South Florida TV stations announce merger

Two South Florida TV stations, Miami’s WPBT and WXEL in Boynton Beach, have agreed to merge into a new entity, South Florida PBS. The stations jointly announced the agreement on July 15. “This agreement presents a unique opportunity to accomplish something truly profound for South Florida,” said James Patterson, vice chair of WXEL’s board of trustees. “The combination of resources and talent at WXEL, WPBT2 and PBS, makes possible a new level of community involvement and leadership that will encourage young people to read and learn and expose them to cultural programming that will enrich their lives.” The two stations announced in June 2014 that they would embark on discussions about a merger. CPB contributed $150,000 to support planning behind the effort.