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Current Troubles at KPFA
It seems to me the issue is not that layoffs are necessary. Everyone sane and knowledgeable seems to concede that point. Even the kpfaworker shills have more or less given up asserting that their glue and sticks PDF solves all the financial problems. So the real issue is *who* gets laid off.
Of course listeners are sending emails. They don't understand what the heck is going on. How can they when anyone trying to explain anything gets shouted down and one hysterical charge follows another, most of them contradicting each other? You'd think the professional journalists would have some idea how to convey information.
Since they probably do have some idea how to convey information, it's pretty clear the intent is to confuse and panic people.
The question is in whose interests? Hard to believe it is the station.
It seems to me the issue is not that layoffs are necessary. Everyone sane and knowledgeable seems to concede that point. Even the kpfaworker shills have more or less given up asserting that their glue and sticks PDF solves all the financial problems.
So the real issue is *who* gets laid off.
And the rage and the anger and the sense of betrayal reveals that what happened wasn't what was supposed to happen. And what always, with no exceptions, has happened at KPFA. Which is that layoffs, program changes, cancellations, lack of access to opportunities and perks, lack of meaningful input into anything, always affect some of the population of people who work at the station - and not others.
This injustice is sometimes obvious and sometimes subtle, but it is always there and it has poisoned the atmosphere for a long time, creating the famously toxic working environment that spawns an endless series of lawsuits, confrontations and other disturbing incidents.
A union should stand for fair and equitable behavior and stop this kind of divide and conquer insanity, but in this case, sadly it doesn't. It will go to the mat for Brian Edwards-Tiekert and not blink an eye for Nora Barrows-Friedman, who incidentally is the stronger reporter of the two.
These layoffs, modest as they are, happened in the way nothing ever goes down at KPFA. Fairly. In reasonably close accordance with the seniority chart, instead of directed at the same eternal 4 targets, Hard Knock Radio, Flashpoints, the Apprenticeship program and the organized unpaid staff.
There are no other targets. No KPFA manager in a decade has dared to take any negative action against anyone else but the designated targets. Because *this* is what happens.
Pacifica is daring to be fair.
If you care about the station, let it heal. Keep supporting it and it will be fine and maybe much better than before. There is lots of talent there that can do excellent work.
KPFA needs fairness and it needs justice.
That is the way to peace.
Since they probably do have some idea how to convey information, it's pretty clear the intent is to confuse and panic people.
The question is in whose interests? Hard to believe it is the station.
It seems to me the issue is not that layoffs are necessary. Everyone sane and knowledgeable seems to concede that point. Even the kpfaworker shills have more or less given up asserting that their glue and sticks PDF solves all the financial problems.
So the real issue is *who* gets laid off.
And the rage and the anger and the sense of betrayal reveals that what happened wasn't what was supposed to happen. And what always, with no exceptions, has happened at KPFA. Which is that layoffs, program changes, cancellations, lack of access to opportunities and perks, lack of meaningful input into anything, always affect some of the population of people who work at the station - and not others.
This injustice is sometimes obvious and sometimes subtle, but it is always there and it has poisoned the atmosphere for a long time, creating the famously toxic working environment that spawns an endless series of lawsuits, confrontations and other disturbing incidents.
A union should stand for fair and equitable behavior and stop this kind of divide and conquer insanity, but in this case, sadly it doesn't. It will go to the mat for Brian Edwards-Tiekert and not blink an eye for Nora Barrows-Friedman, who incidentally is the stronger reporter of the two.
These layoffs, modest as they are, happened in the way nothing ever goes down at KPFA. Fairly. In reasonably close accordance with the seniority chart, instead of directed at the same eternal 4 targets, Hard Knock Radio, Flashpoints, the Apprenticeship program and the organized unpaid staff.
There are no other targets. No KPFA manager in a decade has dared to take any negative action against anyone else but the designated targets. Because *this* is what happens.
Pacifica is daring to be fair.
