PENSACOLA, Fla. — The WSRE-TV Foundation today filed the nation’s first federal lawsuit to prevent Pensacola State University from controlling millions of dollars donated by local residents to support WSRE’s popular community programming.
For nearly 60 years, WSRE has been a trusted presence in northwest Florida and south Alabama, educating generations of children, supporting classrooms, honoring military families, documenting Gulf Coast history and providing trusted information during hurricane threats.
A nonprofit organization supported by neighbors, families, veterans, and local businesses, the WSRE-TV Foundation has long been the driving force behind its service and sustained the station through private philanthropic donations from the public.
Today’s lawsuit seeks protection for Pensacola State University’s endowments after the university severed ties with the foundation and requested that it take control of all funds raised by donors for the university’s use.
According to the foundation’s federal complaint, the PSC chairman went so far as to “demand that existing private foundations be dissolved and that funds donated by private individuals be turned over to the PSC, a government agency.”
“People have generously donated this money because they believe in the education, community stories and trusted community services that WSRE provides,” said Foundation President Amy Day. “Because they did not donate, their donations could be taken away and transferred to the government budget. It is our absolute responsibility to protect the trust of our community and the intentions of our donors.”
Litigation regarding the protection of individual donations
The foundation stressed that the case focuses on simple principles shared across the region. That is, when civilians come forward to support community missions, governments should not be allowed to seize their charitable contributions for their own use.
Individuals, families, and businesses in northwest Florida and south Alabama make contributions to the foundation, from small monthly gifts to large donations, to support WSRE’s programming and community services. These donations were made voluntarily and with the clear intention that they would be used for public television rather than university operations.
The complaint also details attempts by the PSC to access the foundation’s bank accounts and even intercept checks mailed by private citizens in support of WSRE’s mission.
“Private generosity is what builds and sustains WSRE,” Day said. “The people who provided these funds should have their trust respected, not betrayed.”
When Professor Day tried to reach an agreement with the PSC for WSRE to become an independent organization that could continue to raise public funds to support PBS’s beloved programming, the Chancellor quickly dismissed such a possibility with a resounding “no.”
WSRE’s Community Role: Much More than Television
WSRE has played an important role throughout the region’s history, serving as a trusted resource for more than 1.2 million viewers in daily life and during some of the Gulf Coast’s most challenging times.
• Children’s education and early learning through trusted and popular programming and WSRE’s Imagination Station Center.
• Support for teachers and classrooms, including free curriculum-aligned tools.
• Serving military families with educational and cultural programs that reflect the region’s military heritage.
• Local documentary and storytelling that tells the history and identity of the Gulf Coast.
• Trustworthy storm information, including lengthy hurricane preparedness programs from the National Weather Service, local emergency managers, and school safety officials.
“Whether it’s the first day of school or the day before a hurricane, WSRE has been there for this community,” Day said. “That’s what donors invested in.”
PSC has chosen to withdraw from PBS. Donors did not.
Earlier this year, the PSC voted to end WSRE’s partnership with PBS. The Foundation confirmed that the PSC has the right to determine the university’s programs, but that choice does not give the PSC permission to repurpose private philanthropic donations.
“The PSC has made a decision,” Day said. “But donors also made their contributions, and their support was for the public television programming we have provided for decades.”
Looking to the future
The Foundation is actively exploring ways to continue providing PBS programming, local storytelling, and community service independent of the PSC.
“Our goal is simple,” Day said. “Please continue to keep public media in the hands of the communities that built it. And keep the trust of the donors who make WSRE so powerful.”
