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6 hours ago
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90.5 KVHS will go dark on 6/28
5/25/25
East Bay Times article:
Background:
1969
KVHS started broadcasting from Clayton Valley High School (CVHS) in 1969. The station offered a unique, hands-on, learning experience for multiple generations of students - not just from CVHS, but throughout the region by way of a Regional Occupational Program. While the KVHS format changed several times over the years, one constant that remained has been this community’s affinity for this beloved station.
2012
In 2012, CVHS went charter, thusly separating the school from the District, and launching a number of legal complications that KVHS had found itself stuck in the midst of. With the FCC license being held by the District and the studio being physically located at the charter school, it became impossible for KVHS to continue to operate as an educational vehicle for the District's students. Thanks to KVHS alumni and others volunteering their time and labor, the station remained on air, hoping to wait out these legal matters, and one day return to being in service of the student body.
2022
No longer seeing the station as of value to the student body, MDUSD put KVHS on the market, and received an offer of $520,000 from KLOVE, a contemporary Christian radio station owned by the non-profit Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a Christian media ministry. The Board ultimately decided against considering any offer from this organization for a number of reasons, one of which was a strong preference to keep the station under some kind of local community control.
2024
In March of last year, MDUSD asked the current volunteers to relocate the existing equipment from the old studio to the leased property where that station broadcasts its signal. The station manager carried this out, and in doing so, liberated KVHS from the legal chains that had been restricting its educational possibilities. Finally, a new horizon for KVHS became possible, but this reality was not met with enthusiasm from MDUSD, who do not share such a vision.
2025
On May 14th, MDUSD approved item 18.1, thusly activating a ticking time bomb for the future of KVHS. The station will go dark as early as July 1, 2025 unless the license is transferred to a new government entity ($1), and the transmitter lease is renewed.
KVHS UPDATE 6/13/2025
Friends of KVHS,
KVHS will go dark two weeks from now. Nothing will stop that from happening. American Tower, understandably, isn't interested in reduced terms or rates. No one is interested in paying for their expensive lease.
The interested entity I've spoken about is Contra Costa County Office of Education. They're interested in acquiring the license and returning the station to its educational roots, but if and only if they can get the antenna moved to a new site. Hopefully, they're able to convince their own County people to get it up on the County-owned emergency dispatch tower at Kreiger Peak. KVHS ran some initial feasibility assessments on a number of local towers and Kreiger is optimal. Another viable site is a privately owned tower at the headquarters of Concord Police Officers' Association, on the opposite side of Hwy 4 from the current site. If they can secure either one of these locations, there will likely be some kind of future for KVHS.
For those who've been asking how to make a donation, once a new licensee is officially named, you can make checks out to them.
If your interest in saving KVHS was rooted in the specific desire to secure a safe future for the local music show The Beat of Diablo, please reach out to me directly. I'm pivoting my focus on saving the station to saving this show, and I'll likely have to spend money to make that happen. I'll be looking into look into how to properly establish a listener-funded endeavor.
Sorry we couldn't do more to save the station, but there's only so much we volunteers can do when two different government entities are holding all the cards.
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 6/10/2025
Friends of KVHS,
MDUSD has asked us to remove the antenna and broadcasting equipment from the American Tower site by June 28th. That's when the station will go dark. Even if a new broadcasting location is identified and authorized, KVHS will still be going off the air for an undetermined amount of time.
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 6/05/2025
Friends of KVHS,
For the KVHS volunteers, all of our eggs are in one basket, so to speak. We've gone all-in with one specific entity as the next licensee, and we've honed in on one specific broadcasting site that we're evaluating with their help. Plenty of things that need to come together for everything to work out, and to ensure some kind of future for KVHS in our community.
We're doing everything we can to be helpful and resourceful to the interested government entity that was named in the East Bay Times article, while cooperating with instruction from the current licensee, MDUSD. That said, even if everything goes right, the station is still likely to go dark for some period of time.
Keep it dialed to 90.5 KVHS while we're still on the air. I'll update here when there's something official to share.
