School Board, Independent Nonprofit Battle Over Future Of News At WLRN/Miami

Dispute

A battle over control of the news department at noncommercial News-Talk WLRN and PBS affiliate WLRN-TV/MIAMI is looming between the MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS and SOUTH FLORIDA PUBLIC MEDIA, the independent organization that provides news for the stations, reports the MIAMI HERALD, which has a news partnership and office-sharing arrangement with SOUTH FLORIDA PUBLIC MEDIA.

The school district, licensee of the stations, is proposing to retake control of the news product and directly employ reporters and editors, meaning that 19 staffers now with SOUTH FLORIDA PUBLIC RADIO would need to reapply for their jobs.  The move is raising red flags with the news department and with the stations' fundraising arm FRIENDS OF WLRN, who are voicing concerns that the news operation would not be able to independently report on school matters, while the district contends that it will not meddle in news decisions.  The district has raised issues of "student safety" (the news department, not formally part of the district, is not subject to the same background check requirements as district employees) and concerns that the creation of the news nonprofit by FRIENDS OF WLRN was done without board approval. 

The school board and FRIENDS OF WLRN have been at odds for several years over financial issues and salaries paid to FRIENDS executives, and the district recently demanded that FRIENDS sign a formal new agreement by MARCH 2nd.

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