Monthly Archives: August 2015

United for Community Radio Members Propose Resolution to KPFA to Improve Local Community News Reporting

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Black Lives Matter members speak at NAACP event on race, equity and gentrification. Over 200 people attended. KPFA did not cover the story.

Black Lives Matter members speak at NAACP event on race, equity and gentrification. Over 200 people attended. KPFA did not cover the story.

 

United for Community Radio (UCR) member Andrea Pritchett proposed a resolution to the KPFA Local Station Board (LSB) to build a powerful news and public affairs network that is broad based and well coordinated.

Carol Wolfley, a member of the KPFA Community Advisory Board, worked with KPFA listeners,  members of local organizations and with Andrea to develop the Resolution below. This Resolution has been presented to the LSB, and is scheduled to come up again at future LSB meetings.

UCR and its candidates believe we need to speak truth to power. We want community-sourced, local, daily, prime-time programming—where we are making news together. For example, the NAACP recently had a community forum on race, equity and gentrification (see photo above). We at UCR believe this type of event should be covered by KPFA.

Local, community sourced programming would address issues of profiling and violence directed at people of color, and discrimination based on race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. It would cover what people are doing in the face of police militarization, and housing, health, water, economic, educational, and environmental depredation. We need programs that tell these stories, locally, regionally and globally.

PROPOSED RESOLUTION:
The Local Station Board asks that KPFA General Manager and staff work with community members to develop a coordinated station-wide plan for providing local news and public affairs programming in alignment with KPFA’s mission to cover local events and topics with a depth, insight and broad signal range that no other station can do.

This may plan may include exploration of possibilities to:
Increase access to information from the community such as:

  1. Organize an electronic bulletin board to share and utilize news and public affairs information resources from the KPFA community, local organizations and the public
  1. Establish a list of people involved with social justice, political, economic and environmental issues from our local geographical areas who we can invite to contribute to local news and public affairs programs as citizen journalists
  1. Expand recruitment and training of program interns for news and public affairs. Articulate requirements for becoming an intern and make these requirement broadly known and available on our website so that volunteers outreaches can assist in finding volunteers.
  1. Develop and communicate a system for programmers to be able to receive and use recorded segments from community members for news and public affairs programs.
  1. Utilize Twitter, Facebook and live stream channels to get up to the minute information for news and public affairs programs

Coordinate a station-wide system for providing local news and public affairs programming

  1. Create daily programs or parts of programs that focus primarily on local community news and public affairs at predictable and regular times during the work week
  1. Coordinate KPFA programming in relation to topics to avoid repetition from one program to the next.
  1. Increase programming that includes listener phone in time.
  1. Develop a protocol that clarifies when/how to cover breaking news in our signal range and to pre-empt programming in significant and emergency situations.
  1. Expand use of video channel and live streaming channel to cover local news and public affairs and cultural events.

Communicate regularly with listeners and viewers about local news and public affairs.

  1. Develop outreach materials to let people know about station coverage of local news and public affairs programs and feature it on the website, the video channel, Twitter and Facebook. Include information about all the station resources including KPFA, KPFB, KPFA video channel, KPFA Facebook, KPFA Twitter, KPFA on You Tube and kpfa.org with program archives.
  1. Post written local news and public affairs stories on the KPFA website so that they can be accessed easily through computer searches
  1. Increase (through training and recruitment of volunteers) our capacity to provide responses to emails and calls that are received at the station.

LIBERATE MEDIA TOGETHER!!!

VOTE FOR ALL UCR CANDIDATES IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION TO THE KPFA LSB

More photos from NAACP event:

NAACP President Mansour Id-Deen and VP Barbara White

NAACP President Mansour Id-Deen and VP Barbara White

Community members at NAACP forum

Community members at NAACP forum

Richard Hart

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Richard Hart
Richard Hart

Richard Hart – former natural foods store owner, Berkeley progressive activist, longtime WBAI member

My name is Richard Hart. Voting for the UCR team will do the most for KPFA, please vote for us.  I am originally from New York and have come to live in Berkeley some years ago.  My Family and I have been listening to Pacifica, WBAI NYC for over 50 years.  We are passionate adherents of truth, justice and peace and have been working and donating our time and money to what Pacifica stands for– a most important voice that it is and can be.  I have co-produced with Robert Knight at WBAI on a solar energy and technology show and have worked the KPFA crafts fair here in SF.