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/29/2025
Friends of KVHS,
The KVHS Station Manager and I have been in talks with one of the entities who've reached out directly to MDUSD and expressed interest in license acquisition. While thrilled by the possibilities and eager to learn more, this entity has not yet committed to taking over the license due to unknowns we're still figuring out, including identifying a new broadcasting site. This would mean relocating our small antenna and broadcasting equipment from TV Hill (the current American Tower site), which would mean the station will likely go dark for an undetermined period of time.
My update to Concord City Council on Tuesday included an ask for them to direct staff to look into the city-owned tower sites (we believe there are two or three), gauge viability, and relay that info the interested entity or KVHS volunteers. Despite a couple efforts to get a motion together, the City Manager advised Council to not act at this time, citing that it was premature because there is no designated licensee. She added that she didn't know what towers I was referring to. This is a bit a frustrating because what we're asking is for the City to help a potential future licensee understand what's available to them. A classic example of a "bureaucratic loop."
For the sake of moving forward, exploring what tower sites might be available through Concord, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, or even private entities is no longer something the volunteers will be spending time on. Instead, we're going to hone in on a few optimal sites, determine which might be available to the interested entity, run a feasibility study, and hopefully guide them to conclude that this is the right way forward for them and us.
TL;DR - We're still diligently working on this and feeling hopeful.
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/27/2025
Friends of KVHS,
The amount of people who've reached out asking how they can help KVHS has been extremely encouraging and inspiring. From KVHS listeners, to alumni, public media advocates, local celebrities, the noncom radio community...your love is felt, and it's our hope that we WILL be able to give you guidance as to how to help us in the near future. To those who have asked, sadly no, we cannot accept donations at this time. We hope that will change after a new licensee is established, and a local nonprofit can be identified for them to partner with for bookkeeping.
For now, our focus is on doing whatever we can to help any local government entities who've expressed interest in license acquisition, including investigating alternative broadcasting sites. Unless you personally know of a tower location that would consider allowing our little (but powerful) antenna to occupy space, I don't know that there's much you can do other than let your local government leaders know that KVHS is important to you. We're not certain what the future looks like, but chances are, a healthy KVHS future may require cooperation from different government entities within the broadcast signal.
I'll be updating the public via a Concord City Council meeting tonight at 6:30 PM.
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/24/2025
Friends of KVHS,
After conversations with a legal advisor, a city manager, a director of communications, four councilmembers, KVHS engineers, and two news reporters, it's been a rather consuming couple of weeks. Let's hope East Bay Times gets it right in tomorrow's front page story.
A viable path forward is coming into focus, and it appears it will require moving our broadcasting equipment to an alternative site. There's quite a bit of things that need to happen for this to work, and it's looking less likely that we will be able to avoid going dark for a a period of time to get there.
More next week. For now, keep it tuned to 90.5 FM and enjoy the holiday weekend.
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/22/2025
Friends of KVHS,
So many meetings and phone calls yesterday, I don't know even know where to start. For now, I'll share that it appears at least one local government entity is currently looking into all options on how they can become the new licensee. Scenarios include a possibile lease renewal with American Tower (optimal). They're also looking into allowing KVHS to temporarily go dark and relocating the station's antenna to another tower site (better than nothing).
East Bay Times will be reporting on the whole saga either tomorrow or over the weekend, so keep an eye out for that.
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/20/2025
Friends of KVHS,
I will be meeting with a councilmember from one local city tomorrow, and formally approaching that city council in a week to have a committee look further into the costs and benefits of a potential KVHS acquisition.
Members of the community in surrounding cities are volunteering to approach their respective city councils to do the same. We welcome this expansion of bandwidth and are happy to help with accurate information.
Meanwhile, two other local government entities have had conversations with KVHS staff and MDUSD (separately) regarding potential acquisition.
It's good to see that multiple entities have expressed interest, but let's not presume any one of them will prevent the station from going dark; are willing to act alone in the renewal of the transmitter lease; are willing to preserve the legacy of the station and call letters (KVHS); and are willing to continue with free-form radio, public access, and the existing volunteers.
