The Seventh Annual Homelessness Marathon

Thursday, February 12
beginning at 4 pm, PT,and will run until 6 am, PT on Friday, February 13

KPFA in Berkeley and KFCF, 88.1 FM in Fresno will air the The Seventh Annual Homelessness Marathon which will originate from Cleveland, Ohio. KFCF will broadcast a number of segments regarding local homelessness issues at the top of the hour 5 pm to midnight. The 14-hour radio broadcast -- the longest regularly-scheduled public affairs program in America today -- is," a counterattack in the war on the poor," according to founder, Jeremy Weir Alderson aka "Nobody." "Are we an advocacy show? You bet. We say people should live in houses."

As always, the broadcast booth will be set-up outside, to dramatize the plight of people with nowhere to go in the cold. There will be no on-air solicitations for money ("consciousness raising not fund raising" is the Marathon's policy). "We talk to experts, present reports, take calls from
around the country and discuss possible solutions," explains Karen D'Andrea, the Marathon's producer, "But the most important thing we do is put homeless people on the air, so they can talk to America directly."

Tenative schedule (all times PST):

4 p.m. - "Over Hill Over Dale, We Will Hit the Garbage Pail," a panel of homeless veterans.

5 p.m. - Presidential Candidates' Forum (this turned out not to be very popular with the candidates and may wind up being a conversation with Dennis Kucinich, the only candidate who has accepted so far).

6 - What Causes Homelessness?

7 - A dialogue with Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell (again, we do not know at this time if the Mayor will accept our invitation to participate, so this could easily wind up an entirely different hour).

8 - "NIMBYism: Does America Really Care

9 pm - First, a report from Street Roots, the homeless paper of Portland, Oregon, "Police and Homeless: When Worlds Collide." Then, a segment TBA.

10 p.m. - International Hour - This will be a simulcast with the Canadian Homelessness Marathon. It will feature Walter Schmid of the Swiss Social Welfare Conference, and a Canadian MP. We've also invited a spokesperson for the White House (no response as yet).

11p - Homelessness and Race.

12 mid - "Deficits, Hoops and Hurdles: The Shape of Things To Come." Co-hosts: Paul Boden, Director San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness and Tom Boland, founder Homeless People's Network.

1 am - First, a segment TBA, then a remote from Atlanta courtesy of WRFG.

2 am - Totally Open Mic hour - no topic.

3 am - "Out of Prison and Onto the Streets"

4 am - "Politics and Protest: Bringing America Home" - Donald Whitehead, director of the National Coalition for the Homeless and Cheri Hankala, executive director, Kensington Welfare Rights Movement

5 am -"Women and Children First" - a panel of homeless mothers.