The Johns Hopkins University announced Sept. 19 that it had sold its rights to WJHU, Baltimore's National Public Radio affiliate. The station was sold to Maryland Public Radio Corporation for $5 million.
The sale of WJHU is most likely to affect Hopkins students in terms of internship opportunities. In the past, students from the Homewood campus have been able to intern at WJHU because of Hopkins' link to the station. Now that ownership is changing hands, the availability of internships in the future is unclear.
When asked whether students would still have the opportunity to work at the station, Executive Director of Public Affairs Dennis O'Shea said that such a decision would be up to Maryland Public Radio, the station's new ownership. Maryland Public Radio could not be reached for comment as to whether or not Hopkins students would still be able to intern at the station.
Hopkins has run WJHU, which broadcasts from 22nd and N. Charles Streets, for the past 15 years. WJHU should not be confused with an ordinary college station run by students however.
As an NPR affiliate, WJHU is professionally run.
When asked for comment on the sale, O'Shea said, "WJHU is not a campus radio station in the traditional sense. While there were some stu dents who interned, it was largely a professional station."
Hopkins apparently has been debating selling WJHU since spring of 2001. Towards the end of the 2000-01 academic year, Hopkins received an offer for the station.
This led the administration to make a formal request for offers from any other parties that might be interested in purchasing the station. A letter of intent between Maryland Public Radio and Hopkins was signed in late July. A final agreement on the sale was not reached until Sept. 19. While the deal is now pending FCC approval, which could take 90 or more days, it is unlikely to encounter any significant obstacles.
According to O'Shea, one of the chief factors affecting the administration's decision to sell WJHU was the cost of upgrading its broadcasting equipment. "When the station opened 15 years ago, it was a state-of-the-art station. There needs to be a large investment to bring the equipment up to speed."
At the same time, O'Shea noted that the University had its own "competing investment needs." According to O'Shea, the administration decided that the money the school would spend on upgrading the station's equipment could better be used for other purposes by the school, citing the construction of new buildings on campus as one of many expenses.
When asked if the school had decided how it would use the $5 million it received from the sale of the station, O'Shea informed the News-Letter had not yet made any such decision, saying that the matter was "under review."
Because the station was a University-wide asset and not one that was especially linked to the Homewood campus, no consultation with student groups was undertaken prior to selling the station.
Aside from any effects on Johns Hopkins itself, the sale of WJHU will likely alter the programming of the station itself. WJHU's programming is likely to be supplemented more with coverage of local and regional issues.
WJHU can be found on 88.1 on the FM dial.
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