Boston\'s WGBH Buys Public Radio International

By BEN SISARIO

In a merger of two of the country's largest public broadcasters, WGBH in Boston has acquired Public Radio International, the producer and distributor of radio programs like “Studio 360,” “This American Life” and “The Takeaway,” the two organizations announced on Thursday.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but Public Radio International, or P.R.I., will remain an independent entity, and will continue to produce and distribute its current portfolio of programs, said Julia Yager, its vice president for brand management and marketing strategy.

With public broadcasters facing ever-leaner budgets, the two nonprofit groups hope “to pursue a shared vision for developing and funding station-based and independently produced content,” according to a joint statement.

That may involve sharing programming or collaborating on new projects for various media platforms both new and old, said Jeanne Hopkins, a spoke swoman for WGBH.

WGBH is best known as a powerhouse of public television, with two stations, a number of digital TV channels and an array of programs like “Nova,” “Frontline” and “This Old House.” WGBH is PBS's largest producer.

But through the deal, WGBH could extend its reach into radio. It operates three stations in New England, and for the last 16 years, P.R.I and WGBH, along with the BBC, have co-produced the daily news radio show “The World.”

For P.R.I., which is based in Minneapolis, the deal could offer some stability. In its last fiscal year, ending June 2011, the organization carried a $2 million operating deficit on $23.7 million in revenue. This year, P.R.I. lost American distribution rights to one of its biggest programs, the BBC's “World Service.” WGBH, according to its most recent annual report, raised $166.8 million last year and had $314.5 million in net assets.

“We can see that the public media landscape is chan ging,” Ms. Yager said in interview on Thursday. “So how do we make sure that we are able to do the work we are committed to doing in light of all those changes? We certainly thought that being more closely related to an organization that had strength in TV as well as digital would enable to us both to weather whatever comes.”