This is huge. KPLU reports:
Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Washington say they will open the door for an outside group to bid on KPLU. PLU holds the radio station’s license, and had signed a letter of intent to sell it to UW.
The original deal would turn KPLU into an all-music station with new call letters, operated by the UW-licensed KUOW. But now the parties say they’re negotiating an addendum to that agreement.
It would allow a community-based group to submit its own competing bid. If that happens, Associate Vice President Norm Arkans says UW would “stand down.”
The original deal was that Pacific Lutheran would sell the station to the UW for $8 million and it’s not clear whether the Tacoma university’s asking price will be any higher or lower for an outside bid.
KUOW reports (the difference between the two stations’ reporting on this development is yet another reminder of why having a multiplicity of news outlets is important) that the new president of the UW, Ana Mari Cauce, was moved by letters complaining about the secrecy around the original deal and the fact that the community never had the chance to save KPLU from being acquired.
Her conscientious reaction to the letters is in stark contrast to behavior of Thomas Krise, the president of PLU. Krise’s office didn’t share an impassioned letter asking for the universities to open up the process—written by the KPLU Community Advisory Council—with the university’s regents. The letter was addressed to Krise and the regents, but last week council head Stephen Tan told me he’d learned that the regents never received a copy, even though the president’s office is listed on the PLU website as the way to reach the regents.
Whoever failed to pass on the letter, Tan said, “I think you have to question whether that person is fit for the position he holds, whether it’s a secretary there or the president himself.”
This month, two PLU students organized a protest against the deal. Both students, in interviews with The Stranger, said Krise called them into his office afterward and belittled them.
He just consistently spoke over us and interrupted us,” said Zoe Veile, who has worked as a KPLU intern. “He directly insulted our protest. He was like, our protest was ineffective.”
“I don’t really believe him when he says our voices don’t matter,” she said. “Our argument was that KPLU is a really great brand extension of the univeristy and a really valuable resource in the community. We just feel that this was handled very very poorly, in terms of no transparency.”
Want to get involved? SaveKPLU.org.
UPDATE December 18, 8 a.m.: In an e-mail, Cauce explains how she reached her decision:
One of the key missions of our University is service to the community. While we don’t make decisions based on popular opinion, we try to listen carefully to the community. While we believe, and continue to believe that a creative blend of the stations could serve our entire region well, including of course, the South Sound, they wanted a chance to keep it intact. They deserve that chance.
It really is as simple as that. I’m glad there is good support for the decision, but the hard work is still in front of us all. I care deeply about Public Radio, so it was gratifying to see how many people cared.