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.

Clean Air Council Receives Grant from Heinz Endowments

The Clean Air Council of Pennsylvania, received a $180,000 grant over a period of 18 months to examine the natural gas drilling process in the state and identify sources of air emissions. Council executive director, Joseph Minott, says that they will use the awarded money to tackle a three-pronged approach regarding Marcellus Shale drilling. "First is that we're really looking at the adequacy of the regulations that are already in place or those processes that have no regulations at all," Minott says. After analyzing that, he says they will make suggestions to the state in terms of how they can make or amend regulations to deal with air pollution. Secondly, they want to examine the competence of enforcement. "We're really concerned that there are not enough resources being put into both air and water pollution," he says. Finally, Minnot noted the Council is going to look at distinct permits "to make sure that they're in compliance with both federal and state laws." Minnot says that when the public thinks about Marcellus Shale drilling, they think of water pollution, not air. One of the Council's goals is to get the public to focus on air pollution as much as they do water pollution.

Heinz Endowments to Work Harder on Bad Air

A report released today by the Heinz Endowments finds that while the region’s air may be better than it has been in the past, it still lags behind much of the nation. Study author John Graham says there is no doubt the region’s air quality is better than it was decades ago but the improvements have not been as fast as they could have been. “I looked [at data] over the course from 1999 to 2009, at the beginning of that period there were two monitors in this region out of 11 that were in the worst 10-percent of monitors nationwide for annual PM2.5 pollution, by the end of the decade there were actually six,” says Graham. That means even though air quality improved in southwestern Pennsylvania it improved more in other places.

Graham says power plants may be a big reason why the region has lagged, “In some respects the power plants here in western Pennsylvania have not made the same reductions as other places in the country.” Facilities in Ohio and West Virginia are reducing emissions at rates twice as fast as plants in this region according to Graham.

Endowments President Robert Vaught says the report debunks the myth that the pollution is all blowing in from other states. It finds about half of the region’s pollution is from local sources. “Now inside that there is a piece of good news because it means that if at least half is generated here, this is a portion that we can then begin to try to control ourselves,” says Vagt.

In reaction to the report the Heinz Endowments plans to launch a new effort focused on air quality. Grants will be made to press for more federal oversight, more monitoring and greater public awareness not only of the problem but also of what individuals can do to make a difference. Vagt raised his hand at the news conference announcing the effort and admitted he was a target. I drive into work every day rather than taking the bus he says.

Heinz Endowments Environment Program Director Caren Glotfelty says the Endowments has been making grants for air quality issues in the past but the results have clearly not been what is needed. She is quick to not blame the organizations getting the grants. “These groups have been working in a difficult environment for a long time, culturally and politically,” says Glotfelty, “They have been pushing a boulder up hill for all of the time.” Glotfelty says part of the initiative will be to launch a new section of the Heinz Endowments website. Panels will also be formed to dive into the numbers and look for solutions. The web content will go live later this month and the process of pulling together stakeholders has already begun.

The full report can be found here.

Four Foundations End WDUQ Hold

The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, The Richard King Mellon Foundation and an anonymous foundation have decided to end a 60-day option on the license to broadcast at 90.5 FM in Pittsburgh nearly a month early. The foundations purchased the option in May from Duquesne University and it was to expire over the 4th of July weekend. A statement from The Heinz Endowments read in part, “The group worked hard for a month to determine how the radio station would add value to the original project in relation to the cost. What we in the foundations group have determined is that we are not enough along in that analysis and in our solicitation of community input, and will not be by July 2.” In published reports and in an interview with WDUQ, representatives of the foundation effort said the group was looking to find ways to grow journalism in the region at a time when many news outlets are facing financial difficulties.
A group of community leaders and WDUQ FM management has formed the nonprofit “Pittsburgh Public Media” in an effort to build the support needed to purchase the license from Duquesne University. That group plans to preserve the News, Jazz and NPR format currently aired on 90.5 FM. Pittsburgh Public Media submitted a bid to the university earlier this year but it was rejected. A second bid was submitted but the has not yet been acted upon by Duquesne’s board. A spokeswoman for the school told the Tribune Review that the university does not plan to act on that bid until July. Pittsburgh Public Media Co-Chair Joe Kelly says his group is working to strengthen the bid and is looking forward to working with the Duquesne University going forward. The second bid submitted by PPM carried with it a one-week deadline for the university to respond. Kelly says when the university decides to reopen the bidding process in July, “We may learn whether it was considered to be a good bid or not… and we will take it from there.”

Early Education Study Findings

A three-year study of 10,000 Pennsylvania students at risk for future poor academic performance has found that there is a correlation between those who enroll in high-quality preschool programs with marked improvement than children who don’t. The study was funded through a $1 million Heinz Endowment grant. There were 21 school districts included in the study, including Pittsburgh Public Schools. These at-risk children were placed into a Pre-K Counts program.

“[Now there are] more students graduating high school and going onto higher education, more students avoiding special ed and reaching their full potential, and fewer adults going the revolving door of jails and prisons,” says Heinz Endowment Chairman Teresa Heinz. “This is every penny well spent.”

The study’s most significant finding was that all at-risk children in Pre-K programs showed significant gains and early learning skills in a range of basic subject areas, including reading, math and behavior.