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Indybay Feature
KPFA Board Elections: An All-Volunteer KPFA: A Recipe for Disaster
Many of the candidates running for the KPFA Local Station Board would like to get rid of the paid staff at KPFA and have an all- or mainly-volunteer station. That was tried before at KPFA in the 1970s. Richard Wolinsky was there and says it doesn't work: "The public affairs programs were, to be kind, uneven, usually depending on whether the program was developed by a grant (i.e. the producers were paid) or not. Fund-drives lasted six weeks and earned a pittance. The station had minimal income and despite the brilliance of several individuals on the air, was marginalized by its unprofessionalism and its sectarian politics."
An All-Volunteer KPFA: A Recipe for Disaster
It sounds good: bring back volunteerism, end the tyranny of staffers who stay forever. Let people do what they love, work for what they believe in, and the reward is in the doing.
Hogwash.
I came to KPFA in 1975 as a volunteer receptionist. In those days, the paid staff was very small and consisted largely of department heads (the "Executive Producers" of their day), a handful of tech folks, a couple of people in News and on the Morning Show, and a few necessary administrative people. That was it. Oh, there was a volunteer coordinator who spent most of the time trying to find off-air volunteers who were both reliable and competent. The competent ones, if they couldn't get a paid job at the station, usually left within weeks.
Programs with volunteer hosts aired once a week or once a month, like today. Full-time jobs didn't (and don't) allow for more than that. The daily slots were filled by those few paid people who had the time to do the work. The public affairs programs were, to be kind, uneven, usually depending on whether the program was developed by a grant (i.e. the producers were paid) or not. Fund-drives lasted six weeks and earned a pittance. The station had minimal income and despite the brilliance of several individuals on the air, was marginalized by its unprofessionalism and its sectarian politics. KPFA now has a larger audience, much larger income stream, and a presence throughout the world. The station is sometimes still raw, but more often than not it holds its own in the media world of 2010.
KPFA today starts with its paid producers, engineers, and board operators, people whom you barely hear on the air but are doing their jobs quietly and professionally. Competent board ops: What a novelty in 1975. You were lucky if, when you dropped off your tape, the announcer didn't completely mangle what was heard on the air. The simple transition...show to PSA to station ID to theme cart to tape...sounds simple, right? Guess again. The good board-ops stayed a few months, then got jobs and left. The bad ones usually just stopped showing up, often without notice. Remove the paid board ops and the sound quality drops precipitously. Remove the behind the scenes people and force the on-air hosts to do the production work, and you'll lose half the hosts. Stop paying them, and they're all gone because they have to earn a living. Their replacements? Again, once a week or once a month, the best of the rest gone the moment a real job in radio opens up.
A volunteer station means an end to all the great locally produced daily programs: Flashpoints, Hard Knock Radio, Letters from Washington, the Morning Show, the noon programs, and of course the irreplaceable KPFA daily newscast, as well as special local news pre-emptions. Nobody else on the air covers local Bay Area issues and news from a progressive perspective. The loss would be incalculable.
So who would be left at this all-volunteer KPFA? Today's unpaid programmers who can grind through the lack of competent support staff; unemployed off-air people who vanish in a trice; angry ultra-politicos with axes to grind (and big egos to match); trust-fund babies; first-timers who learn radio and then get a real job; and a handful of quality people who come in with big ideas and leave a few months later, disgusted with the lack of professionalism and hankering to earn a living.
In the end, though, you won't even get that. The volunteer idea is just too unwieldy and the administrative effort too difficult. I know. I've been there. Pacifica will relent. They'll hire board ops and they'll download nationally produced programs from Pacifica syndication to supplement the music programs and the handful of surviving local volunteer talk programs. That's what most of the Pacifica network is like today, and what most NPR stations are like as well.
KPFA, as we know it, will be gone.
Volunteerism barely worked in the 1970s, and it won't work today. Keep KPFA professional, keep the programs you love on the air, and keep local reportage alive. I urge you to vote the SaveKPFA.org slate because in the end, what you'll be saving will not only be what you listen to today and the important information you receive that comes from nowhere else, but the heights that KPFA can reach tomorrow. KPFA was under threat ten years ago and the community saved it, and it's under threat today. Vote the Save KPFA slate.
For more information and the names of candidates, go to SaveKPFA.org
Thanks for your time,
Richard Wolinsky
Producer/Host, Bookwaves on Cover to Cover
It sounds good: bring back volunteerism, end the tyranny of staffers who stay forever. Let people do what they love, work for what they believe in, and the reward is in the doing.
Hogwash.
I came to KPFA in 1975 as a volunteer receptionist. In those days, the paid staff was very small and consisted largely of department heads (the "Executive Producers" of their day), a handful of tech folks, a couple of people in News and on the Morning Show, and a few necessary administrative people. That was it. Oh, there was a volunteer coordinator who spent most of the time trying to find off-air volunteers who were both reliable and competent. The competent ones, if they couldn't get a paid job at the station, usually left within weeks.
Programs with volunteer hosts aired once a week or once a month, like today. Full-time jobs didn't (and don't) allow for more than that. The daily slots were filled by those few paid people who had the time to do the work. The public affairs programs were, to be kind, uneven, usually depending on whether the program was developed by a grant (i.e. the producers were paid) or not. Fund-drives lasted six weeks and earned a pittance. The station had minimal income and despite the brilliance of several individuals on the air, was marginalized by its unprofessionalism and its sectarian politics. KPFA now has a larger audience, much larger income stream, and a presence throughout the world. The station is sometimes still raw, but more often than not it holds its own in the media world of 2010.
