Brandon Booth
MollieQuestions and Answers and Questions
The more I think about David Strand’s bizarre Question and Answers Document, the more questions I have. Here are just a few of several dozen problems with assertions made by David Strand. His assertions are in italics. Questions and responses follow.
“Issues,” on the other hand, had two dedicated, full-time staffers devoted exclusively to “Issues.”
Todd and Jeff had extended duties beyond Issues, Etc. (KFUO production, hosting Sharathon, scheduling Sharathon hosts and guests, preaching KFUO Sundays, etc.) Ask KFUO General Manger Dennis Stortz (dstortz@classic99.com) and KFUO-AM Program Director Chuck Rathert (crathert@kfuo.org) if this is true.
KFUO operates with a lean management structure.
KFUO-FM doesn’t have a “lean management structure.” They have a General Manager, an Operations Manager/Production Director, a Program Director, a Music Director, an Assistant Program Director, a Sales Manager, a Promotions/Development Director and a Traffic Manager. Eight people seem like plenty of management for the 18th-ranked radio station in St. Louis (http://www.radio-info.com/content/arbitron.php?market=020). In fact, when my Board for Communication Services conducted a management audit of the radio station, the radio professionals who helped us all pointed to the bloated management structure as a problem.
Like most radio ministries, there are considerable regulatory, technical, and administrative tasks that must be performed.
What specific “regulatory, technical and administrative tasks” does KFUO management have? We need specifics Mr. Strand! This is how synodacrats work. Throw out vague generalities to a board that doesn’t fully understand radio operations. The fact is that the same management has been in place during a $3.5 million shortfall since 2001.
“Virtually all program hosts, along with other staffers, participate in the station’s annual Sharathon”.
Didn’t this include Todd and Jeff? However, Mr. Strand stated earlier that they were “devoted exclusively” to IE.
“All donations specifically earmarked for ‘Issues’ including Reformation Club income, were credited to ‘Issues.’”
The funds generated by IE Reformation Club members within a 100-mile radius of St. Louis were counted toward the KFUO general fund. You can verify this with LCMS Treasurer Tom Kuchta (tom.Kuchta@lcms.org) or KFUO Development Director Dorothy Kaestner (Dorothy.Kaestner@lcms.org.
The only “Issues”-related support that does not figure into the equation are the funds given by congregations directly to radio stations in their locales.
How come Issues, Etc. underwriter and advertising revenue from church sponsors totaling approximately $80,000 went to a KFUO general advertising fund and not to IE?
“Issues 300” was not a formal, sanctioned fundraising effort being done in cooperation with the LCMS Foundation; rather, it was an effort by Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz to raise funds for the syndication of the one-hour Sunday-evening broadcast. There were no ads, publicity, direct-mail materials, telemarketing strategies, or donor visitations poised to be set in motion by the Foundation.
Mr. Strand should check out the “What’s New” section of the IE website (http://www.issuesetcarchive.org/issues_site/whatsnew.htm) that he ordered removed. You’ll notice a downloadable flier on how to join the IE 300 Club. IE also aired live and recorded announcements for the IE 300 Club since the beginning of 2008.
Mr. Strand needs to provide us with the on-demand listening statistics for the LAST YEAR, not one month. If he did provide listening statistics for the whole year, rather than cherry pick data, I suspect he would have to recant his statement “But considerable less expensive programs such as ‘The Bible Study’ also have broadcast audience followings – perhaps equal to or at times exceeding that of ‘Issues.’”
“Since 2005 gifts to IE have stayed on the same plateau.”
The IE Reformation Club had 181 members in October of 2005 (http://www.issuesetcarchive.org/issues_site/arch05.htm). The Club had grown to 315 members in October of 2007. The average gift of Reformation Club members was $500 annually. A revenue increase of $67,000 in two years. It this what Mr. Strand calls a “plateau?”
In this case, if we had waited until early April, we would have been obligated to pay another $5,500 in monthly Sunday-night syndication fees.
Mr. Strand claims that the firings took place during Holy Week in order to save $5,500. However, KFUO was going to pay $5,500 in airtime and satellite costs no matter when the show was cancelled. Stations require a 30-day written notice of cancellation. The 30-day period begins the date of the written letter of cancellation. This is obfuscation on the part of David Strand. By the way, KFUO did pay the $5,500 in airtime and satellite costs after the show’s cancellation. KFUO management informed affiliates that there would be no show effective Sunday, April 23. Affiliates informed KFUO management that the contract agreement required a 30-day written notice of cancellation. KFUO management informed affiliates to “just bill us for the remaining weeks.”
Filed under: Updates
It would be hard to find a more thorough indictment than this - and I vouch for the veracity of these details as a former BCS member. (Please forgive me for repeating this fact on several occasions. I don’t mean to draw attention to myself, but only to say as one who has served formally on the board which was responsible for overseeing these matters, I agree that the facts stated herein are accurate and just the thing that we need to use to confront the current administration with wrongdoing.)
Book ‘em, Danno.
I think that we can stop asking the question “Why?” and start crying loudly CONFESS
Yep, I believe we can safely cross the line and say they’re being downright dishonest now.
I should also add something to this:
“Mr. Strand should check out the “What’s New” section of the IE website (http://www.issuesetcarchive.org/issues_site/whatsnew.htm) that he ordered removed. You’ll notice a downloadable flier on how to join the IE 300 Club. IE also aired live and recorded announcements for the IE 300 Club since the beginning of 2008.”
