Berkeley – The Pacifica Foundation, which got into serious trouble with the State of California’s Registry of Charitable Trusts for delinquent audits and forfeited millions of dollars in Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding, has completed their 2015 audit in record time and before a deadline set by the state’s Attorney General. Continue reading Pacifica 2015 Audit Completed
On July 13, a number of prominent politicians came to the steps of New York’s City Hall on WBAI’s behalf to ask the Empire State Building Realty Trust to be a good corporate citizen and negotiate in good faith with Pacifica to resolve the long-term antenna lease at quadruple the market rate.
Berkeley – Pacifica’s ticking bomb, the 15-year incredibly expensive WBAI transmitter lease at the Empire State Building, has been the center of attention, since the owners of the iconic NY skyscraper reneged on the supposed deal announced by then-IED Margy Wilkinson in December of 2014 to reduce monthly rent from $50,000/month rate to $12,000/mo and sued Pacifica for the balance of the unpaid rent for the 2014-2016 period. The deal, much to the distress of the then-PNB minority was described as “verbal”, and if it existed at all, has no legal enforceability in court. Due to traditionally bad Pacifica negotiating, this time by then-interim ED Ambrose Lane in 2005, Pacifica is locked into the lease until 2020, which was never economical, goes up by 9% per year and is currently set at 4 times the current market price for radio antenna/transmitter space in Manhattan. Continue reading The Empire Strikes Back Delayed
June 5, 2017
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bill Crosier, Interim Executive Director, Pacifica Foundation, E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 510-316-9783
Pacifica Radio Coverage of Comey Testimony – June 8
[Berkeley] – On Thursday June 8 from 10:00am to 1:00pm EDT, Pacifica Radio will provide three hours of gavel-to-gavel analysis of former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony before the United States Senate Intelligence Committee.
The coverage will be produced by Pacifica’s Washington DC station, WPFW-FM, with contributors from WBAI-FM New York, KPFA-FM Northern California and KPFK-FM Southern California. Continue reading {Pacifica Press Release} Pacifica Radio Coverage of Comey Testimony – June 8
Berkeley-The Pacifica National Board met twice in the month of May, on May 11 and May 25. The meetings featured slow but steady progress intermixed with a not inconsiderable amount of disruption from the remnants of the Siegel/Brazon faction, who no longer hold a majority on the national board. Most of the board’s open sessions are point-of-order-athons, making them a frustrating listening experience for the network’s worried members. The independent board majority uses the Maestro Conference service, a popular conference call service, in order to maximize the efficiency of the meetings, but has used the service’s features sparingly and only after numerous warnings. Continue reading Today In Revisionist History
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
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bill Crosier, Interim Executive Director, Pacifica Foundation Email: [email protected] Tel: 510-316-9783
“Big Tent Radio Network”Pacifica Foundation Director Comments on Berkeley Secession Effort
Houston – Pacifica Foundation Interim Executive Director Bill Crosier addressed members of the 5-station radio network after it became known that at least one of the KPFA Local Station Board members, with others, has secretly contacted celebrities and prominent supporters of progressive causes, falsely claiming that Pacifica is “collapsing”, and asking them to be on the board of a new nonprofit organization which would seek to acquire Pacifica’s assets, or at least those of station KPFA.
The attachment to the email forwarded to Crosier follows his statement below. Continue reading {Pacifica Press Release} Big Tent Radio
Berkeley-Pacifica’s national board, which met a whopping four times in the month of March, spent most of its open sessions suspended in the twilight zone, although some mild improvement was noticeable by the end of March. In a month that began for Pacifica with a smashingly successful one-day national fundraiser and ended with the timely submission of a stabilization plan to California’s Registry of Charitable Trusts, the board meetings were wildly out of touch, mostly focusing on the 2014-2016 Siegel/Brazon majority’s difficulties in adjusting to their current minority postion.
Since there is much good news to share, we don’t want to harp solely on board meeting disruptions. Pacifica members should review the stabilization plan submitted to the California Attorney General on March 30 and can read it here. As an addendum to the document, which focuses on returning to financial sustainability, reform of governance, and improving managerial performance; the following can be reported about Pacifica’s current status: Continue reading The Unmuted
March 13, 2017
For Immediate Release
Those Who Can
Berkeley-Pacifica’s one day national fundraiser on March 2 was a smashing success, raising over a quarter of a million dollars to fully fund both remaining delinquent audits (FY 2015 and FY 2016). Network members in NY, DC, LA and Houston pledged $82K on the phone, $54K via Mobile Cause pledge-by-text and fully used up an $86K match fund provided by the estate of Jim Krivo, a former WBAI programmer and supporter. In Berkeley, KPFA’s listeners didn’t hear the fundraiser due to the station’s own local fundraiser in progress, but a days worth of receipts will go to support the national effort. Pulled off only 19 days after the board changed executive directors and appointed Bill Crosier to the position, the effort ends three years of the network’s board of directors whining there was no money to pay for audits and clears the way for a return to legal compliance in 2017. Continue reading Those Who Can
Berkeley – A turbulent 21 months at KPFK in Los Angeles has come to an end with a change in the station’s general manager position made on February 27, effective immediately. Leslie Radford was hired in May of 2015 to be KPFK’s general manager by outgoing IED Margy Wilkinson on Wilkinson’s last day. The hire was against the wishes of incoming executive director John Proffitt, who was literally driving from Texas when Wilkinson made the hire. Proffitt had asked Wilkinson to allow him to interview the KPFK candidates, but she did not do so and hired Radford, a former Siegel/Brazon-affiliated national board member, to the KPFK job. Continue reading Sunshine In Los Angeles
