Civic Media has announced the formation of the Milwaukee Black Media Trust, which will ultimately run two radio stations and a newspaper.
Civic recently purchased the Milwaukee Courier and is awaiting FCC approval to buy WNOV/860 (Milwaukee) and W293CX/106.5 (Milwaukee).
On April 30, Civic announced that the Trust will operate the Courier and has also reached a local marketing agreement with Good Karma Brands to program “101.7 The Truth” (W269DL/101.7 Milwaukee and WGKB/1510 Waukesha). The agreement includes an option to buy.
The news release said Civic also plans to transfer WNOV to the Trust once its purchase of the station receives FCC approval.
The statement described the Trust as “a structure in which no individual or corporation can sell, consolidate, or redirect these institutions away from the community they serve.”
The Trust is led by Milele A. Coggs, Milwaukee alderwoman and community leader; Tiffany Wynn, Senior Marketing Leader at Ascension Health; and Roemel Brown, editor of The Courier.
Robert “Biko” Baker has been named General Manager of Milwaukee Black Media LLC, the Trust’s operating company.
“We are very excited about Milwaukee Black Media because it puts these important community media assets under the control of the community that they serve, with a financial structure that benefits the employees doing the work,” Civic Media CEO Sage Weil said in the news release. “We look forward to working closely with Milwaukee Black Media to support the new organization’s growth and success in the years to come.”
The announcement said Civic Media will support Milwaukee Black Media’s operations through a services agreement, providing administrative, technology, and sales support services. Milwaukee Black Media operates with full editorial and programming independence.