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Indybay Feature

Who Wants to Dismantle Community Representation at KPFA?

by Richard Phelps
An LSB member wrote:
"we need a general strategy session.....issues include:
.....Strategic retreat on the LSB--how do we make our enemies own the problems that are to come?
Alternatively, should we be recalling LSB members/dismantling the LSB?"

Want to discuss this? There are 2 meetings you can come to .....
Who Wants to Dismantle Listener Representation at KPFA,
our developing democracy and transparency?

by Richard Phelps Friday, Sept. 30, 2005

A printed copy of this e-mail was found at KPFA,
from Local Station Board staff representative Brian Edwards-Tiekert,
to other LSB members,mostly staff reps.
( Only the email addresses have been removed for confidentiality,
and descriptions of the role of recipients added in brackets.)
It makes it clear that the writer Brian Edwards-Tiekert will use or lose
democratic process as needed to control KPFA.
Bonnie S., Lisa R., and Sherry G. with Brian are 4 of the 5 LSB members
that voted to fire the GM. The others were part of the failed campaign to
fire the GM, which the LSB rejected 15 to 5, voting outside of their usual
factional lines, which usually favor the mostly paid staff positions.

The email follows this article
In it Edwards-Tiekert says:

"....we need a general strategy session.....issues include:
....Strategic retreat on the LSB--how do we make our enemies own the
problems that are to come?
Alternatively, should we be recalling LSB members/dismantling the LSB?"

This is a truly shocking action for an LSB member to be contemplating.

KPFA listeners/subscribers and progressive staff have worked for years to develop a democratic process with financial and governance transparency.

We defeated the corporate hijackers who planned to sell some stations and take the "community" out of Pacifica (our parent body). With that victory came new bylaws, which included elected representative governance, (Local Station Boards) composed of listeners and staff) and a transparent governance model.

Prior to the democratic bylaws, hiring, firing, and the award of airtime was done behind closed doors with a system of patronage and cronyism.......Clearly _what you knew_ didn't matter as much as _who you were in with_.

Those that gained under the old system are loath to give up their privilege to a transparent democratic process, despite the fact that this is what many of them advocated on the air for others. During the last election, instead of encouraging others to vote, the entrenched and their allies bad mouthed the election. .....

We at PeoplesRadio.net believe that the only way to protect and improve KPFA and keep it true to its Mission, while expanding our audience, is through supporting and developing democratic governance and full transparency. It is taking some work, but don't throw out the baby with the bathwater! Anything else is hypocrisy for a progressive community radio station. We must practice what we preach.



WHAT YOU CAN DO
Attend the Peoples Radio Forum on Thursday October 20th 7 pm
See the separate announcement -
Edwards-Tiekert will be invited to discuss this issue, among other topics.
Thursday 10/20 7pm
at 390 27th Street, Oakland

*Come to the next LSB meeting on October 22nd & let Brian & his
anti-democracy allies know that you won't let them DISMANTLE DEMOCRACY at KPFA.
Saturday 10/22 11am
at Freight & Salvage, 1111 Addison (near San Pablo & University),
Berkeley

Go to http://kpfa.org/lsb for more information


>>>>>>the email>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

From:"Brian Edwards-Tiekert"

To: "Lemlem Tekle" [Lemlem Rijio, Development Director]
Bonnie Simmons [unpaid staff, Staff LSB Rep]
Lisa Rothman [Morning Show Producer, Staff LSB rep]
CC: Sasha Lilley [Against the Grain co-producer]
"Lemlem Tekle"
( . . . . . . . . . . . ?)
Amelia Gonzalez-Garcia [Drama & Literature/Public Affairs Director]
Rain Geesler [Apprenticeship Director]
Sherry Gendelman [Listener LSB Rep]
Gary Niederhoff [Subscriptions Director]

Subject:Re: budget
Date:Thu, 1 Sep 2005 20:58:28 -0700

I'm up for coffee Saturday—Lisa and I can still meet Tuesday afternoon.
Also, we need a general strategy session. How about Tuesday night?

Issues include:

How should we be handling the expiration of the union contract—is a strike
in order, or is it a really terrible idea?

What's the best way to deal with these layoffs?

Coming up with, and presenting, an alternative budget.

Getting the Roy issue to the national board.

Propping up staff morale.

Strategic retreat on the LSB—how do we make our enemies own the problems
that are to come? Alternatively, should we be recalling LSB
members/dismantling the LSB?

Dealing with the grievances underway.
Building community support—formation of a labor-community coalition.



--
Brian Edwards-Tiekert
Staff Representative, Local Station Board
KPFA 94.1FM
1929 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley CA 94704

> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Note that Brian raises a question about having a strike, but has no
qualms about "dismantling the LSB".
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by Mara
For more information see the flyer for the forum by clicking on "photo" at the head of the right hand Features column in the Indymedia section.
by Mara
No, that was wrong! -- the flyer can be seen (also) in the features bar
above this item, on both the front page & the Indymedia page.
by @ listener
hearsay and supposed email that could have been generated by Mr. phelps. straight out of Cointelpro, nice one.
by Disgusted
So this time he takes off the email addresses for "confidentiality" -- something Phelps and his gang (including KGO business manager Marnie Tattersall) don't give a rat's ass about. At least he spelled Sherry Gendelman's name right this time! So much for authenticity...

You might wonder what's going on here. It's fairly simple: listeners are increasingly thinking of a recall of the wack-jobs who managed to get elected to KPFA's board with a tiny number of votes. What Tiekert is accused of suggesting is nothing that listener subscribers aren't already talking about. So as a means of trying to head that off, Mr. Phelps (a fat cat who lives in Piedmont and sends his kid to private school) is trying to distract everyone. It ain't gonna work.





by Richard Phelps
What does it mean when a person too cowardly to identify themselves is afraid to discuss the facts and politics openly and resorts to personal attacks filled with lies? It means that those he/she supports don't have a factual leg to stand on and are throwing mud to distract from the facts. I don't know how anyone doing this could ever be considered "progressive". Their practice is more like Karl Rove's than Lewis Hill's (KPFA'S founder). Why are all those that do this so afraid to publicly debate the issues? Wouldn't that be more in the spirit of "Free Speech Radio" than firing cheap, dishonest shots from a safe hiding place? I am not a "fat cat" but I do have a fat cat. I drive a 2000 Nissan, not a new Mercedes like some of your "gang", if cars matter. My child has never gone to a private school including college. I grew up in a working class single mother family. My mother was a "rosy the riviter" during WWII. If you want to compare let's hear about you. I will gladly compare my contribution to social change with yours if you want to but you will have to come out from hiding to do that. Most important is to discuss and debate the issues which you refuse to do in a public manner where you will have to be accountable for what you say.

Confidentiality can be used as a cover to hide information and to avoid accountability. "Phelps and his gang" (anyone that supports the Mission and progressive community radio with democratic process, transparency and accountability is welcome to join) support confidentiality with regard to legal and personnel issues that might hurt innocent people or get KPFA sued. However, we don't support the use of confidentiality to prevent our listerners from knowing what is going on politically at KPFA/Pacifica as does the entrenced staff and their few listeners allies. With regard to the election, "Peoples Radio" candidates won 2/3 of the vote. And the vote would have been larger had the entrenched staff encouraged listeners to vote instead of spending so much energy trying to supress the vote along with a few dirty tricks. Remember, Peoples Radio didn't have the assests of the station to use. All we had was our 10 Point Program and our willingness to go out and talk to the voters in person, something the entrenched candidates, (KPFA Forward slate) seldom, if ever, did. But they are community oriented people, aren't they? For the record, despite many opportuinties to do so, Brian Edward-Tiekert, or those that received it, have never said the e-mail is not authentic. That is an admissiom by silence.

