Vote for Pacifica Mission Coalition Candidates at KPFK

Vote for Pacifica Mission Coalition Candidates at KPFK

https://change-links.org/vote-for-pacifica-mission-coalition-candidates-at-kpfk/
https://www.pacificamissioncoalition.com

In the face of ongoing war and genocide in Palestine, Lebanon and Iran, and threats against freedom of speech and the press in the US at large and within Pacifica radio itself, Change Links is endorsing the Pacifica Mission Coalition slate of national and local candidates for the boards at Pacifica and its five radio stations, including KPFK here in Los Angeles.

The Pacifica Mission Coalition national PNB candidates are:

Dr. Julianne Malveaux, an educator, author, columnist and broadcaster, for Pacifica National Board (PNB) chair

Perri (Mama PK) McCary, a former chair of the KPFT Community Advisory board, and a mediator, journalist, community engagement strategist, and peacebuilder, for PNB vice-chair

Donna Carter, a nurse and labor activist, member of the KPFA local board and the PNB, for PNB secretary

Kamau Harris, an accountant, current chair and former treasurer of the WPFW LSB in DC, for PNB treasurer

Ninel Centeno, a Spanish language programmer at KPFK, and Sally Gellert, an environmental broadcaster at WBAI in NY, are the candidates for the two staff seats on the PNB. (Only staff members may vote for them.)

Listeners at each station also get to elect one director on the PNB. For KPFK, that candidate is Michael Novick (of Change Links), former LSB chair and treasurer, and interim unpaid KPFK General Manager from Sept. 2022 through Nov. 2024.

The non-profit foundation and its non-commercial educational radio stations in NY, DC, Houston, LA and Berkeley, are a unique democratic media platform whose listeners and staff members elect people to the governance, and is more needed than ever as commercial media self-censor and face repression, and journalists are under attack.

However, last year, the Pacifica Bylaws were changed without member approval, and the new Bylaws, and the election taking place under them, eliminate the governance role by elected local station boards, and are centralizing power in a winner-take-all national board. This is a step backward that must be reversed so that Pacifica and KPFK can rebuild its impact and fulfill its mission.

Critics say the concentration of governance and management at the national level is aimed at similarly nationalizing and homogenizing the programming. This would mean abandoning the eclectic mix of local news, public affairs, arts, music, literature and other cultural expression oriented towards the distinct communities each station serves. It is already reflected in the elimination of more radical voices and the substitution of syndicated programming and incessant repeats to fill airtime.

Opposing that transformation is a coalition of listeners, programmers and other paid and (mostly) unpaid staff from all five stations, the Pacifica Mission Coalition. The coalition defends democracy, diversity, equity and inclusivity, reinforces Pacifica’s identity as an anti-war medium committed to social, economic and racial justice, as well as emphasizing the need for financial transparency and local oversight of management and finances at each station, as was previously the case.

By the time you read this, the deadline for joining as a member, June 30, will have passed, but because of major difficulties and errors with the process, nominations have been extended until July 11. Look for an email or text message from Pacifica Foundation Inc via electionbuddy.com with “Pacifica Nominations” in the subject line to find your unique individual link to the nominations website. Nominations are still needed to get the Pacifica Mission Coalition candidates on the ballot. Ballots in the election will go out to members on August 15, with 45 days to vote.

The changes that have occurred during and since Novick’s stint as unpaid General Manager are istructive. He refreshed the programming, bringing in younger hosts and production interns, reviving local news, disability rights, literary arts, orchestral music, and prison programs, and cutting edge shows from Health Care 4 Us, Stop LAPD Spying, the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, and Indigenous activists, as well as programs like Revolucion Arcoiris, the first Spanish language LGBTQ radio show in the US, and specials like the 24-hour Radio Free Palestine international marathon during the height of US-financed genocidal attacks on Palestinians and the targeted killing of Palestinian journalists. Pacifica Mission Coalition supporters point to this type of community-oriented program as the direction Pacifica needs to move in to restore its impact and rebuild its impact in the era of social media dominated by fascist tech broligarchs and attacks on freedom of speech and the press. But since, the station has dropped or reduced such programming in favor of material from KPFA, nationally syndicated programs, and repeats.

Local Station Board Candidates at KPFK

Locally, the LSB has been stripped of all governance powers under the replacement Bylaws, losing the authority to review the station’s budget or to recommend or evaluate the General Manager and Program Director.

However local media democracy activists aligned with the national coalition are putting forward a slate for the LSB officers and two staff representatives.
Jack Neff, an environmentalist and solidarity activist for Indigenous sovereignty, is running for LSB chair,
Rick Cooper, former founder of KMUD, for vice chair,
Doug Barnett, a peace activist and former Hollywood tech worker, is running for LSB secretary, a position he held previously;
Bella De Soto (of Change Links), former outreach committee chair, is running for LSB Outreach Coordinator;
Cliff Olin is running for Membership/Fundraising Coordinator.
Marylin Cavanagh, Canek Huerta and Oscar Ulloa, Spanish-language programmers, are running for the two staff representatives on the Local Station Board. Those 7 LSB members, once elected and seated later this year, will name six additional LSB members.
Change Links community calendar and progressive news is endorsing the PMC national slate for the PNB, and the seven local candidates named above for the LSB. KPFK members will still have until July 11 to add your name to their nominators; and if you became a member any time between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026, you will get to vote when the ballots (mainly electronic) are distributed beginning August 15.

You can read more about the Coalition at https://www.pacificamissioncoalition.com and email the coalition at pacificamissioncoalition [at] gmail.com. They are also on most social media, including x, facebook, instagram, BluSky, and YouTube, and will be coming to TikTok and other platforms soon.

DISCLAIMER: This is not an official Pacifica Foundation, Inc. website or email nor an official website or email of any of the five Pacifica Foundation, Inc. Radio Stations (KPFA Radio, KPFK Radio, KPFT Radio, WBAI Radio, WPFW Radio). Opinions and facts alleged belong to the author(s) only and should NOT be assumed to be true or to reflect the editorial stance or policy of the Pacifica Foundation, Inc., or any of the five Radio Stations (KPFA Radio, KPFK Radio, KPFT Radio, WBAI Radio, WPFW Radio), or the opinions of its management, Pacifica National Board, station staff, or other listener members.

In the Bay Area for the Pacifica Mission Coalition KPFA Board candidates are:
Steve Zeltzer - KPFA LSB Chair
Stan Woods - KPFA LSB Outreach Coordinator