It's also important - I think - to not put all of our eggs in one basket until/unless something is finalized.
Onward.
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/19/2025
Friends of KVHS,
Conversations are continuing with one local City, one local school, and one CoCo County entity. We will continue to explore all viable local options, and work diligently until KVHS either has a new home in our community, or we've exhausted all options.
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/16/2025
Friends of KVHS,
Yesterday, casual discussions were had between KVHS volunteers and representatives of two viable future license-holders within the community. For different reasons, neither will be able to do anything in time to prevent the station from going dark.
We will continue to explore these entities, and approach others in the coming weeks. You can expect to see KVHS volunteers and allies popping up during public comment at various City Council meetings in central Contra Costa County, and perhaps to the County BoS as well. Ideally, some of those entities will publicly express a desire to learn more, and we can work to get a formal presentation on their agendas for future meetings.
It's been a helluva week. I don't plan to post daily updates over the weekend unless there is a significant development worth bringing public attention to.
Thanks for your continued support of KVHS. If you wish to get involved in our efforts , we could use the help. Reach out to me directly and we can discuss how you could be helpful.
Keep the dial tuned to 90.5 and have a great weekend!
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/19/2025
Friends of KVHS,
MDUSD Action 18.1 passed last night, thusly approving the terms that will allow the station to go dark and possibly lose the license altogether. The lease will be made available to any government agency willing to take it on for $1. The preference for pretty much everyone is that it remain in local control.
If you were tuning into last night's meeting and wondering why the feed stopped when I came to the podium, so are all of us! I'm told the feed was restored before the meeting's conclusion, but after discussion/action on 18.1. This was very unfortunate.
Five members of the community spoke in general support of KVHS, asking for it to stay in our community. Two of them asked specifically for the license to be renewed. Three of them of the insisted on returning KVHS to its student-driven model.
Trustee McDougal suggested a motion to renew the lease for one year and start over with a committee comprised of a trustee, MDUSD staff, and KVHS volunteers. This was not entertained for a second by his fellow trustees, who mostly expressed they felt KVHS should continue on elsewhere as the "Community Radio Station" it is today. In a vote of 4-1, Action Item 18.1 was approved.
Most of the trustees expressed genuine appreciation for the volunteers' dedication and passion, the legacy of the station, and its value as a community asset. Some expressed remorse for the decision they believed they had to make. There was very much a shared feeling of "it is what it is."
We learned that ahead of the meeting, an internal memo was sent from the legal department to the trustees yesterday that likely significantly influenced Board's decision, as it essentially outlined legal concerns of why they felt 18.1 must pass, implying that it's failure might go against their own bylaws. Due to the confidential nature of that memo, the specific legal concerns and bylaws cited are not available to us or the public.
Onward.
We look forward to working with the public in helping us find a viable government entity (or entities) to take over the FCC license and immediately renew the lease to avoid the station going dark. We don't have much time. If you can help, contact [email protected].
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/14/2025
(scroll down and read the 5/08 post for context)
Friends of KVHS,
Today is the day. The MDUSD Board will determine the fate of KVHS tonight. If you are unable to attend and speak up in person, you may submit your comment to [email protected]. All comments received TODAY will be entered into record. If you do plan to attend, see yesterday's post.
I addressed the public last night via Concord City Council Meeting's Public Comment Period: https://youtu.be/pRd4zGPBzjU
The mayor and vice mayor have both sent letters to the District in support of our plea.
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/13/2025
Friends of KVHS,
Station volunteers and allies met for 3 hours last night and concluded that we have no official call to action for the public other than this: let your voice be heard.
If you have thoughts or concern about KVHS going dark, consider attending Wednesday night's Board meeting at 1936 Carlotta Drive and speaking up. Note that KVHS is the last item (18.1) on a busy agenda, and we cannot speak until they get to the item. We expect that will be after 8pm, possibly closer to 9 or 9:30. If that's not an option for you, you can still send your thoughts via email to [email protected], which will be sent to the entire Board and entered into record.
