Very interesting read. They have the resolution from 2013 that says the Funds from the EBS Licenses exist "to develop funds for its operations in supporting the programs and activities of WLRN Radio and Television." They used the funds to buy a station that WLRN doesn't even own. That's going to be pretty damning in court. It also says the money from the EBS licenses is for an endowment, and if the Management agreement between SFPMG and the School Board is terminated, any endowment or endowment related assets shall be for the benefit of WLRN. So if the FCC lets the sale go through and WLRN terminates the agreement, then WLRN gets WFLM.
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Palm Beaches 104.7 The Flame to be purchased by WLRN group
- Thread starter strangelove
- Start date
SFPMG continually says that the money it used to purchase WFLM came from other sources (specifically a microwave lease on equipment it owns). Just because one side says one thing doesn't make it true. It will be up to the court to determine that.
And WFLM was going to simulcast WLRN-FM to bring more revenue back eventually. This battle goes back to when certain members of the board wanted to terminate the agreement with Friends of WLRN and hand it over to WPBT in 2019 due to a long strained relationship, which eventually led to a court settlement.
If wlrn is satisfied with mediocre west palm coverage then oh well. This signal would be perfect for rtn expanding the joy fm in se fla. maybe wqcs should get the station. This is part of public radios problem trying to run independent stations when that model no longer works for radio period. Statewide npr network would give the economies of scale in today’s current radio environment.
Keep in mind, the licensee is the local school board. All they really care about is Miami. The Friends can see the value in expanding the coverage beyond the local area. I suspect that will come out in the trial.
Yes and no. There are those who complain about the consolidation of commercial radio and the loss of local owners and content. Public radio is still locally owned. Given the current financial issues, it's unlikely that public radio ownership can change a lot.
It's mediocre West Palm coverage that they own though. WLRN will not own WFLM, somebody else will. How will that in any way help WLRN to have a different company owning a second NPR signal in their market? Why would they be good with the company they hired to run WLRN owning a competing, stronger station? If this was really about the good of Public Radio and expansion and all that, why didn't SFPMG work with WLRN to purchase WFLM with them as co-owners or have WLRN own it and SFPMG operate it just like the WLRN arrangement that is working well? Why did they not advise WLRN's ownership of the purchase? Likely because they knew WLRN wouldn't be okay with the money being used in that way, unless maybe WLRN owned WFLM. But they were never given the opportunity to buy it.
Ironically I think WQCS wanted to buy the Flame when it was still in Fort Pierce, but wasn't interested in a West Palm signal I guess.
Because perhaps it's not working well.
Obviously you are correct. So is the endgame SFPMG gets WFLM and WLRN terminates their agreement and they just start competing against each other? WLRN probably would hire South Florida PBS to run WLRN.
Just saying the people here who think this is about the desire to serve the public by expanding NPR to West Palm Beach are off the mark. That might be a result of this purchase, but it's not the point. If it were, they would have worked together.
It depends. The Dade County School Board is only interested in Dade County. That's part of the problem.
None of it mattered when Miami public broadcasters could've expanded to the area before like WTVJ did back in the day, but arrogance and lack of foresight lead to someone else taking charge with WHRS being signed on in 1969 by strong-willed visionaries. This eventually lead to distinct identities between WXEL (TV & FM) and WPBT (and WLRN) that should've never been formed because the Miami metro area could've been easily covered with one really good transmitter location (or translators like KQED and others had always done). This arrangement would come back to bite us when WXEL's incompetence led to being sold to Barry University, with those same fools selling WXEL-FM to Classical South Florida which we all know wouldn't be sustainable on its own and would lead to being sold to a religious organization of all places.
Before the Government shutdown, JDD filed a motion to dismiss the School Board's objection (obviously, they want their $6M+), and now that the Government has reopened, the School Board of Miami has responded as expected. Nothing really new other than the process continues to be drawn out:
Here's what I said:
But that's the school board. I don't know the circumstances behind adding the station in Marathon.
Another thread mentioned more Palm Beach action: Looks like WQCS has applied for a CP to cover more of Palm Beach County.
Looks like the old WKGR spot on the ch34 tower. This year it will have been 30 years since I had the tower crew haul me up to inspect their work. Tip of the hard-hat to WQCS.
When you combine WLRN, the LRN translator, and the new WQCS signal, it covers everything in Palm Beach County pretty well. Maybe WLRN should just save the 6.5 million or buy WQCS instead.
It would be funny to go from zero NPR in PBC to two in a few months.
The FCC approved the sale today, with a couple of pages of response:
...this just days after a confidential January letter from many senior leaders of WLRN asking that the sale not go through was filed by the School Board to the FCC (see last filing, Exhibit B):
recnet.com
...this just days after a confidential January letter from many senior leaders of WLRN asking that the sale not go through was filed by the School Board to the FCC (see last filing, Exhibit B):
Pleadings | REC Networks
The commission says the issues in the lawsuit are outside it's jurisdiction:
radioinsight.com
One might have expected them to delay the approval until after a decision in the suit.
FCC Approves WFLM Sale Amidst Pending Civil Suit Decision
Following petitions to deny and a pending civil court case over South Florida Public Media Group's $6.45 million purchase of
radioinsight.com
One might have expected them to delay the approval until after a decision in the suit.
I agree. I'm thinking there won't be a closing until after the suit. If SFPMG tries to close, could the School Board prevent the funds from being transferred? It's worth mentioning the CFO of SFPMG signed the letter questioning the purchase and recent decisions by the CEO and the SMPMG Board, but I doubt she'd be able to hold up the payment on her own. Plus she wouldn't want to risk her position further than she has by signing the letter.The commission says the issues in the lawsuit are outside it's jurisdiction:
FCC Approves WFLM Sale Amidst Pending Civil Suit Decision
Following petitions to deny and a pending civil court case over South Florida Public Media Group's $6.45 million purchase of
One might have expected them to delay the approval until after a decision in the suit.
There's nothing to guess here. The deal cannot close with pending litigation. This was the FCC just eliminating a hurdle for later and letting two entities resolve their differences in court as it has nothing to do with the commission.