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Category Archives: Pacifica
Lame-duck Pacifica board rushes to approve anti-dissent “loyalty” rules
Has there ever been a Pacifica board more out of touch with KPFA’s listeners? Three days ago, the board’s lame-duck majority passed a McCarthy-like resolution to quash dissenters in the network. Hundreds of listeners and staff wrote to members of the Pacifica National Board (PNB) earlier this month when the anti-dissent “loyalty” measure first came up, calling it a political witch hunt. (A sampling of the letters is here, and you can add your voice here.) “Putting forward rules about ‘loyalty’ under the guise of financial duty is a trick that Joe McCarthy himself would have been proud of,” wrote … Continue reading
Posted in Bill Crosier, KPFA, Margy Wilkinson, Pacifica, Pacifica ban on dissent, Pacifica National Board, Summer Reese, Tracy Rosenberg
Tagged fundraising, KPFA, KPFA Morning Show, Pacifica National Board
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Anti-dissent measure on Pacifica’s Jan 10 agenda
On less than four days’ notice, the lame-duck Pacifica National Board has scheduled a vote on a resolution designed to prevent people who dissent from the current majority from serving on local or national boards. After we alerted SaveKPFA supporters to this, hundreds wrote, calling the measure what it is: a political witchhunt. “I’m stunned that a measure about ‘loyalty’ should even be considered by a Pacifica board,” wrote listener Alan Snitow. “Please stop this measure and repudiate its intent. The loyalty measure is the kind of pseudo-leftwing idea that merges Stalinism and McCarthyism.” “How can you dare to try to turn … Continue reading
Posted in Alex Steinberg WBAI, Bill Crosier, elections and governance, free speech, Kathy Davis WBAI, KPFA, legal, Morning Show 4, Pacifica, Tracy Rosenberg
Tagged KPFA, Morning Show 4, Pacifica, Pacifica loyalty resolution, Pacifica National Board
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Another legal victory for SaveKPFA
An appeals court has dismissed an attempt by one-time Local Station Board (LSB) partisan and erstwhile Pacifica attorney Richard Phelps to remove SaveKPFA representative Dan Siegel from the boards of both KPFA and Pacifica. After the court initially barred Pacifica from removing Siegel, Phelps convinced Pacifica’s board to let him pursue an appeal on Pacifica’s behalf. The suit is now dismissed for good. Phelps has been the attorney behind a series of harassing lawsuits against SaveKPFA members. In 2010, he brought a libel suit against Siegel so frivolous that the judge ordered him to pay Siegel $10,000 in attorneys’ fees. … Continue reading
Posted in Dan Siegel, legal, Morning Show 4, Pacifica
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Why I’m Supporting SaveKPFA in KPFA’s Board Election
By Brian Edwards-Tiekert This month, KPFA is going through what will probably prove to be one of the most important elections of its 10-year experiment with democracy. I’m supporting the candidates listed at www.savekpfa.org, along with many other endorsers, because what’s at stake is the survival of KPFA as we know it. Right now, KPFA is slowly recovering from a near-mortal blow. When Pacifica purged The Morning Show two years ago, it removed KPFA’s biggest fundraiser from the air. To compensate, the station had to increase the amount of days it spends in fund drives by 30%–a sure recipe for dropping listenership … Continue reading
Posted in Brian Edwards-Tiekert, budget, elections and governance, endorsers, KPFA, KPFA election 2012, labor, Pacifica
Tagged anti-union, budget, endorsers, fundraising, KPFA, labor, Pacifica, Pacifica Radio
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Recall response: we called it!
SIGN THE PETITION HERE In our last newsletter we pointed out that, when Tracy Rosenberg used a lawsuit to scuttle the count of recall ballots, her own court filings argued that it would cost KPFA very little money to fix the recall’s procedural problems by sending out a new ballot in the same envelope as the general election ballots due to be mailed on November 6. Here’s what Rosenberg’s legal filing says: “It is understood that that PACIFICA has incurred expenses in conducting the present recall….However, the cost to Pacifica of a new election can be mitigated since it is … Continue reading
Posted in KPFA recall, KPFA recall vote, Pacifica, recall Tracy Rosenberg, Tracy Rosenberg, United for Community Radio
Tagged KPFA, Pacifica National Board, petition, recall Tracy Rosenberg, tracy rosenberg
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Surprising developments at the PNB meeting in Berkeley
KPFA listeners and staff filled the July 20-23 meeting of the Pacifica National Board (PNB) in Berkeley past capacity, spilling into the hallway during public portions of the meeting. Listeners came from all over the broadcast area — Santa Rosa, Petaluma, San Jose, Oakland, and even Fresno and Los Angeles. Dozens spoke up eloquently during public comment, opposing more cuts at KPFA, criticizing Pacifica’s current leadership, and challenging Pacifica Treasurer Tracy Rosenberg on her unproven budget claims. “We need quality programming in order to keep listeners and subscribers,” long-time listener Ellen Jennings told the board. “I don’t believe KPFA can … Continue reading
Posted in Arlene Engelhardt, budget, censorship, elections and governance, fund drives, KPFA, KPFA recall, labor, legal, Pacifica, Programming, WBAI
Tagged Arlene Engelhardt, budget, censorship, fundraising, KPFA listeners, Pacifica National Board
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This weekend: Come to PNB meeting to demand no more cuts!
It’s been three years since the Pacifica National Board met in Berkeley — and the first time the board has had to face our community since Pacifica killed the Morning Show, claiming financial necessity. The board is coming here this weekend. At this moment, Pacifica is trying to impose $300,000 in new cuts on KPFA. KPFA’s manager estimates this would entail cutting 7 to 8 positions. He hasn’t specified which, but it would be enough to eliminate Letters & Politics, Against The Grain, UpFront and Hard Knock Radio — nearly every daily program produced at our radio station. These cuts … Continue reading
Posted in budget, elections and governance, KPFA, labor, Pacifica, Programming
Tagged budget, fundraising, KPFA, KPFA listeners, Pacifica National Board, Pacifica Radio
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Pacifica’s long-awaited audit shows where the money goes
Pacifica’s audited financial statements for the years ending September 2010 and 2011 have finally been released. You can download the reports at Pacifica’s website. The independent auditor raises “substantial doubt” that Pacifica can continue as a “going concern” without making changes in the way it operates. The audit shows that of the network’s five stations, KPFA is the wealthiest, with net assets of $3.2 million. KPFK in Los Angeles is the only other station in the black. The rest are underwater. Worst of all is WBAI in New York, which has been operating under Pacifica-installed management for nearly four years. … Continue reading
Posted in Arlene Engelhardt, budget, censorship, elections and governance, KPFA, legal, Pacifica, Programming
Tagged audits, budget, KPFA, labor, layoffs, Pacifica National Board
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