KPFA today starts with its paid producers, engineers, and board operators, people whom you barely hear on the air but are doing their jobs quietly and professionally. Competent board ops: What a novelty in 1975. You were lucky if, when you dropped off your tape, the announcer didn't completely mangle what was heard on the air. The simple transition...show to PSA to station ID to theme cart to tape...sounds simple, right? Guess again. The good board-ops stayed a few months, then got jobs and left. The bad ones usually just stopped showing up, often without notice. Remove the paid board ops and the sound quality drops precipitously. Remove the behind the scenes people and force the on-air hosts to do the production work, and you'll lose half the hosts. Stop paying them, and they're all gone because they have to earn a living. Their replacements? Again, once a week or once a month, the best of the rest gone the moment a real job in radio opens up.
A volunteer station means an end to all the great locally produced daily programs: Flashpoints, Hard Knock Radio, Letters from Washington, the Morning Show, the noon programs, and of course the irreplaceable KPFA daily newscast, as well as special local news pre-emptions. Nobody else on the air covers local Bay Area issues and news from a progressive perspective. The loss would be incalculable.
So who would be left at this all-volunteer KPFA? Today's unpaid programmers who can grind through the lack of competent support staff; unemployed off-air people who vanish in a trice; angry ultra-politicos with axes to grind (and big egos to match); trust-fund babies; first-timers who learn radio and then get a real job; and a handful of quality people who come in with big ideas and leave a few months later, disgusted with the lack of professionalism and hankering to earn a living.
In the end, though, you won't even get that. The volunteer idea is just too unwieldy and the administrative effort too difficult. I know. I've been there. Pacifica will relent. They'll hire board ops and they'll download nationally produced programs from Pacifica syndication to supplement the music programs and the handful of surviving local volunteer talk programs. That's what most of the Pacifica network is like today, and what most NPR stations are like as well.
KPFA, as we know it, will be gone.
Volunteerism barely worked in the 1970s, and it won't work today. Keep KPFA professional, keep the programs you love on the air, and keep local reportage alive. I urge you to vote the SaveKPFA.org slate because in the end, what you'll be saving will not only be what you listen to today and the important information you receive that comes from nowhere else, but the heights that KPFA can reach tomorrow. KPFA was under threat ten years ago and the community saved it, and it's under threat today. Vote the Save KPFA slate.
For more information and the names of candidates, go to SaveKPFA.org
Thanks for your time,
Richard Wolinsky
Producer/Host, Bookwaves on Cover to Cover
For more information:
http://bookwaves.homestead.com/subscribers...
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Hi Richard,
Hope you're well. It's so very busy on here .... :)
Just out of curiosity, where have you heard this business about an all-volunteer station. Apart from the Save KPFA carrying-on?
I'm just wondering because as a member of the much-demonized evil board majority, I've never heard such a thing in my life.
What I've heard is simply a call not to spend more money than KPFA has and to follow approved budgets, not ignore them and run a big deficit.
Lets look at the numbers:
KPFA's current payroll (after the spring layoffs) 1.2 million dollars a year
Does that sound like an all-volunteer station to you?
That's down from 1.4 million dollars at the end of 2009 and from a high of of 1.7 million dollars around 2002-2003.
Let's say that again. KPFA's payroll has been and still is over a million dollars a year for all of the last decade.
The facts are that you can't spend 4 million dollars when your revenues only total 3.4 million dollars.
That's what happened in 2008-2009.
If you keep doing that, then it isn't a question of an all-volunteer KPFA.
It's a question of no KPFA at all.
All I'm asking for as a board member is to bring expenses into line with revenues. Pronto
I can't imagine any board member or staff member who gives a damn about the place would want anything else.
So let's not get too carried away with election propaganda.
Boards have track records. Save KPFA - Concerned Listener's track record. Big deficit. Big problem.
All the spinning in the world doesn't make that go away.
Concerned Listeners - Save KPFA - all spin, all the time.
KPFA deserves better.
Vote Independents for Community Radio. http://www.voteindyradio.org.
It's the best choice if you care about KPFA.
Hope you're well. It's so very busy on here .... :)
Just out of curiosity, where have you heard this business about an all-volunteer station. Apart from the Save KPFA carrying-on?
I'm just wondering because as a member of the much-demonized evil board majority, I've never heard such a thing in my life.
What I've heard is simply a call not to spend more money than KPFA has and to follow approved budgets, not ignore them and run a big deficit.
Lets look at the numbers:
KPFA's current payroll (after the spring layoffs) 1.2 million dollars a year
Does that sound like an all-volunteer station to you?
That's down from 1.4 million dollars at the end of 2009 and from a high of of 1.7 million dollars around 2002-2003.
Let's say that again. KPFA's payroll has been and still is over a million dollars a year for all of the last decade.
The facts are that you can't spend 4 million dollars when your revenues only total 3.4 million dollars.
That's what happened in 2008-2009.
If you keep doing that, then it isn't a question of an all-volunteer KPFA.
It's a question of no KPFA at all.
All I'm asking for as a board member is to bring expenses into line with revenues. Pronto
I can't imagine any board member or staff member who gives a damn about the place would want anything else.
So let's not get too carried away with election propaganda.
Boards have track records. Save KPFA - Concerned Listener's track record. Big deficit. Big problem.
All the spinning in the world doesn't make that go away.
Concerned Listeners - Save KPFA - all spin, all the time.
KPFA deserves better.
Vote Independents for Community Radio. http://www.voteindyradio.org.
It's the best choice if you care about KPFA.
