KPFA Labor forum: Speak-Out On KPFA and Labor

I see one faction, “Voices For Justice Radio“ (voicesforjusticeradio.org), as a clear and promising alternative to the dismal operating style of the current and past boards, while also capable of guiding management and programmers in a more productive direction. The slate is made up of Steve Zeltzer, Sureya Sayadi, Jamie Cader, and Felipe Messina.

They are running as a labor-based candidacy, including pushing strongly for a one-hour prime-time weekly labor show. They ask why KPFA won’t do this when the other three Pacifica stations have such shows. Steve Zeltzer is well known as a labor activist and broadcaster. Jaime Caldor organizes Spanish-speaking workers. Felipe Messina has been outspoken on station issues.

They have a published 11-point platform, a Program To Rebuild KPFA and Pacifica. It includes more community-based reporters with volunteer news bureaus in the South Bay, North Bay, Peninsula, Fresno and Sacramento. Re-establish the Program Council and open meetings to the public. The slate is actively opposing a planned merger of the KPFA-KPFK (Los Angeles). The merger will probably result in more centralized, rather than more localize news content, on a show that already broadcasts too many liberal reactions to mainstream newswire stories. A petition is available on their website.

They propose reorganizing the news department for more in-depth reporting, and make it available to the public. They envision a multi-media organization that uses the web and video as an integral part of the mix, with creative ways to get out and share content. They want to beef up labor, black, LGBT, and immigrant programming. They want to re-establish the Women’s and Third World Department and establish a Labor Department. They see programming established by the rank and file, bottom-up instead of top-down. They want a Pacifica station in New Orleans. The current financial problems can be eased by making the tough choices and moving towards more of a reliance on volunteers rather than too many paid staff members.

They also want strong support for the campaign to drop the charges against arrested programmer Nadra Foster. She’s still banned from the station with no due process. The information is available at voicesforjusticeradio.org.

A second faction, Independents For Community Radio (ICR for this article), which includes Tracy Rosenberg (also Director of Oakland-based Media Alliance), made sensible proposals for fiscal responsibility and broadening the listener and contributor base by broadcasting to broader communities including immigrants. Tracy describes her group as having a minority representation on the current board. Tracy was appalled at the lack of accountability for current financial mismanagement.

The third, calling themselves Concerned Listeners - Save KPFA, seem to have had or have or are close to having a majority on the last two Boards, along with management and programmer representation. This group clearly lacks any sort of forward thinking “vision”, has been a part of a plethora of current in-station problems and needs to go now. They just want more donations for more programmers and increased "professionalism" and more centrist, pro-authority politics. I was kind of put off at their behavior and lack of diplomacy, especially a man named Matthew Hallinan, along with such a narrow-focused platform.

Thei first audio speech has Voices for Community Radio candidates, Steve Zeltzer, Felipe Messina, and Jaime Cader give opening overviews on tehri platform. (5:54)