The Issues Etc. 300 club was also advertised on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QNavcpa7kw
If we’re going to hold the Synod accountable to consistency in fundraising efforts, there is an entirely contradictory pattern in how they handled fundraising for Issues Etc. and Rev. May. Rev. May was told he needed to raise money seperately from the Synod official efforts, and Strand here says that Issues Etc. 300 fundraising counts for nothing because it wasn’t an official fundraising effort with the Synod.
When all is said and done, it shouldn’t matter how they do their fundraising so long as it’s legal, moral, and non-fattening (credit goes to my father for these last two paragraphs).
I think our leaders need to revise their version of the Eighth Commandment. New Ablaze! version:
“Thou shalt not criticize thy Synod President, nor His DP’s, nor His employees, Nor his minions, toadies, suckbutts nor anything that is thy Synod President’s”
To restate: bearing TRUE witness violates no law. There is no commandment to put the best construction on evil, no matter who commits it.
I doubt anyone could have done a better job of justifying the decision than he did. I didn’t want to believe that Synod is run by ruthless politicians, so I admit I almost bought it … until I got to the next to last Q&A where he dumped ALL the blame for the controversy on his and GK’s critics. That is, I was reading it, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, and then he turns around and blames the controversy on wicked motives of his critics (not fellow Christians with an honest disagreement regarding his decision). Doesn’t benefit of the doubt/8th commandment go both ways in a disagreement?
And finally, when I know read the Q&A alongside the BCS minutes it becomes painfully clear that immediate cancellation of IE was NOT the only possible option. Sadly, the curtain has been pulled back on the Wizard(s) of Oz.
You have indeed caught them with “pants on fire”.
Now we know.
I concur, book ‘em, Danno. It’s time they step down.
On the lighter side, I must say this is better than the book I am trying to read. Who needs stories of intrigue and corruption on paper?
Thank you, Mollie. My main prayer has been that the reasons for cancelling Issues would be brought to the Light, and you have been great at asking questions.
God bless you for taking this on.
Joel,
I wanted to say it’s good that you continue to remind us of your Board experience. I, for one, know that you’re not mentioning it to boast. It’s important for those of us who care but are not aware of exactly who’s who, to remember that this constant questioning is not only one person’s displeasure with this whole affair.
Please keep up the good fight!
The term “obfuscation” best describes the Q&A drivel put together by Mr. Strand. How many people knew of this individual before this controversy? How can we “Interneters” be targeting him unfairly? Perhaps there are others who would like to put GK in the crosshairs and perhaps this was great ammunition for them. I was never into synod happenings UNTIL the elimination of Issues Etc.
The wake-up call has been received…
There are other problems with the Q&A. As mentioned above, the 300 club was not counted because it was not through Lutheran Foundation, but it is still money coming in. Also on that subject, Mr. Strand indicates that it cost 66,000 / year for Sunday night syndication and yet the 300 club was shooting for $300,000 dollars. Was it only on part of the year that makes it $66,000 dollars? I would like to know more about that.
Second, at best, the webmaster that runs KFUO’s website was not thinking when he took down the whole website to make changes. Usually changes are made one at a time and the website is updated “live”, or a comment is made at top level which explains what is going on, such as, “due to the cancellation of Issues, Etc., the station has to make major changes to this portion of the website, please be patient until changes are complete.”
Finally, what rankles me is that thousands of people have told Pres. Kieschnick and Mr. Strand that this whole thing was handled in an unchristian manner and they STILL refuse to say ’sorry’ even for that, much less for cancelling the program. They ‘regret’ the timing. That is nonsense. You fired people in an unchristian way. Say you are sorry.
AND, he doesn’t explain why there is a gag order tied to the severance, which Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz refuse to take on account of said gag order.
Mollie, this is journalism at its best. God bless you and your efforts!!!!!!!!
More: Mr. Strand says, “Rather, the show was cancelled resulting in the staff
reductions. As such, this was not a situation calling for warnings, probation, or anything
about “Issues” that could be changed. The decision was based on economic realities.” I think our Synod could afford $5,500, which it apparently paid anyway, to give these guys some time to at least wrap the show up. Certainly “economic realities” allow us to still be good people to one another.
Finally (reallyl), after all of this about cutting back, is this job description for a KFUO AM Radio Host on the Synod’s website: http://www.lcms.org/pages/rpage.asp?NavID=13445
Ridiculous.
If they wanted the storm to die down, they should have just admitted it was a big mess and apologized.
I am very disappointed in the COP and the shoddy way the “issues” matters were dealt with the last time they met. Are these men so afraid of each other that they have to be sure they’re “on the same page” with their shallow (read NO) concern for the canceling of IE? I am so proud of the district presidents that spoke out against these outrageous happenings and are looking for some real, honest answers to some tough questions. These DP’s are TRUE CONFESSIONAL heroes to me!!!
[...] Questions and Answers and Questions The more I think about David Strand’s bizarre Question and Answers Document, the more questions I have. Here are [...] [...]
Keep it up, Molly! Your questions not only help us see the flaws in David Strand’s excuses, they also teach us how to analyze this and other actions taken by the synodical higher-ups.