If you care about the station, let it heal. Keep supporting it and it will be fine and maybe much better than before. There is lots of talent there that can do excellent work.
KPFA needs fairness and it needs justice.
That is the way to peace.
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I resent the postings I've seen that say KPFA listeners are confused and don't know what's happening. I'm not ignorant and the people I've heard on the radio and spoken to know exactly what's happening. I resent Arlene Englehardt saying that reporting on the issue is not "good radio". I listen to KPFA on the internet and do not appreciate sudden changes clearly aimed at silencing local voices. I would listen to KPFK if I were interested in hearing what's happening in LA or an LA perspective.
I listen to KPFA precisely because I value the local perspective. There is a union contract that has obviously not been followed. People have been suddenly cut; transparency is not valued. Sudden changes with no information, explanation and discussion only signal back-room deals and jack-boot politics.
IndyBay clearly has one point of view and does not participate in even-handed reporting. Sounds like Fox-News style reporting to me...
I listen to KPFA precisely because I value the local perspective. There is a union contract that has obviously not been followed. People have been suddenly cut; transparency is not valued. Sudden changes with no information, explanation and discussion only signal back-room deals and jack-boot politics.
IndyBay clearly has one point of view and does not participate in even-handed reporting. Sounds like Fox-News style reporting to me...
What people here write is their opinion. Yes, of course they should be fair, but this is advocacy journalism. But as a matter of fact, on the KPFA issues, both sides have written, therefore there seems to be a de facto even-handedness.
The hysterics and histrionics by the Concerned Listeners/Save KPFA thieves on behalf of their terrible Morning Show who now have to look for work are insulting. We all have had to look for a job many times in our lives, unless we are the millionaire Hallinan brothers who do not have to worry about where the next meal comes from, and no one at KPFA is any exception. The two hosts of the Morning Show, Aimee Allison and Brian Edwards-Tiekert, have strong resumes as far as job skills and their history at KPFA should have mandated their termination long time ago.
Aimee Allison, age 40, who has been with the Morning Show since September 2007, has biographical material at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aimee_Allison
and
http://connect.in.com/aimee-allison/biography-8143.html
There is also an interesting article on Allison at the 2/14/10 Third Estate Sunday Review at:
http://thirdestatesundayreview.blogspot.com/2010/02/aimee-allison-says-pakistani-lives-dont.html
This article contains a link to a video that Allison posted of yourself on YouTube providing her views on Obama's bombing of Pakistan with drones during his first week in office, January 2009. See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAiZIpTpSDw
Here is some of what she said and what the Third Estate thinks of it:
And the real question isn't, "Can you send drones to fire missiles in an area and not kill civilians and protect the national interest?" The question that we should be asking as American citizens is: "What are the goals? What is UN foreign -- US foreign policy goals in that region and why is it that those people are dying?" It is that kind of transparency and message to the American people that we need to hear right now.
Really? That's what we need right now? As "American citizens"? And what do the Pakistanis need, Aimee Allison?
****
Then there is the infamous Nadra Foster incident of August 20, 2008, when Ms. Foster, about age 30, was viciously beaten by the police inside the KPFA station, hog-tied and arrested for no good reason whatsoever. Ms. Foster is African-American, as is Aimee Allison. J.R. Valery, also African-American, who reports on Flashpoints and in the San Francisco Bay View newspaper on various issues of concern to the black community, actually suggested some form of censorship regarding this incident, which was immediately reported on Flashpoints and Hard Knock on KPFA but not on The Morning Show, Democracy Now, the KPFA News and Against the Grain, all programs heard on KPFA. The whole story may be found at an October 23, 2009 article in SF Bayview by JR entitled "The deconstruction of KPFA: Apartheid radio and tokenism" at
http://sfbayview.com/2009/the-deconstruction-of-kpfa-apartheid-radio-and-tokenism/
Brian Edwards Tiekert seems to be in his 20s and has been at KPFA since at least 2003, with his term on the Morning Show as a co-host starting in January 2010. His candidate statement for Local Station Board in 2007 may be found at:
http://pacificana.org/docs/elections/2007/foundation/brian-edwards-tiekert/brian-edwards-tiekert-candidate-statement.html
His history on the LSB, including his tenure as Treasurer, has been acrimonious at best. He has been caught making false statements on the funds as stated at:
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=137611924192&topic=11084
"Recently in August, KPFA's treasurer and Concerned Listener board-member Brian Edward-Tiekert upset many when he accused the Pacifica National Board of "raiding" KPFA's funds to cover costs at WBAI when he received word of a transfer from a Pacifica-owned holding account for KPFA and leaked this story to the Berkeley Daily Planet. A series of articles from non-CL affiliated board-members and listener candidates followed the next day in the Berkeley Daily Planet to clear this public accusation. No money was ever taken."
