Options for the future of city-owned classical radio station WRR-FM (101.1) appeared to expand this week with a suggestion that public radio and TV operator KERA could consider buying the station.
Last week, Dallas’ Office of Arts and Culture recommended that KERA take over management of the money-losing station, keeping its classical music content but switching from a commercial format to noncommercial. City officials are also considering the possibility of simply selling the station and taking the money.
WRR is valued at about $13.5 million and the city could use $5.6 million from a possible sale to pay off station debt. If the station were sold, there is no guarantee that the station would remain classical.
At a Monday meeting of the Dallas City Council’s Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee, chairman Adam Bazaldua asked Nico Leone, KERA’s president and CEO, if KERA would consider buying the station. Leone said he will discuss this possibility with KERA’s board.
In an interview after the meeting, Leone said the decision would be up to the board. He could not comment on the board’s interest until after they meet.
“It’s a commercial station. Anyone can bid on it,” Leone said. “There are people out there with pretty deep pockets and no way to place a restriction on [the format of the station]. My expectation is that if the city sold the station, there would be no classical radio in Dallas.”
If the City Council decides to sell, KERA would not have priority in bidding, city officials said. The city would accept bids from all interested parties, and the process would take 18 to 24 months.
At the Monday meeting, at least one committee member appeared to support the contract negotiated by KERA and the Office of Arts and Culture.
“This was great news to hear that KERA was the successful bidder for the station,” said council member Paul Ridley, who represents District 14.
But chairman Bazaldua, who represents District 7, thinks a sale would make more sense. His district includes Fair Park in South Dallas, where WRR’s studios are located.
Selling the station would bolster the city’s Arts Endowment and allow the city to increase access to audio streams of public meetings, Bazaldua said during the committee meeting and reiterated later. He sees this as the best time to sell.
“It’s 2022, and I know how much I listen to the radio compared to what I used to, and the same for my family,” he said. “We’re not headed in a direction where more people are going to be listening to analog radio.”
Under the potential management deal with KERA, North Texas’ public broadcasting group would sign a seven-year contract, with two chances for eight-year renewals. These time frames are tied to FCC license renewal requirements, and would allow the city to review WRR’s situation.
WRR began broadcasting City Council meetings in 1978 but hasn’t done so since 2020. The council would revoke the mandate if it approves KERA’s proposal.
Other terms of the deal would require KERA to air public service announcements every day on WRR or KERA’s other platforms to promote arts organizations and city programs.
Calling this a “Band-Aid fix,” Bazaldua believes it would benefit all parties if KERA were to buy the station instead.
Last June, Dallas started looking for new management for WRR after eight years of the station running a deficit. The city’s arts office received proposals from the Dallas Symphony Association and KERA, ultimately picking the latter.
KERA and city officials will host a public meeting May 23 at the Fair Park Multimedia Center. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the matter June 8.
