After filing a petition to the FCC to deny South Florida Public Media Group’s $6.45 million purchase of Hip Hop “104.7 The Flame” WFLM Palm Beach Shores in July, The School Board of Miami-Dade County has sued the operator of its stations alleging breach of contract and misappropriated funds.
South Florida Public Media Group, formerly Friends of WLR, has served as the fundraising arm for 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 since 1974 and began managing the stations completely in 2022. The planned acquisition of WFLM would restore a full-powered public media outlet to the West Palm Beach market for the first time since 90.7 WPBI was sold to K-Love in 2015. The market has been served by the school board’s W270AD since then.
While the school board claims that it was a violation of the management contract to use station funds and donor lists to purchase a separate station, SFPMG has claimed that the money used came from a spectrum lease that the management company owns outright. The board is seeking to have South Florida Public Media Group “return the millions of dollars it has wrongfully diverted, honor its contractual obligations, fiduciary duties, and legal commitments, and not divert any more funds or misuse WLRN’s donor lists.”
School Superintendent Dr. Jose Dotres told WSVN-TV, “The financial resources for WLRN should not be diverted to any other private station. Those dollars should be used to enhance programming, improve the facilities of broadcasting, whether TV or radio, and enhance everything related to our community.”
South Florida Public Media Group CEO released a statement from CEO John Labonia stating, “SFPMG reiterates that it does not agree with the school board’s assertions or allegations that the purchase represents a breach of SFPMG’s contract and obligations as the sole vendor and manager of the school district’s broadcast properties.”
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com