You can peruse the many articles concerning Brian ET in the Berkeley Daily Planet at:
http://bit.ly/bwnY7h
His unprofessional conduct concerning the last LSB election of September 2010 was one reason for ending the Morning Show cited by Pacifica's Executive Director, Arlene Englehardt, on the Uprising show of 11/11/10 at 8:15 a.m., broadcast on KPFA as it was also broadcast on KPFK. That conduct was more fully described by Daniel Borgstrom in his blogspot at:
http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/2010/05/bogus-news-broadcasts.html
It begins as follows:
"On the last 2 days of the KPFA board election, several programmers including Mitch Jeserich, Sasha Lilley, and Brian Edwards-Tiekert, broadcast bogus news reports for the purpose of influencing the election in favor of the Concerned Listeners/Save KPFA slate. This was in violation of election rules and station policy. At almost any other station these programmers would've been fired for misuse of the station's airwaves."
"The following transcripts were made by Felipe Messina for presentation as evidence of the on-air violations."
****
These layoffs are the latest in a series of cutbacks started by the beauty queen general manager and girlfriend of the Hallinan Brothers, both proud members of the Concerned Listeners/Save KPFA gang that supports Allision and Brian ET, namely Lemlem Rijio, the GM who somehow forgot about a $375,000 check for over a year, letting it sit in a drawer and expire, while KPFA desperately needed money, as always. Ms. Rijio was forced to resign on this issue in March 2010. See the April 29, 2010 article by Bob English at
http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/2010/04/kpfa-manager-resigns.html
The 20% cutbacks were announced in December 2009 by Rijio. See the 11/3/10 East Bay Experess article by Rachel Swan
at Cuts and Dueling Protests at KPFA
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/cuts-and-dueling-protests-at-kpfa/Content?oid=2186210
As Ms. Englehardt stated in the above-cited interview, she was given marching orders by the Pacifica National Board to cut the deficits at KPFA when KPFA could not meet payroll in September 2010 and had to obtain funds from another Pacifica station. And, of course, this is being done in accordance with seniority, unlike the layoff of Nora Barrows-Friedman, the excellent anti-Zionist reporter for Flashpoints, and generally a good radio host.
If the entire staff of the Morning Show cannot find work in a related radio field, they all most likely can do word processing, work as receptionists, some may know website design, and if they can stand on their feet for 8 hours a day, do restaurant and hotel work. That is the reality we all face, and we, the listener-subscribers who pay for KPFA, are not impressed by all the whining we have heard this week on KPFA from the former Morning Show members and their Thug Hallinan Gang friends. We all are ready for a new beginning, and since we have hit bottom with the Hallinan Gang, it can only get better.
Aimee Allison, age 40, who has been with the Morning Show since September 2007, has biographical material at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aimee_Allison
and
http://connect.in.com/aimee-allison/biography-8143.html
There is also an interesting article on Allison at the 2/14/10 Third Estate Sunday Review at:
http://thirdestatesundayreview.blogspot.com/2010/02/aimee-allison-says-pakistani-lives-dont.html
This article contains a link to a video that Allison posted of yourself on YouTube providing her views on Obama's bombing of Pakistan with drones during his first week in office, January 2009. See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAiZIpTpSDw
Here is some of what she said and what the Third Estate thinks of it:
And the real question isn't, "Can you send drones to fire missiles in an area and not kill civilians and protect the national interest?" The question that we should be asking as American citizens is: "What are the goals? What is UN foreign -- US foreign policy goals in that region and why is it that those people are dying?" It is that kind of transparency and message to the American people that we need to hear right now.