Richard Wolinsky, age 60 (approx) supports the Thug Hallinan Slate, which includes the thug millionaire 70-year-old Hallinan brothers and 65-year-old attorney Dan Siegel, all of whom engaged in actions threatening other people's lives. This is by definition criminal activity and Wolinsky does not seem to care about that. See the excellent site of Daniel Borgstrom,
http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/2010/08/siegel-youre-suing-me.html
and
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/08/17/18656285.php
Tracy Rosenberg's points are all excellent. In addition, there are other obvious issues:
1. The lack of a labor and socialist orientation at KPFA. This is what is meant by "lack of diversity" and "sounding like NPR." KPFA sounds like bourgeois Babbitt pabulum.
2. The 6 p.m. evening news sounds like a Democratic Party promotional and is filled with chewing of the cud long sections of drivel. We do not need to hear the latest Hitler in the White House over and over again to tell us what happened that day. The political base of the listeners to KPFA is Peace & Freedom Party and the Green Party, not the Democrats. No wonder KPFA cannot raise any money or attract any support.
3. The theft of listener money is completely ignored by the Thug Hallinan Gang, including allowing the Hallinan brothers' beauty queen girlfriend "manager" to not cash a large check but instead leave it in a drawer for a year until it expired and spending the reserve fund so the station now lives from fundraiser to fundraiser.
For alternatives, please consider the following,
The Voice for Justice for Radio slate:
Steve Zeltzer, Dr. Sureya Sayadi, Jaime Cader and Felipe Messina.
The Endorsers of the Voices for Justice Radio slate:
From: http://www.voicesforjusticeradio.org/endorsers.htm
Cindy Sheehan, Anti-war activist
Cynthia McKinney, Former Congresswoman
Gayle McLaughlin, Mayor of City of Richmond, California
Peace and Freedom Party California
Green Party of Contra Costa County Council
San Francisco Bayview Newspaper
Mary And Willie Radcliff, Publisher, San Francisco Bayview Newspaper
Gray Brechin, UCB Geography Department and Author "Imperial San Francisco"
Genoveva Calloway, Vice-Mayor, City of San Pablo
Jovanka Beckles, The Richmond Planning Commission
Education Not Incarceration, SF Chapter
Idriss Stelley Action and Resource Center (ISARC)
Trent Willis, Vice President ILWU Local 10
Clarence Thomas, Former ILWU Local 10 Secretary Treasurer
Francisco De Costa, Executive Director of Enviromental Justice Advocacy San Francisco
Roger Scott, Past President AFT 2121, Professor San Francisco City College
Bill Carpenter, Professor, San Francisco City College, Videographer
Todd Davies, Lecturer, Stanford University (endorsing Steve Zeltzer only)
Rick Hauptman, Chair, North Mission Neighborhood Alliance
Mary Ellen Churchill, Videographer and media activist
Lotus Fong, Community Activist
Philip Santos, Muscian, member of American Federation of Musicians
Ralph Schoenman, Co-Producer Taking Aim
Cynthia Servetnick, Member IFPTE Local 21, Save the Laguna Street Campus
Lisa Milos, UCSF CWA-UPTE Member
Mary Ann Ring, UCSF CUE 9 Delegate
Russ Miyashiro, ILWU Local 34 Assistant Dispatcher
Brad Wiedmaier, SEIU UHW, Architectural Historian, 113 Steuart St. Labor Center Project
Jemahl Ämen
Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai, Phyisican, Environmental Activist
Charles Smith, AFSCME 444 Chief Steward
Diane Brown, Member of United Teachers of Richmond, CTA/NEA and Progressive Teachers Caucus of Richmond
Riva Enteen, former Chair KPFA Local Station Board
JR Valery, Producer of the Black Report (endorsing Steve Zeltzer only)
Skip Charbonneau, member SEIU 1000
Regina Carey, Community Activist Marin County
Lynda Carson, Freelance journalist & tenant activist
Peter Philipps, Founder of Project Censored and Professor Sonoma State University
John Mifsud, Artistic Director of Diversity Productions
Anore Shaw, Green Party member
Organizations after the names are identification only
The ICR slate is:
Listener Category:
Stephen Astourian
Naeem Deskins
Georgia Frazier
Monadel Herzallah
Cynthia Johnson
Hyun-Mi Kim
Janet Kobren
Tracy Rosenberg
Gina Szeto
Kate Tanaka
Staff Category:
Shahram Aghamir
Gabrielle Wilson
Endorsers of the ICR slate are:
From http://voteindyradio.org/node/4
Endorsments of ICR candates so far
Community Members
Alan Benjamin
Delegate to SF Labor Council, Editor of "The Organizer
Anuradha Mittal
Executive Director of Oakland Institute; author of "America Needs Human Rights," co-author of "10 Reasons to Abolish the IMF & World Bank"
Attila Nagy
Community activist, former KPFA LSB member, former Program Council member
Barbara Lubin
Founder, Middle East Children's Alliance and Co-founder, Friends of Free Speech Radio
Beshara Doumani
Professor of History, UC Berkeley
Carol Brouillet
Green Party candidate, US House of Representatives
Carol Spooner
Lead Plaintiff - 1999 KPFA Listeners Lawsuit
Christine Ahn
Korean activist, fellow at *Korean Policy Institute and *Oakland Institute, policy analyst at *Global Fund for Women, columnist for *Foreign Policy In Focus.
