WDUQ could owe CPB if sold to commercial outlet
Pittsburgh:Duquesne University could be forced to return nearly $7 million in federal funding if WDUQ-FM (90.5) is sold and made commercial rather than remaining public. The funding would be equal to 30 years worth of grants from the Washington, D.C.-based Corporation for Public Broadcasting. $1.8 million of that was distributed in the last six years.
In an interview appearing in last Friday's Tribune-Review, Duquesne president Charles Dougherty said, "That money's all been spent on the operation of the station over a period of years, so they received value for their investment. We don't see that they have any claim on the future of the station."
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the CPB said, "As stewards of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting, CPB does have an interest in seeing the licensee maintained as a public broadcasting operation. It is too early for CPB to speculate about possible outcomes for the station, but CPB could request any or all of WDUQ's federal funding be reimbursed.
Readers’ Forum
The station would first have to move out of the non commercial band (88.1 – 91.9) if they went commercial.
Tom Lavery (URL) - April 26, 2010 at 2:52 pm
If someone did buy 90.5 and try to make the station commerical trade it with 92.1 WPTS
FM - April 26, 2010 at 3:19 pm
FM – It wouldn’t be possible for a switch with 92.1 without taking the New Castle area station off the air as well. That’s why WPTS is at such a low power.
Eric O'Brien - April 26, 2010 at 5:21 pm
There is very little room on the commercial band there and in most areas. Yeah I get “92.1 The Pickle” up here. ‘DUQ will probably stay at 90.5.
Tom Lavery (URL) - April 26, 2010 at 8:21 pm
It would seem to be a simple matter to allow WDUQ to become a free standing public station, but there is an awful lot of foreshadowing coming out of the university that indicates this will not be the case. I continue to fear that the university is going to sell to the highest bidder.
Bruce - April 26, 2010 at 8:37 pm
I don’t know that size of DUQ’s audience, but I hope it is sufficient to justify keeping the station public. DUQ is first-rate jazz, & outstanding jazz DJs, & NPR in Pittsburgh, with a fine dial spot and a hearty signal that I receive fairly well even into Morgantown, where I work. DUQ is an important cultural tradition in Pittsburgh. I hope that any attempt to commercialize it fails miserably, and that it remains the essential public servant that it has been since 1949!
Fred Schroyer - April 27, 2010 at 11:36 pm
Frankly, everything that I am reading/hearing not only indicates that this station will be sold to the highest bidder but that the organization that the current management put together will be specifically shut out by the University.
medievalcook - April 28, 2010 at 08:38 am