Program Format on WDUQ to Change This Summer

Officials at Essential Public Media, a subsidiary of WYEP-FM, announced that the changes are planned for July 1 and call for in-depth NPR News and information while eliminating all but six hours of jazz (Saturday evening)from the main 90.5 FM channel.

On May 2, Essential Public Media (EPM) signed an asset purchase agreement with Duquesne University to acquire the license to broadcast on 90.5 FM and then applied for FCC approval of the license transfer. The FCC review is expected to take at least another 2 months so in the meantime EPM is negotiating with the university for a Local Management Agreement (LMA) which would allow EPM to operate the station but the license would still be held by the university pending FCC approval.

The format includes the continuation of such programs as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air, Marketplace, Car Talk, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, This American Life and the Splendid Table.
Lee Ferraro, general manager of WYEP, (Photo Right) believes the all-news format on 90.5 is sustainable.....
"Increasing service to a full-service news station is going to generate a lot of enthusiasm, is going to generate additional listenership. We see that happening in Columbus, Ohio, Milwaukee, Wisconsin...places smaller than Pittsburgh."

WDUQ currently has the largest audience of the three public radio stations in Pittsburgh with 180,000 listeners.

Marco Cardamone, EPM Board chairman, (Photo Left)says they will provide 174 hours of jazz programmming a week: six hours on 90.5 and 24/7 on an HD companion channel and on-line. He says they want to make HD more accessible to jazz fans by providing vouchers to people to help purchase a small HD radio plus, he adds, most people are already able to listen via the Internet.

Cardamone says this plan to provide jazz on HD and on-line fulfills his statement January 14 when the deal was first announced that they "want to honor and continue the tradition of jazz" in Pittsburgh...
"We're very excited about being able to do that. It's not going to be the same. There's change, there's anxiety about the change. But the service will be there."

Currently, the radio station provides a total of 317 hours of jazz per week: 100 on 90.5 FM, 168 on an internet stream and 49 on HD2.

EPM also plans to record live jazz events for broadcast and produce jazz features for air on 90.5 FM.

Ferraro and Cardamone says they are developing 2 locally-produced programs: a daily, hour-long interview/call-in show exploring critical issues impacting the region; and, a weekly round-up featuring stories and an audio collage of Pittsburgh people and organizations.

EPM also announced that Dennis Hamilton, a former executive with Minnesota Public Radio and currently the Director of Consulting for Public Radio Capital, will serve as the interim President and General Manager. The search continues for a permanent general manager.

Listen to an interview by WDUQ's Kevin Gavin with Lee Ferraro and Marco Cardamone

Big Grant for Buyers of 90.5 FM

The Heinz Endowments has added $1.5 million to the pool of funds at Essential Public Media's disposal to purchase and operate 90.5 FM. The newly formed non-profit group has agreed to a $6 million to purchase the WDUQ license from Duquesne University.

The first $4 million of the sale price is to be in cash. In addition, the university will hold a four year note for $500,000; there would be $1 million in underwriting and a promise to take on Duquesne University students in internships with a value of $500,000. Heinz Endowments President Robert Vagt says the grant was not just about purchasing and running the radio station.

"Our board was motivated to be part of an overall effort to provide robust news coverage, engage the community in important issues using all available media, we see this as part of a journalism civic engagement effort in the city and in the region.
The goal is to allow the station to focus on operations going forward without having to worry so much about debt."

The Heinz Endowments Board gave the money with the condition that the new entity has a stated policy that there is fair and balanced news coverage. This is not a corrective action said Vagt, "When you are going to start something new, however, you want to just make sure that what continues is reflective of the good work that has been done in the past."

These funds come on the heels of a $1.5 million grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

Community Group Looks to Keep Jazz on Radio

Representatives of "Jazz Lives in Pittsburgh," a group of jazz fans, educators and performers met with officials of Essential Public Media Thursday to discuss the future of jazz on 90.5 FM in Pittsburgh.
Essential Public Media is a partnership between WYEP-FM and Public Media Company, a non-profit created by Colorado-based Public Radio Capital and has signed an asset purchase agreement to buy the license for 90.5 from Duquesne University.
Jazz Lives in Pittsburgh Chairman Evan Pattak says he met with Marco Cardamone and Lee Ferraro, the board chair and general manager of WYEP respectively. Pattak say he was pleased that they met with his group but they received "mixed signals" about the future of locally-hosted jazz on 90.5. Pattak says he was told that there would be jazz but there was not a commitment to jazz on the main channel of 90.5...
"I can't say that. They indicated that some jazz would be part of the package. They also indicated they're exploring different technologies as a delivery system."

