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KPFA's Professional Journalists Are At It Again - More On-Air Shenanigans
The On-Air Jobs Preservation Program Strikes Again. More Garbage on the Evening "News"
This evening's KPFA News featured a "report" by Aileen Alfandary (interviewing Phillip Maldari) where the two sacrificed precious on-air news time to campaign for their unsustainable KPFA worker budget. Pillorying executive director Arlene Engelhardt for the perfectly reasonable statement that losing a million dollars in 24 months is "untenable", the two proceeded to merrily spew misinformation over 59,000 watts, sacrificing truth, integrity and basic ethics to the relentless campaign to preserve a 38-person headcount at the community radio station that posted a 500K deficit in the last 12 months.
Made-up Story #1 - The Pacifica Foundation won't pay KPFA rent for their office space at 1925 Berkeley Way
The Pacifica Foundation owns the building, legally. They aren't tenants. The office space isn't up to code and requires at least a $30,000 structural investment to be rentable to anybody due to some structural issues. It sat vacant for several years before Pacifica moved in in 2000. The liability insurance probably wouldn't cover it for a commercial rental.
Made-up Story #2 - If the Pacifica Foundation canceled iin-person meetings, KPFA would save $110,000.
The figure for all 4 board meetings is around $80,000 - divided among 5 stations. That is to do the business of a foundation with 15 million dollars in annual revenues. KPFA's savings from such a cancellation would be about $16,000 or about 1/3 of a job. If you add in teleconferencing costs, less than that.
Made-up Story #3 - KPFA wants to spread out the payment of the central service fees it couldn't pay last year because it went broke.
That's like taking out a new credit card to pay up the old one because the limit is used up. Doesn't solve the problem of having more expenses than revenue. Central fees pay for Democracy Now (which generates 300K in pledges annually), Free speech radio news (which provided no less than 27 minutes of the content to tonight's evening news program), the annual financial audit which is required for CPB monies, annual 990 form and a plethora of other services which KPFA is ill-equipped and unable to perform for itself. It also owns the license for broadcast.
All of these proposals together add up to about $100,000.
Say it very slowly - the operating deficit last year was more than $500,000.
"Untenable" was putting it nicely.
Enough with the on-air tantrums.
Made-up Story #1 - The Pacifica Foundation won't pay KPFA rent for their office space at 1925 Berkeley Way
The Pacifica Foundation owns the building, legally. They aren't tenants. The office space isn't up to code and requires at least a $30,000 structural investment to be rentable to anybody due to some structural issues. It sat vacant for several years before Pacifica moved in in 2000. The liability insurance probably wouldn't cover it for a commercial rental.
Made-up Story #2 - If the Pacifica Foundation canceled iin-person meetings, KPFA would save $110,000.
The figure for all 4 board meetings is around $80,000 - divided among 5 stations. That is to do the business of a foundation with 15 million dollars in annual revenues. KPFA's savings from such a cancellation would be about $16,000 or about 1/3 of a job. If you add in teleconferencing costs, less than that.
Made-up Story #3 - KPFA wants to spread out the payment of the central service fees it couldn't pay last year because it went broke.
That's like taking out a new credit card to pay up the old one because the limit is used up. Doesn't solve the problem of having more expenses than revenue. Central fees pay for Democracy Now (which generates 300K in pledges annually), Free speech radio news (which provided no less than 27 minutes of the content to tonight's evening news program), the annual financial audit which is required for CPB monies, annual 990 form and a plethora of other services which KPFA is ill-equipped and unable to perform for itself. It also owns the license for broadcast.
All of these proposals together add up to about $100,000.
Say it very slowly - the operating deficit last year was more than $500,000.
"Untenable" was putting it nicely.
Enough with the on-air tantrums.
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In the 70's, Margaret Thatcher justified her austerity measures by telling the British "There Is No Alternative." Looks like ICR is taking a page right out of the Tory handbook inre: Fiscal 2011 Budget.
Kind of disgusting.
Kind of disgusting.
England can print more money when it runs out. KPFA can't.
That was an insulting contrived "interview" with mumbling, muffled Maldari and Aflandarry. For lying on our air waves, they both should be laid off. Meanwhile, my Sept 29 pledge redemption via check in US mail has not been deposited. All my other mailed checks have been deposited. It is now Oct 21. Are Maldari & Alfandarry holding onto the checks so they can whine poverty? The whole stinking gang cannot be forgiven for causing good people to leave. We, the listeners, want all of them to leave, yesterday.
