The government of the U.S. Virgin Islands has approved a lease agreement with PEO Productions, LLC, the operator of WSTA Radio, ensuring the station continues broadcasting from St. Thomas.
The approval, signed by Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. on Jan. 26, came as part of a broader package of legislative actions following the 36th Legislature’s Jan. 12 regular session. For residents of St. Thomas and the wider territory, WSTA has long served as a primary source of local news, weather updates, emergency information and cultural programming.
The lease agreement, approved as Bill No. 36-0089, solidifies the station’s operational footprint at a time when local media outlets across the territory face ongoing financial and structural pressures. WSTA Radio, which has served the Virgin Islands community for decades, broadcasts a mix of talk, music and public affairs programming tailored specifically to St. Thomas and St. John listeners.
Station operators and community members have pointed to the outlet’s role during hurricane season, when reliable local radio becomes critical for disseminating storm tracking, shelter information and recovery resources to residents across the islands. The lease approval removes one layer of uncertainty surrounding the station’s physical and regulatory standing.
The approval was among eight bills Bryan acted on from the January legislative session. Others included an increase to the Virgin Islands minimum wage, a $4 million appropriation from the Virgin Islands Insurance Guaranty Fund to the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority and the designation of Jan. 27, 2026, as St. John Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise Day.
Bill No. 36-0089 amends no sweeping policy but addresses a practical need: maintaining the infrastructure through which thousands of Virgin Islanders receive daily information. Government officials have not released specific terms of the lease, including its duration or financial details.
The Bryan administration has framed its overall legislative agenda around transparency and infrastructure investment, themes that resonate with a territory still rebuilding from the devastating 2017 hurricane season. Preserving local media infrastructure fits within that broader effort, communication experts say, as communities with strong local news outlets tend to have higher civic engagement and faster disaster response coordination.
WSTA’s continued operation also matters for the territory’s cultural identity. The station has historically provided a platform for Virgin Islands musicians, local calypso and quelbe artists, and community voices that rarely reach national media outlets. Losing that platform would leave a significant gap in how St. Thomas residents connect with their own stories.
The station’s lease approval is a signal that territorial priorities include sustaining these community touchpoints, not just rebuilding roads and power lines.