Cindy Sheehan
Anti-war activist
Dan Berman
public-power organizer; author of "Who Owns the Sun?" and "Death on the Job"
Dave Welsh
Delegate, San Francisco Labor Council, and member, Haiti Action Committee
David Barsamian
host of "Alternative Radio;" prolific author
Fadi Saba
South Bay Mobilization
Green Party of Alameda County
Greta Berlin
Co-Founder, *Free Gaza Movement
Henry Norr
*San Francisco Chronicle, *International Solidarity Movement, Listener Rep on KPFA Board
James Vann
Co-Founder, Oakland Tenants Union
Karen Pickett
Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters
Oakland community activist, *Co-Founder, Oakland Tenants Union
Maria Gilardin
TUC Radio, Save KPFA
Malkia Cyril
Executive Director, *Center for Media Justice
Max J. Blanchet
Free Speech Radio News
Meshe Monge-Irizarry
Education Not Incarceration
Noelle Hanrahan
Producer, Prison Radio, Former KPFA LSB member
Nora Barrows-Friedman
Former Flashpoints co-host, writer and reporter
Peter Phillips Ph.D
Professor Sociology—Sonoma State University
President—Media Freedom Foundation/Project Censored
Per Fagerang
Radio Free Ireland, KBOO-FM
Peter Franck
Media Action Marin, Social Justice Center of Marin, former President of Pacifica Foundation, Legal advisor to Mario Savio and Free Speech Movement
Sam Husseini
Communications director at *Institute for Public Accuracy and long time Palestinian anti-war and media activist.
Samera Esmeir
Assistant Professor of Rhetoric, UC Berkeley
Vida Samiian
Professor of Linguistics, CSU-Fresno
KPFA Workers
Adrienne Lauby
Producer, Pushing Limits, KPFA-FM
Anthony Fest
KPFA Weekend News, KPFA Unpaid Staff Organization Council, Staff Rep on KPFA Board
Ann Garrison
Weekend News, KPFA-FM
Bonnie Faulkner
Producer, Guns and Butter, KPFA-Radio
Dennis Bernstein
Host and Producer, Flashpoints, KPFA-FM
Khalil Bendib
Political Cartoonist, Host, Voices of the Middle East and North Africa, KPFA-FM
Lisa Dettmer
Producer, Women's Magazine, KPFA-FM
Malihe Razazan
Your Call, *KALW-FM, Voices of the Middle East and North Africa, KPFA-FM
Preeti Mangla Shekar
*Global Fund for Women and Womens Magazine, KPFA-FM
Renee Yang Geesler
Co-director, First Voice Apprenticeship and Host, Apex Express, KPFA-FM
Robbie Osman
Across The Great Divide, KPFA-FM
Ruthanne Sphiner
KPFA News Reporter
* for identification purposes only
You can read all the candidate statements at:
http://pacificafoundation.org/cand_list.php?sta=kpfa
You can meet the candidates at the following forums or hear them on KPFA:
For transit info or carpool to any forum call 510.332.7181 or email les_kpfa [at] pacifica.org
Saturday, August 28th Ship Clerks ILWU Local 344 Berry Street - (corner of 2nd and King).San Francisco, 12-4pm parking behind building, Buses 30 and 45 run every 5 minutes on Third-Townsend-Fourth Streets, Bus 10, T and N trains, near Southern Pacific station.
Thursday Sept.9 Black Dot Cafe 924 Pine St., West Oakland 6:30-9pm Hosted by JR Ministry of Information from blockreportradio.org and Hardknock radio
Monday Sept. 13 First United Methodist Church San Rafael (basement) 9 Ross Valley Drive ( Greenfield and Ross Valley Dr.) just off the Miracle Mile (Fourth St.) across from Bedrock Music near Cafe Gratitude). Potluck at 6:15pm / Forum at 7:15pm Sponsored by: Marin Peace and Justice
Tuesday, Sept. 14 Berkeley Community Media Public Access TV2239 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley 5-7pm
Sunday, Sept. 19 Sonoma Peace and Justice Center 467 Sebastapol Ave, Santa Rosa 2-5pm
Monday, September 20th Richmond Public LibraryCommunity Room/patio325 Civic Center Plaza (at MacDonald ) Richmond lots of parking co-sponsored byRichmond Progressive Alliance 6:30-9pm
O N A I R F O R U M S:
First Round:
Tuesday, August 31st 2-4pm
Wednesday Sept. 1st 2-4pm
Thursday Sept 2nd 2-4pm
Second Round:
Friday Sept. 10th- 7-8pm
Saturday Sept.11: 9-12noon
Wednesday Sept. 15: 7-8pm
Thursday Sept. 16: 7-8pm
Third Round:
Monday Sept. 27th: 8-10pm
Tuesday Sept. 28th: 8-10pm
Wednesday Sept.29: 8-10pm
http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/2010/08/siegel-youre-suing-me.html
and
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/08/17/18656285.php
Tracy Rosenberg's points are all excellent. In addition, there are other obvious issues:
1. The lack of a labor and socialist orientation at KPFA. This is what is meant by "lack of diversity" and "sounding like NPR." KPFA sounds like bourgeois Babbitt pabulum.
2. The 6 p.m. evening news sounds like a Democratic Party promotional and is filled with chewing of the cud long sections of drivel. We do not need to hear the latest Hitler in the White House over and over again to tell us what happened that day. The political base of the listeners to KPFA is Peace & Freedom Party and the Green Party, not the Democrats. No wonder KPFA cannot raise any money or attract any support.
3. The theft of listener money is completely ignored by the Thug Hallinan Gang, including allowing the Hallinan brothers' beauty queen girlfriend "manager" to not cash a large check but instead leave it in a drawer for a year until it expired and spending the reserve fund so the station now lives from fundraiser to fundraiser.
For alternatives, please consider the following,
The Voice for Justice for Radio slate:
Steve Zeltzer, Dr. Sureya Sayadi, Jaime Cader and Felipe Messina.
