A long-running business dispute and legal fight over the future of WLRN, South Florida's top public media station, has come to an end.
Representatives from the Miami-Dade County School Board and the nonprofit South Florida Public Media Group announced Wednesday they had reached a settlement, securing the management of WLRN for at least the next seven years. A previous agreement was supposed to expire in June 2027.
The school district holds the broadcast license for WLRN radio 91.3 FM and WLRN TV, Channel 17. SFPMG manages the school district’s media properties.
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The agreement effectively resolves litigation that began last September when the School Board sued SFPMG — which manages the school district's public radio and TV station — over a contested plan to expand into northern Palm Beach County and neighboring Martin County.
Part of the settlement is the resolution of a $6.45 million deal to acquire West Palm Beach radio station WFLM – The Flame. Under the new settlement agreement, SFPMG will move forward with the acquisition and subsequently transfer the station to the School Board.
This move transforms WFLM into a simulcast partner for WLRN, significantly expanding the station's award-winning journalism and NPR programming into Palm Beach and Martin counties.
As part of the restructuring, SFPMG has appointed Tom Hudson, a veteran journalist and the station’s Senior Economics Editor, as Interim CEO. He also hosts the "The Florida Roundup," a weekly public affairs show that airs statewide.
Hudson's appointment is part of a transition that follows the resignation of previous station leadership.
The Miami Herald reported last month that Richard Rampell, the board chair of South Florida Public Media Group, resigned and that SFPMG CEO John LaBonia had cleared out his office in downtown Miami.
According to the joint statement, the two organizations are now "working in close coordination to ensure a smooth leadership transition."
"Both parties remain dedicated to preserving the integrity, quality, and goodwill of WLRN for the benefit of the community," the organizations said in their joint statement.
"Their joint priority is to protect the employees and resources that support the high-quality journalism and programming that make WLRN a valued public service institution throughout South Florida," the two organizations said.
The organizations said they "remain focused on maintaining the excellence the public expects" from the NPR affiliate and PBS affiliate stations, and its award-winning digital website. wlrn.org.
