UPDATE: The PSC Board meeting is going to be held in Building 1, The Baars Building, on the 3rd floor. Take the elevator in Building 1 to the 3rd Floor, Broxson Hall.
The District Board of Trustees of Pensacola State College meets tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. in the PSC boardroom. WSRE-TV’s affiliation with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is on the agenda. Read the September 16 Board Agenda.
- The PSC Board of Trustees includes Gordon Sprague (chair), Chief Deputy Andy Hobbs (vice chair), Dr. Troy Tippett, Ed Fleming and Zach Smith. Fleming and Smith also served on the University of West Florida Board of Trustees.
The agenda lacks backup material that explains what will be discussed; however, the board will likely consider whether to drop its PBS affiliation.
Background: PBS is a nonprofit, private corporation funded by federal and state government grants (mainly via the Corporation for Public Broadcasting), viewer donations, dues from member stations, and support from foundations and corporations. It is well known for shows such as “Sesame Street,” “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” “NOVA,” “Frontline,” “PBS NewsHour,” and “Masterpiece.”
Dig Deeper: In May 2025, President Trump signed an executive order and legislation that directed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and other agencies to cease all federal funding for PBS and NPR. Gov. Ron DeSantis used his line-item veto to eliminate nearly $6 million in recurring state funding for public television and radio stations, affecting every PBS affiliate in Florida.
Pensacola State College may become the first Florida state college to drop its PBS affiliation outright.
Local Support
The agenda materials contain WSRE’s July—August report:
“The August pledge drive was the most successful pledge drive in the history of WSRE! The “I Love WSRE” campaign continues on, but make no mistake about it – people love their PBS, and they showed WSRE with their generous and heartfelt support. What is even more remarkable is that we now have over 400 new members, 431 renewed memberships, 175 people who previously let their memberships expire and decided to renew, and 188 current members who have chosen to give an additional gift to WSRE.
“We received 1,205 pledges, and of those, 1,081 were straight donations, without any pledge thank you gifts. We are pleased to announce that the August pledge drive (including donations) raised $225,000!
“In a little over six weeks, all of our fundraising efforts – the August pledge drive, donations, direct mail responses, new WSRE Kids Club members, the WSRE Connect podcasting contract – we have raised approximately $305,000. Amazing!!!”
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