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WYPR Celebrates 10 Years of Growth and Expansion
Posted February 2, 2012
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Baltimore - The 2002 transition from WJHU to WYPR was a tough proposition. The station was losing money and debt was mounting from loans and interest. But shortly after switching to WYPR, the station held its first pledge drive during which listeners learned of the challenges the station was facing. And from that point, the tide turned.
Today - 10 years later - WYPR has more than 15,000 members, nearly 250,000 weekly listeners, a robust news department, an active and committed Board of Directors and Community Advisory Board, and plans for continued growth and expansion.
"What a great perspective it is to be able to look back at what we have accomplished over the past decade," said WYPR President and General Manager Tony Brandon. "Our members, staff, board, listeners, and underwriters have been an integral part of the station's success and our 10 years is marked by their support."
Particular highlights of WYPR's decade of success include the following:
• Introduction of a vibrant news department and news programming that tackles complex issues and subjects.
• Launch of Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast and later, Midday with Dan Rodricks.
• Installation of a vibrant Community Advisory Board that interacts with the station to provide important links to community issues.
• Broadcasts of two-way discussions and content that connect WYPR listeners to community leaders, scientists, politicians, artists, authors, and other leaders and influencers.
• Growth of audience by more than 100,000 listeners each week.
• Increase of operating budget from $1.7 million in 2001 to over $5 million in 2012 to support additional local programming content.
• Annual on-air support to more than 200 non-profit organizations.
• Presentations and special events with many NPR personalities including Terry Gross, Diane Rehm, Renee Montagne, Garrison Keilor, Cokie Roberts, Ira Glass, Bob Mondello, and Diana Nyad.
In commemoration of this milestone, WYPR will host a series of events and activities. The centerpiece of the 10th anniversary will be a special presentation of Stoop Stories on May 23rd told by local WYPR on-air hosts including Dan Rodricks, Sheilah Kast, and Nathan Sterner and national NPR on-air hosts including the political junkie Ken Rudin. Tickets for this flagship event at CENTERSTAGE can be purchased beginning Feb. 23rd at www.centerstage.org.
WYPR is an NPR affiliate. The station produces and broadcasts local programs including Midday with Dan Rodricks, Maryland Morning with Sheilah Kast, and The Signal, as well as news coverage and special editorial programming. As a listener-supported radio station, all contributions to the station are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. For more information, visit www.wypr.org or call 410-235-1660.
WYPR
A Brief History
In early 2001, in order to concentrate on its primary mission of medicine and education, Johns Hopkins University made the decision to divest its interest in its radio station, WJHU. At that time, Marc Steiner, who had been airing a two-hour weekly show on WJHU for eight years, formed a community based non-profit organization with the intention of buying the station. He and several other employees of WJHU formed a non-profit organization called Maryland Public Radio Corporation (MPRC). The group opened negotiations with John Hopkins.
MPRC attempted to raise acquisition funds well into 2001 and they were successful in raising or gathering commitments of over $500,000. However, during that period, several other offers were tendered to John Hopkins from Minnesota Public Radio, Washington's NPR station WAMU-FM, and a religious broadcasting group. Hopkins, anxious to find a buyer, was close to accepting one of the offers but agreed to wait to determine if MPRC could raise sufficient funds.
In July 2001, Steiner was introduced to Anthony Brandon, President of American General Media, a long established broadcast company that operates over 50 radio stations throughout the United States. Brandon, who had broad experience in the broadcast business, expressed interest in the project. He reviewed the project with a broadcasting partner, Charles Salisbury, and with representatives of Mercantile Safe Deposit and Trust Company, an institution interested in local projects and which had financed several American General Media projects for many years. Mercantile and Brandon agreed that with acceptable pro-rata personal guarantees, the bank would make acquisition debt available for the purchase of WJHU.
Brandon convened a small group of guarantors who were willing to support the project. Along with Brandon and Salisbury, they included Tom and Barbara Bozzuto, Earl and Darielle Linehan, Bill and Bonnie Clarke, Albert Williams, Ann and Jane Daniels, and Jonathan Melnick.
With most of the guarantors committed, Brandon then negotiated a formal letter of financing commitment from Mercantile. With this in hand, and with Brandon's agreement to provide management for the operations, a Letter of Intent was signed with Johns Hopkins in August of 2001 to purchase WJHU. Negotiations began immediately on a formal Purchase and Sale Agreement. The name of Maryland Public Radio Corporation was changed to Your Public Radio, the contract was completed in October 2001 and signed by Brandon on behalf of the corporation. An application to assign the license of WJHU was filed in November 2001 with the Federal Communications Commission.
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