-and-desist on the purchase. If the school board isn't buying WFLM, where is the money coming from to buy this competing station, if not WLRN donors and supporters?
As long as it's not coming from the school board, it shouldn't matter. WFLM isn't a "competing station." It's being bought to enlarge the footprint of WLRN.
Does the licensee not have any say in how the funds that are raised using WLRN are used?
I don't know, but I'd imagine that's in the contract. It's very possible they received a grant specifically for this purpose. Or they took out a loan. All they have to do is show that they're not taking money away from WLRN to make this purchase. I would think that's fairly simple.
But as an earlier poster said, it's more of a matter for a normal lawsuit rather than the FCC.
The petition-to-deny is a good read:
I find it unlikely they received a six and a half million dollar grant specifically to launch a new station without any fanfare or a fundraising/capital improvement drive.
I guess they could have taken out a loan, but if they used WLRN banked assets as collateral, don't you think they should have at least told the School Board?
Both scenarios seem unlikely as the School Board is charging Misappropriation of Funds.
KEXP Seattle received a $10 million bequest from an estate, and that money was used to purchase a satellite station in San Francisco.
The difference is that KEXP owns their station, and doesn't have an operating arrangement with a licensee.
Some of these "friends" groups have some well-heeled members. One of them or a group could have co-signed for the loan. We don't know. That's what a lawsuit is all about.
If either of those things actually happened, they are fine. If they are scrambling to try to cover their rears now, it will be...less fine for them.
Getting additional stations is not a problem. WUFT, WFSU, WQCS, WMFE, WUSF have all expanded coverage with additional frequencies and/or translators. But doing it without the permission or knowledge of the license holder, even in this weird Management Agreement situation, is what could cause these problems.
The School Board seems pissed, and SFPMG might have an answer that is okay for the FCC or the state, but do you really want your license holder to be pissed? Maybe the school board approaches South Florida PBS, who runs the other PBS stations in the area, to become the new Management Group. They applied to be considered when it was awarded to SFPMG, and pulled out during COVID, so maybe they would be interested....
South Florida PBS withdraws bid to manage Miami's WLRN - Current
The station cited the COVID-19 outbreak and a focus on producing related health content.
current.org
If anybody wants to see how badly an arrangement like this can go off the rails -- not saying this situation is completely analogous but today's developments make me wonder -- you should click over to the Sacramento board and read the various thread on the Capital Public Radio ("CapRadio")/KXJZ/KXPR situation over the last year-plus.
Oy vey is all i can say to that situation!
You always need the little ® when using Yiddish expressions, Paul. Registered trademark for at least the last 400 years.
SFPMG fired back today, saying the funds to buy WFLM are from an Educational Broadband Service signal they own and lease to an outside party. To read the response, it doesn't seem like PMG will be simulcasting WLRN, either.
Interesting. It's easier to own than to operate someone else's station. It may be time for the school board to find a new operator.
Seems to me that when WXEL was in Boynton, it was primarily a classical station with NPR news. That may be the plan here.
With regard to standing, SFPMG conveniently leaves out that the School Board owns W270AD in the Palm Beach market with an NPR Talk format. While personally I think WLRN absolutely has a great signal in most of Palm Beach with 91.3, they clearly also have listeners on the translator, and reasonable ratings in West Palm Beach from both signals. They also have a Palm Beach reporter. So saying that WLRN is only a Miami-Fort Lauderdale station doesn't really make sense.
But if they are getting the money from their EBS license, I think the FCC will be okay with the sale. WLRN's PTD said that the school board owns the EBS asset.
Why WLRN would be okay with SFPMG still running their operations is an entirely different question.
No money in Classical, that's why APM couldn't cut it when they ran WXEL before it was sold to EMF. This will be NPR News/Talk.
American Public Media Group Sets New Direction for Classical Music Service in South Florida — American Public Media
Radio Stations in Miami, West Palm Beach and Naplesto be sold to Educational Media Foundation Contact: Angie Andresen [email protected] 651-290-1373ST. PAUL, Minn., July 14, 2015 – Recognizing that media consumption and audience choices are rapidly changing, and that efforts to
www.americanpublicmedia.org