Michigan State University-owned WKAR(TV) in Lansing, Mich. will stay on the air.
The school also says the television station plans to develop and air new children’s programming with Detroit Public Television on several platforms.
WKAR had been faced with a choice, take part in the FCC’s upcoming incentive auction and accept an opening bid of more than $200M.
MSU President Lou Anna Simon announced Monday that WKAR won’t take part in the auction. The station board considered the auction carefully, to be “prudent” she told Mlive.com. Reports of WKAR possibly going dark met resistance from viewers, according to several area accounts.
Stations need to let the FCC know by the end of Tuesday to submit their FCC Form 177 indicating initial interest in auction participation. (See our other story.)
Simon didn’t give a timeline for the new children’s programming and partner WTVS(TV) also won’t be taking part in the spectrum auction, according to Detroit Public Television President/CEO Rich Homberg, reports Mlive.com. The FCC’s opening bid for WTVS would have been nearly $481 million.
