WLRN Public Media will keep National Public Radio programming on a channel that had been sold to a Christian broadcaster.
The nonprofit radio and television outlet said Monday that it had worked out an arrangement with California-based Educational Media Foundation that will allow WLRN to program on 101.9-FM for 700,000 Palm Beach County residents.
WLRN general manager John LaBonia said his station had agreed to pay the foundation but the price hasn’t been established. WLRN operates a PBS television and a NPR radio station out of the Miami-Dade school board headquarters.
While listeners who live in south Palm Beach County can receive WLRN radio programming, those who live farther north were at risk of losing public radio altogether when American Public Media, a subsidiary of Minnesota Public Radio, sold its Classical South Florida public radio network to the Christian-based foundation in June.
The sale included 90.7, a full power FM station, and 101.9, a 250-watt FM translator station in West Palm Beach.
WLRN asked the new owner to keep National Public Radio programming on 101.9 while the two worked on an agreement, allowing the station to not have a break in service.
“If the West Palm Beach market were to lose public radio, it would be the most densely populated area in the country without NPR services,” said WLRN general manager LaBonia, who called that unacceptable.
“We are excited that a programming agreement has been secured,” he added. “Now with this expanded coverage, we can proudly offer NPR for the Palm Beaches.”
WLRN also is keeping classical music on the airwaves. In August, WLRN’s HD-2 radio channel began broadcasting “Classical 24.” Listeners can hear classical music 24 hours a day through HD-capable radios, live-stream on WLRN.org and on WLRN’s iPhone and android apps.
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