College officials OK selling WQPT

By David Burke | Friday, June 22, 2007

Black Hawk College trustees approved the sale of the college-owned public television station Thursday night, then encouraged WQPT’s advisory board to proceed with plans to purchase the station.

“As a board, we have to work with them,” said trustee John Ahern of Silvis, Ill.

The Black Hawk board voted unanimously to give college President Keith Miller the authority to enter into an agreement to sell the station’s license and its equipment.

At a meeting of the Greater Quad-City Telecommunication Corp. board of directors, the group that advises the station, board members agreed to proceed into procuring the license and equipment.

At the college board meeting Thursday, the group was given 90 days to prepare a progress report.

“The board fully concurs with that objective,” said board chairman Fred Leggett of Kewanee, Ill., who also serves as the trustees’ representative to the telecommunications board. “We think this is an exceptionally good idea.”

Black Hawk’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1, eliminates the $335,000 that the college contributes to WQPT’s budget. The station’s total budget is $2.1 million.

Telecommunications board chairman Ed Slivken, Rock Island, attended the trustees meeting, as did WQPT general manager Rick Best.

“This is what we wanted to hear,” Slivken told the board. “This will aid us in going to the community.

“We’re going to do everything in our power to make this happen.”

David Burke can be contacted at

(563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.