Pensacola State College has formally terminated WSRE-TV Foundation as a direct support organization of the institution.
The decertification means the nonprofit can no longer use WSRE PBS or Pensacola State College for fundraising or any other purposes.
In a letter dated Sept. 25, PSC President Ed Meadows notified WSRE-TV Foundation Chairman Dr. Brent Videau of the termination, which was effective upon receipt of the correspondence.
The letter also asked the WSRE-TV Foundation to dissolve and allow the PSC Foundation to use its assets to support the continued operation of the WSRE-TV station.
At a meeting the night of Sept. 25, WSRE-TV Foundation members met and were adamant that the nonprofit would not dissolve nor hand over its $5.5 million in assets to the college foundation. The foundation’s meeting held in WSRE-TV station’s boardroom was already scheduled.
PSC and the WSRE-TV Foundation have been at odds since the college’s District Board of Trustees voted Sept. 16 to decertify the foundation and end WSRE-TV’s affiliation with PBS on June 30.
Citing budget constraints, Meadows made the recommendations to the college’s governing board, which also holds the television station’s FCC license. He said the college cannot absorb the extra costs of operating under PBS following WSRE-TV’s loss of $1.5 million in federal and state funding this year.
WSRE-TV currently has an annual $5.5 million operating budget, which includes yearly PBS dues of $880,000. PBS offered the station a reduced rate of $660,000 for fiscal year 2026-2027.
Meadows’s Sept. 25 letter also referenced Article III of WSRE-TV Foundation’s Article of Incorporation, which states, “The purposes for which the Corporation is organized are to raise funds for and otherwise support the activities, operations and capital needs on noncommercial education station WSRE-TV.”
At a Sept. 18 WSRE-TV Foundation meeting attended by Meadows and PSC Trustee Dr. Troy Tippett, board members wanted WSRE-TV to continue offering PBS programming. Some foundation members felt PSC should have allowed them to raise funds to meet the budget shortfall.
But at the Sept. 25 meeting, Videau said PBS is not specified in the foundation’s articles of incorporation.
“The only place PBS is mentioned is in the foundation handbook,” he said.
Carson Wilber suggested rewriting the foundation’s articles of incorporation and its mission statement. The suggestion was met with support. Renaming the foundation also was discussed and board members said the decertification could be beneficial and allow them to discuss matters with each other outside of meetings, since the state’s Sunshine Law may no longer apply.
At the Sept. 16 BoT and Sept. 18 foundation meetings, Meadows proposed utilizing Education Community Health Opportunity, a public media digital network that offers some PBS programming and other similar programs. The annual license for ECHO is $80,000, and Meadows said the service offered the college the first six months free.
But most WSRE-TV Foundation members were not receptive to the option and voted to retain Brad C. Deutsch, a Washington, D.C., communications law and political law attorney, for representation.
At the Sept. 25 meeting, foundation members voted to hire a second attorney who is licensed in Florida. The board directed Videau and Amy Day, vice chair, to research and retain suitable counsel. Deutsch, who attended Thursday’s meeting via Zoom, recommended the hiring of a Florida attorney but will still represent the foundation.
Foundation members also discussed some “creative” solutions to continue offering PBS to the area—outside of WSRE-TV.
Streaming PBS over the internet, partnering with another television station or purchasing a commercial television station were among the options discussed.
Allan Pizzato, former WSRE-TV general manager, said streaming PBS programming would be the most economical. With over 25 years of public broadcasting experience, Pizzato serves as an advisor to the foundation.
“This can’t be solved overnight,” he said, suggesting that the foundation takes some time to analyze its options. He also advised foundation members to consider the organization’s assets as “frozen.”
“That money is not available at the time, it’s going to be tied up in litigation,” he said. Some of foundation’s assets are earmarked, including $1.5 million for upkeep of the Jean and Paul Amos Performance Studio.
Several foundation members, including Wilber and Aaron Erskine, suggested leaving the assets as is to accrue interest or have in place if the Corporation for Public Broadcasting returns.
The CPB received federal funding and distributed the monies through grants to public broadcast television and radio stations. The CPB recently announced it was disbanding.
Established in 1967, WSRE’s coverage extends west from Biloxi, Mississippi, east to Destin and reaches more than 1.5 million viewers. All programming is free over the air, online and on the PBS app.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: PSC PBS programming under fire as WSRE-TV Foundation fights to survive