Pattak says no specifics were mentioned about the delivery system but that could mean on a secondary HD channel or via the Internet.

Pattak says they recognize that new ownership might want to change the programming which currently features more than 100 hours of jazz per week. So, he says they suggested 6 hours of jazz per day on the main 90.5 channel but received no commitment but that EPM would take it under advisement.

Essential Public Media Not Waiting for FCC

When Essential Public Media announced Monday that it had signed an asset purchase agreement with Duquesne University to buy the licenses currently being used by WDUQ, it set a goal of taking over operations by July 1st. (See story posted May 2, 2011) With the sale pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission, it seemed to some like a near impossibility, however, at least one group working on the deal says it may not wait for the approval.

Susan Harmon is the Managing Director of Public Radio Capital and a Board Member of Public Media Company. She says a lack of FCC paperwork will not slow the process, “I think that we won’t have FCC approval by [June 30th] but if we can work on an operating arrangement with [Duquesne] University then that will be possible.” Public Radio Capital created Public Media Company to purchase and manage public radio stations across the country with the help of local partners. In the case of 90.5 FM, PMC partnered with WYEP to form Essential Public Media to purchase the WDUQ license.

Harmon says it typically takes the FCC 60 to 90 days to sign off on a license transfer so she does not expect the operating agreement to be in place for long. She says all the groups involved are working to quickly build the agreement.

At the same time, EPM is interviewing candidates to fill the post of general manager and has posted other job openings. Harmon says more job listings are expected in the coming weeks.

DU and EPM Ink Deal for 90.5 FM

A little more than two weeks after the April 15th deadline, Duquesne University and Essential Public Media have taken the next step in the process of transferring ownership of the license to broadcast at 90.5 FM in Pittsburgh.

In a brief statement, Duquesne University spokesperson Bridget Fare said, “Duquesne University and Essential Public Media have signed the asset purchase agreement for the sale of the station and the next step will be to file with the FCC which will happen shortly, and at that point in time the FCC will begin their 30-day comment period and both the University and E.P.M. are very pleased with this next step in the process and looking forward to moving along in that process.”

Essential Public Media is a nonprofit entity formed by local radio station WYEP and Colorado-based Public Media Company to purchase the license. Public Media Company was formed by Public Radio Capital with the goal of purchasing and operating public radio stations across the country in partnership with local entities. The WDUQ license would be the group’s first purchase.

EPM and WYEP Board Chair Marco Cardamone said, ”It is a very important milestone that we passed today and one of many that are yet to come, so a lot of work is still ahead.” The group is in the process of hiring an executive staff.

“Our intent is to still be operational by July 1,” said Cardamone, “that’s our goal, that’s our target date.”

The university has held the license for WDUQ for more than 60 years but decided in 2009 to sell the asset. A sale price of $6 million was arrived upon in January with Essential Public Media. That deal came with a 90-day deadline to gather funding.

“It is a very complicated transaction, as you might expect, and there were simply a few complications that needed to be worked out,” said Cardamone, “The attorneys did not feel comfortable unless we sort of satisfied every one of the items.”

Details of the finances are still to be made public but Cardamone says much of it is in cash with some seller financing.

UPDATE: Public Radio Capital's Susan Harmon says taking control of operations by July 1st may involve a operating agreement.

Deal to Buy WDUQ Stalls

The 90-day deadline for Essential Public Media to pull its financing together to purchase the licenses to broadcast at 90.5 FM in Pittsburgh has come and gone without a deal being made.

Duquesne University announced in January that it had reached a deal to sell WDUQ’s licenses to Essential Public Media, which is a joint venture of Pittsburgh radio station WYEP and Colorado based Public Media Company. Essential Public Media is a non-profit formed by California based Public Radio Capital to purchase and help operate public radio stations across the country.

