MPS radio station to switch operators, format

By ALAN J. BORSUK

Posted: Nov. 16, 2004

The prolonged process of converting Milwaukee Public Schools' WYMS-FM (88.9) from a taxpayer-supported jazz listener's delight to an alternative music source independent of school district funding took a major step forward Tuesday night.

The School Board's finance committee voted 5-0 to turn over the station, as of Dec. 1, to Radio for Milwaukee, a non-profit agency. The full board is expected to approve the plan next week.

Leaders of Radio for Milwaukee hope that by the middle of 2005, the station will have a range of programming, featuring what one of them, Todd Broadie, calls "under-represented music." Public affairs programming will continue, including a staple of WYMS: live broadcasts of School Board and committee meetings.

Like other public radio stations, the station will be funded by grants, underwriters and listeners.

From the standpoint of Milwaukee schools, the plan will relieve the system of annual expenses ranging from $100,000 to $300,000 in recent years.

The new contract has its roots in the spring of 2002, when then-Superintendent Spence Korte abruptly tried to turn the station over to another public station, WUWM-FM, largely to halt spending on the station. The move triggered a wave of protest from fans of the station's jazz format.

MPS officials pulled back, and the School Board authorized a search for a new operator - a process now well over two years old.

The School Board gave general approval to the Radio for Milwaukee plan in September 2003, but negotiating a contract that satisfied concerns of attorneys, School Board members and MPS officials took more than a year.

The proposed seven-year deal drew praise at Tuesday night's meeting.

"I'm very excited about the possibility of really making powerful good use of this asset for the public's benefit," board member Jennifer Morales said.

The contract envisions broad opportunities for MPS students to work at the radio station, or possibly in an Internet broadcast operation that would be almost entirely student-run.

Mark Hand of Public Radio Capital, a Denver-based organization that aims "to extend the reach of public broadcasting," praised the proposal for offering "the best of an MPS-community partnership." The organization assisted in negotiating the new contract.

A leader of the new station is Peter Buffett, a Milwaukeean nationally known for his music writing and producing, and son of famed investor Warren Buffett.

Peter Buffett said he hoped the station would "reflect the community" and serve both students and parents of MPS, but he did not expect to be involved in regular operations. Organizers are hiring staff, including a program director.

The station will be based outside of MPS facilities. The station's license will continue to be held by MPS.

From the Nov. 17, 2004, editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel