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WRR signal may be tradedSwap could turn station noncommercial but earn millions for Dallas 08:00 AM CDT on Thursday, June 1, 2006By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News Dallas officials are beginning to pursue a deal that could send city-owned classical music station WRR-FM (101.1) to another radio frequency and transform it from a commercial to a noncommercial entity. Such a deal, they say, would probably involve trading WRR's commercial license for another station's noncommercial license. But the deal could also score Dallas as much as $50 million, they estimate. KVTT-FM (91.7), which primarily broadcasts Christian music and programming, has approached City Hall about a frequency swap, Dallas spokeswoman Danielle McClelland confirmed. "We're trying to figure out how we can maintain the city's commitment to classical music and benefit taxpayers at the same time," said Larry Davis, chairman of the Commission on Productivity and Innovation, which is appointed by the City Council. "Right now, we're not getting any return on the asset." City officials, led in part by Dave Cook, finance director; Mark Duebner, business development and procurement director; and Kris Sweckard, director of Dallas' Efficiency Team, have begun researching a variety of frequency swap-related issues and plan to brief council members on the idea in several weeks. Of particular interest to them: Is KVTT's signal truly comparable in strength and reach to WRR's signal? And what effect would cashing in its commercial license have on a station such as WRR that's accustomed to generating revenue through advertising – not the membership drives and telethons commonly employed by noncommercial stations? The city probably would also have to consider all proposals for a swap, meaning KVTT, if it continues to pursue the matter, may draw competition from other stations. KVTT representative Martin Greenberg described trade talks as "at the most initial possible stage. There's a lot of information left to be acquired." Dallas has explored a frequency trade before, in 2002 and 2003. But by June 2003, a proposal to move WRR to the 105.7 FM frequency in a three-way swap died without even a formal council vote. That frequency's transmitter, near Decatur, didn't broadcast a signal powerful enough to reach all parts of Dallas, many council members argued. And while city officials estimated that deal could have landed City Hall up to $60 million, "it is not a great deal culturally for the city," then-council member Veletta Forsythe Lill said at the time. Licensed in 1921, WRR is Texas' oldest radio station and among the first in the nation to begin regular broadcasts. WRR's 100,000-watt transmitter in Cedar Hill sends a signal as far away as Waco and Sherman, according to a station coverage map, making it an attractive property for a commercial station looking to expand its reach. This year, WRR also began broadcasting a digital signal as well as an analog signal, increasing its broadcast fidelity for people with so-called "high-definition" radio receivers. And although the station's listenership is paltry compared with some of the area's large country, news, Latino or hip-hop stations, WRR still sometimes ranks within the top 20 stations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to independent radio ranking firm Arbitron. In addition to its regular fare of classical music, WRR also airs council meetings. The station has continued to turn modest yet declining profits in recent years, city data indicate. So an infusion of tens of millions of dollars from trading its commercial license "could save classical music in Dallas for a long time to come," said Clayton P. Henry, president of Friends of WRR, a nonprofit organization that supports the station. "This process that's begun seems like a fair and open process," Mr. Henry said. "We'll be most interested to see what happens." He said, however, that any revenue Dallas would earn from the swap should be placed into an endowment fund for cultural activities and programming – not rolled into City Hall's general fund or used for noncultural purposes. Council member Angela Hunt, a longtime arts and cultural events advocate, said that she hasn't discussed the signal trade with city staff but is "definitely interested" to learn more about the plans. E-mail [email protected]
