Miami-Dade school district finalizes deal with Friends of WLRN to manage station
The Miami-Dade County Public School District and former Superintendent Alberto Carvalho earlier this month made good on a promise to end a years-long bidding process and secure a management structure for WLRN, South Florida’s public radio news station and NPR affiliate.
Friends of WLRN, a nonprofit founded in 1974 to be the station’s fundraising arm, will manage the day-to-day operations of WLRN-FM and WLRN-TV.
The school district, which holds the broadcasting license of WLRN, will continue to “reserve ownership interests in all programs as well as retain all intellectual property related to programming as well as ultimate oversight and control of the stations,” according to a news release.
“Promises made, promises kept,” Carvalho told the Editorial Board earlier this month.
In his final months, he and his staff, mainly Daisy Gonzalez-Diego, the district’s former chief communications officer, negotiated the final details of the deal, Carvalho said. The district finalized the deal before his departure Feb. 13.
Carvalho left Miami after 14 years as superintendent to lead the Los Angeles Unified School District. Jose Dotres, a longtime Miami-Dade schools educator, took over as Miami’s new superintendent Feb. 14.
“We are grateful and excited for this opportunity to build on the success and growth WLRN has achieved within the South Florida market and nationally,” said Joseph M. Goldstein, volunteer board chairman of Friends of WLRN, in a news release. “We are grateful for the collaboration with [former] Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and the Miami-Dade County School Board who are committed to sustaining independent journalism and safeguarding this important asset for the public.”
The Miami Herald and WLRN have an ongoing news partnership.
Years in the making
The recent agreement culminates an effort by school district officials to outsource media management services and ease tension between the station and the district.
In June 2019, the district solicited bids from nonprofit groups interested in managing WLRN, but only two bidders responded: South Florida PBS, operator of public television stations WPBT2 in Miami-Dade and WXEL TV42 in Palm Beach County, and Friends of WLRN.
By December of that year, the district was poised to award the bid to South Florida PBS after a committee of five, which at the time included school district officials, rated both proposals and recommended South Florida PBS to the School Board. By March 2020, however, PBS withdrew its bid, citing the coronavirus pandemic.
The request for proposals was never reopened, said district spokesperson Jackie Calzadilla. But the issue came up again earlier this month after months of discussion between the school district and Friends of WLRN.
On Feb. 2, during its monthly workshop, the School Board was presented with an update that included three details: the management agreement, how WLRN aligns with the district’s strategic plan and its facilities within the district’s redevelopment plan. Friends of WLRN also will create education-related positions, said Gonzalez-Diego.
After months of negotiations, Carvalho in a news release said, the final agreement delivered on a promise of “safeguarding independent journalism with a high level of integrity [and] provides additional education opportunities for students.”
Moreover, he said, the plan “will ensure the future viability of this well-respected community asset.”
This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 12:00 AM.