Really? That's what we need right now? As "American citizens"? And what do the Pakistanis need, Aimee Allison?
****
Then there is the infamous Nadra Foster incident of August 20, 2008, when Ms. Foster, about age 30, was viciously beaten by the police inside the KPFA station, hog-tied and arrested for no good reason whatsoever. Ms. Foster is African-American, as is Aimee Allison. J.R. Valery, also African-American, who reports on Flashpoints and in the San Francisco Bay View newspaper on various issues of concern to the black community, actually suggested some form of censorship regarding this incident, which was immediately reported on Flashpoints and Hard Knock on KPFA but not on The Morning Show, Democracy Now, the KPFA News and Against the Grain, all programs heard on KPFA. The whole story may be found at an October 23, 2009 article in SF Bayview by JR entitled "The deconstruction of KPFA: Apartheid radio and tokenism" at
http://sfbayview.com/2009/the-deconstruction-of-kpfa-apartheid-radio-and-tokenism/
Brian Edwards Tiekert seems to be in his 20s and has been at KPFA since at least 2003, with his term on the Morning Show as a co-host starting in January 2010. His candidate statement for Local Station Board in 2007 may be found at:
http://pacificana.org/docs/elections/2007/foundation/brian-edwards-tiekert/brian-edwards-tiekert-candidate-statement.html
His history on the LSB, including his tenure as Treasurer, has been acrimonious at best. He has been caught making false statements on the funds as stated at:
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=137611924192&topic=11084
"Recently in August, KPFA's treasurer and Concerned Listener board-member Brian Edward-Tiekert upset many when he accused the Pacifica National Board of "raiding" KPFA's funds to cover costs at WBAI when he received word of a transfer from a Pacifica-owned holding account for KPFA and leaked this story to the Berkeley Daily Planet. A series of articles from non-CL affiliated board-members and listener candidates followed the next day in the Berkeley Daily Planet to clear this public accusation. No money was ever taken."
You can peruse the many articles concerning Brian ET in the Berkeley Daily Planet at:
http://bit.ly/bwnY7h
His unprofessional conduct concerning the last LSB election of September 2010 was one reason for ending the Morning Show cited by Pacifica's Executive Director, Arlene Englehardt, on the Uprising show of 11/11/10 at 8:15 a.m., broadcast on KPFA as it was also broadcast on KPFK. That conduct was more fully described by Daniel Borgstrom in his blogspot at:
http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/2010/05/bogus-news-broadcasts.html
It begins as follows:
"On the last 2 days of the KPFA board election, several programmers including Mitch Jeserich, Sasha Lilley, and Brian Edwards-Tiekert, broadcast bogus news reports for the purpose of influencing the election in favor of the Concerned Listeners/Save KPFA slate. This was in violation of election rules and station policy. At almost any other station these programmers would've been fired for misuse of the station's airwaves."
"The following transcripts were made by Felipe Messina for presentation as evidence of the on-air violations."
****
These layoffs are the latest in a series of cutbacks started by the beauty queen general manager and girlfriend of the Hallinan Brothers, both proud members of the Concerned Listeners/Save KPFA gang that supports Allision and Brian ET, namely Lemlem Rijio, the GM who somehow forgot about a $375,000 check for over a year, letting it sit in a drawer and expire, while KPFA desperately needed money, as always. Ms. Rijio was forced to resign on this issue in March 2010. See the April 29, 2010 article by Bob English at
http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/2010/04/kpfa-manager-resigns.html
The 20% cutbacks were announced in December 2009 by Rijio. See the 11/3/10 East Bay Experess article by Rachel Swan
at Cuts and Dueling Protests at KPFA
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/cuts-and-dueling-protests-at-kpfa/Content?oid=2186210
As Ms. Englehardt stated in the above-cited interview, she was given marching orders by the Pacifica National Board to cut the deficits at KPFA when KPFA could not meet payroll in September 2010 and had to obtain funds from another Pacifica station. And, of course, this is being done in accordance with seniority, unlike the layoff of Nora Barrows-Friedman, the excellent anti-Zionist reporter for Flashpoints, and generally a good radio host.
