PEORIA, IL -- Marilyn Copp and I were invited to meet with two Bradley University officials on Jan. 7 to get their take on what’s happening with WCBU, Bradley’s NPR station.
We met with Renee Charles, University Spokesperson & Executive Director of PR, and Zach Gorman, Chief Information Officer - Information Resources and Technology.
Gorman said he is the person negotiating with ISU’s NPR station WGLT to create a “partnership” with WCBU, to save money.
How much money? The radio station basically costs Bradley U. about $300,000 a year, Gorman said. It needs expensive new equipment soon. The administration has decided that the station’s costs mean Bradley’s operation of the station is “not sustainable,” he said, and money can be saved with a partnership with WGLT.
The negotiations with WGLT are not done, he said. The only time line he mentioned was to complete the deal by next fall when the station office in Jobst Hall will be demolished along with the building.
Under the plan, WGLT will operate the station using its infrastructure, and WCBU will save money, Gorman said. Both stressed that the identity ‘Peoria Public Radio’ will stay the same, and the frequencies on the dial will stay the same.
But they also acknowledged that “things will change.” What will change? They could not say since the negotiations are not done yet.
Asked what items must stay the same, they changed the subject. Will the program director, a key figure who decides what is to be broadcast, be from WCBU or WGLT? They didn’t know.
“WCBU is not leaving Peoria,” Gorman said. “Our intention is local news and coverage. The intent is to enhance the programming.”
Will local employees continue on at the station under WGLT management? “We don’t know who will be retained,” Charles said.
The two insisted that Bradley U. president Gary Roberts likes WCBU. “He is a listener and a donor. So is his wife,” He doesn’t want to see it vanish.”
“We are not getting rid of the station,” Gorman said.
“The intent is to maintain separate identities and local coverage,” Charles said. Asked how they would save money if they kept local coverage, they said the savings would come from shared infrastructure.
Partnerships have become a national trend, they said.
Gorman said the trustees of the two universities likely don’t need to approve the final agreement between the two stations. The Bradley Trustees also “don’t want to see (the station) go away.”
The broadcasts for the visually impaired and handicapped will also continue, they said.
“We’re not getting rid of public radio in Peoria,” Charles said. But “some change is inevitable,” she added.
The key to these plans is that agreement. Once it is made final, it will be a public document through ISU, a public university.
But here’s a thought – why is WGLT interested in being WCBU’s partner? What’s in it for them?
And why not allow WCBU to run a campaign to raise money for new equipment if that’s the expense causing the partnership.
It’s clear that Bradley has decided to pursue this to save money, but not that much money in the long run. Odd.
So here’s a plan: A committee is being formed to formulate non-negotiable issues, to meet with President Roberts, and to demand that the agreement be made public and approved by Trustees of both Bradley and ISU.
Bradley owes this to its listeners who have contributed millions over the years to the station. Stay tuned.
-- Elaine Hopkins
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