Penn State University’s Board of Trustees Finance and Investment Committee voted today to wind down operations of Public News/Talk/Classical 91.5 WPSU-FM State College PA and PBS affiliate WPSU-TV by June 30, 2026 after rejecting a proposal to subsidize a transfer of the licenses to WHYY Philadelphia.
The WHYY proposal would have seen the University subsidize the transfer with $17 million over five years to give WHYY an opportunity to help WPSU reach a financial break-even point and continue broadcasting across Central Pennsylvania. The board committee determined it should not take on such a significant financial commitment due to other pressures facing higher education.
The University said that it implemented a budget model in 2024 focused on keeping tuition costs as low as possible for Pennsylvania families amid rising costs and has been xploring a number of alternative funding models for WPSU. The stations had depended on annual subsidies of at least $3.4 million from the University prior to the loss of federal funding.
Board Chair David Kleppinger said, “This was an incredibly difficult decision for trustees, as WPSU has long provided quality public broadcasting programming for communities throughout Central Pennsylvania. We have worked with the administration to find the best path forward for the station and our people who work there. But, given the significant headwinds facing higher education and public media, we could not support the proposed transaction. We know this is a deeply disappointing outcome and we are grateful to the dedicated WPSU employees whose work has enriched our lives and made our community stronger.”
The University’s press release said most WPSU staff would have likely been laid off from the University, with some being offered positions by WHYY.
WPSU-FM also is heard on 90.1 WPSX Kane and five translators: 92.1 W221BD Dubois, 100.9 W265BB Bradford, 102.5 W273BE Huntingdon, 104.7 W284AK Clearfield, and 106.7 W294AE Altoona.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com