Tag Archives: budget

Financial results: KPFA beating budget, Pacifica lagging

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Save KPFA

KPFA’s most recent fund drive turnaround seems to have had a big impact on the station’s bottom line. On February 23, Pacifica distributed first-quarter income statements for the network. Brian Edwards-Tiekert (now serving as KPFA’s staff rep on the Pacifica National Board) reported the statements “show KPFA outperforming its budget to the tune of $115,000 in just three months. The main driver is KPFA’s fund drives — the statements show that KPFA brought in $154,348 more listener support than budgeted” before the most recent drive even started. “The bad news,” said Edwards-Tiekert, “is that KPFA appears to be the only … Continue reading →

Posted in Brian Edwards-Tiekert, budget, elections and governance, fund drives, Pacifica National Board | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

Why I’m Supporting SaveKPFA in KPFA’s Board Election

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Save KPFA

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 , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Rosenberg faction walks out of LSB meeting in attempt to spike budget

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Save KPFA

What’s Tracy Rosenberg doing with the extra time her lawsuit has bought her? While chairing Pacifica’s Finance Committee, she led a new charge to get Pacifica to impose massive staff cuts on  KPFA and other stations. This Saturday, August 4, Rosenberg led her Independents for Community Radio faction in a quorum-busting walkout from KPFA’s Local Station Board (LSB) meeting, with the explicit goal of blocking the board from approving KPFA’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Without an approved budget, Rosenberg could use her position as Pacifica treasurer to draw a budget up for KPFA — and impose layoffs that … Continue reading →

Posted in Akio Tanaka, budget, elections and governance, Henry Norr, Janet Kobren, Kate Tanaka, recall Tracy Rosenberg, Tracy Rosenberg | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Surprising developments at the PNB meeting in Berkeley

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Save KPFA

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 , , , , , | Comments Off

This weekend: Come to PNB meeting to demand no more cuts!

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Save KPFA

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 →

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Pacifica’s long-awaited audit shows where the money goes

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Save KPFA

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 , , , , , | Comments Off

KPFA’s local board chair urges YES vote

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Save KPFA

“Let me paint a picture of where KPFA is now — because it should concern all of us — no matter which side we’re on,” writes Margy Wilkinson, chair of KPFA’s local board in an open letter to listeners. Wilkinson cites evidence of the dramatic loss of listenership following Pacifica management’s purging of the station’s most listened-to program, the Morning Show, produced by a crew of young, diverse journalists. What follows is a tale of stunningly undemocratic dirty-tricks, financial mismanagement and anti-union maneuvers that have caused KPFA listeners to demand an immediate change in Pacifica’s management — starting with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Brian Edwards-Tiekert, budget, censorship, elections and governance, endorsers, fund drives, KPFA recall, labor, Margy Wilkinson, Tracy Rosenberg, union-busting | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Send a strong message to Pacifica by voting YES on the recall

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Save KPFA

Pacifica treasurer Tracy Rosenberg claims that she “saved” KPFA from bankruptcy, but as KPFA News co-director Aileen Alfandary writes in an open letter released today, “a close examination of that claim shows it doesn’t hold water.” Alfandary continues: “Virtually the entire reduction in staffing in 2010 was from union members who took voluntary layoffs. When the dust settled, and Pacifica was forced to rehire Brian Edwards-Tiekert, the only involuntary layoff that occurred in 2010 was that of the other Morning Show co-host who had been paid for a grand total of 27 hours a week. It’s absurd to claim that … Continue reading →

Posted in Aileen Alfandary, Brian Edwards-Tiekert, censorship, elections and governance, KPFA recall, KPFA recall endorsers, KPFA recall vote, Pacifica, recall election, recall Tracy Rosenberg, Tracy Rosenberg | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

Layoffs imminent at KPFA: vote YES on KPFA recall to stop the next purge

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Save KPFA

This is a message from Brian Edwards-Tiekert, who hosts UpFront on KPFA. Hi everyone, If you’re a KPFA member, you should have just received what may be the most important KPFA ballot you ever get. It asks whether or not to recall Pacifica Treasurer Tracy Rosenberg. At stake is whether KPFA survives as we know it. That’s why I’m urging you to vote “yes” on the recall. | SEE RECALL ENDORSERS Some background: Rosenberg was the chief architect of a political purge that killed KPFA’s biggest fundraiser—The Morning Show. That purge was a watershed: it was the first time the … Continue reading →

Posted in elections and governance, endorsers, KPFA, KPFA recall, KPFA recall vote, Pacifica, Programming, recall election, recall Tracy Rosenberg, Tracy Rosenberg, union-busting | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pacifica demanding $1 million from stations to fix network’s financial problems

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Save KPFA

While KPFA’s fund drive came in a little low, the station’s overall budget remains balanced — the station is on track to have a small surplus. Not so with Pacifica, the corporation that owns KPFA as well as KPFK (Los Angeles), WPFW (Washington), WBAI (New York City) and KPFT (Houston). Pacifica treasurer Tracy Rosenberg told KPFA’s local board on June 2 that Pacifica is demanding $1 million from all member five stations to balance its budget, and that cuts will likely come as staff layoffs. Rosenberg said KPFA would be responsible for a larger part of the cut since its … Continue reading →

Posted in budget, elections and governance, KPFA, recall Tracy Rosenberg, Tracy Rosenberg, WBAI | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment