As president of the board of directors of New England Public Radio, I am pleased to add context to the Gazette’s recent article discussing the planned affiliation of our local public radio station, NEPR, and public television station, WGBY, into the combined organization of New England Public Media. (“NEPR staff question control in joint venture,” June 7.)
The board of NEPR has been considering the possibility of forming an alliance with WGBY for the past several years as a way of increasing local coverage of news and the arts. The partnership will permit us to expand our local programming across every form of media. It will allow us to create cross-platform content that will encompass not only broadcasting but online distribution of streaming content and whatever new forms of media will be developed to serve audiences in the future.
A central tenet of the proposed agreement is that New England Public Media will have complete local autonomy and independence. The University of Massachusetts will continue to hold the radio station license, and WGBH in Boston will continue to hold the television station license.
Having the backing of these two institutions will provide a wealth of resources that will allow for an expansion of news and arts coverage and educational programs and services, while providing financial stability.
Living in a period in which the news media is under attack as never before and hundreds of local media providers across the country have been shuttered, it is more important than ever that we have independent, locally operated and supported public radio and television available to us. The establishment of New England Public Media will do just that.
Robert S. Feldman
Amherst