KFUO: What Joy FM said on-air about its plans to buy the station
The board of directors of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, with a committee led by board member and attorney Kermit Brashear of Omaha, has been quietly negotiating a deal to sell KFUO-99.1 FM to a group called “Joy FM.”
“Joy FM” broadcasts what’s known as “Christian contemporary.” It’s basically rock music with texts that deal with Christian themes.
(A personal note: Their playlist doesn’t speak to me at all, either musically or in my own faith as a Christian, but the issue here is whether St. Louis should have to lose the only radio station in the region that is dedicated to classical music and the arts. The Joy FM team seem to be mostly good, sincere people.)
I’ve been trying to talk to the station’s general manager, Sandi Brown, about the deal. Several months ago, when it was first confirmed that Joy was the buyer, I called; she declined to speak to me.
While working on Sunday’s story, however, I found that a lot of background - on their reasons for wanting KFUO and on their plans to buy it - was posted, in audio files, on Joy FM’s homepage. Figuring that the gag had been removed, I called Ms. Brown again to learn more; I was told I could reach her between 5 and 9 a.m. on Friday - but when I called back as promised, at 7:20 Friday morning, an unidentified male colleague of Ms. Brown’s told me to get off the line, and then hung up on me.
Shortly thereafter, the audio files all disappeared from the homepage. Anyone with an interest in KFUO-FM and the LCMS’s controversial negotiations to sell the station will find a great deal of interest in them, however, so here they are.
One of the reasons I wanted to talk to Ms. Brown was to learn the identities of the principal speakers; the folks who answered the phone on Thursday declined to do even that much. Ms. Brown, who is Joy FM’s morning announcer as well as the GM, is apparently the female speaker.
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An unidentified man goes through some history and the reasons that Joy FM is hard to hear - and why it can’t be heard “in the core of St. Louis” and in most of St. Louis County. (I tested this one for myself, on better-than-average home and automobile receivers, and couldn’t pick up a trace, in Des Peres, downtown St. Louis, or assorted points in between.)
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An unidentified man speaks about working with the LCMS as a Christian organization, and wanting to keep the signal “in the hands of the Kingdom.”
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It’s called the “free market” and if the station is for sale and Joy FM made an offer that the seller finds acceptable they should be able to complete the purchase, regardless of the current station format. The people who want to stop this potential sale for the sole fact that it’s the only classical music station in St. Louis need to remember it’s NOT their property and they have no right to attempt to interfere with this transaction. Personally, I listen to Joy FM all the time and I think it would be great for them to have a better signal that reaches the entire metro area. Maybe Ms. Miller should give Joy FM another try because it really is great praise and worship music and I’m sure she will find it spiritually uplifting.
Greg Cassidy? WOW…9 lives. I wonder if he still has that car that, as you approach it, the voice activated alarm, goes “Step away from the car!”.
Is there really a market for Christian music on a large scale (note “large” scale)? I know it exists but will it flourish with a powerful stick will 99.1?
Sorry… but the audience for classical music is only about 2-3%. I doubt sticking Joy on 99.1 will do much better.
Sorry, Tom - I find spiritual uplift in a lot of different music, from plainchant and Renaissance motets to Bach and Handel, Stanford and Parry to Tavener and Gorecki - and I didn’t hear anything on Joy FM that rose very far, either musically or textually, above the simplistic. It did not speak to me. Perhaps you might consider stretching your own ear and learning what more is out there.
In any case, other people have every right to “interfere with this transaction” if they choose. Members of the LCMS, who have been kept mostly in the dark about what’s going on, have a right to be heard by the 15-man board; others in the community have a right to try to purchase it.
Even Sandi Brown and the Unidentified Guys weren’t praying for that signal, necessarily - just a better one. I noticed several stations with decent signals below KFUO in the Arbitron ratings; perhaps Bonneville would be interested in selling one.
Bryan
Wow Sarah - what are you afraid of? That maybe we get a better signal in order to bring through good solid positive uplifting music that can only better the lives of the people that listen? Greg and Sandy are doing amazing job and are some of the most positive, upstanding people that I have ever listened to. Go JOY FM - I speak blessing and favor in Jesus Name!!!!!
