Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Understanding the fight at KPFA?


Like many, I am having trouble making heads or tails from a lot of what I heard from and about KPFA and Radio Pacifica.
As it is our local community owned radio station, it seems pretty important to us all.
Obviously there is a fight for control going on, but what I see from the two sides newsletters is not so concise.

This week I corresponded with a journalist from New York, who knows this story well, albeit from that angle.
This article spells some things out and says them clearly in a way much of what I have heard here did not.

http://thevillager.com/2014/03/20/after-directors-firing-wbai-sale-is-now-rumored/
The comments below the article say a lot too, as do some of his earlier articles that you can find from this page.

I have asked him for an update for us all.

As to KPFA here, I would suggest that all members, such as myself, follow this closer and VOTE in the next elections.
And if you are not a member, I'd remind you that KPFA is our only member owned and funded station.
KQED is owned by a board and takes  corporate money and KALW is owned by the SFUSD and also takes corporate money.
That makes KPFA precious and unique.
It deserves our support, but not uncritical support.
I think it time to pay attention to what the factions are doing and realize that they are not mirrors of each other.
There certainly has been an ethics breakdown and one side is not "fighting fair". 

And it is time for those of us outside of the faction fights to say a word or two.