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Texas's first station gets a reprieve, to stay classical

WRR's current building exterior.
Dallas Archives
WRR's broadcast facility at Fair Park

North Texas’ classical radio station WRR just got a new lease on life, thanks to a Dallascity council vote this week.

WRR was established more than a hundred years ago and is owned by the city of Dallas. It settled on being a classical music station in 1964.

Last year, the city concluded it didn’t want to continue managing the station, and it accepted proposals from outside groups to manage it.

All the proposals were evaluated, and the one from KERA, a public radio and TV station, rose to the top.

One last move was needed to secure the contract: a vote from the Dallas City Council. Despite some consideration to sell the station outright, the council vote was unanimous.

The station will retain its classical format, and the city will still own it. KERA will operate it as a public radio station. The 7-year agreement has two 8-year renewal options.