So again I offer to debate Brian Edwards-Tiekert, the author of this personal attack, if they are different, or anyone else on these issues. Why aren't these issues being debated on the air? The entrenched staff don't want the listeners to hear anything but the crap they send them to read with their onesided use of listener paid for air time. If they are the rightous defenders of "Free Speech Radio" that they claim to be, why do they hide the facts and issues from open discussion/debate and want to spoon feed the listeners their onesided view? Why don't they want transparency and accountability?
Their practice in information suppression make clear their fear of the truth. But we should just send in our hard earned $$ to them and "Trust them", right?
by watching and listening
This email is obviously a scribbling of strategy IDEAS, combed from an email you apparently unscrupulously obtained since it is not addressed to you, and you have gone so far as to organize a forum to discuss this private strategy email, to call to debate something that has never been brought to the table, and has never been mentioned again or acted upon by anyone, quite a Republican tactic. you also have wasted hundreds of pages of paper photocopying this meaningless tidbit, because you see an opportunity to slander someone you consider a political enemy. The urgency with which you spin your wheels trying to make something out of nothing is telling. These are workers who have been slandered and dismissed by their governing board in a blatant and hostile way in the past several months, is it any wonder they discuss alternatives? Are they not free to have these discussions? It is unfortunate that given all the problems KPFA faces at this juncture that you see no better use of your time and position as KPFA board member than to contribute to the workplace hostility by seizing on what is most likely a tongue in cheek remark shared in a private email between a few fellow workers, to turn it into a political trophy to support your ongoing vitriolic rant. Shame on you.
(My comments are in parenthesis. RP)
This email is obviously (pure spin & assumption) a scribbling of strategy IDEAS, combed from an email you apparently unscrupulously (incorrect, attack & assumption) obtained since it is not addressed to you, and you have gone so far as to organize a forum to discuss this private strategy email, to call to debate something that has never been brought to the table, (the activities of the entrenched staff and their LSB allies have made many wonder about their commitment to democratic process and transparency, this was just the printed confirmation) and has never been mentioned again or acted upon by anyone, (it was never mentioned before but demonstrated by anti-democratic anti-transparency conduct) quite a Republican tactic.( for all we know you are a Republican since you are too cowardly to take off your mask) you also have wasted hundreds of pages of paper photocopying this meaningless tidbit, ( you don't want the listeners to know the truth and try to attack its dissemination on the use of paper?) because you see an opportunity to slander ( truth is never slander) someone you consider a political enemy. ( Brian is the one who called people enemies) The urgency with which you spin your wheels trying to make something out of nothing is telling.( the consistency with which Brian and his allies use dirty tricks to impede the development of democracy and then say the LSB is dysfunctional is what is telling. They also attacked the election for low voter turnout and yet they did everything they could to discourage voters. It is like the Menendez Brothers asking the court for mercy since they are orphans.) These are workers who have been slandered and dismissed by their governing board in a blatant and hostile way in the past several months, ( you state no facts to support this "slander" by unnamed LSB members) is it any wonder they discuss alternatives? ( most of the entrenched , if not all, never wanted a democratic process, they wanted to continue to run the station behind closed doors where the only roll for listeners was to send in $$$ and answer phones, none of the entrenced staff that was around in 1995 said boo when over 100 community programers, many people of color, were fired without any justification or recourse) Are they not free to have these discussions? ( of course they are, what is your point? And aren't we free to question their committment to democracy and transparency when we find something like this? Should Ellsberg not have published the "Pentagon Papers"? Surely under your logic the government was free to discuss that immoral war. What about the Palmer letter talking about selling stations, sure the hijackers had a right to discuss selling and we had a right to expose their intentions) It is unfortunate that given all the problems KPFA faces at this juncture ( as I see it the fundamental problem at KPFA is that there is a group of staff and some others that want to continue their power under the prior system of patronage and cronyism and do not want the listeners to have any say in anything, despite the fact that all the $$$ comes from the listeners) that you see no better use of your time and position as KPFA board member ( what better use is there than to expose two-faced Board members and staff who mouth support for democratic process while what they really advocate is to control the station even if it means to "dismantle" the democratic proicess) than to contribute to the workplace hostility (who is really contributing to the hostility? someone that says they want to "prop up staff morale" because their heavy handed power moves have hurt morale? by seizing on what is most likely a tongue in cheek remark (spin, spin, spin, those items were too specific to be tongue in cheek) shared in a private email between a few fellow workers ( that was not sent to just "fellow workers", it was also sent to dissident management person, Lemlem, and a listener elected LSB member, Sherry G. who has in the past made it clear that she is against an elected LSB, and non-union unpaid staff, so much for it being a bunch of union members chatting, it was a political group discussing how to regroup after their 15-5 defeat in trying to control the station by attacking and firing the GM who wouldn't kiss their ring and bow to them as the previous IGM had done. 4 of the 5 votes to fire the GM are on this e-mail), to turn it into a political trophy to support your ongoing vitriolic rant ( damn, you don't like the things I say). Shame on you. (You have so much nerve to talk about SHAME when you don't have the courage of your convictions to stand up and be counted. What kind of progressive politics are practiced by anonymous "hit pieces", what kind of culture does that suggest for KPFA? The answer: behind closed doors patronage and cronysim)

