Yes. I have been following this with some interest. According to Scott Fybush and Northeast Radio Watch, the station is seriously considering the possibility of a merger with another public broadcaster, or an outright sale of both the TV and FM stations. If neither happens, it's a safe bet QLN will go dark. According to the article quoted in NERW.
This is sad. I like WQLN. Of course, being in upstate NY, I don't get their TV station, but I do listen to the FM via webcast. It is one of the better small market public radio stations around. Yes, they offer much of the basic NPR fare. But they produce a lot of their own music and speciality shows, many of which I think are hosted by volunteers from the community. IMHO, other public radio stations could take a few pointers from WQLN's model, instead of simply just plugging into the NPR/PRI feeds all day and night, with little local content.
I'm afraid Rogers will not care if WQLN goes dark. This is a mega media outfit we're talking about here. One PBS station is just like all the others, and Detroit stations seem to be the "tried and true" choices for Canadian cable systems. Let's hope I'm wrong.
Here's a topic for discussion. If WQLN merges or sells out to another public broadcaster, which one would be interested? WPSU? WQED? One of the Buffalo or Cleveland stations? I wonder.
