The Federal Communications Commission has approved the transfer of WPSU’s broadcast licenses from Penn State University to news/talk WHYY Philadelphia (90.9), clearing the principal regulatory hurdle for a transaction designed to preserve public media service across central and northern Pennsylvania.
WHYY, an NPR affiliate, and Penn State announced the FCC decision Thursday (Sept. 10). The deal covers WPSU’s radio and TV operations, which serve some 1.5 million residents in the region. The organizations must complete additional steps before the transaction closes.
Once the deal is completed, WHYY will operate the stations under the WPSU name and call letters. The stations will continue their focus on local journalism, educational programming, cultural programming, community engagement and local storytelling.
“This is an extraordinarily important moment for public media and, most importantly, for the people and communities WPSU serves,” Bill Marrazzo, WHYY President and CEO, says in a news release. “From the beginning, our goal has been to ensure that central and northern Pennsylvania continues to have a strong, independent and noncommercial public media voice. The FCC’s approval brings us significantly closer to making that commitment permanent.”
Marrazzo said WHYY intends to build on WPSU’s longstanding relationship with the communities it serves.
“WPSU has earned the trust of generations of viewers, listeners, families, educators and communities. WHYY’s responsibility is not simply to preserve that legacy, but to build upon it. WPSU will remain WPSU: locally focused, responsive to the communities it serves and dedicated to telling the stories of central and northern Pennsylvania.”
Larry Terry, Vice President for Penn State Outreach, said the FCC approval provides greater certainty about WPSU’s future.
“The FCC’s approval brings welcome clarity about the future of public media in our region,” he says. “For generations, WPSU has been a trusted presence in the lives of people across northern and central Pennsylvania. This decision ensures that service will continue under WHYY’s leadership and creates new opportunities to serve communities for years to come.”
The transaction follows nearly two years of planning and negotiations between WHYY and Penn State. The organizations previously reached agreements for WHYY to acquire WPSU’s operating assets, subject to FCC approval and other customary closing requirements.
The transfer is the latest development in an effort to prevent WPSU from shutting down. Penn State had announced plans to wind down the station in 2025 after determining that it could no longer afford to subsidize its operations. A subsequent agreement with WHYY provided a path for the stations to continue operating.
WPSU has operated in central and northern Pennsylvania for more than 70 years, providing PBS and NPR programming along with local news, educational resources and community-focused content. WHYY said the transition will combine WPSU’s local relationships and knowledge with WHYY’s experience as an independent public media organization.
