Every Game They Play

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Originally posted July 2, 2014

Berkeley-The last two days of the tenure of Pacifica Radio’s 3rd executive director of the year are passing with no replacement named. Despite a 3-hour secret session on Monday night, the Pacifica board majority took no action to transition the organization’s leadership, which will be basically be defunct through the July 4th holiday. The board also took no action regarding the latest missed deadline to begin the 2012-13 financal audit, which passed on June 30th without comment. The radio network has now missed all deadlines to submit annual financial reports for 2014 Corporation for Public Broadcasting  (CPB) funding. Continue reading Every Game They Play

KPFA Community Radio Going Extinct? by Eric James Anderson

Originally printed in Oakland Local http://oaklandlocal.com/2014/06/kpfa-community-radio/

Reprinted in SF Gate

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Is KPFA Community Radio Going Extinct?

With its recent street protests, office occupations, and renegade broadcasts, Berkeley’s community radio station KPFA (94.1FM) typifies what people mean when they use the word “Berserkeley.” However, these confrontations are not merely some beatnik brouhaha, but in fact represent an existential threat to the future of community radio, and implicate one of Oakland’s current Mayoral candidates, Dan Siegel. Continue reading KPFA Community Radio Going Extinct? by Eric James Anderson

Cut The Crap – Says Former Board Majority Member

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Originally posted June 28, 2014

Berkeley-The continued shuttling of the Pacifica Network’s legal business to the law firm of board member Jose Luis Fuentes has incited the rage of Texas listener rep Hank Lamb. Siegel and Yee, the law firm run by Oakland mayoral candidate Dan Siegel, his partner Alan Yee – the campaign treasurer for Oakland mayoral candidate Jean Quan – and former Oakland City Council member and failed 2012 candidate for Oakland City Attorney Jane Brunner,  has taken on 3 legal matters for Pacifica since the March 25th resignation of corporate counsel Terry Gross. None of them have been voted on by a majority of the currently-seated board of directors as required by California Corporations Code Section 5233, when a public benefit corporation enters into a contract which financially benefits a member of the board of directors. Continue reading Cut The Crap – Says Former Board Majority Member

Author Michael Parenti Writes in Support of the Morning Mix

I believe it is of the utmost importance to keep the Morning Mix at its morning drive time  in order to give it the largest possible audience. It deserves such a slot.  Unlike the dreary and conservative content of the KPFA news department, Morning Mix has explored challenging and enlightening issues on a regular basis and with much skill and dedication. I have an especially high opinion of Micky Huff and Peter Phillips of Project Censored. It seems recently there has been a lot of conservative ideology, rather than perceptive criticism, determining who gets exposure and who does not. Continue reading Author Michael Parenti Writes in Support of the Morning Mix

Think Globally, Report Locally

From the San Francisco Green Party to KPFA General Manager Quincy McCoy, KPFA Staff, and the KPFA Local Station Board:

The San Francisco Green Party joins the San Francisco Labor Council, the Gray Panthers, ILWU Local 10, East Bay Veterans for Peace, Sonoma County Veterans for Peace, ILWU Local 10, the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, the Richmond Progressive Alliance, and the Golden Gate Letter Carriers in calling for restoration of the KPFA Morning Mix to its 8 am weekday hour. “Think globally, act locally” is as relevant today as it was in 1915, when Scots biologist, sociologist, and town planner Patrick Geddes wrote Cities in Evolution.  “We need locally produced, locally relevant programming to help us make specific connections between our daily lives and politics and those of the international community and the planet.” Continue reading Think Globally, Report Locally

KPFA News Reporter Ann Garrison: “iGM Richard Pirodsky’s parting lecture addressed to the entire LSB, UCR and Save KPFA”

by Ann Garrison

There have been claims in various online forums, that departing iGM Richard Pirodsky’s farewell lecture to the KPFA Local Station Board was directed only at United for Community Radio (UCR), not at our station board’s other faction, Save KPFA. Continue reading KPFA News Reporter Ann Garrison: “iGM Richard Pirodsky’s parting lecture addressed to the entire LSB, UCR and Save KPFA”

Help Needed

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Originally posted June 24, 2014

Berkeley-Alarmed by the abrupt removal of community-based programming at their sister station up north, the local station board at KPFK passed a motion on June 18th to prevent program rearrangement at their Los Angeles station. The motion by staff rep Jim Lafferty, ED of the Southern California chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, states “No programs shall be rescheduled or canceled based on how much money they raise, every programmer shall have access to all fund-drive premiums, and programmers shall be allowed to select and add premiums appropriate to their audience to the general list. The iGM shall have a conversation with the programmers to explain the fund drive process and discuss the programmers’ concerns.” It passed by a vote of 10-1-2. Continue reading Help Needed

Love Letters from Sasha Futran

Sasha Futran was the first speaker.

Former KPFA Local Station Board member Sasha Futran was the only Save KPFA supporter who attended the Saturday, June 14, 2014 Local Station Board meeting to speak during the public comment period. Futran began by saying that she had written letters to the San Francisco Labor Council and the Gray Panthers, the first two organizations within KPFA’s fm signal area to pass resolutions calling for the return of the locally produced, locally relevant Morning Mix to its 8 am time slot.  Those organizations now include ILWU Local 10, East Bay Veterans for Peace, Sonoma County Veterans for Peace, the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, and the Golden Gate Letter Carriers. Continue reading Love Letters from Sasha Futran