Interesting goings on with KFUO-FM

I have long stated my agnosticism on the sale of KFUO-FM. Yes this annoys my friends on either side of the sell, don’t-sell divide — but I can see great arguments for or against.

But that doesn’t keep me from having many opinions about how the sale is being handled. I wanted to share with you the rather fascinating editorial in today’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It’s a fine editorial from the perspective of supporters of keeping a classical music format, but there’s one quibble:

Board members also must decide whether the contemporary Christian format fits better with the church’s goals than its longtime role as a pillar of the arts community.

Technically, that’s not true. The board will have no control over the format of the station. They only have control over whether or not to sell. Anything could happen the moment they sell it — the new owners could turn around and sell it again or they could change format on a dime.

What’s more interesting to me personally is the amazing amount of effort being expended by some at Synod, Inc. to “save” Classic 99.

The Synod’s PR office has shown a surprising — for them — aggressiveness in drumming up media attention on behalf of Classic 99. Compare that with last year when the same bureaucracy canceled the best radio show the LCMS ever produced — in terms of delivering the Gospel — to save, allegedly, $200K.

And yet now, more than a year and $5 million in “negative variances” later, these same boards are unwilling to part with an unprofitable secular Classical music station, even though selling it would net a financially strapped synod $18 million.

Isn’t that kind of odd? Both financially and relating to the mission of the church?

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