by Stop the fascists from taking over kpfa !
Richard, you are doing wonderful work for the listeners of kpfa and it is much appreciated! THANKS AGAIN!!!

That guy brian is the one that used the term "enemies" and no matter what that liar says he meant it.

I know you would like to think that theses people who are actively working to "dismantle" kpfa are just selfish individuals wanting to secure their position, that is just wishful thinking.

These people are part of a organized attack on kpfa and their goal is to destroy kpfa as a progressive voice that speaks out against the crimes of the fascist capitalists enslaving the people of the world.

Don’t under estimate these criminals they think of you as their “enemy” and will stop at nothing to keep you from interfering with their agenda of destroying kpfa’s progressive programming.

Don’t let your guard down, these people consider you their “enemy” and have said so,

This guy brian edwards-tiekert is a weasel and the other operatives that have wormed there way into kpfa a vicious and ruthless and every word that comes out of their mouth is a lie.

Consider their targets “flash points” “guns and butter” and the “kpfa news”

They have already destroyed the kpfa news content,

How much more damage needs to be done before the threat these agents pose is realized don’t wait till they dismantle the station one show at a time. They must be stopped.


Take great care the threat these agents pose IS dangerous.
by a listener and now reader of this board crap
Yes the workers and staff of KPFA are the agents of the fascist capitalists. They secretly organized 911 and now wish to take off guns and butter before their plan becomes revealed. Let's all pray that these dangerous young agents of the future don't mess with the entrenched order of the boomer beacon kpfa.
"These people are part of a organized attack on kpfa and their goal is to destroy kpfa as a progressive voice that speaks out against the crimes of the fascist capitalists enslaving the people of the world.
Don’t under estimate these criminals they think of you as their “enemy” and will stop at nothing to keep you from interfering with their agenda of destroying kpfa’s progressive programming.
Take great care the threat these agents pose IS dangerous. "

by Stop the fascists from taking over kpfa !


Richard, you are doing wonderful work for the listeners of kpfa and it is much appreciated! THANKS AGAIN!!!

That guy brian is the one that used the term "enemies" and no matter what that liar says he meant it.

I know you would like to think that theses people who are actively working to "dismantle" kpfa are just selfish individuals wanting to secure their position, that is just wishful thinking.

These people are part of a organized attack on kpfa and their goal is to destroy kpfa as a progressive voice that speaks out against the crimes of the fascist capitalists enslaving the people of the world.

Don’t under estimate these criminals they think of you as their “enemy” and will stop at nothing to keep you from interfering with their agenda of destroying kpfa’s progressive programming.

Don’t let your guard down, these people consider you their “enemy” and have said so,

This guy brian edwards-tiekert is a weasel and the other operatives that have wormed there way into kpfa are vicious and ruthless and every word that comes out of their mouth is a lie.

Consider their targets “flash points” “guns and butter” and the “kpfa news”

They have already destroyed the kpfa news content,

How much more damage needs to be done before the threat these agents pose is realized don’t wait till they dismantle the station one show at a time. They must be stopped.


Take great care the threat these agents pose IS dangerous.

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