Erika Pesantes

The state Board of Education could move the sale of WXEL 90.7 FM public broadcasting station a step forward Friday with a vote approving the sublease of the station’s Boynton Beach facilities to Classical South Florida.

Outspoken activists and political heavyweights want the board to say no to the sale.

The potential owner, Classical South Florida, has met resistance along the way from the station’s community advisory board and other vocal groups that insist on keeping local focus and control of the public station.

Barry University, which has owned WXEL since 1997, is seeking approval from the Board of Education and the Federal Communications Commission to sell the station to Classical South Florida, which is affiliated with American Public Media, a Minnesota public broadcaster.

Price tag is $3.85 million.

“Classical South Florida appears to be local in name only,” said Pablo de Real, the community advisory board chairman. “It’s owned by American Public Media. They have no on-air personalities in Florida. All the DJs are in Minnesota.

“It’s not just [about] preserving the local programs,” he said. “It’s enhancing them and expanding them, having more local coverage not less.”

Groups such as SOS-WXEL, which was created to oppose the sale and save the station; and the Community Broadcast Foundation of Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast, a group of local media professionals interested in buying WXEL, also fear the new owners might nix local programming and give nationally syndicated programs more air time.

The Board of Education has a stake in the deal because it provided $5 million to build the broadcasting station more than 20 years ago.

“We don’t mind proving that we’ve chosen a strong organization. We honestly take pride in being able to answer any questions that show just what kind of organization Classical South Florida is,” Barry University spokesman Michael Laderman said. “It’s really a very strong, passionate group of listeners and viewers that WXEL has … People’s comments and their opinions certainly doesn’t cause alarm for us. We welcome that.”

Classical South Florida spokesman Jason Hughes defends the local nature of the proposal and said the organization’s staff lives in South Florida and that the president, who is also the general manager who launched the classical station in 2007, lives in Palm Beach County.

There are no assurances that locally produced shows such as Florida Forum, South Florida Artsview and Radio Green Earth would be kept, Hughes said, but the station’s ratings would have to be reviewed and programming adjusted to meet audience demands.

In a letter to the state Board of Education, Boynton Beach Mayor Jose Rodriguez took no position on the sale, but emphasized: “The city is concerned that the pending sale will result in a loss of a local voice heard throughout a five-county area of Florida without any comparable replacement.”

Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson also wrote, saying fellow commissioners were concerned about potential job losses in the transition, but, like Rodriguez, took no position on the sale.

All 11 WXEL radio employees would be offered jobs when the station is sold, Hughes said.

State Reps. Maria Sachs, Joseph Abruzzo and Mack Bernard all asked the board to reject the deal.

Even though the letters were dated months ago, Hughes said, Classical South Florida didn’t learn about elected officials’ opposition until about a week ago, when the state Board of Education agenda was released.

“I would imagine they support public radio and we are a public radio company. I think they would be quite happy with our efforts,” Hughes said, “We’ll win them over.”

The state also received more than two dozen e-mails in support and about a dozen against the Classical South Florida deal. The groups opposing the sale also have presented petitions with more than 100 signatures.

If the sale is approved by the state and FCC, Classical South Florida would take ownership no sooner than the spring, Hughes said. The new owner would rename the station to avoid confusion with WXEL TV, which is not part of the deal and will remain owned by Miami Shores-based Barry University.

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