WDUQ

[KeyTimes950]

Pittsburgh Public Media issued what I thought to be a gracious concession statement ...

Pittsburgh Public Media (PPM), a group of local business and community leaders together with staff of 90.5FM, formed a non-profit 501(c) (3) in 2010 to assure that NPR, independent local news and jazz continue to exist in our community. Although our offer to purchase the station license from Duquesne University was not accepted, we are proud of the fact that PPM operated in a very open and transparent way. The PPM website listed board members and the public was invited to contact us via the site, and other social media channels, to leave comments. We were successful in having a lively conversation with many in the community. We are also proud of the public voices PPM helped foster throughout the media that clearly stated the absolute necessity of local news reporting and the continuation of Pittsburgh’s musical heritage, jazz. Our intent from the very beginning was to keep the public in public radio.

We wish the best for WYEP and its partners, and we hope that they recognize and see the value of the talented and dedicated staff of the existing 90.5FM. While keeping NPR on the air in Pittsburgh is an important win for the community, keeping local news and programming, with a local voice, is equally important. We also hope that this new partnership will be an open and transparent organization that welcomes public input along with their pledge dollars.

We would like to thank all of those listeners who have supported and contributed to PPM’s effort to save what’s best about WDUQ 90.5 FM. We believe that these listeners are the key to the future success of the station, and they deserve the best. We sincerely hope that the best is yet to come.

The volunteers that comprise Pittsburgh Public Media will follow the future of 90.5 FM with great interest.

Joseph Kelly
Chair, Pittsburgh Public Media

Andrea Fitting
Vice Chair, Pittsburgh Public Media

 

[MsMusicRadio]

At least it wasn't sold to Salem or AFR

 

[FreddyE1977]

At least it wasn't sold to Salem or AFR

I can't see Salem being in the market for them. That company is just struggling way too
much, even as they try to absorb their new acquisition in Providence. Anyhow they would
not want to run noncommercial.

 

[corporateradiosucks]

Unwashed regular ol' listener question:

How far up the dial is supposed to be kept noncommercial? I know 92.1 is Pitt here, but it's a commercial station in Johnstown.

 

[hypwr]

88.1 through 91.9 is the reserved band. However, if you can shoe-horn in a 10 watt station in the commercial portion you may do so.

 

[Parttimer]

Other stations may also convert their licenses to non-commercial, as 106.7 WAOB has done.

 

[fybush]

And under certain circumstances, the FCC will reserve a channel in the non-reserved (92.1-107.9) part of the band for noncommercial use only. You have to make a showing that the channel will provide new noncommercial service to an area that doesn't already receive at least two reserved noncommercial services.

It just happened within the last few years in Buffalo, where a new allotment (92.1A Amherst NY) was reserved for noncommercial use; they were able to make a showing that it will provide service to areas not served by the other stations in the area on the reserved part of the band...and the public radio stations operating on the non-reserved part of the band (WNED-FM 94.5 and WNED 970) don't count in this case because they could be converted to commercial operation at any time, just as WAOB-FM could.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

And of course, EMF/K-Love operates non-comm stations in the non-reserved part of the FM band, with the ability to change them back if needed.

 

[MattParker]

Many long-standing public radio stations are outside the non-commercial band and do not hold non-commercial licenses.