Good morning,

I wanted to take a short bit of time this morning to ask you to please not sell our PBS stations! I am both an alumna and a current graduate student who grew up watching WCMU as a child. Without WCMU and the educational programming available, I fear that I would have never landed here at CMU and come to love it so. The possible loss of content and our stations is both deeply saddening and concerning. Public broadcasting has been such a gem to CMU and has encouraged many a student to join the ranks of broadcasting Chippewas. I'm saddened at the lack of transparency regarding the sale and would have liked to see a public forum or two, similar to how MSU handled the issue at hand. I would ask you to re-consider the sale and/or be open to moving to different channel numbers.

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Anna Greiner

Graduate Studies 

Response to Anna

Dear Anna,

Thank you for your communication regarding CMU’s public broadcasting television stations and the Federal Communications Commission’s spectrum auction.

CMU trustees have reviewed it and will keep it and all other input in mind as they deliberate this matter that is of concern across the nation. For the record, the auction involves four Michigan universities, one college, a Detroit foundation and private broadcast station owners. It does not affect or involve public radio.

Trustees voted in December to apply for eligibility to participate in the auction. This vote was communicated in a news release about the meeting and is a non-binding application that was due on January 12. It does not reflect a final decision. It does keep all options open to CMU as the March 29 initial commitment deadline approaches.

Please know that our discussions and decisions must be confidential, as required by a federal anti-collusion rule. This does not follow our standard level of openness, but the rule is being used to protect the integrity of the auction and prevent unlawful manipulation of its pricing. The rule severely restricts what can be said and when.

We recognize this matter is important to Michigan residents and are monitoring public reaction here and across the nation. This auction and the burgeoning need for broadband spectrum have made programming access for those without cable, Internet or satellite television a national issue. It is something the FCC will have to consider as the nation moves forward.

If you would like more information about the auction, please visit our dedicated web page, which includes links to related FCC materials. Again, thank you for reaching out to us.

Mary Jane Flanagan

Secretary to the Board of Trustees

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To the Board of Trustees,

The decision by CMU to apply for the FCC spectrum auction has me very worried about the future of public broadcasting in Northern and Mid-Michigan.

Going back to when I was a child, WCMU has always been the most reliable over-the-air station for me, in terms of not just signal quality, but content.

No matter where I put up an antenna, I know that I will have no problem picking up a WCMU station, and that it will be showing quality programming, not another infomercial or sub par syndicated fare.

To lose such a valuable information and entertainment resource would be a huge blow to a major portion of the state, one many would not be able to recover from with alternative station options out of reach.

With the number of people moving away from cable and satellite and rediscovering broadcast television, this feels like the time that WCMU should be looking to grow their robust network, not potentially shut it down or cut back on services.

I believe that more options should be explored for the station's digital subchannels, expanding and diversifying programming. The exciting innovations that the upcoming ATSC 3.0 standard will offer should be even more of an incentive to continue to look towards a future in the broadcasting business.

I ask you now to look at the actions of your fellow Michigan public broadcasters (WKAR, WGVU, WDCQ and WTVS) and commit to continue providing your faithful viewers, and hopefully an increasing stable of new ones, the high level of signal reliability and programming content that has built the station into what it is today.

As a faithful viewer and a proud alumnus, WCMU, to me, is a large part of the overall experience of a lifelong bond with the university.

On behalf not just myself, but the scores of viewers across the state you have had a lasting impact on, I plead with you to keep our station intact and work to grow with us in the future. Thank you for your time.

Aaron Sides

Community member

To the Board of Trustees:

The recent decision to consider putting some of the Public Broadcasting airwaves up for action demonstrates a head in the sand attitude on the part of the board of for Central Michigan University. This action is short-sighted because it ignores life outside our campus as if the citizens of middle and upper Michigan are inconsequential regarding their needs for information, education and cultural enrichment.

CMU Public broadcasting has served our state for more than 40 years by providing top quality programming for news around the state and nation. How could the board overlook this important role as cultural and educational outreach not otherwise available to over 5 million state residents.

