Another PR disaster?

I’ve mentioned before my agnosticism on the matter of selling KFUO-FM. I am swayable to arguments on both sides.

Still, from a public relations standpoint, who in the world thought that the way to announce the decision to sell KFUO was best handled this way?

The story, featured in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, is well written and fair, but the LCMS comes off looking horrific. The only people who come off reasonable are Synod Treasurer Tom Kuchta (proponent of selling) and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra president Fred Bronstein (opponent of selling).

The secrecy surrounding the decision is astounding. The reporter breaks the news that the Board of Directors recently appointed a special committee with the authority to sell KFUO-FM. First I’ve heard of that. That committee is acting in “near-secrecy” according to the report. They aren’t even sharing their terms of what they’d require with a group of potential buyers. The potential buyers, a group of major donors to the station, are livid and wondering what happened to the $800,000 they raised in the last two years. How amateurish!

The news also reports that if the station had been sold last year, it might have gotten $24 million. Now it’s value is under $10 million. They’re reportedly hoping to get $20 million. The board, it seems, can’t even get the timing right.

Everyone involved in the secret committee — from the chairman to LCMS President Kieschnick — are refusing repeated requests for interviews. The board chairman did take an interview but brushed off all responsibility to the smaller group.

Just from a public relations standpoint, this whole thing is being handled horribly. To have the members of the LCMS — and members of congregations — find this news out not from our Synodical President but, rather, the mainstream media is just a disaster.

When are Kieschnick and the other leaders going to get their act together? It’s just embarrassing.

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