WCRB / WGBH Sale

[Scott Fybush]

Gary's Ice Cream wrote:
> Will WGBH have to operate WCRB as a non-commercial station?  Or can they use
> it to make money for the foundation?

Will they have to? No. But they're going to, for much the same reason 
that WNYC plans to operate its version of WQXR non-commercially. If 
you're funding the station purchase with a capital campaign, it's a 
selling point for donors to offer 24-hour commercial-free classical music.

I am not a tax expert, nor an attorney of any stripe, so I can't speak 
with authority to the tax/legal aspects of a nonprofit organization 
operating a commercial radio station. I know it can be done - commercial 
classical WFMT in Chicago is owned by Chicago's public TV station, WTTW 
- but I suspect it creates some complex administrative and regulatory 
hurdles keeping everything straight.

And, honestly, given what's now allowed in underwriting announcements, 
and given the weak ad market, it's hard for me to imagine that they'd 
take in that much more in commercial ad revenue than they'll get anyway 
in underwriting. It's not as though the current WCRB sponsors will have 
a lot of other places to go to reach that audience.

s