Duquesne University Spokesperson Bridget Fare says there are still a few details to hammered out on the $6 million deal. WYEP Board Chair Marco Cardamone says he expects the deal to be done some time next. Public Media Co. did not respond to a request for comment at a California phone number listed on its website.

WDUQ Buyer Looks for Comments

The entity chosen by Duquesne University to purchase its licenses to broadcast on 90.5 FM in Pittsburgh is looking for the region’s feedback. Earlier this month Duquesne University announced that it plans to sell the license currently used by WDUQ to a new group know as Essential Public Media. The group is a joint venture of the WYEP board and Public Media Company. Public Media Company is a nonprofit recently launched by Colorado based Public Radio Capital, which helps community groups buy public broadcast licenses. Essential Public Media has launched a website with links to news stories about the sale, a video of the sale agreement news conference and a place for the public to leave comments, ideas and suggestions. WYEP Board Chair Marco Cardamone says this is one of the first steps in the process. “ We wanted to follow up from the press release with some presence for anybody who heard about the name to log on and to give us, as we said there, any comments about anything that they think about related to this whole issue,” says Cardamone, “it’s really a listening post for us, our first attempt to start listening to others.”

Cardamone says they have not yet advertised the website and he has not checked the page to see how many comments have been left. He says he expects there will be new information released sometime in the early spring. “Within the next 60 to 90 days we plan to have another announcement and press conference perhaps,” says Cardamone.

WDUQ Sold, Program Format Not Finalized

Duquesne University today agreed to sell WDUQ 90.5 FM to a new operating entity Essential Public Media (EPM), which is a joint venture of WYEP and Public Media Company, a non-profit formed by Public Radio Capital for $6 million.
Duquesne University President Charles Dougherty, WYEP Board Chairman Marco Cardamone and Susan Harmon, Public Radio Capital's Managing Director held a news conference Friday afternoon to discuss the transaction.
"Through WDUQ, Essential Public Media has an amazing opportunity to transform local journalism, offer reliable news and information, spark civic conversation and shed light on important issues," said Cardamone.
He said NPR programs that 90.5 listeners are used to hearing will continue but there's no decision at this time regarding the 100 hours of jazz aired weekly on WDUQ.

Listen to the news conference

Listen to a longer version of the story here.

Duquesne Sells 90.5 FM

The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Duquesne University today voted to sell WDUQ 90.5 FM to a new local ownership and operating entity, Essential Public Media (EPM), for $6 million.
This decision comes after the university did not accept an offer, believed to be larger, from the non-profit Pittsburgh Public Media (PPM). PPM had indicated that it would keep the NPR, local news and jazz format which made 90.5 the most listened to public radio station in Western Pennsylvania.
According to a university release, EPM is a joint venture of WYEP and Public Media Company (PMC), a nonprofit launched by Public Radio Capital.

"We recognize that WDUQ is a vital community resource as Pittsburgh's first public radio station, so we are pleased that we've reached an agreement that will continue its legacy of more than 60 years of service to the community," said Dr. Charles J. Dougherty, Duquesne University president said he was pleased to reach an agreement that will continue the legacy of more than 60 years of service to the community......
"The sale not only preserves the public character of the station, it also will allow us to make significant investments in key academic initiatives that are aligned with Duquesne's strategic plan."

WYEP Board chair Marco Cardamone said "Through WDUQ, Essential Public Media has an amazing opportunity to transform local journalism, offer reliable news and information, spark civic conversation and shed light on important issues."

"Essential Public Media is planning to develop and sustain a vibrant media service that brings NPR, global and national news to the region, building on today's media technologies and a deeper emphasis on local journalism," said Susan Harmon, Public Radio Capital's managing director and PMC board director.
WDUQ 90.5 is a charter member of the network and has been bringing NPR programming to the region for nearly 40 years.

"While local journalism, reflecting the diversity of voices and issues in our community, is a high priority for EPM, we look forward to working with the community of jazz lovers in Pittsburgh as well," said Lee Ferraro, general manager of WYEP.

The news release did not specify whether or not jazz would be part of the station's format.

The deal is expected to be finalized within 6 months.

Listen to the news conference

Listen to a longer version of the story here.

UPDATE: Essential Public Media has now begun to take comment on the future of 90.5 FM at its website. http://www.essentialpublicmedia.org/