Several of us will be present tomorrow evening to help the Board better understand the implications of what they seemed poised to vote in favor of. Despite having one trustee who is committed to rejecting 18.1 as written, we are not confident there will be support from other trustees, and anticipate the Board will indeed pass this action item. Having said that, several of us will continue to ask the Board to please renew the lease for one year and instruct staff to work directly with the volunteers on any matters pertaining to KVHS's future.
I'll be addressing the public, by way of the General Comment period of tonight's Concord City Council Meeting. It's important the public knows what's going on. If MDUSD is going to take action that can result in permanent termination of KVHS, it won't be done quietly.
Finally, advocating for KVHS's future doesn't stop if/when the signal goes dark. We need the public to help us find a government entity willing to take over the license - which is paid for through 2029 - for $1. That government entity would need to pay for a transmitter lease at a broadcasting site, either at American Tower on TV Hill or elsewhere. This appears to be the only way to give the station a future of any kind, and to keep the license in tact.
If you have ideas on what cities, counties, public colleges, or districts might be interested, please let us know at [email protected]
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/12/2025
Friends of KVHS,
If you plan to address the Board in person this Wednesday ahead of their decision, and you'd like to collaborate with KVHS volunteers and allies on what points you'll be speaking to, there will be a virtual meeting tonight at 6:30. Feel free to email me if you'd like an invite to this meeting, stating who you are and why you are motivated to speak up.
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/11/2025
Friends of KVHS,
Multiple local nonprofits have reached out offering to take over the license, but unfortunately, the way 18.1 is written now, the District is not making the $1 price-tag available to any groups other than government agencies. Viable buyers would be The City of Concord, The City of Pleasant Hill, The City of Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, Alameda County, etc...
MDUSD staff's plan is to not renew the lease, thusly killing the signal and allowing the radio station to go dark in July. They'll request a Silent STA from the FCC that will allow for 180 days of dark broadcasting, and then request an extension for a full year. After one year, the FCC license - which is paid through 2029 - will be canceled, and KVHS will be no more. If inside that year a government agency expresses interest in taking over, MDUSD will sell the station (valued at $585,000 in 2022) to that interested party for $1.
More tomorrow...
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/10/2025
Friends of KVHS,
As of today, two different KVHS volunteers have reached out directly to 4 of the trustees. We both spoke directly with one of them, who emphatically agrees with us that the lease with American Tower must be renewed first and foremost. This particular trustee would like to see KVHS remain with the school district and explore ways it can once again be a benefit to the student body, particularly with an emphasis on vocational studies. This trustee understands that the current Superintendent (Dr. Clark) has no interest in revisiting such an idea, but will advocate for that regardless. The trustee also understand that if KVHS and MDUSD must separate, the lease still must by renewed in order for the station to carry on under a new FCC license holder. The trustee gets it: renew the lease, or KVHS is gone for good.
More and more folks are asking what they can do. For now, the best you can do is express your concerns to the Board. Their emails can be found here: https://www.mdusd.org/about/about-the-governing-board
Come Wednesday, a couple hours into the Board meeting that starts at 6:30, you can show up in person and speak up when they finally get to item 18.1. The meeting is at 1936 Carlotta Dr, Concord, CA 94519
I'll continue to post updates here as things develop.
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/09/2025
Friends of KVHS,
If you're just now learning of KVHS's fate, read yesterday's post below to understand how we got here. If you've been following, today's update is that MDUSD has posted the agenda for the 5/14 meeting, and it indeed lists what we feared:
Business/Action Items
Action
18.1 Non-Renewal of License (Lease) Agreement with American Tower and Request for Approval to Sell KVHS License from the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") for a Nominal Amount to a Governmental Agency or, in the Alternative, Surrender the FCC License to the Federal Government
Read more here: https://mtdiablo.ic-board.com/public_itemview.aspx?ItemId=8jNoQmYBDco=&mtgId=GttYf1EqFPY=
So what now? All we can do is ask the Board to not approve this action item as written. MDUSD has an obligation to keep the station alive while they hold the license, and the only way to do that is by renewing the lease. A five year renewal is not necessary if they are serious about transferring the FCC license in the near future; a one year agreement should be enough time to find the future legal home of KVHS and make that transition. Failure to renew the lease for one year will assuredly kill KVHS.
