KWMU, St. Louis Public Radio, has released a report describing the events that led to the demise of community open-access station KDHX. KDHX was sold last year to the operator of contemporary-Christian station KLJY, "Joy FM", which began programming the 88.1 frequency last month. There was no joy among musicians and others in the St. Louis area, however. The STLPR report traces the problems back to 2019:
{quote}
It was also a place where some Black music professionals felt unwelcome behind the scenes and described what they called a toxic atmosphere riddled with racism, allegations that surfaced publicly in 2019.
Public battles over accountability, diversity and the essence of the radio station’s identity led to the silencing of a once-vital public voice. Last year, KDHX’s board of directors, led by attorney Gary Pierson, pushed through the sale of the station’s FCC license and other assets to a Christian radio network for $8.75 million — even as supporters of the financially challenged station raced to raise enough money to save it.
The station’s already precarious finances were ravaged by public disputes that inspired some listeners to picket their favorite radio station.
{end quote}
KDHX ended up in bankruptcy.
The article at KDHX: How a community radio station in St. Louis unraveled, which I've quoted immediately above, is actually a prelude to two audio segments which effectively comprise a documentary. Disclaimer: I haven't listened to the audio yet, but I plan to.
Comment: It's a sad turn of events when a station such as KDHX is replaced by yet another monotonous religious broadcaster, even if it's one that's locally based. Some of the former KDHX volunteers have turned to streaming as "Community Radio St. Louis". It remains to be seen if that can be a replacement for a broadcast frequency when it comes to this type of programming, particularly when it comes to getting the necessary financial support (though overhead should be lower with a streaming-only operation).
As has been previously reported, the KDHX call letters are now on the former KXEN (1010 kHz).
{quote}
It was also a place where some Black music professionals felt unwelcome behind the scenes and described what they called a toxic atmosphere riddled with racism, allegations that surfaced publicly in 2019.
Public battles over accountability, diversity and the essence of the radio station’s identity led to the silencing of a once-vital public voice. Last year, KDHX’s board of directors, led by attorney Gary Pierson, pushed through the sale of the station’s FCC license and other assets to a Christian radio network for $8.75 million — even as supporters of the financially challenged station raced to raise enough money to save it.
The station’s already precarious finances were ravaged by public disputes that inspired some listeners to picket their favorite radio station.
{end quote}
KDHX ended up in bankruptcy.
The article at KDHX: How a community radio station in St. Louis unraveled, which I've quoted immediately above, is actually a prelude to two audio segments which effectively comprise a documentary. Disclaimer: I haven't listened to the audio yet, but I plan to.
Comment: It's a sad turn of events when a station such as KDHX is replaced by yet another monotonous religious broadcaster, even if it's one that's locally based. Some of the former KDHX volunteers have turned to streaming as "Community Radio St. Louis". It remains to be seen if that can be a replacement for a broadcast frequency when it comes to this type of programming, particularly when it comes to getting the necessary financial support (though overhead should be lower with a streaming-only operation).
As has been previously reported, the KDHX call letters are now on the former KXEN (1010 kHz).
