KERA and City of Dallas reach agreement to preserve venerable classical station in Texas

KERA to Operate WRR 101.1 FM

In the summer of 2021, the City of Texas released an RFP to find an operator for the City’s commercial classical music station, WRR, also known as Texas’s first radio station, dating back to 1921. Public Media Company was hired by North Texas Public Broadcasting (KERA) to navigate the station through the selection process to ensure WRR’s long-term sustainability as the primary source of locally programmed classical music.

Public Media Company provided KERA guidance throughout the RFP process by drafting their response, examining different operating models, and analyzing the financial implications of operating WRR under the KERA umbrella. Public Media Company also ensured the term sheet met KERA’s goals and expectations.

This was not the first time that Public Media Company teamed up with KERA to try to bring WRR into the KERA family. Public Media Company co-founders Susan Harmon and Marc Hand joined forces in one of several attempts to ensure that the venerable WRR FM continues to entertain Texans with classical music programming. These attempts to preserve and grow classical music programming in Dallas took another +20 years to come to fruition. Still, Public Media Company was the partner of choice for KERA regardless of the era!