Friends of WLRN Inc., which has served as the fundraising arm of School Board of Miami-Dade County’s public broadcasting operations since 1974, has agreed to take over full-management of the South Florida Public News/Talk and PBS stations.
Friends of WLRN will now handle day-to-day management of Public News/Talk 91.3 WLRN-FM Miami, 91.5 WKWM Marathon/Key West, and 101.9 W270AD West Palm Beach as well as their Classical service on WLRN-HD2 and WKWM-HD2 and WLRN-TV. The group had clashed with the school board in recent years after Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and a committee recommended that a competing bid by “South Florida PBS” WPBT-TV Miami/WXEL West Palm Beach be selected.
Following a competitive procurement, Friends of WLRN, Inc. (“Friends”) the support and fundraising arm of WLRN Public Media, has successfully negotiated an agreement with the School Board of Miami-Dade County to become the Media Management Company of the WLRN Public Radio and WLRN television stations.
“We are grateful and excited for this opportunity to build on the success and growth WLRN has achieved within the South Florida market and nationally,” says Joseph M. Goldstein, volunteer Board Chairman of Friends of WLRN and Managing Partner of the Fort Lauderdale office of Shutts & Bowen LLP. “We are grateful for the collaboration with Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and the Miami-Dade County School Board who are committed to sustaining independent journalism and safeguarding this important asset for the public”, added Goldstein.
The agreement grants Friends of WLRN, an experienced management company and philanthropic arm of WLRN since 1974, the rights to run the day-to-day operations of WLRN-FM and WLRN-TV, ensuring compliance with all applicable school board policies, regulations, and fiscal reporting requirements while continuing the highest quality media standards of the WLRN stations.
As the broadcasting licensee holder of WLRN, Miami-Dade County Public School Board will continue to reserve ownership interests in all programs as well as retain all intellectual property related to programming as well as ultimate oversight and control of the stations.
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who will soon be leaving to lead the Los Angeles Unified School District, and his team, were integral to the negotiations and ensured that the agreement preserved and protected independent journalism while accomplishing the educational needs provided by WLRN to the Miami-Dade County School District.
Carvalho tweeted out recently, “After months of negotiations, an agreement has been reached for the management of @WLRN. The agreement, which was presented to the Board today delivers on a promise of safeguarding independent journalism with a high level of integrity, provides additional education opportunities for students, protects current employees and the School Board as the licensee. This plan will ensure the future viability of this well-respected community asset.”
Sheila Reinken, Executive Director of Friends, commented, “I appreciate the collaboration with the Miami-Dade County Schools staff and Daisy Gonzalez-Diego in successfully completing negotiations.”
About Friends of WLRN: Friends of WLRN, Inc. was created as a 501C3 nonprofit organization in 1974 to provide financial support and enhance the programming of WLRN-FM 91.3 FM, WKWM-FM 91.5, and WLRN-TV Channel 17. This commitment has since grown to include new digital television and radio channels. As the fundraising arm of the expanded WLRN media enterprise, Friends supports a workforce of more than 40 employees dedicated to transparency, sound governance, and ethical business practices, as well as editorial integrity, accuracy, and balance.