PA Radio: FCC Approves Transfer of WPSU To WHYY

The FCC on Wednesday approved the $1 transfer of Penn State University’s public radio and television stations, WPSU-FM and WPSU-TV, to Philadelphia public media company WHYY, clearing a path to keep the outlets on the air.

The stations serve about 1.5 million people in central and northern Pennsylvania. WHYY and Penn State applied for FCC approval on July 30. The decision is a key step for WPSU, which had been slated to close.

WHYY President and CEO Bill Marrazzo said the goal from the start was to preserve “a strong, independent and noncommercial public media voice” in the region. “The FCC’s approval brings us significantly closer to making that commitment permanent,” he said. “WPSU will remain WPSU: locally focused, responsive to the communities it serves and dedicated to telling the stories of central and northern Pennsylvania.”

Larry Terry, vice president for Penn State Outreach, said WPSU has long been a trusted presence across the region and that the transfer “ensures that service will continue under WHYY’s leadership.”

Penn State’s board of trustees voted in September 2025 to wind down WPSU after federal public-media funding cuts and ongoing financial pressure in higher education. Trustees initially rejected a transfer to WHYY that would have required the university to pay a $17.6 million subsidy.

In October 2025, the parties struck a new agreement under which WHYY would raise operating funds itself, removing the subsidy requirement. FCC approval now allows WHYY to keep fundraising to sustain the stations.