Transfer of Current to American University approved in principle

Current is likely to have a new publisher in January — the School of Communication at American University in Washington, D.C.

Details of the contract to transfer the print/web publication remain in negotiation, but the governing boards of the university and Current’s longtime publisher, New York’s WNET, have approved the deal in principle. The unanimous approval by the WNET Board, Dec. 9, prompted a story in a New York Times blog Dec. 12.

WNET has published Current since 1983, for most of its 30 years.

The editor and staff will keep their jobs, the publication will continue to cover public media, and the School of Communication has said Current will be editorially independent.

Larry Kirkman, dean of the school, told the Times that the school has “become a laboratory for the future of public media,” with the help of affiliates such as the Center for Social Media and the Investigative Reporting Workshop, which produced its first documentary for Frontline this spring.

Current will report more about the transfer and plans for its future when details are settled.