When ownership of a newspaper or broadcast outlet changes, it’s big news. It’s the lead story of the day. Everyone wants to know who the new owner is, and what changes will be made to the organization.
In the case of KSTK, Wrangell’s public radio station, the proposed ownership change was advanced with barely a whisper to the public. With approximately 234 letters mailed to active supporters and bits of information shared with a few others, minimal notification was made of changes that were coming to Wrangell’s station.
This newspaper stumbled onto the story after a public notice required by the FCC was published in the Christmas edition of the Wrangell Sentinel.
Given the millions of dollars in federal, state and local government contributions to establish and maintain KSTK, not to mention millions more contributed by private party donors, the management of KSTK, neighboring KFSK and Coast Alaska all had an obligation to tell the story to everyone in S.E. Alaska.
The story evolved for over a year, and at some point in time, radio listeners should have been told about the changes being considered for KSTK. Likely it would entail a series of stories, not just one.
We know what it’s like to operate without a news reporter. That however is not enough of a reason to ignore the story. If there is one thing public radio does well, it’s the sharing of reporters and news stories with each other.
KSTK is a public resource with more value than the $726,000 in assets it held. This story needed to be broadcast far and wide, not announced in a public notice.
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