If the entire staff of the Morning Show cannot find work in a related radio field, they all most likely can do word processing, work as receptionists, some may know website design, and if they can stand on their feet for 8 hours a day, do restaurant and hotel work. That is the reality we all face, and we, the listener-subscribers who pay for KPFA, are not impressed by all the whining we have heard this week on KPFA from the former Morning Show members and their Thug Hallinan Gang friends. We all are ready for a new beginning, and since we have hit bottom with the Hallinan Gang, it can only get better.
Right? So by ICR logic, the money generated by Flashpoints is not indicative of of listener support. Seeing as Pacifica is behind on payments to Amy Goodman, why not put Democracy Now! in the 5pm-6pm, and use the resulting savings from the layoff of the Flashpoints team to start correcting that debt.
Hmm....waddyawaddya?
Hmm....waddyawaddya?
The Fllashpoints hosts have seniority. Unless you are advocating twisting the union contract around in circles, and you would never do that Ukexica, there is absolutely no way to execute your little plan. They would have bumping rights over the former hosts of the Morning Show.
How could I be so daft? LaVarne Williams brought up an email from 2005 because this is all just about seniority. And Tracy Rosenberg wasn't jabbering about an "intelligible, ethical, reasonable and labor positive conversation."
Remind me then, how was Nora Barrows-Friedman labor issue political, as we heard claimed Dennis Bernstein, and ad nauseum here on indybay? Do supporters of Flashpoints mind that that show's ability to raise money is not a function of the quality of the program, but merely being in a spot with predictably high listener traffic?
Remind me then, how was Nora Barrows-Friedman labor issue political, as we heard claimed Dennis Bernstein, and ad nauseum here on indybay? Do supporters of Flashpoints mind that that show's ability to raise money is not a function of the quality of the program, but merely being in a spot with predictably high listener traffic?
I think Ms. Rosenberg's point was that when layoffs are governed by a contract that says seniority must prevail- it is more in accordance with law, sanity and the English language to lay off people that have less seniority than it is to lay off people that have much more seniority ahead of them, especially when they are all in the same category (on-air hosts).
I personally am pretty relieved that a Pacifica board member can read. Seems like a good sign.
I personally am pretty relieved that a Pacifica board member can read. Seems like a good sign.
Thank you Tracy for clarifying, one of hosts with that have been cut would have been Mr. Bernstein, I believe. It is important that we defend our allies.
Elections have consequences, don't they?
Elections have consequences, don't they?
It's especially important to defend an ally like Dennis Bernstein when people like the entrenched staff faction that controls the union are ready to violate his seniority in the process of trying to screw him.
By the way, Dennis Bernstein and I are hardly compatible as personalities. My defense of him is based on political principle, not on any affection in either direction.
By the way, Dennis Bernstein and I are hardly compatible as personalities. My defense of him is based on political principle, not on any affection in either direction.
For more information:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22by+aaron...
It is under extreme pressure that a persons' true character is revealed. This lesson I learned working in the Oakland Fire Department. Brian under pressure, is the BET revealed: fighting tooth and nail for his position. This, regardless of its impact on his "beloved" Pacifica network, the network for which he is so CONCERNEDListener. SO much for union solidarity. His most powerful union sentiment is reserved not for the worker, semiority rights or the poor, the disabled comunities or under served communities-oh hell- and not on behalf other employees not even as "Staff Rep" -his greatest worries, most violent passions and largest concernlistener is saved for His Highness, HIMSELF.