While in New York I owned a natural foods store in Greenwich Village.  I have a strong interest in how essential alternatives are for people, enabling them to be healthier and free from unnecessary infirmity.  I’d like to see more practical health informational airings on KPFA for said reasons but only if it serves and appeals to the listenership.

If selected as a board member I pledge to be committed to enhancing cooperation at KPFA, a most important aspect of our station’s health.  KPFA needs to heal the divisiveness that hampers what KPFA could and should be.  If I can make a difference in this respect, then it will be worthwhile for me to be on the board.  That is my purpose.

The station must become financially responsible before it is too late.  Financial responsibility is more important than ever in our modern world and it is a critical aspect of KPFA’s ability to do what must be done for our community.  That must be a major priority.  We do not want KPFA sold or leased under any circumstances and I stand strongly against anyone or any group that would consider such an option.  Censorship as well must not be tolerated at our station by any management decision.

The world is rapidly changing and KPFA cannot be left by the roadside.  New and more creative ways of generating income via patronage, grants, concerts, etc. must be developed with less reliance on airtime funding.

Programs must be fresher with broadened listener appeal and with sensitive and intelligent guidance, oversight and listener feedback.  Good to have an up to date tech and computer show as they have on WBAI with caller questions about computers and cell phones giving expert advice.  A show for pet owners, for the disabled.  More classical music, which is lacking on radio in general now, will enrich the station. Make it easier for people with financial issues to donate and feel better about supporting KPFA with smaller monthly amounts that anyone can afford.  Make streaming of KPFA benefit talks available after the talks are given for those not able to attend for a minimal fee.  I support a better mix of news that is more locally relevant.  Time cannot be wasted with lack of co-operation back biting, and factionalism or with selfish, self-interested management.

Official Q & A

In what ways are the station moving in a positive direction, that you would want to continue or perhaps improve?
The potential is here!  Now is the time, without a doubt to insure unity and co-operation; this must happen now. Let us not fiddle while Rome is burning or before we know it we will be burned out of a most valuable resource, KPFA our beloved station that we do not want to live without.  What ever it takes unity and co-operation must happen now.  I am committed to that for all of us.  That is what we want for the good of all.  We have what it takes!
In what ways are the station moving in a negative direction, that you would want to stop or change? What changes would you work for?
We cannot afford the current dis-unity, it is counter productive and self destructive.  We cannot tolerate self serving and must embrace truly working together now before we lose this wonderful resource. Censoring cannot prevail here by anyone or any group.  Unity and co-operation can happen and must happen now period.  I take a powerful stand to achieve such workability.
What key experience, connections, skills or traits would you bring to the Local Station Board to advance the station’s mission?
My skills are in business and management.  As a business owner I know financial data must be properly considered and acted upon responsibly.  KPFA cannot live in an irresponsible dream world in any way now.  Our world is moving faster and old ways must be streamlined and revised; we must be financially prudent and careful.  With care and co-operation we can do this; without these essential elements we will not survive.
What ideas do you have for helping the station and the Pacifica Foundation meet the financial challenges currently being faced?
Basic responsible transparent financial procedures must be observed so as to use our financial resources properly and to insure that that is being done with careful oversight.  With creativity untapped resources must be explored by a small team devoted to doing this.  More and bigger events, concerts, patrons, grants, endowments etc, these means are out there to be gotten and they can be.  I will support these endeavors

Election Postponed

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TO: All Interested Parties
FROM: L. Joy Williams, National Election Supervisor
DATE: August 17, 2015
RE: Mailing of Election Materials Delayed

In the [letter above], I was informed that the Pacifica stations did not have the necessary funds to make the required deposit for the postage and printing of the election materials and therefore the mailing of the ballot materials will be delayed.

[Listener activists estimate that the total cost to mail ballots is between $60-80 thousand dollars with additional money needed to pay the National Election Supervisor and Local Supervisors at each station.]

In the next few weeks, Pacifica will provide me with an estimate of when the stations will have the required funds to move forward after which I will update the election calendar.

The remainder of the election activities will proceed. The Local Election Supervisors are working with the candidates to record their candidate carts, schedule candidate forums and educate the Pacifica electorate about the upcoming election.

Additionally, we will use this opportunity to promote the availability of online voting to Pacifica voters, which will help reduce the cost of the election. Eligible Pacifica voters will be encouraged to opt-out of receiving ballot materials by mail. We will educate the Pacifica electorate about the online voting process and the security features through carts played on-air, emails and other election promotional methods.

indexFrequently Asked Questions

When will ballots be mailed?

