posted March 27, 2008
To:Chancellor Charles W. Manning
Tennessee Board of Regents
Chancellor Manning,
I have reviewed all Dr. Catanzaro's public comments on the disposition of WAWL. After identifying misstatements in the paper of record and culling through PR talk we, the citizen taxpayers, are left with sparse facts. However those of us who have some background in broadcasting are left with one of two possibilities.
Dr. Catanzaro has attempted to sell a million-dollar piece of state pproperty without proper public notification and without open bidding from said public.
An unwillingness on Dr. Catanzaro's part to answer direct questions by students when this was still rumor seems to suggest this.
I know of some members of our local community who would be interested in
buying the station and continuing the internship relationship with the students. By not making this public from the beginning, all sorts of potential buyers have been shut out of the process. After speaking with a prominent local attorney, I believe this could be actionable.
However there is another possibility. I noticed that as of yet there is
no application to sell WAWL's frequency in the FCC database. It could be that this as of yet not been done to prevent tipping off the public.
Something which would support the first theory. Or it could mean that that Chattanooga State is not selling WAWL but leasing it through a Local Marketing Arrangement. If that is the case then we have a state institution leasing property to a religious broadcaster that probably be engaged in proselytizing. This leaves us with a church and state entanglement. I'm sure the ACLU office in Nashville would find that interesting.
I strongly suggest the Board of Regents reconsider this course of action in a public and transparent manner. Otherwise continuing on this course of action would trigger unnecessary litigation that is not in the institutional interests of Chattanooga State.
R.W. Young
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