An LPFM station in St. Paul, Minn., will change hands under a requested license transfer.
The new licensee would be BLCK Press Center for Broadcast Journalism, which states that its mission is “transforming media by empowering radical storytellers to authentically amplify what’s happening in our communities.”
It says that through its training programs, “we’re making media accessible for early career journalists of color by removing barriers and equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in the journalism industry.”
WEQY is currently licensed to Dayton’s Bluff District Four Community Council. Branded as “104.7 Voice of the East Side,” WEQY was launched in 2015 to support “a socially, economically and politically powerful East Side by capitalizing on its rich immigrant history and diverse communities.”
“While the station was founded on strong positive principles, it had been languishing for years without proper leadership,” Eric Zidlicky, president of the council, told Radio World in an email. “All original developers of the station had moved on. It was left to a new board of directors to manage.” He said the leadership of BPCBJ “is far better equipped to give the station what it needs as a community asset.”
According to the terms of the agreement filed with the FCC, BLCK Press Center will pay $500 a month to rent the transmitter and space; and the council will get a certain number of PSAs on the station for the next five years.
Paul Bame of Prometheus Radio Project is consulting engineer.
