In early 2001, in order to concentrate on its primary mission of medicine and education, Johns Hopkins University made the decision to divest its interest in its radio station, WJHU. Three requirements were established to qualify potential buyers: first, that the price of $5.0 million was to be paid in cash with evidence of financial ability to close; second, that the purchasing organization have professional broadcast experience; and third, that the purchasing organization have local representation, retaining the NPR news programming.

Talk show host Marc Steiner, who had been airing a two-hour weekly show on WJHU for eight years, formed a community-based non-profit organization with the intention of buying the station. He and several other employees of WHJU formed a non-profit organization called Maryland Public Radio Corporation (MPR). The group opened negotiations with Johns Hopkins, represented by Scott Johnson, an attorney with the Baltimore law firm, Ober-Kaler.

MPR attempted to raise acquisition funds well into 2001 and they were successful in raising or gathering commitments of over $500,000. However, during that period, several other offers were tended to Johns Hopkins from Minnesota Public Radio, Washington’s NPR station, WAMU, and a religious broadcasting group. Hopkins, anxious to find a buyer, was close to accepting one of these offers but agreed to wait to determine if MPR could raise sufficient funds. However, at that point in time, MPR did not have the sufficient financial or managerial support.

In July 2001, Jon Rogers, a Baltimore stockbroker who knew Steiner and was aware of his efforts to acquire WJHU, introduced Steiner to Anthony Brandon, President of American General Media, a long-established broadcast company that operates over fifty radio stations throughout the U.S. Brandon, who had broad experience in the broadcast business, expressed interest in the project. He reviewed the details with a broadcasting partner, Charles Salisbury, and with representatives of Mercantile Safe Deposit and Trust Company, an institution interested in local projects and which had financed several American General Media projects for many years. Mercantile and Brandon agreed that with acceptable pro-rata personal guarantees, the bank would make acquisition debt available for the purchase of WJHU.

A group of guarantors who were willing to support the note was formed, with initial support from Brandon and Salisbury. The remaining guarantors assembled were Tom and Barbara Bozzuto, Earl and Darielle Linehan, Bill and Bonnie Clarke, Albert Williams, Ann and Jane Daniels and Jonathon Melnick.

With most of the guarantors committed, Brandon then negotiated a formal letter of commitment from Mercantile for financing. With this in hand, and with Brandon’s agreement to provide management for the operations, a Letter of Intent was signed with Johns Hopkins in August of 2001 to purchase WJHU. Negotiations began immediately on a formal Purchase and Sale Agreement with attorneys at Ober Kaler. The name of Maryland Public Radio Corporation was changed to Your Public Radio Corporation due to threatened copyright infringement litigation from Maryland Public Television. The contract was completed in October 2001 and signed by Brandon on behalf of the corporation. An application to assign the license of WJHU was filed in November 2001 with the Federal Communications Commission.

• Significant increase in local programming with the addition of Maryland Morning and an expanded local news desk
• Signal expansion through the acquisition of WYPF in Frederick and also through the digital conversion process which will expand the station’s signal on the Eastern Shore and south on the “Columbia Corridor”
• Development of a Community Advisory Board to hear direct feedback from representatives of the communities that WYPR serves