Berkeley-On April 14, Pacifica Foundation interim executive director Bill Crosier released a copy of a document forwarded to him. The document, which had been sent to several celebrities by KPFA local board chair (and Save KPFA-affiliated Siegel/Brazonite) Carole Travis, consisted of a recruitment pitch to join the board of a new nonprofit organization “Big Tent Radio”. According to the document, Big Tent had been formed to recover the assets of the Pacifica Foundation, which include several pieces of real estate in California and Texas, five radio broadcasting licenses, an audio archive and a 220 station affiliate network. The recruitment blurb, which was forwarded by at least two confused recipients, attempted to incite the celebrities with “no time demands” and “no money demands”, and an assurance the network’s debts could be settled by collateralizing Pacifica‘s Berkeley real estate properties. The recruitment blurb said “Big Tent Radio” would make an offer to receive all of Pacifica‘s assets. Travis used the title of “Chair of the KPFA local station board” in her recruitment effort. Continue reading A Tent Too Small→
Berkeley-After a literal slew of “special meetings on finances”, the Pacifica National Board finally came to the conclusion they had to pay the fiscal year 2014 audit fee – 22 months after the end of that fiscal year. At a few minutes to midnight, in a bit of a hysterical rush, they agreed to snatch money from anywhere in the network they could find it, starting with a $50,000 bequest gift to KPFK that reportedly came in just a few days ago. The motion was amended repeatedly, most significantly to authorize another grab for a $38,000 payment to the contractor for the board elections. The total amount will range from $68,000 to $117,000, depending on what portion of the $67,000 remaining balance due on the audit fee will be enough to pry the audit from the unpaid audit firm. The motion may have been motivated by the looming August 11 deadline on the third extension of board liability insurance that protects the assets of board members from litigation directed at Pacifica.
Berkeley-The Pacifica National Board, which met on March 3rd for the first time in a month after two consecutive disrupted meetings on January 28th and February 4th, doubled down on their disenfranchisement of WBAI-FM. The board again prevented 4 NY directors elected on January 26th from participating in the meeting and insisted on their authority to seat the last place finisher from the 2012 election in the NY local board’s vacant seat, instead of the first runner-up from the recently completed election. The national board’s interference has brought NY to a halt as the national board attempts to undo the 13-11 independent majority elected by the voters in order to deliver the Siegel/Brazon faction a 12-12 tie.
In a particularly absurd twist, the national board spent more than half an hour elaborately constructing a rationale to give participation and voting rights to the 2015 Siegel/Brazon faction NY representative Cerene Roberts, while continuing to eliminate participation and voting rights for all of the 2015 and the 2016 WBAI representatives from the independent group that holds the majority on the WBAI local station board. Continue reading Only One Faction Votes In New York→
In this astounding clip from the 2-27 KPFA Local Station Board Meeting, SaveKPFA-affiliated board chair Carole Travis grows her nose by saying the KPFA Foundation shell corporation was set up *because* of complaints filed with the CA Attorney General to “scoop” things up in the event of government intervention. The papers were filed with the CA Secretary of State who stamped them received on September 24, 2013, six months *before* the initial complaint was filed with the CA Attorney General. Travis also says the KPFA Foundation is “dissolved” and then “collapsed”. It’s still listed as an active nonprofit organization with the CA Secretary of State *today*.
