Friends was incorporated in 1974 for the express purpose of cultivating financial support for WLRN Public Radio and Television, which are licensed to and operated by the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. That purpose remains central to our mission. From modest beginnings, the organization now raises nearly nine million dollars annually, with a parallel maturation in its capacity to budget, expend, audit, invest, and conserve those funds, while steadily sharpening its efficiency as a fundraiser.

What originally amounted to simple on-air appeals with the enthusiasm of a barn-raising now embraces the full range of development strategies employing direct mail renewal and acquisition, major giving, planned giving, events management, Web-based giving, and one of the industry's most successful underwriting sales operations.

A major milestone was reached in 2008 with the lease of broadband spectrum licensed to Friends, for a 30-year revenue stream projected to total $54 million. The funds form the foundation of a new endowment for the perpetual support of WLRN.

As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, Friends is governed by a board of directors composed of community leaders, and committed to transparency in all its dealings. In the interest of sharing information with members and other stakeholders, this website provides documents pertaining to the finances and policies of the organization.

Fiscal Year 2010 Audited Financial Statements

Fiscal Year 2009 Audited Financial Statements

News - February 2011

2009 IRS Form 990 (Also publicly available at www.Guidestar.org)