FCC Approves Transfer of WPSU to WHYY

The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday approved the transfer of WPSU TV and radio to WHYY, a pivotal step in the transaction that will keep public broadcasting alive in Central Pennsylvania.

It marked the final regulatory clearance for WHYY’s pending acquisition of WPSU, which Penn State had been on the brink of shutting down a year ago before reaching an agreement with the Philadelphia area public media provider to take over its ownership and operations. The two parties finalized the deal and submitted an application to the FCC in July.

“The FCC’s approval brings welcome clarity about the future of public media in our region,” Larry Terry, vice president for Penn State Outreach, saiid in a statement. “For generations, WPSU has been a trusted presence in the lives of people across northern and central Pennsylvania. This decision ensures that service will continue under WHYY’s leadership and creates new opportunities to serve communities for years to come.”

Under the terms approved by the Penn State Board of Trustees and WHYY Board of Directors, WHYY will acquire WPSU’s radio, television and digital assets, along with endowed funds, for $1. WPSU will remain in operation for a minimum of three years and will not sell any non-core assets without university permission, terms included to alleviate Penn State board members’ concerns that WHYY could simply monetize the assets and shut the stations down.

WPSU will continue to operate out its leased offices in Innovation Park.

WHYY has also agreed to interview any employee who is interested in remaining at WPSU, and most are expected to be kept on as employees of the new entity. WPSU-FM reported earlier this month that, as part of that process, the Penn State notified WPSU’s 31 full-time employees that they were being laid off from the university, with the expectation that the deal with WHYY would be nearly complete by mid-September.

The WHYY employment website lists available positions at WPSU for a major gifts officer, marketing specialist, membership specialist and underwriting specialist.

WPSU’s roots date back more than 70 years to the launch of the Penn State-owned WDFM (later WPSU-FM) in 1953. In 1965, WPSX (later WPSU-TV) became the first educational TV station in Pennsylvania to be licensed to a university. Today, WPSU-FM reaches more than 450,000 listeners in 13 counties and WPSU-TV serves 515,000 households in 24 counties, one of the largest geographic coverage areas in the nation.

Penn State and WHYY officials said in a news release on Wednesday that they have collaborated for months to develop a long-term path forward for public media to continue in the region.

“This is an extraordinarily important moment for public media and, most importantly, for the people and communities WPSU serves,” Bill Marrazzo, WHYY president and CEO, said in a statement. “From the beginning, our goal has been to ensure that central and northern Pennsylvania continues to have a strong, independent and noncommercial public media voice. WPSU will remain WPSU: locally focused, responsive to the communities it serves, and dedicated to telling the stories of central and northern Pennsylvania.”

Penn State sought out a deal to transfer WPSU to new ownership because the university could no longer provide $3.4 million in funding from tuition dollars for the broadcasting operation, “given our declining resources for core teaching and research needs,” Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Sara Thorndike said last year.

University trustees rejected an initial proposal in September 2025 that would have seen Penn State pay WHYY $17 million in declining amounts over five years as a post-closing subsidy. At the time Penn State said it would plan to wind-down WPSU by June 30, 2026.

A month later, though, the two parties agreed to a deal that eliminated the subsidy, with WHYY instead taking on fundraising to cover break-even operating costs.

“I want to thank our colleagues at WHYY for their partnership throughout this process, the WPSU staff for their professionalism and dedication, and the viewers, listeners, donors and community supporters who have stood by WPSU for generations,” Terry said. “Because of their commitment, this service will continue to inform, educate and connect communities across our region.”

Penn State and WHYY did not disclose a closing date for the transaction on Wednesday.