Tag Archives: wbai

Articles

KPFA: Radio Programs for Social Change or for Jobs?

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By Richard Phelps

Recently KPFA/Pacifica management abruptly cancelled the Morning Mix (MIX), 8-9 a.m. M-F, and replaced it with Uprisings, a program produced in Los Angeles by a person who lives in Los Angeles. The MIX was five (5) separate programs, primarily focused on politics in local communities, workplaces, and unions. They were produced by several volunteer programmers who live, work and are politically active in the Bay Area. Continue reading KPFA: Radio Programs for Social Change or for Jobs? →

Video

Pacifica Elections 2015: Guide from Grace Aaron

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This twelve-minute video contains an explanation by 2009 IED Grace Aaron on the Pacifica elections process and how you can participate. The audio originally aired on “Connect the Dots”, an LA public affairs program hosted by Lila Garrett, and is now available on Youtube with added graphics.

While some of the information is LA-specific, much of it is applicable to the elections in all 5 signal areas and we highly recommend watching and sharing.

Remember, the membership deadline is July 14th, so if you have not pledged in the last year, please do so at your station’s website before July 14th. A pledge of $25 or more will earn you a vote.

Video

Security Camera Clips – Ian Johnston Incident at KPFK

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These are clips from the security camera in the lobby of Pacifica’s Los Angeles station detailing the before, during and after an incident of physical handling of a staff member by a board member, who was later suspended and then removed from the board and banned from the station.

New manager Leslie Radford, a factional crony of Johnston’s has “rescinded” the ban, introducing safety and security concerns for several KPFK employees.

These are three clips from the same 34 minute long security camera film. Date and time checks are on the video clips. This first one is a few minutes prior to the physical encounter with KPFK IT director Jonathan Alexander, an employee for more than 8 years. The second details the incident itself and the third is shortly afterwards.

Pacifica in Exile Newsletters

Shutting Down While Breaking Even

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Originally posted April 18, 2015

Berkeley-On a sad note, long-time KPFA board operator and music host Wesley Burton was killed in an automobile accident in the early hours of the morning on Saturday April 18th driving home after hosting Sideshow Radio, a late night hip-hop show that ends at 2:00am. Burton leaves a wife and several children. Continue reading Shutting Down While Breaking Even →

Articles

What’s Up (or Down) with Pacifica? by Grace Aaron

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Published June 4, 2015 in the LA Progressive

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Pacifica is a nonprofit corporation that consists of 5 fm radio stations, a 60 year old archive and about 100 affiliated stations. The five stations are:

  • KPFA, 94.1 in the San Francisco Bay area
  • WPFW, 89.3 in Washington, D.C.
  • KPFT, 90.1 in Houston,
  • WBAI, 99.5 in New York City and
  • KPFK, 90.7 in Los Angeles.

Continue reading What’s Up (or Down) with Pacifica? by Grace Aaron →

Articles

Open Letter from Tracy Rosenberg: When Privilege Subverts: A KPFK Story

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KPFK is Pacifica Radio’s (the long-lived progressive radio network that started public radio in the United States in 1946), Los Angeles station. Currently going through a very difficult financial period and a controversial management transition, the station has become a flash point recently on questions of privilege, race and gender and has introduced some interesting questions about la causa of black and brown liberation. Continue reading Open Letter from Tracy Rosenberg: When Privilege Subverts: A KPFK Story →

Pacifica in Exile Newsletters

Recording Expenses Over and Over Again

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Originally posted April 6, 2015

Berkeley–Pacifica’s much-delayed FY 2013 financial audit, after 11 months in the making, $80,000 spent, and close to 300 hours of auditing services, has been exposed as faulty with double-accrued expenses. The entry of the same bills twice was caused by the tumult instigated by the 2014 rogue board which has been utterly resistant to competent financial staffing and has not even seen a list of how much money Pacifica owes. The late audited financial statements, delivered 9 months after the 6-30-2014 State of California deadline, don’t hold up under scrutiny. Simple questions like the Audit Committee’s request for a list of accued legal expenses, revealed six-figure disrepancies with the general ledger and failures to reduce accounts payable after paying bills, a pretty basic bookkeeping requirement. Continue reading Recording Expenses Over and Over Again →

Pacifica in Exile Newsletters

The Stuff They Forget

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Originally posted March 26, 2015

Berkeley-Pacifica’s response to the December 17th document request by the California Attorney General, sent on February 17th, contains some startling omissions to straightforward questions. For example, question 12 from the AG asks for “records of all donations and grants received by PFR, including but not limited to donations received via Twitter, Facebook and Pacifica’s websites, from January 1, 2010 to the present”.

Pacifica was not gifted with a huge amount of donations and grants in 2014, but Pacifica’s CFO Raul Salvador can be heard announcing the receipt of a $150,000 unrestricted donation from the Toyashima Foundation drawn from a T. Rowe Price brokerage account in this sound clip from the Pacifica National Board meeting of July 31, 2014.  Continue reading The Stuff They Forget →

Documents

To Be Or Not To Be – A Pacifica Whistleblower – An Open Letter from Stephen Brown

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Dear Margy –

I do not wish to add to your worries – since as both Chair and Acting Executive Director of the foundation for nearly a year, you have had enough to worry about.

However, I have no choice. Several times now, because of the many apparent cases of financial irregularity that have come to light, I (and other members of the Audit Committee) have made repeated requests to our auditors for specific information pertaining to foundation income, expenses, and payables. But, surprisingly, the auditors were unwilling (or, as they claimed, unable) to release this information (even though it is supposed to be public under California law). Instead, they told me that the information was in your possession and CFO Raul Salvador’s. If I wanted it, they said, I would have to ask you. Continue reading To Be Or Not To Be – A Pacifica Whistleblower – An Open Letter from Stephen Brown →

Pacifica in Exile Newsletters

The Gagged Auditor

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Originally posted March 16, 2015

Berkeley-“I’m not even thinking about the FY 2014 audit”. Those were the words of Pacifica’s auditor on March 10, 2015 at Pacifica’s audit committee. The audit he is not even thinking about is due to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting on April 17, 2015, so the nails in the coffin on Pacifica’s dwindling chances of being restored to Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding eligibility just got hammered shut. Continue reading The Gagged Auditor →