WMFE-TV Sold, Dropping PBS - No Foolin'

[TheOneManHerd 553]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-wmfe-sale-20110401,0,1173689.story

 

Not much on the new owners, the only certainty is that they're dropping PBS. They might become an independent public station like KCET is going to do. But my honest guess is that they're going commercial. Your thoughts?

[Mrtraveler01 737]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-wmfe-sale-20110401,0,1173689.story

 

Not much on the new owners, the only certainty is that they're dropping PBS. They might become an independent public station like KCET is going to do. But my honest guess is that they're going commercial. Your thoughts?

 

From the sound of it, it looks like it's going commercial since it'll be under new ownership unlike KCET which kept the same ownership when it dumped PBS.

 

What will end up being the PBS station for Orlando then? If I remember correctly, there's one in Daytona Beach or Melbourne, will those just pick up the slack?

[RGSJenkins 432]

From the sound of it, it looks like it's going commercial since it'll be under new ownership unlike KCET which kept the same ownership when it dumped PBS.

 

What will end up being the PBS station for Orlando then? If I remember correctly, there's one in Daytona Beach or Melbourne, will those just pick up the slack?

 

There's WDSC in Daytona Beach and WBCC in Cocoa serving Orlando.

[effseesee 101]

From the sound of it, it looks like it's going commercial since it'll be under new ownership unlike KCET which kept the same ownership when it dumped PBS.

 

What will end up being the PBS station for Orlando then? If I remember correctly, there's one in Daytona Beach or Melbourne, will those just pick up the slack?

 

It can't go commercial because the channel is licensed by the FCC for non-commercial use. Getting a channel switched from non-com to commercial is next to impossible.

 

It's being sold to Daystar for religious broadcasting.

[Mrtraveler01 737]

It can't go commercial because the channel is licensed by the FCC for non-commercial use. Getting a channel switched from non-com to commercial is next to impossible.

 

It's being sold to Daystar for religious broadcasting.

 

That's a shame. That's the last thing Orlando needs on broadcast TV, considering there's a lot of other religious stations out there.

 

Will the last person at WMFE TV please turn off the lights? You essentially killed the station.

[RGSJenkins 432]

People are unhappy with the sale of WMFE to Daystar, in fact there's 463 responses on the FCC's website.

(Orlando Sentinel): http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2011/05/wmfes-sale-of-channel-24-draws-463-responses-to-fcc.html

(Orlando Sentinel): http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2011/05/two-ucf-students-fight-wmfes-sale-of-channel-24.html

(FCC): http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/comment_search/execute.action?proceeding=11-75&applicant=&lawfirm=&author=&disseminated.minDate=&disseminated.maxDate=&recieved.minDate=5%2F10%2F10&recieved.maxDate=&address.city=&address.state.stateCd=&address.zip=&daNumber=&fileNumber=&submissionTypeId=&__checkbox_exParte=true

[RGSJenkins 432]

There's WDSC in Daytona Beach and WBCC in Cocoa serving Orlando.

WDSC in Daytona Beach is also dropping PBS programming on July 1st, the same day as WMFE. WDSC it could no longer purchase PBS programs as Daytona State College weathers state budget cuts and increases tuition. Florida Gov. Rick Scott last month vetoed almost $4.8 million for public broadcasting, meaning each Florida public TV station lost more than $400,000.

 

But WUCF (a partnership of the University of Central Florida and the Brevard Community College) will become the main PBS station joining sister station WBCC starting July 1st.

 

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2011/06/pbs-daytona-beach-station-will-stop-pbs-lineup-july-1.html

http://today.ucf.edu/wucf-tv-officially-named-pbs-new-central-florida-home/