I figured historical analogies were accepted as a currency of the realm here...something in another thread about the SK budget being guided by a "let them eat cake" disposition.
The ICR budget proposals reek of a "shock doctrine" ethos, conveniently justified by a Union agreement that is unavailable to the public. To call the SK plan maintenance of the status quo is to disregard the fact that it keeps the lights for Guns and Butter, Women's Radio, Voices of The Middle East and North Africa, et al shows that are volunteer produced as well as Flashpoints; I find this report of a 'secret meeting' to be a canard in the same spirit of the Union agreement.
This finger-wagging at a 20 October news item regarding budget negotiations is rather asemetrical apropos Dennis Bernstein's routine during fund drives, where he frequently asserts that forces within KPFA wish to pull Flashpoints off the air, suspects people of calling in to block potential donors, and during one such accusation blurted "teacup," which fans of this site will of course know is a bit of immaturity aimed at Brian Edwards-Tiekert. I would hazard that this violates policies against on-air politicking as much as anything that SK-allied individuals have done.
The ICR budget proposals reek of a "shock doctrine" ethos, conveniently justified by a Union agreement that is unavailable to the public. To call the SK plan maintenance of the status quo is to disregard the fact that it keeps the lights for Guns and Butter, Women's Radio, Voices of The Middle East and North Africa, et al shows that are volunteer produced as well as Flashpoints; I find this report of a 'secret meeting' to be a canard in the same spirit of the Union agreement.
This finger-wagging at a 20 October news item regarding budget negotiations is rather asemetrical apropos Dennis Bernstein's routine during fund drives, where he frequently asserts that forces within KPFA wish to pull Flashpoints off the air, suspects people of calling in to block potential donors, and during one such accusation blurted "teacup," which fans of this site will of course know is a bit of immaturity aimed at Brian Edwards-Tiekert. I would hazard that this violates policies against on-air politicking as much as anything that SK-allied individuals have done.
Here it is:
http://www.cwa9415.org/web/documents/Contracts/kpfa2006-2009.pdf
They need to post the recently renegotiated one, but its not materially different. Layoff clause is identical and salaries are the same. It's posted here as well:
http://www.kpfa.org/staff
http://www.cwa9415.org/web/documents/Contracts/kpfa2006-2009.pdf
They need to post the recently renegotiated one, but its not materially different. Layoff clause is identical and salaries are the same. It's posted here as well:
http://www.kpfa.org/staff
Well, if KPFA wont do it, lets get Berkeley Liberation Radio (BLR).
You know, I am constantly reading articles on Indybay regarding KPFA, but never see anything about BLR. Why?
It's no wonder that their listenership is so low. Pirate radio is actually grounded in the community, but when the community snubs it's nose and ignores it, entailing it's continuation is put on the backs of a miniscule, handful of people-- who, although, fortunately are some extremely dedicated, spirited activists-- it's likely a project that could crash at any point, and probably, eventually will soon. But the community to which they reach out could care less.
When BLR started, the FCC lashed out and nearly crushed it. It''s amazing the repression didn't altogether succeed, given that so many of those professing to be radicals, were too busy content with KPFA. That's because KPFA is already established, and most of the listeners like the fact that they don't really have to do anything-- they can feel good that they give some money once in awhile.
You know, I am constantly reading articles on Indybay regarding KPFA, but never see anything about BLR. Why?
It's no wonder that their listenership is so low. Pirate radio is actually grounded in the community, but when the community snubs it's nose and ignores it, entailing it's continuation is put on the backs of a miniscule, handful of people-- who, although, fortunately are some extremely dedicated, spirited activists-- it's likely a project that could crash at any point, and probably, eventually will soon. But the community to which they reach out could care less.
When BLR started, the FCC lashed out and nearly crushed it. It''s amazing the repression didn't altogether succeed, given that so many of those professing to be radicals, were too busy content with KPFA. That's because KPFA is already established, and most of the listeners like the fact that they don't really have to do anything-- they can feel good that they give some money once in awhile.
Woops, my comment called "Invisible potential" was intended for the post, "Make KPFA "Free Speech Radio"- Cover The Oscar Grant Rally For Justice Live On October 23", which is why I wrote "Well, if KPFA wont do it, lets get Berkeley Liberation Radio (BLR)." But the rest of the comment is still just as relevant here as well.
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