Penn State’s governing board approves new proposal to keep WPSU operating
The Penn State trustees unanimously approved a revised proposal to sell WPSU’s operating assets to another public media organization during a special meeting Monday afternoon.
The finance and investment committee, as well as the whole board, agreed to new terms of agreement with WHYY, a public media organization based in Philadelphia.
The finance and investment committee last month unanimously voted against moving forward with a proposal for WHYY to acquire WPSU, leading Penn State to start the “wind down process” of WPSU. The PBS and NPR Member station and a service of Penn State Outreach was slated to close no later than June 30, 2026.
One sticking point for the committee members last month was that the previous terms required Penn State to subsidize the post-closing operations of WPSU over the next five years, amounting to about $17 million.
Sara Thorndike, senior vice president for finance and business/treasurer and chief financial officer for the university, said Monday WHYY agreed on their own to fundraise for that amount needed over five years.
“They will continue to make every effort to raise money, at least for the first two years, which they have estimated to be $8.36 million. We want to do what we can to support them in those efforts,” Thorndike said. “We have an exclusivity period of 30 days attached to this agreement. During that exclusivity period, we can continue to hear from people that might be interested in WPSU but we cannot sign any agreements while we are continuing to work towards a definitive agreement with WHYY. This also gives them time to raise those much needed funds to continue to support WPSU.”
Penn State can use gifts that are needed for WPSU to operate over the the next year, Thorndike said. The university will continue to need gifts and other WPSU funds for the next 30 days in the exclusivity period, she said. But Penn State will not liquidate any endowments during the exclusivity period.
Another main concern from the committee was that WPSU employees may not be hired by WHYY. In the new terms, they agreed to interview any WPSU employee who is interested in being interviewed. If they are qualified for the jobs WHYY has determined are needed, they will be hired into those positions if they want to move to WHYY, Thorndike said.
Additionally, Thorndike said the stations will continue to offer internships, work studies and other programs to Bellisario College of Communications students. They intend to lease the space where WPSU is located now so they’ll still be close to the university, she said.
WHYY has agreed to operate WPSU for at least three years, although Thorndike said they have indicated they want to keep it going for much longer than that.
WHYY’s board of directors will need to approve the acquisition, and it will also need to be approved by the Federal Communications Commission before it is final.
Trustees share their support
Annually the university provides about $3.4 million to WPSU. After federal funding cuts, the university is also providing support to offset that loss, Thorndike said.
Trustee Mary Lee Schneider said 92% of WPSU’s budget is funded by tuition dollars, which is “increasingly unsustainable.” She said the new agreement is a great outcome, assuming it all goes through.
She also read a comment on behalf of Trustee Rob Fenza, who was unable to attend Monday’s meeting. Fenza was one of a couple of trustees who shared their reasoning for voting against the previous sale. He said he’s supportive of the new terms, namely that Penn State didn’t have to pay $17.3 million in subsidies and that WHYY agreed to keep it operational for at least three years.
“Perhaps most importantly, WHYY agreed to interview and hire those employees with the requisite skills and experience necessary to operate going forward. So this does create a win, win, win for everybody,” Fenza’s statement read.
Trustee Anthony Lubrano thanked the many community members who reached out to him directly about the proposal, and said the board recognizes the importance of WPSU. With the new agreement, he said they’ll be able to look forward to many more years of broadcasting from WPSU.
Trustee Chair David Kleppinger said the board received more than 1,300 comments regarding WPSU, with the overwhelming majority of them in support of keeping it operating.
“Commenters emphasized WPSU’s importance to Penn State’s land grant mission, its educational and cultural value to children and families, especially in the rural areas of central Pennsylvania, and its role in providing experiential learning opportunities for our students. Many also noted the station’s history of trusted local journalism and community engagement, and urged the board to find a sustainable path forward that preserves those contributions,” Kleppinger said.
“While a few did express differing views, the consistent theme across the comments with strong support for maintaining WPSU’s public media service and the connection it provides between Penn State and the communities that we serve.”
A ‘promising first step’
In a statement on social media, WPSU said they’re grateful that university leaders and WHYY continued to work toward a deal, and for the outpouring of support they’ve received since Penn State said it would shut it down.
The agreement represents a “meaningful opportunity” for both the university and WPSU, the post states.
“For Penn State, it allows the university to prioritize resources toward its core, student-centered educational mission. For WPSU, it opens access to the infrastructure and expertise of WHYY, a leader in the public media space that has expressed a strong commitment to maintaining WPSU as an independent, vibrant local public media presence. There are still challenges ahead, but this is promising first step.”
In a release from the university, Bill Marrazzo, president and CEO of WHYY, reassured WPSU’s audience that it would continue to be there. There are many possibilities to build on WPSU’s history, he said, while continuing to provide communities with access to public media.
“One of the foundational pillars of public media is the drive to ensure the sustainability of free and universal access to its programming and services for every American citizen,” Marrazzo said. “This is an investment in collaboration. WHYY and WPSU are joining forces to expand what is possible — strengthening local journalism, creating new educational opportunities, and developing innovative ways to deliver the content people value most.”
This story was originally published October 13, 2025 at 2:54 PM.
