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  1. Signatures
    81 out of 100
    Petitioning
    1. Corporate Secretary, Board of Education (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Corporate Secretary, Board of Education (Lynn Abbot)
      • Commissioner, Florida Department of Education (Dr. Eric J. Smith)
  2. Created By
    Pablo del Real
    Delray Beach, FL
About this Petition Petition Letter

---WXEL in Danger of Losing its Stations---

WXEL could lose the battle to keep its radio and TV stations locally owned and operating together on December 17, 2010. We need your help.

---A Little History---

In the six years Barry University has been attempting to divest itself of the WXEL radio and TV licenses, our stations have suffered great damage:

 * The number of full-time employees has gone from a high of 55 down to 32, severely limiting the stations' ability to serve the community. The most recent cuts at WXEL were in August, when two staff people were laid off.

 * WXEL lost South Florida Today in 2009, the TV station's signature program and its only local news programming.

 * Both the radio and TV station have lost valuable funding opportunities due to a perception of instability that has grown up around the stations.

The WXEL community can ill afford to have the stations in limbo any longer with regard to a new owner. If this damaging trend continues, we could lose the stations soon.

---A Distant Parent Company is Not the Answer---

In April of 2010, Barry University agreed to transfer WXEL 90.7 FM to Classical South Florida, a wholly-owned subsidiary of America Public Media Group based in Minnesota.

Any transfer of the WXEL radio or TV license transfer must be approved by the Florida State Board of Education and the FCC. The Board of Education plans to address Barry's request for approval of the transfer at its December 17 meeting in Miami.

Please sign this petition urging the Board of Education to reject the transfer. Thank you.

Pablo del Real

Chairperson, WXEL Community Advisory Board

Recent Signatures

WXEL FM license transfer - please reject Barry's request

Dear Florida State Board of Education,

We the undersigned members of the WXEL service area respectfully request that the Florida State Board of Education reject the proposed license transfer of WXEL FM 90.7 to Classical South Florida for the following three reasons:

1. Classical South Florida, a Florida nonprofit corporation, is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Public Media Group, a nonprofit organization based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Given its child-parent relationship with a Minnesota-based company, Classical South Florida appears to be local in name only.
2. Classical South Florida seeks to acquire the license to the WXEL radio station only and has no plans for WXEL TV. WXEL TV and radio should not be split for any reason. Doing so puts the TV operation and many jobs in jeopardy.
3. Classical South Florida broadcasts classical music only. WXEL FM audiences currently enjoy a broad mix of music, news, and information. With a second radio channel now available, we need more diverse programming, not less.

Please reject the proposed transfer of WXEL FM to Classical South Florida for these reasons. Thank you.

[Your name]

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