urbanSTL

Here's a pretty balanced article from St. Louis Public Radio:

https://www.stlpr.org/arts/2023-09-22/k ... in-turmoil

I don't know much of anything about this, but the reporting is really interesting. If the DEI move started with a letter suggesting management was failing and there was a hostile work environment, and complaining specifically about Wells's leadership it's interesting that Wells is the one the board backed and it's the volunteers who are being shown the door. I do think there's a problem when the volunteers don't have a seat at the table. More "corporate" style boards can really upend smaller organizations where the volunteers have put in a lot of sweat equity, and it sounds like KDHX was one of these. I volunteered for a while with Columbia's community radio station, KOPN, and I really quite liked the place. Kind of considered it here, but this really gives one pause. (And since I'm such a classical guy I'm not sure there's room for the sort of programming I'd want to do anyway. Would probably be a better fit over at RAF, but I don't know that they take volunteers.) Anyway . . . I hope this gets sorted. It would be terrible to lose something like this. A good city needs a good, independent place for local voices to make and talk music.

My significant other is one of the DJs fired, so I'm not exactly an objective party. But if you can find a single person not named Kelly Wells or Gary Pierson who has a favorable view of what the station is up to under their helm please let me know. 

Does any entity or funding source have enough power to push her out? 

I've been following this for a while now, and the whole saga is so baffling to me. I agree they perhaps needed to revamp some of their old-school lineup, but it sounds like they were pretty heavy-handed about it. Alienating your core audience/donors is a pretty risky strategy. 

There was an AMA on Reddit about it a couple of days ago, but it really didn't cast any new light on the drama. Hard to tell what's really going on. Sure is a shame though; KDHX was a true local treasure. 

I have this odd dream that the Radio Arts Foundation and KDHX could have something of a swap. RAF makes more sense in Midtown, since it's more directly connected to the arts and music scene there. That gets KDHX out of their lease and frees up some funding. Let the community station move to a more appropriate facility in a lower rent neighborhood. An upper floor on Cherokee or South Grand. Something a bit more hip, but less pricey. Or maybe find them an institutional sponsor, like Harris Stowe, if they don't already have their own station. That probably lowers the rent for both stations, honestly, and puts them closer to where they need to be. I could even see a frequency swap. KDHX gets a cheaper antenna that's not so much upkeep. RAF gets more power. KDHX probably doesn't require as much amperage out in the exurbs anyway. And RAF could really use better coverage at the edges of things. It's not a perfect solution, but it gives everyone a mic and an antenna. Short of prying the KillJoys away from 99.1 it's probably the best solution I can think of. Lower power live community radio is better than Chat GDJ's Robostation. Anyway, we'll see how this plays out. It's a sad mess, but maybe there's a silver lining somewhere. Maybe. Let the thing be reborn smaller and nimbler and with more community again. I had fun as a DJ at KOPN in Columbia for a while. Not sure how similar KDHX is/was, but that seems like a good model.

The saga of KDHX is really one of the saddest things ever. We had this total gem that was well funded and well respected across the country and somehow screwed it all up. While I always nitpicked about programming and thought it was a little too twangy sometimes, I never thought the solution was to blow it up. Really sad. I have some opinions on why all this happened but I'll keep it to myself (hint, it's the same old reason a lot of stuff doesn't work around here).

https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/end-o ... ower-sold/

There's a lot of denial, but it really does sound like a case of "go woke, go broke". 

They dumped a lot of their older, whiter-oriented shows, and tried to present more "diverse, inclusive" programming. Support and funding dried up. 

I realize there's much more to it than that, and management may be trying to use the "diversity" line as a diversion, but on the face of it that's what it looks like. I've been a loyal listener for decades. I've known some of the insiders. I've followed the story closely. 

I'm really going to miss KDHX. I was turned on to so much new music that I would have never experienced anywhere else. It truly was a local treasure. Such a damn shame. 

^Would it be that difficult for the former KDHX folks to start a new station? I am not very familiar with that process & cost, but that would seem like a logical fix. 

STL Radio is now a horrendous representation of a musically rich city. A shame. 

STLPR needs to take the lead on this. Even if it's just their HD radio substation to start. If they announce their intentions to bring back/announce the spiritual successor to the station alongside a donation drive I think the buzz would make the drive successful enough to pull it off.

Keep in mind that the sale still needs approval from the FCC and the bankruptcy court. Other lawsuits are still pending as well. There's at least some hope left.

KDHX management deserves to be run out of town with pitchforks. 

More info from STLPR: https://www.stlpr.org/arts/2025-03-25/s ... aster-sale

KDHX is gone. EMF is the largest Christian based media in the world. It has over 1 billion dollars in assets (non-taxable) and over 1,000 radio stations and STL was the market they wanted a strong full power signal.  And now they got it!  The FCC will immediately say yes.
Until the past few years, K-Love would avoid markets such as St. Louis where another strong local Christian AC station was firmly established, in this case Gateway Creative Broadcasting’s “99.1 Joy-FM” KLJY, but those days are long gone as it attempts to reach full national coverage for its flagship “K-Love” brand.
So much for that Christian love!

The KDHX call letters are officially dead. 

Such a damn shame. 

Rachel deSouza, whose Gladiator Consulting Firm was hired by Kelly Wells and Gary Pierson in their bid to dismantle KDHX, launched her bid for the open 79th District Missoiri State Legislature.  Wells and Pierson were in attendance at her kickoff and are apparently big backers. As is Megan Green.

Just FYI if you live in the 79th.