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Indybay Feature

SaveKPFA lies in mailer on Tracy Rosenberg's recall

by Reposting/editing by Mara
"Save KPFA" has sent out a mailer urging KPFA members to vote Yes on the recall ballot for
Local Station Board member Tracy Rosenberg.
This mailer contains 5 allegations against her, every one of them false!
Read this before you vote - these Ø are Tracy's replies to the phony charges!
If in doubt, vote No! (Or possibly don't vote - we'll have to see what the rules are.)
For more information, follow the links.
As an earlier commenter noted,
"As a general rule, anything the so-called 'SaveKPFA' faction says should be presumed to be a lie until it is proven to be a half-truth."
The mailer started with this:
[First note that the *non-profit* Pacifica Foundation was founded in 1949 as a visionary alternative to commercially-driven media. It pioneered listener-sponsored, community radio and has been a beacon for noncommercial, free media for 63 years.]

"TRACY ROSENBERG HAS BEEN THE PRINCIPAL DEFENDER OF THE CURRENT REGIME AT PACIFICA, THE CORPORATION THAT OWNS KPFA. WITH ROSENBERG'S SUPPORT, THAT REGIME HAS DECLARED WAR ON KPFA'S LISTENERS AND WORKERS. IT HAS:"

* "Purged KPFA's biggest fundraiser and most listened-to local program ("The Morning Show"), causing morning pledges to drop by more than half and putting the station's fragile finances at risk."
Ø KPFA finances improved by over $500,000 in 2011 after two consecutive years of more than half a million dollar operating deficits. The station’s finances were stabilized over the last 12 months per the accounting firm, Wisdom and Kimmerling who do annual financial audits.

[For more on KPFA's finances, see the latest figures,
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/25/18700980.php
which show that KPFA has gained income and has cut expenses by laying off 2 paid hosts, the only possible way of effectively cutting expenses.]

* "Conducted illegal, retaliatory layoffs."
Ø The National Labor Relations Board stated the 2010 layoffs were neither illegal nor retaliatory. See the letter here: http://www.nlrb.gov/case/32-CA-062325 (Scroll down to "Docket Activity" to view the memo.) The entire Pacifica National Board, including SaveKPFA-affiliated Andrea Turner, voted unanimously to approve the layoff plan in closed session on Sunday, October 3, 2010.

[The layoffs had to, and did, follow the union contract's requirements, such as seniority.]

* "Wasted more than $80,00 of listener money on an anti-union law firm."
Ø The law firm the petitioners complain about is also used by KQED, The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. Legal bills were caused by 5 grievances to the Labor Relations Board, all 5 dismissed (one is currently on appeal after receiving an initial judgment of no merit) and a failed arbitration hearing where Pacifica was upheld.

[The grievances were brought by the SaveKPFA/KPFAworker faction.]

* "Diverted workers' retirement contributions for other purposes."
Ø The National Board, by unanimous consent, hired a pension specialist to file a correction of all late payments dating back to 2005. When Save KPFAers Sherry Gendelman and Dan Siegel were serving in Ms. Engelhardt’s position in 2007 and 2008, many pension payments were also late. The correction will pay all back penalties and interest. All payments are now current.

[For more info see http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/12/30/18703655.php ]

* "Illegally barred KPFA's elected representatives from taking their seats on Pacifica's Board."
Ø The KPFA representative who was causing the problem, Dan Siegel, was serving as Oakland Mayor Jean Quan’s legal advisor. Pacifica’s bylaws prevent a person who holds a political appointment from serving on the board and asks them to resign one position or the other. Mr. Siegel refused to resign either position and told the court he did not have a political position in the Quan administration. He later resigned from the legal advisor position due to conflict of interest concerns.

[For more FAQs on this recall, please see:
>"Facts: Recall of Tracy Rosenberg" at http://SupportKPFA.org
>KPFA: "An Open Letter on E-mails" (supposed "fraud")
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/05/01/18678635.php
>"Don't Drink the KPFA Koolaid"
http://supportkpfa.i941.net/?p=302 , & other articles at SupportKPFA.org
by brightpath
So which branch of the NSA do you work for repost or which republican think tank is funding your drivel?
by here it is
Read the SaveKPFA document referred to above here:
http://www.savekpfa.org/kpfa-listeners-look-for-your-ballot-by-december-30

Lots of details are explained here:
http://www.savekpfa.org/faqrecall

Why is KPFA broke?
http://www.savekpfa.org/facts-about-the-kpfa-situation
by Q Mark
brightpath's comment makes no sense, except a something to cause folks to give up on trying to understand anything. he/she has made the same accusations of the other side (though I guess anyone can use a common handle...)

In fact, brightpath video has done some good work, though I don't always endorse it. Looks like someone here just wants to stir the shit.
by a long-time listener
The story-behind-the-story is at
http://www.SaveKPFA.org

Look at the list of endorsers, who range from city officials to labor leaders to community activists, as well as many unpaid and paid programmers:
http://www.savekpfa.org/endorsements-2

For information on the recall of Tracy Rosenberg, see
http://www.savekpfa.org/faqrecall

Read a sampling of what thousands of listeners themselves have said:
http://www.savekpfa.org/listeners-speak-out/236-2

For information on anti-union actions by KPFA and Pacifica management (supported by Rosenberg), see:
http://www.KPFAWorker.org

Vote YES on the recall, and thank you for supporting KPFA.
by Virginia
Many informative articles by several folks at this website. Here's another:
http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/2010/12/best-brightest-at-kpfa.html
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