At this time, we do not have a specific mail date as the National Election Supervisor (NES) needs to receive information from Pacifica as to when they will have the funds necessary to proceed with the printing and cover the postage of the election materials. Once the NES receives this information she will update the election calendar accordingly.

Will the candidate nomination period be reopened?

No. It is not necessary to reopen the candidate nomination period due to this delay.

Will the voter date of record change?

Yes. Article 3, Section 10 of the Pacifica bylaws specifically tie the voter date of record to the mail date of the ballot materials stating that the voter date of record is;

“…45-60 days before the day on which the first written ballot is distributed or made available to members (based on the reasonable discretion of the National Election Supervisor) …”

All voters previously eligible under the previous date of record of July 14, 2015 will remain eligible voters.

Will online voting still open on August 29th?

No. To maintain fairness in the process, online voting will begin at the same time in which ballots are mailed.

How do I opt-out of receiving my election materials by mail?

To register to complete your vote online and opt-out of receiving a ballot by mail, visit http://elections.pacifica.org/wordpress/vote-online/ and complete the registration form. Your membership will be verified and matched against the eligible voter list and a confirmation email will be sent to confirm your registration.

Community SourcedI am a confirmed candidate, what does this delay mean for me?

The delay in the ballot mailing extends the campaigning period for candidates giving them the opportunity to garner more support. Confirmed candidates are still subject to the Fair Campaign Provisions and must govern themselves accordingly.

This announcement can also be found on the elections website.

—
L. Joy Williams
National Election Supervisor (NES)
Pacifica Foundation
(347) 699-2914
nes@pacifica.org
http://elections.pacifica.org

 

Posted by the United for Community Radio Website Committee

 

Tom Voorhees

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Tom Voorhees

Tom Voorhees

2014 Volunteer of the Year from the National Association of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) membership, National/International engineer
for community stations,  early KPFA unpaid staff

I am Tom Voorhees, a member of UnitedForCommunityRadio.org. and a candidate for the KPFA local station board (LSB).

I will work to restore the former high level of KPFA’s news and public affairs programming necessary for all of us listeners to understand critical issues requiring our attention and action. KPFA’s longstanding policy has been to sponsor vigorous debate from all viewpoints, on controversial issues.  Current management policy, by contrast, appears to avoid controversial issues via censorship.  It has refused to air at least one program because of content.  I am very concerned about the dumbing down of my hometown radio station by existing KPFA management and the current local station board majority.

An example of KPFA’s dumbing down is the partial replacement of FSRN grassroots national and international news by Feature Story News, a provider of mainstream news to commercial radio stations.  Recently KPFA management and the LSB majority have chosen not to identify on air the source of news dispatches from FSN and other commercial news networks.  The KPFA program council, representing listeners of all colors and local community interests, was eliminated.  The program council needs to be reestablished for KPFA to be truly responsive to the overall Bay Area listener community.

For two years management has neglected to apply for millions of dollars in CPB grants, resulting in severe financial stress and degraded news content.  I will work to restore the proper financial auditing so this funding can be regained.

I intend to restore KPFA and Pacifica’s important role in ending self perpetuating endless wars around the world.

I started in community radio through journalism and radio shop at El Cerrito High School.  I was an engineering volunteer at KPFA in the 1960s.  In the 1970s I assisted the startup of the Ink Works movement printers’ collective in Oakland.  In the 1980s I was an engineering consultant to the Sandinista civil infrastructure for radio broadcasting and hydroelectric power in Nicaragua.  In 1999 I was one of the organizers of the first independent media center as part of the WTO resistance in Seattle. Independent media centers now exist all over the world.

Tom Voorhees works on KDPI tower

Tom Voorhees works on KDPI tower

In recent years as an engineering volunteer, I have assisted many new community radio stations to get on air, with most becoming Pacifica affiliates. Recent on-air successes include KFFR in Colorado, KRFP, KDPI and KRBX in Idaho, WVQR on Vieques and Culebra islands in Puerto Rico, KHOI in Iowa, and KSJU in Washington State. As a result I was voted 2014 volunteer of the year by the National Association of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) membership.

Having been a community radio and alternative media startup activist most of my life, I promise to find a way to make KPFA and all five Pacifica stations financially viable again.

