Necessity Is the Mother of Invention: How WPSU Can Rise, Not Fall, in the Age of Reinvention

By Greg Woodman 

WPSU is not dying. It’s waking up.

Yes, the headlines are sobering: $1.4 million in lost federal funding. Another $800,000 cut from Penn State. That’s a $2.2 million hit for a local media powerhouse that’s been serving 24 counties for over 60 years.

But what got buried in that story is this: Penn State has still budgeted $3.35 million for WPSU this year—and again next year.

That’s not a funeral fund. That’s a challenge grant from reality. It says: We believe in you—but it’s time to evolve.

This Isn’t a Crisis—It’s a Wake-Up Call

Let’s get real. Every nonprofit, every business, every newsroom, and frankly every department at Penn State is facing the same truth: if you don’t reinvent, you’re irrelevant.

But unlike most, WPSU has something incredible: assets.

Let’s list them:

• A television and radio signal spanning 24 counties
• 13 counties of NPR-affiliated radio coverage 
• A full production studio, podcast suite, archive library, mobile gear, streaming infrastructure
• An established public trust brand in central PA
• A website, app, and streaming platforms
• A legacy of powerful local programming
• And best of all—the Penn State community. 27,000 employees. 50,000 students. A $10 billion annual engine of knowledge, creativity, and energy and over 700,000 alumni and reach into 24 counties population. 

And let’s not forget: some of the best call letters in the country—W.P.S.U.

So, here’s the question: What could you do with $3.35 million and all that firepower if you started thinking like a start-up again?

Your Content is Gold—Let’s Start Mining It

Remember TV Quarterbacks? A cultural icon with Fran Fisher, Jim Tarman, and Joe Paterno that aired statewide and was the secret sauce to the Grand Experiment—reach and story telling into Pittston Pa where Jimmy Cefalo and his parents tuned in. Trump has Truth Social, Paterno had WPSU.

How about Weather World, Culinary Connections, Local Groove Presents, Our Town, and The Pennsylvania Game?

These were shows that built pride, built audience, and built identity. And they weren’t just nostalgia—they were early templates for what “local-first” programming could be.

Now fast-forward to 2025: the audiences are on TikTok, Instagram, Spotify, YouTube Shorts. They want 2-minute stories, behind-the-scenes reels, and bold personality-driven content that reflects where they live.

And we’ve got the stories:

• Cael Sanderson and Penn State Wrestling: The most dominant college sports dynasty in the country.
• Penn State Football: A top-tier program, national championship buzz, and a history worth celebrating.
• Women’s Volleyball, Track & Field, Ice Hockey—where are the docuseries?
• Spruce Creek fly fishing, Tussey Mountain trails, Bald Eagle canoeing, and Raystown Lake—all ready for lifestyle storytelling.
• Penn State Health, ARL, Ag Sciences, Entrepreneurship—what startup incubator in the country wouldn’t want these stories told?

There are a dozen potential shows and hundreds of highlight clips sitting dormant.

Because somewhere along the way, local programming was cut. And in its place? Easy national filler. Safe bets. The opposite of innovation.

Getting moved to Outreach in 1984 and moved out of the College of Communications, firmly within the academic and student-focused side of the university, was probably the first structural mistake—you got disconnected and perhaps “disintegrated” from Penn State?   Note the College of Communication is getting 13% budget increase!

It’s Time for a WPSU Reinvention Lab

Every week, I speak to entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and media makers across the region. They’re hustling. They’re building platforms and becoming influencers and storytellers. They’re bootstrapping audiences from scratch. And they’d do anything to have the resources WPSU has today. 

We at Connect Happy Valley are one of them. Our mission is to reconnect people with places to rebuild community, spark pride, and make local media work again. We’re ready to partner, amplify, co-create. 

We believe:

• That WPSU should be the backbone of a Penn State-powered Netflix for Central PA and all alums.
• That alumni would pay to support a streaming platform that reflected their stories.
• That sports programming should not be MIA—it should be the tentpole.
• That town halls, student-led innovation shows, and tourism storytelling can be rebuilt with Penn State’s Strategic Communications and academic units. Now that the government is whacking you, what about coming over to the world of market forces and hustle for advertising and sponsorships? You are amazing at fund raising—how about helping business reach your audience to peddle our stuff?

What Would Bob Zimmerman Do?

This station began as a 1951 class gift, a leap of faith in local storytelling.

One of its earliest DJs? Bob Zimmerman, who famously played Elvis before most of the country knew his name. He went on to become one of the best radio executives in America and an Alumni Fellow of Penn State. He built cable companies, founded local stations, taught students, raised money for The State Theatre, and never stopped believing in the power of local media.

So maybe, just maybe, we should ask:

Where have you gone, Bob Zimmerman?
And more importantly—who’s stepping up to carry that legacy forward?

Final Thought: The Sustainability Everyone’s Talking About

Sustainability isn’t just about recycling and renewables. It’s about systems that can endure. That means new funding models, new content partnerships, and a mindset that says:

“We don’t have less. We just need to use what we have better.”

WPSU has $3.35 million this year and next. It has a region craving content. And it has 60 years of credibility and connection.

The opportunity? To rebuild WPSU not as what it was—but as what it was meant to be:

• The most innovative regional media lab in America
• A showcase of Penn State research, culture, and community
• A hub for TikTok-ready storytelling that connects all ages.
• A broadcast and digital studio that welcomes partnerships, voices, and new energy.

We’re ready when you are. We love you, WPSU. And we need you now more than ever.