$18 Million is well below market value for this signal, even in a lousy market like it is today, because they want to ”Keep it in the Kingdom.”
But really and truly, it would end up in the hands of a private businessman. Gateway Creative Broadcasting is wholly owned by Matthew Bross of Wentzville, MO - part of the family that owns Bropfs Mobile Homes in St. Charles. Mr. Bross leases the 97.7 and 94.1 frequencies to the Joy FM people.
Who is to say that Mr. Bross could get a sweetheart deal under the guise of ”keeping the station in the kingdom,” and in turn sell the thing to another operator for a tidy profit. There is no board of people who would have to agree, only Mr. Bross.
Ms. Miller, Mr. Bross is the man that you need to speak to, and members of the LCMS church should be irate, not because of the sale of the station, but by the fact that they are not going through the proper channels of selling a radio station to get top dollar for it, but are instead giving up an important church asset for a sweetheart deal because of the purchasers perceived Christianity.
I have never seen a reporter on the P-D comment so much on their own story. I understand since you are the classical music reporter, you have to defend this move. But, the way to do it is not to report one-sided and slam the other side that you are obviously against. Horrible journalism. By the way, the “unidentified man” is the president of the board of directors for JOY FM. These audio clips were on the radio approximately six months ago. This is not news to JOY FM listeners, but it is news to you because it is a more of a reality.
The JOY of the Lord is our strength. We can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us! I am aware that there are many people who aren’t “Christians” and this is the beauty of living in a country where we can make these decisions on our own. Us “listeners” of JoyFM are not trying to force you to listen to our Christian Music or what did you call it? Rock music with texts that deal with Christian themes. Whatever any of you want to call it - this music makes you feel good. It puts me in a great mood. I used to listen to several other radio stations in the morning and frankly they made my blood pressure rise. It seems that most of the listeners of these other stations would call in with a bad attitude and had very STRONG opionions on different stories these stations covered. I started asking myself “where are the morals that were once taught to the generatations before me”? Then I remembered. When they took God out of our schools they also seem to have taken the morals as well. I decided I would give JoyFM a try. I have been so blessed in more ways than one. It is really nice not having to turn the station because the commericals are so racy that my son would blush. Or the fact that my son doesn’t have to hear songs about such things as Birthday Sex. Thank You JoyFM Supporters. With out you supporting this radio station St. Louis woudn’t have a “Christian” broadcast. I too pray favor and strength! Thank you Post Dispatch for running this article so all of us prayer warriors can get to praying for God’s Will to be done!
God Bless!
Having read the column, I seen nothing equating to ‘horrible journalism’ in it; unless a reporter trying to get information about how a change of ownership of the only remaining classical music station in the area impacts said area. I commend you, Ms. Sarah Bryan Miller, I have heard rumors in the past of the potential sale of KFUO, this one seems to have legs to it.
The fact that the interested party has taken an evasive tack on the matter gives one the impression that they’ve something to hide. Keep pushing…
I enjoy the classical music on KFUO as part of the variety of musical formats that I listen to.
I understand that stations change all the time, but I would hate to see this niche end.
I also would remove 99.1 from my listening mix if it becomes Christian music as I generally do not find it to my liking.
Gracious. Such uproar, just because a secret deal isn’t such a secret now.
Merle, I would appreciate it if you would contact me: sbmiller at post-dispatch-dot-com.
Jan, if you’d actually read my comments, you’d realize that I’m not “afraid” of the Joy folks getting a better signal; I’m concerned that, in the process, we’ll lose something invaluable for the entire region.
Jim, I assure you that my article was carefully vetted and absolutely balanced - in fact, I bent over backward to provide all sides. (It’s too bad Ms. Brown chose to be so secretive, and that her colleague was so rude.) We are strongly encouraged to blog and to interact with our readers, which is why I spent most of my post-church Sunday writing here and getting those audio clips up yesterday. And the clips were actually made, as far as I can tell, at the end of March, right after my first article appeared in the P-D. (That’s not six months.)
Angie, I’m sorry, but I find rock music of any stripe pretty shallow compared with all the wonderful music that falls under the rubric of “classical.” I hope you all find a better signal - but not at the expense of great music.
Thanks for reading, everyone.
Bryan