ST. LOUIS 鈥 A federal bankruptcy judge set the stage Tuesday for an auction between two powerhouse evangelical Christian radio outlets over beleaguered community radio station KDHX.
Judge Kathy A. Surratt-States approved a date for auctioning off KDHX鈥檚 broadcast license over opposition from station supporters.
鈥淲e have to get the sale process moving,鈥 KDHX attorney Robert Eggmann said in court.
The hearing was the latest chapter in the fight over KDHX (88.1 FM), which filed for bankruptcy in March after a series of conflicts between station leadership and the volunteers who ran it. The station claimed in filings it had roughly $2 million in debt.
Days after the bankruptcy filing, station leaders announced Christian broadcasting giant K-LOVE had submitted a bid to purchase its license and provide loans to keep it afloat through the bankruptcy process.
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K-LOVE offered $4.35 million to purchase the station鈥檚 assets, though the price would change to $4.85 million if the sale could be completed in less than six months or $4.6 million if it could be completed in six months to one year.
Weeks later, Gateway Creative Broadcasting Inc. 鈥 owner of 99.1 Joy and the BOOST network of Christian hip-hop stations 鈥 submitted its own proposal for $5.5 million.
Dozens of KDHX listeners submitted letters to the court and continued to make public pleas to stop the sale. A coalition of supporters, musicians, business owners, volunteers and donors then pledged to submit a plan to pay off the station鈥檚 debts and run KDHX in its current community station format.
But that offer hasn鈥檛 materialized, Eggmann said Tuesday.
鈥淪o far, it has been nothing,鈥 he said.
Eggmann asked the judge to approve a timeline and terms for the auction of KDHX. Part of the proposal included a requirement that the buyer pay a $350,000 fee, plus up to $300,000 to cover costs incurred by K-LOVE for being the first bidder.
Spencer Desai, a lawyer for Gateway Creative Broadcasting, said he was 鈥渇labbergasted鈥 by the proposed amount. Typically, he said, there would be a request for a fee or costs 鈥 not both.
鈥淚t鈥檚 excessive and it makes no sense,鈥 he said.
Thomas DeWoskin, a lawyer for a group of KDHX supporters, said the fees shouldn鈥檛 be required at all if community members find a way to keep it operating as-is.
But K-LOVE鈥檚 lawyer, Andrew Magdy, said his client paid a pretty penny to make sure KDHX doesn鈥檛 go under and should be compensated.
鈥淲e鈥檙e here today because of K-LOVE,鈥 he said. 鈥淜-LOVE stepped up.鈥
Judge Surratt-States said that she thought the proposal was too much, but anybody who buys the station or keeps it going as community radio should reimburse K-LOVE for its contributions. She said the buyer will pay up to $300,000 to reimburse expenses, plus a $152,000 fee.
Bids for the station are due by May 27. The public auction is set for May 30 on Zoom.
Post-Dispatch photographers capture hundreds of images each week; here's a glimpse at the week of May 4, 2025. Video edited by Jenna Jones.