The Endorsers of the Voices for Justice Radio slate:
From: http://www.voicesforjusticeradio.org/endorsers.htm
Cindy Sheehan, Anti-war activist
Cynthia McKinney, Former Congresswoman
Gayle McLaughlin, Mayor of City of Richmond, California
Peace and Freedom Party California
Green Party of Contra Costa County Council
San Francisco Bayview Newspaper
Mary And Willie Radcliff, Publisher, San Francisco Bayview Newspaper
Gray Brechin, UCB Geography Department and Author "Imperial San Francisco"
Genoveva Calloway, Vice-Mayor, City of San Pablo
Jovanka Beckles, The Richmond Planning Commission
Education Not Incarceration, SF Chapter
Idriss Stelley Action and Resource Center (ISARC)
Trent Willis, Vice President ILWU Local 10
Clarence Thomas, Former ILWU Local 10 Secretary Treasurer
Francisco De Costa, Executive Director of Enviromental Justice Advocacy San Francisco
Roger Scott, Past President AFT 2121, Professor San Francisco City College
Bill Carpenter, Professor, San Francisco City College, Videographer
Todd Davies, Lecturer, Stanford University (endorsing Steve Zeltzer only)
Rick Hauptman, Chair, North Mission Neighborhood Alliance
Mary Ellen Churchill, Videographer and media activist
Lotus Fong, Community Activist
Philip Santos, Muscian, member of American Federation of Musicians
Ralph Schoenman, Co-Producer Taking Aim
Cynthia Servetnick, Member IFPTE Local 21, Save the Laguna Street Campus
Lisa Milos, UCSF CWA-UPTE Member
Mary Ann Ring, UCSF CUE 9 Delegate
Russ Miyashiro, ILWU Local 34 Assistant Dispatcher
Brad Wiedmaier, SEIU UHW, Architectural Historian, 113 Steuart St. Labor Center Project
Jemahl Ämen
Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai, Phyisican, Environmental Activist
Charles Smith, AFSCME 444 Chief Steward
Diane Brown, Member of United Teachers of Richmond, CTA/NEA and Progressive Teachers Caucus of Richmond
Riva Enteen, former Chair KPFA Local Station Board
JR Valery, Producer of the Black Report (endorsing Steve Zeltzer only)
Skip Charbonneau, member SEIU 1000
Regina Carey, Community Activist Marin County
Lynda Carson, Freelance journalist & tenant activist
Peter Philipps, Founder of Project Censored and Professor Sonoma State University
John Mifsud, Artistic Director of Diversity Productions
Anore Shaw, Green Party member
Organizations after the names are identification only
The ICR slate is:
Listener Category:
Stephen Astourian
Naeem Deskins
Georgia Frazier
Monadel Herzallah
Cynthia Johnson
Hyun-Mi Kim
Janet Kobren
Tracy Rosenberg
Gina Szeto
Kate Tanaka
Staff Category:
Shahram Aghamir
Gabrielle Wilson
Endorsers of the ICR slate are:
From http://voteindyradio.org/node/4
Endorsments of ICR candates so far
Community Members
Alan Benjamin
Delegate to SF Labor Council, Editor of "The Organizer
Anuradha Mittal
Executive Director of Oakland Institute; author of "America Needs Human Rights," co-author of "10 Reasons to Abolish the IMF & World Bank"
Attila Nagy
Community activist, former KPFA LSB member, former Program Council member
Barbara Lubin
Founder, Middle East Children's Alliance and Co-founder, Friends of Free Speech Radio
Beshara Doumani
Professor of History, UC Berkeley
Carol Brouillet
Green Party candidate, US House of Representatives
Carol Spooner
Lead Plaintiff - 1999 KPFA Listeners Lawsuit
Christine Ahn
Korean activist, fellow at *Korean Policy Institute and *Oakland Institute, policy analyst at *Global Fund for Women, columnist for *Foreign Policy In Focus.
Cindy Sheehan
Anti-war activist
Dan Berman
public-power organizer; author of "Who Owns the Sun?" and "Death on the Job"
Dave Welsh
Delegate, San Francisco Labor Council, and member, Haiti Action Committee
David Barsamian
host of "Alternative Radio;" prolific author
Fadi Saba
South Bay Mobilization
Green Party of Alameda County
Greta Berlin
Co-Founder, *Free Gaza Movement
Henry Norr
*San Francisco Chronicle, *International Solidarity Movement, Listener Rep on KPFA Board
James Vann
Co-Founder, Oakland Tenants Union
Karen Pickett
Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters
Oakland community activist, *Co-Founder, Oakland Tenants Union
Maria Gilardin
TUC Radio, Save KPFA
Malkia Cyril
Executive Director, *Center for Media Justice
Max J. Blanchet
Free Speech Radio News
Meshe Monge-Irizarry
Education Not Incarceration
Noelle Hanrahan
Producer, Prison Radio, Former KPFA LSB member
Nora Barrows-Friedman
Former Flashpoints co-host, writer and reporter
Peter Phillips Ph.D
Professor Sociology—Sonoma State University
President—Media Freedom Foundation/Project Censored
Per Fagerang
Radio Free Ireland, KBOO-FM
Peter Franck
Media Action Marin, Social Justice Center of Marin, former President of Pacifica Foundation, Legal advisor to Mario Savio and Free Speech Movement
Sam Husseini
Communications director at *Institute for Public Accuracy and long time Palestinian anti-war and media activist.
