For immediate release
April 15, 2025. St. Louis, MO. Amy Shaw (President and CEO of Nine PBS), Julie Schuster, (CEO and General Manager of Classic 107.3 radio), and Peter Palermo (Executive Director of the Sheldon Arts Foundation, who made his statement as an individual, not on behalf of the organization) have expressed their support for keeping 88.1 KDHX an independent, local, community-based radio station in St. Louis.
Their voices join those of Leonard Slatkin (Conductor Laureate of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra) and Cara Spencer (newly elected mayor of St. Louis). Both have stated their opposition to selling KDHX.
Nine PBS statement:
As a community-licensed, nonprofit media organization committed to the people of the St. Louis region, Nine PBS supports keeping KDHX local and community-owned. KDHX plays an important role in amplifying the rich variety of voices in our community, giving local artists a platform, uplifting the local arts scene, and celebrating culture. Independent and community-centered media organizations are essential to an informed and connected region and KDHX’s future should continue to reflect St. Louis, which can only be achieved through local ownership.
– Amy Shaw, President and CEO of Nine PBS
Classic 107.3 statement:
Classic 107.3 is a community-owned nonprofit classical music station with a mission to provide outstanding programming in support of the arts. For decades, KDHX has been a vital part of our local media landscape – a fiercely independent source of music, information, reviews, and more here in St. Louis. The service that a community radio station provides in promoting an area’s cultural attractions and events to both residents and visitors is irreplaceable, and Classic 107.3 strongly supports keeping KDHX as a locally focused, community-owned and operated radio station for the benefit of the entire St. Louis region.
– Julie Schuster, CEO and General Manager of Classic 107.3.
Peter Palemo of the Sheldon (speaking for himself as an individual not for the organization) statement:
After reading Sarah Fenske’s story in St. Louis Mag about KDHX, I must write something. I have never written or said anything publicly about KDHX and its troubles – but I have opinions. I write this as an Executive Director of a non-profit with a 360-degree view of the difficulties faced in fundraising, board governance and delivering on a mission in a changing landscape. I also write as a former KDHX donor and an active participant in the local music business.
We all know the trouble kicked off when the current management identified diversifying the audience base as the key to future sustainability. Fine. That is a fine strategic goal and totally reasonable. However, the execution of that policy was horribly botched and looked like the edict of an autocrat as opposed to the consensus of an informed board and listenership. The leadership alienated the very people who built the station and enraged them to the point that they were willing to do battle – even at the cost of destroying what they were trying to save.
Fast forward a few years and the leadership finds themselves in a corner with no way out. They have destroyed their donor base and decimated their listenership. They view their only way out is a sale to an out-of-town radio network.
As a non-profit, KDHX was built with donations. It is allowed to operate as a tax-exempt entity because it serves the community. That valuable frequency on the FM dial is held in the public trust! It exists because of the generosity of the people who built it. It is not an asset to sell – at least not lightly. When the current board could find no way out of their predicament, they owed it to the community they serve to step out of the way and let others try. It is not as if others had not volunteered – there is an army of people dying to have a chance.
Now, good people have stepped in – in good faith – and offered KDHX leadership a way to keep the station in the hands of the community. But, as Sarah reports, things have become personal and it looks like the Board will refuse out of spite. The only word for my reaction to this news is disgust. If this is true, then it is a betrayal of the public trust, a betrayal of the principles of non-profit governance and a betrayal to the music business of St. Louis.
St. Louis needs KDHX. The St. Louis music scene needs KDHX. I urge the current board to resign immediately and let others assume control of this important local fixture that they have repeatedly failed to sustain.
– Peter Palermo, Executive Director of the Sheldon Arts Foundation (speaking on his own behalf, not on behalf of the foundation)
As these public statements make clear, the community remains united in saving KDHX for the public good. KDHX has not been sold, and the community continues to oppose any such sale.
The Double Helix corporation, which serves as the station’s parent company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 10, 2025. The Double Helix board is attempting to sell KDHX’s assets to the Tennessee-based conglomerate K-Love, Inc., but any such sale must be approved by the bankruptcy court. The court has not approved any sale.
The League of Volunteer Enthusiasts (LOVE) of KDHX thanks Nine PBS, Classic 107.3, Mr. Palermo, and all members of the community for their continued support.