Endorsements (among many):

Michael Parenti, author
Joe Wanzala, former LSB/PNB member.
Veterans for Peace, East Bay Chapter #162
Marilyn Langlois, Richmond Planning Commissioner
Bruce Dixon, managing editor at Black Agenda Report

Official Q & A

1. In what ways are the station moving in a positive direction, that you would want to continue or perhaps improve?

The all-volunteer weekend news with real live local reporting of labor and antiwar demonstration events is a good starting point. The paid staff weekday KPFA news should follow the lead of the weekend news and should not rely on unidentified mainstream commercial news services as they have recently started doing.  The weekend news also has an expert Africa reporter with on-the-ground Africa experience of whom the weekday news could make much better use.

2.  In what ways are the station moving in a negative direction, that you would want to stop or change? What changes would you work for?

Tom Voorhees (top) WVQR Stub tower STL repeater dishes going up! Vieques in Puerto Rico, 2013.

Tom Voorhees (top) WVQR Stub tower STL repeater dishes going up! Vieques in Puerto Rico, 2013.

Bring back the morning mix featuring local critical issues and discussion of effective solutions.Restore the full FlashPoints investigative budget for critical world issues.  Improve union news reporting on Bay Area and national grassroots organizing efforts.  Greatly increase coverage of antiwar organizing efforts as was the founding purpose of KPFA in 1949.  Provide detailed information on the predicted recurrence of the 2008 financial collapse, as nothing has been done to prevent it happening all over again in the very near future.  Also some additional consumer financial protections have been removed or watered down which KPFA could do much better at reporting.

3. What key experience, connections, skills or traits would you bring to the Local Station Board to advance the station’s mission?
I have fifty years of connections and cooperation with key antiwar and grassroots organizers.  Together we have worked to provide communication in support of project organizing efforts.  For example, we pioneered the concept of the Independent Media Centers and then created the infrastructure to allow worldwide communication about the 1999 Seattle WTO demonstrations on world wide RFPI short wave radio broadcasts and satellite uplinked video and audio receivable around the world for local rebroadcast.   I have a lifelong background in radio engineering, including estimating project costs, contract administration & compliance, contractor supervision, and quality control, all of which I will use to assure that KPFA and Pacifica have the best infrastructure possible at the lowest possible cost.
4.  What ideas do you have for helping the station and the Pacifica Foundation meet the financial challenges currently being faced?
photo by Daniel Arauz

photo by Daniel Arauz

I do not support the selling off of some Pacifica stations to solve the problems caused by mismanagement of CPB block grant applications by KPFA and Pacifica management. I will work to dissolve the unauthorized clandestine KPFA Foundation, which is a word-for-word copy of the Pacifica foundation incorporation.

On August 6, 2015 the majority of the Pacifica board refused to discuss the secret corporation to acquire the KPFA broadcast license. In the eyes of the FCC and with some additional perfection the shell KPFA foundation could become partially eligible on September 24, 2015 to receive all five Pacifica station licenses.

If KPFA and Pacifica can demonstrate a renewed interest in challenging the military industrial complex and its constant war efforts there will be no need for the above takeover plan as listener financial support will return in much the same way as Bernie’s support is taking off

UCR Supporter Diana Bohn Explains Why “Save KPFA” Can’t Be Trusted

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By: Diana Bohn

Diana Bohn at UCR Garden Party/Fundraiser August 9, 2015

Diana Bohn at UCR Garden Party/Fundraiser
August 9, 2015

 

KPFA Local Station Board (LSB) elections are coming up soon.  I’m a proud supporter of the candidates running on the United for Community Radio (UCR) slate. UCR has a great platform, and a strong candidate lineup. In fact, I support UCR so much that I have been working to help UCR candidates win in the upcoming election. As shown in the photo to the left, I volunteered at the recent UCR Garden Party/Fundraiser.

Imagine my surprise when I recently discovered that my name is listed as an “Endorser” of the opposition, Save KPFA (SK).

As shown in this screen shot from the opposition’s list of endorsers, taken on August 13, 2015, my name is listed as a “Listener Endorser” of SK:

DB_endorser4

This caused me to look at other so-called “endorsers” of SK, where I learned that at least one of these so-called endorsers, singer Jon Fromer had actually passed away back in 2013. I’m not sure how many other “endorsers” of SK are incorrectly listed, as I was.

Lesson learned: take everything you read on the SK website with a grain of salt.

I’m trusting UCR candidates in this election, and voting for all of the UCR candidates: Scott Olsen, Sharon Adams, Don Macleay, Virginia Browning, Jeremy Miller, Janet Kobren, Mario Fernandez, T.M. Scruggs, and Marilla Arguelles.

