Res. No. 1126
Title
Resolution calling upon the appropriate committee of the Council of the City of New York to conduct an oversight hearing concerning the proposed sale by the Department of Education of WNYE-TV and WNYE-FM, whether such sale is in the best interest of the City of New York and, if so, whether such sale will be conducted through an open and competitive bidding process.
Body
By Council Members Vallone, Brewer Clarke, Comrie, Fidler, Gennaro, Gentile, Gerson, Jennings, Liu, Nelson, Recchia, Sanders, Seabrook, Stewart, Vann and Quinn
Whereas, The New York City Department of Education owns and operates WNYE-TV, a television broadcasting station, and WNYE-FM, a radio broadcasting station; and
Whereas, These two broadcasting stations provide valuable educational, cultural, civic and other programming to the City of New York and, in particular, to its ethnic communities that are not fully served by other broadcasting media; and
Whereas, Advocates and concerned citizens have questioned whether the proposed sale of WNYE-TV and WNYE-FM is in the best interest of the City of New York; and
Whereas, An October 6, 2003, New York Times article, entitled "Nobody's Business But Yours," notes that the Economic Development Corporation, which is negotiating the sale of the broadcasting stations, has not shared any information with the public regarding such sale; and
Whereas, Furthermore, according to the Ethnic Broadcasters Action Committee, certain parties expressed an interest in purchasing these media assets from the Department of Education but were rebuffed, thus indicating that the sale of such assets will not be conducted through an open and competitive bidding process; and
Whereas, Advocates and concerned citizens have, therefore, questioned the fairness and openness of the bidding process for these media assets; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls the appropriate Committee to conduct an oversight hearing concerning the proposed sale by the Department of Education of WNYE-TV and WNYE-FM, whether such sale is in the best interest of the City of New York and, if so, whether such sale will be conducted through an open and competitive bidding process.
MHG
LS #3412
October 22, 2003
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