We believe that continued campus support for public broadcasting is important to the citizens of Michigan. Keeping CMU Public Broadcasting is vital for the good of our people. So is preserving the image of CMU as reaching out beyond campus classrooms to non-students. Do the smart thing and keep serving our state with quality public broadcasting!

Sincerely,

Gary and Ann Silker

To the Board of Trustees:

Having taught at CMU for thirty-five and one half years before retiring in 2003, and still residing in Mount Pleasant, I am disheartened at the proposed auction of CMU Public TV. As you know, the programming has provided an invaluable service in terms of news and information, documentaries and entertainment. My support for CMU TV over the years, both in theory and financially, has been based not merely on what it has afforded me personally, but what I considered to be an investment in the long range benefits for all the communities involved. If there are financial gains to be made by such an auction, what is the trade off?

This proposal smacks of the DIA's consideration to sell many of its masterpieces to bail out the city of Detroit. Thank goodness philanthropic efforts prevented such an occurrence. Detroit would have sacrificed some of its cultural treasures, thereby undermining part of its heritage which inspires its residents and serves as a draw for many visitors. Admittedly, this argument may be a stretch. But the intention is to underscore the life line public television has been, as well as the countless number of students it has drawn over the years. Additionally, are we to deny access to quality programming to those who don't choose to buy cable service or can't afford it?

One of the hallmarks of CMU, and indeed any institution of higher learning, is its capacity for leadership, promoting values constructive to communication at large, while enriching individual lives. As individuals, the input we have in the content of Public Broadcasting provides the balance needed to an otherwise relatively common denomination of cable networks.

To quote a colleague from a letter he sent to his department urging the support of CMU Public Television, "Last I checked, CMU was still a public institution, . . ." I urge you, please, to open this question to a public forum. No matter what the final decision is, at least CMU will not be criticized for not having been transparent in the process.

Respectfully,
Richard Janis
Professor Emeritus, Department of Art and Design

Public Broadcasting auction makes economic sense

TO THE EDITOR:

CM-Life has printed several editorials expressing dismay at the potential auctioning of WCMU’s broadcast spectrum.

Let me be the first person to write in favor of the auction.

The case seems clear as glass to me. Keep in mind that CMU’s annual operating budget is around $450 million. The amount of money the auction is expected to bring to CMU is between $700 and $800 million—that is over 1.5 times CMU’s annual budget. Suppose things were different and WCMU did not exist.

What if someone said, “CMU should get into the television business — for $750 million we can buy the spectrum rights and start a PBS affiliate.” Let me state again that $750 million is over 1.5 times the entire annual budget of the university.

This person would be laughed out of the room. Logically, if you are not willing to buy an asset for X when you do not own it, then you should be pleased as punch when someone offers to pay you X to buy that same asset when you do own it.

Universities today are in the business of so many things — food, entertainment, housing, workout facilities, security, and yes, some even run television stations. Perhaps I am in the minority, but I think that universities should be focused like a laser on the creation and dissemination of knowledge.

CMU could take the $750 million from the auction and do many things — my suggestion would be to beef up our paltry endowment. CMU’s endowment is currently around $81 million. According to the 2013 Almanac of the Chronicle of Higher Education, we are ranked 438^th in terms of endowment size amongst US colleges and universities.

Finally, all the editorials CM-Life have printed thus far have noted how wonderful PBS is—I agree! I probably watch PBS more than any other channel. But there are two things to consider.

First, the federal government will almost certainly take the spectrum from WCMU down the road (and sooner rather than later) in any case since the money the private sector wireless carriers are willing to offer is just too much.

This auction gives stations that want to voluntarily surrender spectrum a handsome reward for doing so. Second, I have zero worries that I will lose access to quality PBS programing. I already have two PBS stations on my cable subscription.

I’m tickled pink that Delta College and MSU have decided not to participate in the auction as it means that PBS will still be going strong in mid-Michigan. But we Chips can fire up to the game changing tune of $50 million per year in scholarships, student research funds, student travel funds, improved facilities, and the list goes on and on. Yes, WCMU adds value to the university right now—but $750 million? No contest. Take the money and improve the lives of our students today, and improve the quality of our university over time.

Jason Taylor

Professor of Economics