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February 27, 2025

Statement from KDHX Board of Directors

Roy Kasten, representing The League of Volunteer Enthusiasts of KDHX, Inc. sent KDHX a prospectus dated February 19, 2025, offering $100,000 in immediate financial relief, with an additional $100,000 promised for future use, all of which come with untenable and ill-considered strings attached. With this financial offer, The League of Volunteer Enthusiasts purports to address short- and long-term financial stability for KDHX and claims their plan will "preserve and strengthen" KDHX. Their plan does none of these things.

On its face, the prospectus is not a serious document. It either naively or willfully misinterprets KDHX's public financial records. The annual budget of KDHX has been over $1M for two full decades, which any cursory examination of publicly available records would have revealed. To put it simply, $100,000 doesn't begin to address the costs of necessary short-term repairs, and we fail to see how the plan addresses the promised long-term stability.

The prospectus indicates that The League of Volunteer Enthusiasts has access to $200,000: $100,000 available immediately and an additional $100,000 that we assume has been pledged but not raised. The board and leadership of KDHX, like many of our non-profit colleagues, know better than to base major financial decisions on unpaid pledges. Some of the current members of The League of Volunteer Enthusiasts should also know better. In fact, League of Volunteer Enthusiasts spokesperson Caron House was KDHX’s former Development Director. Caron oversaw KDHX's failed $5M Capital Campaign (2012-2014), which raised less than half the funds necessary to move the organization into Grand Center (a move that the 2013 board, led by Andrew Scavotto, and the former Executive Director elected to make nevertheless, hoping that additional donors would come through, “Field of Dreams” style, once they saw KDHX in its new location, which of course never happened). That campaign failed to raise even its short-term goal of $2.5M because a significant number of pledges, including some from other members and allies of The League, remain unfulfilled to this day. 

Again, we consider this proposal to be a non-starter. It is based on a seriously flawed financial understanding and is rooted in the kind of magical thinking that contributed to KDHX’s long-standing financial instability. Repeating the problems of the past – with some of the same actors who contributed to KDHX’s current financial situation – will do nothing to save KDHX.

You can read their plan HERE

January 31, 2025

Statement from Gary Pierson - President of KDHX Community Media Board of Directors

This evening, KDHX will pause live broadcasts on 88.1 FM and kdhx.org due to financial challenges. 

The station does not have the resources to sustain current operations. As a result, our small staff has made significant financial sacrifices. All volunteer content production roles, including our valued volunteer DJs, have been discontinued. This was a difficult decision for our board as our audience has grown and expanded in recent years, most notably online.

Several factors have contributed to this decision, including long standing financial pressures, industry-wide challenges for public media, and a decline in financial support. Unfortunately, recent disparagement campaigns and senseless lawsuits have severely impacted fundraising.

To continue serving our listeners locally and worldwide, previously recorded programming will air on 88.1 FM and kdhx.org beginning tonight at 7 p.m. CST. Meanwhile, our board is actively exploring options for the future of KDHX to continue fulfilling our mission of building community through media.

We understand that this news is disappointing. We deeply appreciate the support of our volunteers, listeners, and donors over the years. If you value independent, community-driven programming, we encourage you to stay engaged by visiting KDHX.org for updates. 

January 31, 2025

Statement from Gary Pierson - President of KDHX Community Media Board of Directors

This evening, KDHX will pause live broadcasts on 88.1 FM and kdhx.org due to financial challenges. 

The station does not have the resources to sustain current operations. As a result, our small staff has made significant financial sacrifices. All volunteer content production roles, including our valued volunteer DJs, have been discontinued. This was a difficult decision for our board as our audience has grown and expanded in recent years, most notably online.

Several factors have contributed to this decision, including long standing financial pressures, industry-wide challenges for public media, and a decline in financial support. Unfortunately, recent disparagement campaigns and senseless lawsuits have severely impacted fundraising.

To continue serving our listeners locally and worldwide, previously recorded programming will air on 88.1 FM and kdhx.org beginning tonight at 7 p.m. CST. Meanwhile, our board is actively exploring options for the future of KDHX to continue fulfilling our mission of building community through media.

We understand that this news is disappointing. We deeply appreciate the support of our volunteers, listeners, and donors over the years. If you value independent, community-driven programming, we encourage you to stay engaged by visiting KDHX.org for updates. 

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The post Closing Reception for Scott Burton: Shape Shift appeared first on Explore St. Louis.

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