ST. LOUIS — KDHX devotees are working the phones, writing letters and leaning on attorneys to make a final plea to save the community-run station from a planned sale to an evangelical broadcasting giant.
More than a dozen listeners and former volunteers have written to a federal bankruptcy judge in recent weeks urging her to reject the sale of 88.1 FM’s broadcasting tower to national Christian radio station K-LOVE.
“We want our station back,†Fenton resident Paul Chambless said in her letter.
The recent court filings preview the most pivotal chapter yet in a fight over the volunteer-run station. Lawyers are set to appear before a judge this week to ask her to approve the station’s sale as part of an ongoing bankruptcy. If the judge approves the sale, KDHX would go off the air.
KDHX lawyer Robert Eggmann said listeners and former volunteers have no right to stop the sale.
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“We understand their position — they’ve made that very clear over the months,†he said. “But we don’t believe they have standing.â€
The public fight over the station dates back to 2023 when KDHX management fired 10 of the station’s 80 volunteer DJs in one day. At least 14 others resigned in solidarity, as did multiple behind-the-scenes volunteers. Many of the fired DJs had signed a letter of “no confidence†against the station’s executive director earlier that year.
Donations — the lifeblood of the volunteer station — dwindled. Underwriting from local businesses disappeared. People stopped listening.
In January, the station fired the rest of its volunteers to cut expenses, it said. It stopped broadcasting live and replaced it with pre-recorded material. Sixteen people sued, claiming KDHX had illegally wrested control from volunteers.
Last month, the station’s owner, Double Helix Corp., filed for bankruptcy, claiming about $2 million in debt.
Days later, the station announced a deal with K-LOVE to purchase its license. KDHX would keep its studio and equipment. Leaders said they intended to continue producing content online.
But lawyers for more than a dozen of the station’s former volunteers objected to the sale. They said it appears the whole bankruptcy stemmed from a concerted effort to sell the broadcast license and tower to K-Love.
“K-LOVE is driving the case,†wrote Benjamin Askew and A. Thomas DeWoskin, attorneys for the volunteers.
The men urged Judge Kathy A. Surratt-States to delay her decision. There are other viable alternatives that hadn’t been adequately considered, they said.
Several supporters in their letters proposed a restructuring led by donors, listeners and volunteers, and many said they felt betrayed by the station’s current leadership. Some called for an investigation.
“While I understand that I may not have legal standing to formally object to this sale, I urge the court to consider the broader implications of this case,†said supporter Stewart Clark. “The actions of the current board and management have resulted in a profound loss for our community.â€
Other supporters shared how the station was the soundtrack to their lives in St. Louis. It helped them expand their musical horizons, stay in touch with the local artistic community and cultivate relationships.
Even when one supporter didn’t have much money to spare, she still set aside $25 to donate.
“For 35 years in the car on the way to anywhere — to work, to children’s practices, to care for my elderly parents, to dinner with friends, KDHX always played on the radio,†wrote longtime listener Amy Willie. “Please, do not let KDHX be taken away.â€
Lawyers for KDHX say the sale would allow the station to pivot to posting content online while also paying back its creditors. They urged the judge to approve it quickly.
A hearing in the case is set for Wednesday.
