At least three petitions challenging the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod's proposed sale of radio station KFUO-FM to Gateway Creative Broadcasting have been filed with the Federal Communications Commission.

One group of petitioners, the Committee to Save KFUO-FM, is made up of local members of the synod. Another, the Radio Arts Foundation, is a new nonprofit entity formed around the core of the old Radio Arts Board, which sought to buy the station from the synod.

Both those petitions cover essentially the same points.

One is whether Gateway, which has considerable debt and has run at a deficit in recent years, is financially qualified to buy the license under either the terms of the agreement or FCC rules.

Another is whether the synod and Gateway filed the necessary "material terms," items required by the FCC that include promissory and security notes.

A group calling itself Citizens of Metropolitan St. Louis and Citizens of the United States of America also filed a petition.

It is unclear if the petitions will delay the sale of KFUO, St. Louis' only classical music station. The time frame for FCC consideration is indefinite.

"The FCC has to review all the allegations that are made," said attorney David Oxenford, who is working with the synod group.