You can learn more about the UCR candidates on the UCR website: http://www.unitedforcommunityradio.org/.

Scott Olsen Joins Campaign to Rescue KPFA

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Scott Olsen

Scott Olsen

 

Berkeley- Iraq war vet and Occupy Oakland survivor Scott Olsen is running for an open seat on the KPFA Local Station Board with 8 other candidates affiliated with United for Community Radio (UCR).

Olsen, who survived a police shotgun-fired head injury at the Occupy Oakland encampment said: “I urge KPFA listeners to vote for the full slate of United for Community Radio candidates committed to rescuing KPFA from all attempts by the current board majority to break up or privatize the network”.

Olsen added: “It appears there is a group within KPFA who have acted improperly to break KPFA away from the Pacifica Radio Network without notifying the network’s 55,000 listener-member owners”.

Specifically, an improper filing of a 501c3 non profit incorporation using KPFA’s call letters has been uncovered threatening to break up the network without notifying the governance bodies of WBAI (NY), WPFW (DC), KPFT (Houston), KPFK (LA) and the nations first listener-owned and operated station KPFA (Berkeley).

United for Community Radio Candidates running for open seats on the KPFA Local Station Board in 2015

Scott Olsen

Janet Kobren

Jeremy Miller

G. Mario Fernandez

Marilla Arguelles

T.M. Scruggs

Don Macleay

Sharon Adams

Virginia Browning

Scott Olsen’s Candidate Statement

My name is Scott Olsen. You might remember me as the Iraq War veteran who was shot by the Oakland Police during Occupy. KPFA was a vital news source for me then and my radio dial was stuck at 94.1FM. KPFA supported me, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and our comrades. allowing us to tell our story – uncut. And now as I no longer live in California, I listen to KPFA over the internet. Nowhere else do I find its diversity of voices, music, and perspectives and I enter this candidacy in my desire to help protect KPFA as a crucial independent media source.

I currently serve on the board of directors for Iraq Veterans Against the War and I’m familiar with non-profit governance processes. I’ve worked in communications for over ten years– addressing both organizational and technical challenges, In the military I worked with radio.  I’m a licensed amateur radio operator – finding creative solutions for connection.  I believe these skills can help me to contribute to the KPFA Local Station Board.

Campaign workers for United for Community Radio at an Occupy Oakland General Assembly. Daniel Borgstrom (leaning forward) and Greg Jan (behind him).

Campaign workers for United for Community Radio at an Occupy Oakland General Assembly. Daniel Borgstrom (leaning forward) and Greg Jan (behind him).

Through my experiences with individuals, organizations, the armed services, and communities, I deeply value the wide range of ways that people contribute to community media.  I support:

· the right of KPFA unpaid staff to unionize
· creation of new internships
· development of a network for sharing of community audio and video recordings and interviews about local events.
· developing a more easeful system for people to communicate with KPFA staff and programmers
· station wide/community advanced planning for events of political, economic, environmental or social significance with possible pre-and-post event interviews, real time audio video live streaming and posting of videos on kpfa.org

I also want to help the station to establish powerful links with listeners and organizations through an active Program Council to give input about new and existing programs based on community needs and interests.

Another goal is to see KPFA embrace and expand its internet listenership beyond the signal range. This might include a transition including electronic communication at meetings to allow for wider geographical representation. Also I would like to help build more connection with KPFA’s sister stations and affiliates where we work together to build a strong national Pacifica network to create new possibilities for programming.

Now more than ever, it’s time for media truth telling: about what’s happening with the economy and environment, about what happens when the United States goes to war, about what is happening when people protest, and about how people of color are profiled and killed and African American churches burned. I appreciate those who are addressing these issues, the KPFA programmers who cover them and my United for Community Radio colleagues– working to insure that these stories are heard. I ask for your vote for me and the UCR team.

Endorsed by:

Bruce A. Dixon, Black Agenda Report

Barbara Lubin, Middle East Childrens Alliance

Michael Parenti, Author

Laura Wells

Veterans for Peace, East Bay Chapter 162

Ed Holmes, San Francisco Mime Troupe

Cynthia Johnson, Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists

The KPFA Local Station Board (LSB) is a 24 member body democratically elected by listeners and staff operating under by laws approved in 2003 following a protracted struggle to rescue KPFA and its five sister stations from attempts to sell individual stations and to begin accepting corporate underwriting and advertising.

###

Photo from Occupy Oakland by Daniel Arauz.