Penn State and Philadelphia-based public media organization WHYY finalized an agreement on September 30 to transfer WPSU to WHYY and preserve the station after it faced a potential shutdown.

The agreement concluded more than two years of negotiations over WPSU’s future, which provides public television and radio programming to central and northern Pennsylvania.

WHYY will officially take over at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

“We are very pleased that the more than 1.5 million people across central and northern Pennsylvania will continue to benefit from this vital public media service,” Penn State Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Sara Thorndike said in a statement.

WPSU began as a student radio station in 1953 and expanded into television in 1965.

Today, the National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) affiliate carries national programming, produces local news and original content, and provides educational and community programming.

Under the agreement, WHYY will retain approximately 70% of WPSU’s remaining employees, including newsroom staff and other content producers.

The station employed 44 people last year, but more than a dozen departed amid uncertainty about its future.

Most remaining employees who will not join WHYY are retiring or accepting positions elsewhere, although some jobs were eliminated. WHYY also plans to hire staff for fundraising and development.

WHYY President and CEO Bill Marrazzo told WHYY News that employees joining the organization will continue producing coverage focused on central and northern Pennsylvania.

He also hoped to expand WPSU’s reporting throughout the region.

Talks between Penn State and WHYY began in spring 2024, when WPSU received $3.4 million annually in university subsidies. Federal public media funding cuts added financial pressure to the station.

In September 2025, a Penn State Board of Trustees committee rejected an initial transfer proposal over concerns about a university-funded subsidy and employee retention. Penn State subsequently announced plans to close WPSU.

“The failure to approve this transaction is unfortunate, as it was the most feasible option to keep the station open and broadcasting,” said Larry Terry, Penn State’s vice president for outreach, in an email to WPSU staff.

Trustees approved revised terms in October 2025 that removed the university’s proposed subsidy obligation.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorized the license transfer on September 9, 2026, clearing the regulatory hurdle before Wednesday’s final agreement.

WHYY assumed responsibilities for covering the $17.5 million needed to support WPSU’s operations. Marrazzo told WPSU that it had already raised about two-thirds of that amount.

“At WHYY, we believe in the fundamental right of any citizen in our country to have access to a free, trustworthy media experience,” Marrazzo told WHYY News. “And WPSU fits that bill.”