02/13/2024
This article is EXACTLY on point. The public is smart enough to see past the latest KDHX paid public relations consultant missive and realize that 1/3 of lost donors, a third of volunteer DJs who have left the airwaves, and 160 businesses does not feed into their disgruntled few malcontents narrative. Why, it almost seems like they are aren’t being truthful. Hard to imagine . BTW, I’ve yet to hear from one person in the musician community who supports KDHX “leadership.”
This continuing narrative by Kelly Wells about how everyone is out to get her because she is a female leader is flat out ridiculous. I’ll be happy to provide the Board with the names of females who could do a much better job than her. It’s about your inept and ego-driven leadership, Kelly, not your gender. It seems like you brought down a former female KDHX Executive Director and had no qualms about it. But you have the temerity to brand all males who happen to actually question your leadership (and citing many examples pointing to your failed leadership) as misogynists. It really ought to be acknowledged by you that an equal amount of dissatisfaction with KDHX leadership has been directed toward Gary Pierson, the Board President who at the time this article was published and to the best of my knowledge is male. He’s equally culpable in this whole KDHX debacle. With regards to the 2019 problems referenced in this article, I was present in a public meeting when another Board member Paul Dever - who’s been on the Board for around 20 years now- said everyone who had complaints about Kelly Wells were liars. Let’s see KDHX leadership prove how committed to DEI efforts they are. The staff at KDHX is more insular than ever. It’s remained all white since all black staff members were fired or left in 2019. Why don’t Gary Pierson and Paul Dever step down in the name of fostering KDHX’s commitment to DEI? While your at it, why is the Board blocking the inclusion of the three new Board members - one African American male, one white female, one white male - approved by the Associates? We know why. Because they won’t automatically rubber stamp anything that Kelly Wells and Gary Pierson want before looking at all the facts first and asking questions when necessary.
A radio station that professes to be a community radio station won’t allow listeners and donors to ask questions of the Board. Volunteer Associates aren’t allowed to run their own meetings. They have a Board at a third of the capacity as it should be.
There are so many more failures that could be listed here. If they had any sense of honor both Kelly Wells and Gary Pierson would resign. It’s a shame for the community that their egos won’t allow them to do so.
Pay no attention to the executive director behind the curtain