Samera Esmeir
Assistant Professor of Rhetoric, UC Berkeley
Vida Samiian
Professor of Linguistics, CSU-Fresno
KPFA Workers
Adrienne Lauby
Producer, Pushing Limits, KPFA-FM
Anthony Fest
KPFA Weekend News, KPFA Unpaid Staff Organization Council, Staff Rep on KPFA Board
Ann Garrison
Weekend News, KPFA-FM
Bonnie Faulkner
Producer, Guns and Butter, KPFA-Radio
Dennis Bernstein
Host and Producer, Flashpoints, KPFA-FM
Khalil Bendib
Political Cartoonist, Host, Voices of the Middle East and North Africa, KPFA-FM
Lisa Dettmer
Producer, Women's Magazine, KPFA-FM
Malihe Razazan
Your Call, *KALW-FM, Voices of the Middle East and North Africa, KPFA-FM
Preeti Mangla Shekar
*Global Fund for Women and Womens Magazine, KPFA-FM
Renee Yang Geesler
Co-director, First Voice Apprenticeship and Host, Apex Express, KPFA-FM
Robbie Osman
Across The Great Divide, KPFA-FM
Ruthanne Sphiner
KPFA News Reporter
* for identification purposes only
You can read all the candidate statements at:
http://pacificafoundation.org/cand_list.php?sta=kpfa
You can meet the candidates at the following forums or hear them on KPFA:
For transit info or carpool to any forum call 510.332.7181 or email les_kpfa [at] pacifica.org
Saturday, August 28th Ship Clerks ILWU Local 344 Berry Street - (corner of 2nd and King).San Francisco, 12-4pm parking behind building, Buses 30 and 45 run every 5 minutes on Third-Townsend-Fourth Streets, Bus 10, T and N trains, near Southern Pacific station.
Thursday Sept.9 Black Dot Cafe 924 Pine St., West Oakland 6:30-9pm Hosted by JR Ministry of Information from blockreportradio.org and Hardknock radio
Monday Sept. 13 First United Methodist Church San Rafael (basement) 9 Ross Valley Drive ( Greenfield and Ross Valley Dr.) just off the Miracle Mile (Fourth St.) across from Bedrock Music near Cafe Gratitude). Potluck at 6:15pm / Forum at 7:15pm Sponsored by: Marin Peace and Justice
Tuesday, Sept. 14 Berkeley Community Media Public Access TV2239 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley 5-7pm
Sunday, Sept. 19 Sonoma Peace and Justice Center 467 Sebastapol Ave, Santa Rosa 2-5pm
Monday, September 20th Richmond Public LibraryCommunity Room/patio325 Civic Center Plaza (at MacDonald ) Richmond lots of parking co-sponsored byRichmond Progressive Alliance 6:30-9pm
O N A I R F O R U M S:
First Round:
Tuesday, August 31st 2-4pm
Wednesday Sept. 1st 2-4pm
Thursday Sept 2nd 2-4pm
Second Round:
Friday Sept. 10th- 7-8pm
Saturday Sept.11: 9-12noon
Wednesday Sept. 15: 7-8pm
Thursday Sept. 16: 7-8pm
Third Round:
Monday Sept. 27th: 8-10pm
Tuesday Sept. 28th: 8-10pm
Wednesday Sept.29: 8-10pm
The Peace and Freedom party also endorsed Cynthina Johnston and Kate Tanaka of the Indy slate .
Tracey Rosenberg asks not to be carried away with election propaganda. Yet she starts her reply with "what are you smoking?", An anonymous person repeatedly calls some candidates "thugs" and agrees with Tracy's points. I read a flyer of platform points from the Steve Zeltzer et al group and some were admirably, but if calling their opponents "thugs" and "beauty queens" is the approach they take to campaigning, I want nothing to do with them.
I think these responses are a prime example of a huge problem with politics and elections at KPFA. You can't move a station forward when people attack each other like this, regardless of platforms.
I think these responses are a prime example of a huge problem with politics and elections at KPFA. You can't move a station forward when people attack each other like this, regardless of platforms.
>>I think these responses are a prime example of a huge problem with politics and elections at KPFA. You can't move a station forward when people attack each other like this, regardless of platforms.
People are angry and they have good reason.
The problem is not with those who are complaining and how they are complaining.
What are most crimes committed for?
Money.
What do most marriages break up over?
Money.
Whether or not a 1970s agenda would work now is not the issue and is a strawman to attempt to make it the issue. The article is claiming to know it all. It doesn't. Radio stations, like everything else, evolve and change and grow. People change, agendas change. And yes, there's a LOT more money flowing around this resource now so . . .
It's not rocket science to understand.
People are angry and they have good reason.
The problem is not with those who are complaining and how they are complaining.
What are most crimes committed for?
Money.
What do most marriages break up over?
Money.
Whether or not a 1970s agenda would work now is not the issue and is a strawman to attempt to make it the issue. The article is claiming to know it all. It doesn't. Radio stations, like everything else, evolve and change and grow. People change, agendas change. And yes, there's a LOT more money flowing around this resource now so . . .
It's not rocket science to understand.
Sorry for the levity :)
I thought it was a fairly commonly understood expression to imply "I don't know what on earth you are talking about".
I don't think that is exactly an "attack", although it is certainly an expression of disbelief regarding what the original poster is saying.
It's possible that I (like probably everyone else being dragged through these threads by name) am feeling a little thin-skinned. So many accusations. I can't even keep track any more of what they all are. Advocating for an all-volunteer station? Nope. Didn't do that.
I thought it was a fairly commonly understood expression to imply "I don't know what on earth you are talking about".
I don't think that is exactly an "attack", although it is certainly an expression of disbelief regarding what the original poster is saying.
It's possible that I (like probably everyone else being dragged through these threads by name) am feeling a little thin-skinned. So many accusations. I can't even keep track any more of what they all are. Advocating for an all-volunteer station? Nope. Didn't do that.
Of the 27 candidates, there might one or two who want an "All-Volunteer KPFA." But most do not. It's a NON-issue. A straw-man. Why don't CL'ers talk about real issues? There are plenty. The station finances, among others.