Show up on 5/14 and make your voices heard. This is the last item of the night, so it's likely that it won't come up until well after 8PM. That's our opportunity to speak up. We have the right to speak up right BEFORE item 18.1 or right AFTER. Superintendent Clark prefers the commenters speak first so that he can control the narrative with the last word before it goes to vote. We won't allow for that.
A more detailed "call-to action" will be made available Monday, 5/13. Until then, consider calling or email the Board to exclaim why you think it's important that they not destroy this iconic radio station.
Take Care,
Dave
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
KVHS UPDATE 5/08/2025
Friends of KVHS,
Dave here from The Beat of Diablo, a local music show that has been airing weekly for the last 44 months on FM radio at Concord's iconic 90.5 KVHS. The show, like the station, is a labor of love. I'm one of a very small team of volunteers who've been keeping KVHS alive and on-air.
It pains me to share with you that after a half dozen decades of broadcasting, KVHS will very likely be going dark.
Backstory:
KVHS went on air in 1969, broadcasting from Clayton Valley High School, which went charter in 2012.
Mount Diablo Unified School District owns the FCC license for KVHS.
There is no longer a KVHS studio on any MDUSD campus (or CVCHS).
The station is no longer a part of any curriculum or ROP.
The FCC license is paid for through 2029.
Annual labor costs amount to $0 in thanks to an all-volunteer staff.
Other operational costs amount to roughly $30k/yr, most of which goes to the lease with American Tower Co, the owners of the tower where KVHS broadcasts from (near Bay Point).
In 2022, Superintendent Clark advised the Board to vote in favor of exploring the sale of the FCC license and divestment of KVHS, which he summarized as "getting out of the radio business." The Board approved.
In 2022, KVHS volunteers made a presentation to MDUSD convincing the Board to direct staff to work with the us on any matters pertaining to the future of KVHS. That direction went ignored, and volunteers have been left in the dark.
MDUSD continues to seek ways to divorce itself from KVHS. Most options mean killing the station, including the expected action items this Wednesday, 5/14.
Happening Now:
Recently, a MDUSD discussion was held in a closed session regarding renewing the lease with American Tower Co, and all indications suggest the District will not be renewing that lease, which will kill the signal, and ultimately kill the station.
[note: this should not have been a closed session, as the subject is not "real property"]
Sometime tomorrow, MDUSD will post the agenda for next Wednesday's meeting. At that time, the fate of KVHS will be visible for all to see. Those of us close to this suspect there will be an action item to either sell the station to another government agency - OR - simply forgo the license and return it to the FCC, with nothing in return.
It's worth noting that if MDUSD would grant the volunteers permission to fundraise on-air (we've asked repeatedly) or in public (hold an event), we could raise more than enough to cover annual costs each year, but that permission has not been granted.
Moreover, we've learned that the District has not been cashing donation checks sent in from listeners! In one case, a listener emailed the station and inquired if we had received his check for $1,000 sent in December, explaining that it hadn't been cashed. His employer planned to match it if he could provide back-up. That's $2,000 we weren't even asking for, that sadly, was refused by MDUSD, because cashing such checks could be seen as "staying in the radio business".
I'll be at next Wednesday's meeting speaking up on behalf of volunteers of the station, and asking that the District please renew the lease for one year and allow us to fundraise to cover any costs incurred by MDUSD. Everybody in support of KVHS understands that the District cannot justify spending anything on a radio station that no longer directly serves the student body, and that's why we're willing to produce those funds! We also understand the District wanting to no longer be associated with KVHS and encourage them to continue to find a new (public) license holder over the next year, but to work with us in that process. KVHS is too important of a community asset to allow it to simply dissolve when there are tangible solutions on the table for it to continue with no cost to the District.
Thanks for reading. I'm not on Facebook, so feel free to share there, or on any other platforms.
Take Care,
Dave Hughes
KVHS Volunteer, 2021-2025