BET is all about him getting his. Period. This staff representative chooses not to get involved on behalf of his staff but is glued to Lemlems-Alfandarian petticoat in times of personal professional danger. Ditto Hallinanas (sic)Bully Bros. Nadra? Nora? Station Staff representative is silent and doesn't trouble to protest: his megaphone is reserved for serving HIMSELF, HIS Highness, the glib THE BET.
Poor Aimee Allison. She who wept copious tears at the conclusion of her last Morning Show and had to be physically supported by a sym-pathetic Brian. Awww. ConcernedListener Aimee cried, bereft of hope and concerned for herself. HERSELF. NOT so much for Nadra-instead at a staff meeting she argued for a party line to cover up what really happened. WTF. Allison was similarly dry eyed when Nora's seniority was ignored by LEMlEM. Did Allison beat a drum or bat an eyelash when reading wire copy about thousands killed by drone attacks on Pakistan? Not hardly. This is someone who asked the wrong questions-Can't we be more careful when we kill them? Betraying her own self serving sick heart. This is the mark of the beast-her concern is not for the mission statement or the Vision of empowering the communities or the voice of the voiceless. Screw that where is my 8x10 glossy, gotta sell meMEme OWN.
Aimee lost her self while admiring her own reflection. Narcissistic, inexperienced the applause has gone to both their similarly ambitious young heads. Self centered, self satisfied and now, sadly, unemployed. They need this lay off to get in touch with their hearts and shape their souls. Hard lessons, hard lay offs.
BET shouts down La Varn while she is discussing medicare and the hospitalization of her ill Mother-BET could care less. He talked over exposiong a lack of Concernedlistener lack of civility that was unforgiveable. But, after all she is just another ____________.
And the KPFA Savior has his own agenda: without which the network will fail, KPFA will crumble, and the sun will cease to shine...
Fine, his HIGHNESS will need that confidence when trolling the mean streets in search of his next gig. Welcome to UPSO children, you are now an unpaid worker.
BET is all about him getting his. Period. This staff representative chooses not to get involved on behalf of his staff but is glued to Lemlems-Alfandarian petticoat in times of personal professional danger. Ditto Hallinanas (sic)Bully Bros. Nadra? Nora? Station Staff representative is silent and doesn't trouble to protest: his megaphone is reserved for serving HIMSELF, HIS Highness, the glib THE BET.
Poor Aimee Allison. She who wept copious tears at the conclusion of her last Morning Show and had to be physically supported by a sym-pathetic Brian. Awww. ConcernedListener Aimee cried, bereft of hope and concerned for herself. HERSELF. NOT so much for Nadra-instead at a staff meeting she argued for a party line to cover up what really happened. WTF. Allison was similarly dry eyed when Nora's seniority was ignored by LEMlEM. Did Allison beat a drum or bat an eyelash when reading wire copy about thousands killed by drone attacks on Pakistan? Not hardly. This is someone who asked the wrong questions-Can't we be more careful when we kill them? Betraying her own self serving sick heart. This is the mark of the beast-her concern is not for the mission statement or the Vision of empowering the communities or the voice of the voiceless. Screw that where is my 8x10 glossy, gotta sell meMEme OWN.
Aimee lost her self while admiring her own reflection. Narcissistic, inexperienced the applause has gone to both their similarly ambitious young heads. Self centered, self satisfied and now, sadly, unemployed. They need this lay off to get in touch with their hearts and shape their souls. Hard lessons, hard lay offs.
BET shouts down La Varn while she is discussing medicare and the hospitalization of her ill Mother-BET could care less. He talked over exposiong a lack of Concernedlistener lack of civility that was unforgiveable. But, after all she is just another ____________.
And the KPFA Savior has his own agenda: without which the network will fail, KPFA will crumble, and the sun will cease to shine...
Fine, his HIGHNESS will need that confidence when trolling the mean streets in search of his next gig. Welcome to UPSO children, you are now an unpaid worker.
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