Okay, rudeness might be one. I think it was seriously rude of the CL'ers to take the name of another group, "Save KPFA," without permission. Folks of the original Save KPFA fought the good fight for listener democracy for many years in the 1990's, starting in 1993. "Save KPFA" is their name; they have earned it, and they have asked the CL'ers to immediately stop using it. Their wish should be respected. So far, it's been ignored, the CL'ers are still calling themselves "Save KPFA."
And speaking of over-the-top rudeness, I was at the March LSB meeting where the former chair, a CL'er, advanced on the new chair. It was scary, downright scary. I wrote an article, it's at
http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/2010/03/intimidation-between-minutes.html
Also at that same meeting, another CL'er tried to pick a fight. So I wrote a second article.
http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/2010/08/siegel-youre-suing-me.html
Maybe rudeness is too mild a word. Others are using more pejorative terms.
But it's not the CL'ers' bad manners that disturbs me most. My biggest problem with the CL'ers is that I don't think they're quite in touch with financial reality; so I fear that if they win this election and get back in full control of the station, they'll crash it.
Just a suggestion. Those who want KPFA to survive can be identified by their willingness to discuss issues, and to accept the fact that we on the left have plenty of very powerful enemies, and do not have the support of the vast majority of the population. Hence it behoves us to do our best to maintain our unity, even if we have differences of opinion. So we have a choice; we can discuss issues, calmly, factually, and with a view to solving problems and strengthening KPFA, or we can discuss personalities, making attacks on people as thugs, beauty queens, etc. If you think it strengthens your arguments to call people names, I would only suggest that maybe it would be best for everyone if you sat down and cooled down for a while. You are not the person we need right now.
One other thing to look for. Those who use KPFA's airways to attack the station, its staff, or its supporters really should be removed from the air. That is not what we pay for the station for, its not what we want the station to do, and its a great way to drive away listeners. And of course it is not very brave, when you know the people you are dumping on wouldn't dream of taking the airwaves to fight back, because they actually want to save the station, and not destroy it.
Was it David Hilliard who once said, "Ain't much difference between a pig and a fool"? Act in such a way it is easy to determine which side you are on. We know how the enemy works.
One other thing to look for. Those who use KPFA's airways to attack the station, its staff, or its supporters really should be removed from the air. That is not what we pay for the station for, its not what we want the station to do, and its a great way to drive away listeners. And of course it is not very brave, when you know the people you are dumping on wouldn't dream of taking the airwaves to fight back, because they actually want to save the station, and not destroy it.
Was it David Hilliard who once said, "Ain't much difference between a pig and a fool"? Act in such a way it is easy to determine which side you are on. We know how the enemy works.
I don't think anyone is fooled here by the command and control overtones.
"We" say who is the serious left - and who is not. "We" say who is radical and who is a fringe wingnut. "We" do not accept criticism Period. If you do not go nicely away, we will accuse you of trying to destroy "our" left. "We" know what is best for the rabble, far more than they do, and exactly how to replace right wing politicians with slightly less right wing politcians, which is the great challenge of our time. "We" are the established left. KPFA belongs to us. "We" have powerful enemies and therefore you all must stay in line and never. ever question us. "We" are the professionals. "We" know democracy is a sham because it doesn't always allow us to dominate everything.
Yeah, the old guard left was a big success. Only at KPFA. Everyone else gave up on this crap years ago. Its community radio. Not commie radio.
"We" say who is the serious left - and who is not. "We" say who is radical and who is a fringe wingnut. "We" do not accept criticism Period. If you do not go nicely away, we will accuse you of trying to destroy "our" left. "We" know what is best for the rabble, far more than they do, and exactly how to replace right wing politicians with slightly less right wing politcians, which is the great challenge of our time. "We" are the established left. KPFA belongs to us. "We" have powerful enemies and therefore you all must stay in line and never. ever question us. "We" are the professionals. "We" know democracy is a sham because it doesn't always allow us to dominate everything.
Yeah, the old guard left was a big success. Only at KPFA. Everyone else gave up on this crap years ago. Its community radio. Not commie radio.
Excellent post, thanks.
ditto that the straw-man of an all-volunteer staff is being used to avoid issues. I don't know of anyone who is calling for that.
From Radey's comment:
Hence it behoves us to do our best to maintain our unity, even if we have differences of opinion.
And a bunch of of stuff about being rude. But how rude was he and inflammatory here but more in the posting he made calling Robbie Osman's extremely polite "giving benefit of doubt" article "dishonest. READ the Osman letter! Is that not the kind of tone we want to set?
http://www.robbie.org
Read that and then read "Honest Jack's" public "response" and tell me who is dishonest and who is rude? Yes, I hate that "thug Halinan" tone too by one commenter here. It probably helps those who engage in the bullying behavior more than enlightening people about it, especially when most people only see master adult rhetoriticians and publishers of needed middle east history. But just because one person uses name-calling anonymously doesn't mean others who oppose the Hallinans at KPFA behave that way. This is addressed in the Osman article as well now that I think of it...
From Radey's comment:
Hence it behoves us to do our best to maintain our unity, even if we have differences of opinion.
And a bunch of of stuff about being rude. But how rude was he and inflammatory here but more in the posting he made calling Robbie Osman's extremely polite "giving benefit of doubt" article "dishonest. READ the Osman letter! Is that not the kind of tone we want to set?
http://www.robbie.org
Read that and then read "Honest Jack's" public "response" and tell me who is dishonest and who is rude? Yes, I hate that "thug Halinan" tone too by one commenter here. It probably helps those who engage in the bullying behavior more than enlightening people about it, especially when most people only see master adult rhetoriticians and publishers of needed middle east history. But just because one person uses name-calling anonymously doesn't mean others who oppose the Hallinans at KPFA behave that way. This is addressed in the Osman article as well now that I think of it...
There are so many straw men (or straw persons) in the pro-KPFA 'Forward/Concerned Listeners/Save KPFA (from the Left)' screeds that they constitute a genuine fire hazard.
As for advocating an all-volunteer KPFA, I probably come closest to it of all the candidates, and I'm not supported by ANY slate. But even I will grant the need for at least a core of paid staff to keep the physical plant, etc., operating reliably. And I would argue for modest stipends to cover expenses, including things like travel and child care, for volunteers who can't afford to cover such expenses themselves.
What we don't need is paid staff making programming decisions, especially when they have a personal stake in those decisions. I would argue that programmers, paid and unpaid, should only have an advisory role in deciding who gets airtime and when.
By the way, I remember KPFA from before the hard-core(*) Democratic Party hijackers began their campaign to "professionalize" KPFA and Pacifica around 20 years ago, culminating in the massive purges of 1995 -- purges NOT opposed by the bulk of the paid staff and supporters of the present 'Save KPFA'. It was a far more interesting station back then.
By the way, I'm curious to know what Richard Wolinsky means by 'sectarian politics'. I doubt that he is referring to the fact that, even in its better days, it was hard for leftist opponents of the Democratic Party to be heard on KPFA, especially when elections were coming up.
* Now we have the 'soft-core' 'Progressive' Democratic Party hijackers to contend with.
As for advocating an all-volunteer KPFA, I probably come closest to it of all the candidates, and I'm not supported by ANY slate. But even I will grant the need for at least a core of paid staff to keep the physical plant, etc., operating reliably. And I would argue for modest stipends to cover expenses, including things like travel and child care, for volunteers who can't afford to cover such expenses themselves.
What we don't need is paid staff making programming decisions, especially when they have a personal stake in those decisions. I would argue that programmers, paid and unpaid, should only have an advisory role in deciding who gets airtime and when.
By the way, I remember KPFA from before the hard-core(*) Democratic Party hijackers began their campaign to "professionalize" KPFA and Pacifica around 20 years ago, culminating in the massive purges of 1995 -- purges NOT opposed by the bulk of the paid staff and supporters of the present 'Save KPFA'. It was a far more interesting station back then.
By the way, I'm curious to know what Richard Wolinsky means by 'sectarian politics'. I doubt that he is referring to the fact that, even in its better days, it was hard for leftist opponents of the Democratic Party to be heard on KPFA, especially when elections were coming up.
* Now we have the 'soft-core' 'Progressive' Democratic Party hijackers to contend with.
'SaveKPFA.org' is a very useful site. Just go there for a quick list of all the candidates NOT to vote for. That's far more important than the order in which you rank the OTHER candidates, although I do want people to vote for me first as a way of making a statement 'for an anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist KPFA'. (When I'm eliminated, your vote will then be transferred to the next candidate in your ranking who hasn't already been elected without using up your vote.)
I'm an unpaid staffer at KPFA and I have to agree with Richard. The paid staff are incredibly important at KPFA, and acknowledging that does not detract from the importance -- politically and practically -- of the unpaid staff. We all make the station what it is. There is way more unity among the staff than what these few listener "regulars" (who seem to be the same people commenting on every thread here) want you to believe so you'll support their slates.
Richard clearly isn't talking about having *no* paid staff -- he says right at the beginning of his piece that back during the time he is referencing, there was a small paid staff but the station was *mostly* volunteer-run. What he is talking about is the strategy of undermining the paid staff by using unpaid staff as an ideological wedge to cut jobs.
We don't want to be a wedge. We also don't want to go crazy running a major radio station without paid staff colleagues. And we don't want the degradation of quality that that would cause, and the decline into irrelevance.
That's why most of us are supporting the sane, thoughtful candidates at http://www.savekpfa.org ...
Richard clearly isn't talking about having *no* paid staff -- he says right at the beginning of his piece that back during the time he is referencing, there was a small paid staff but the station was *mostly* volunteer-run. What he is talking about is the strategy of undermining the paid staff by using unpaid staff as an ideological wedge to cut jobs.
We don't want to be a wedge. We also don't want to go crazy running a major radio station without paid staff colleagues. And we don't want the degradation of quality that that would cause, and the decline into irrelevance.
That's why most of us are supporting the sane, thoughtful candidates at http://www.savekpfa.org ...
Why should we believe that this anonymous poster's opinions represent that of most unpaid staff? In the last LSB election (in late 2009) opposition candidates (supported by Independents for Community Radio and People's Radio) won two of the three staff representative positions, as they apparently did in the previous election in 2007.
By the way, I doubt that there is any general agreement among ICR and other Left candidates about how many paid staffers there should be, except that I think all would agree that there shouldn't be more paid staff than the station can afford to pay without eating up its reserves, and that paid staff should not be a jobs program for friends of management and entrenched staff.
By the way, I doubt that there is any general agreement among ICR and other Left candidates about how many paid staffers there should be, except that I think all would agree that there shouldn't be more paid staff than the station can afford to pay without eating up its reserves, and that paid staff should not be a jobs program for friends of management and entrenched staff.
I wrote above, "There are so many straw men (or straw persons) in the pro-KPFA 'Forward/Concerned Listeners/Save KPFA (from the Left)' screeds that they constitute a genuine fire hazard."
It has been pointed out to me that their straw men are NOT a fire hazard because they are ALL WET. (;->)
It has been pointed out to me that their straw men are NOT a fire hazard because they are ALL WET. (;->)
The KPFA staff vote consistently for Independents for Community Radio-affiliated staff candidates. I wouldn't confuse the pressure to endorse the senior-staff-allied slate publicly with the way the majority of the staff votes when no one is watching. It's not the same.
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