|
Accounts of relations between Pacifica and other stations in the early years of community radio foreshadow the way that Pacifica and its affiliates relate today. Athough Pacifica pioneered listener- sponsored community radio in the United States, community radio stations began springing up elsewhere as well. In the 1970's, KPFA veterans Lorenzo Milam and Jeremy Lansman were renowned for pioneering independent community stations from St. Louis to Seattle. Inevitably new community radio stations and Pacifica began to find shared interests and needs and began collaborating.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
PACIFICA & AFFILIATES RADIO NETWORK Fiscal Year 2003-2004 : "PACE
Report"
The "PACE" proposal for rebuildig the Pacifica Affiliates program
was a result of work done by the interim Pacifica National Board Affiliates
Committee, who spoke extensively with current and former affiliates. On September
20, 2003 it was brought before the interim Pacifica National Board for approval
with this motion by Teresa Allen, seconded by Carol Spooner: Resolved that:
the iPNB endorses the direction outlined in the "PACE" report of 9/19/03,
and encourages further refinement through discussion in the Affiliates Committee
and with the national staff. It passed unanimously. |
|
Read more...
|
|
By Ursula Ruedenberg December, 2002
INTRODUCTION: In September and November, a survey was made of sixty stations
that are on record as having been Pacifica Affiliates. Members of the iPNB Affiliates
Committee who are working in cooperation with Pacifica's management to determine
policies concerning affiliates requisitioned this survey. |
|
Read more...
|
On November 16, 2002, Pacifica Affiliates rebelled against Pacifica Management practices. Following is the letter, "We Are Pacifica - Community Radio Against Censorship - November 16, 2000 " authored by the Grassroots Radio Coalition and released in conjunction with the action of solidarity by community radio stations across the country:
We, the undersigned Pacifica Affiliates and other Community Broadcasters will participate in a national action organized through the Grassroots Radio Coalition (GRC) on Thursday, November 16, to speak out in solidarity about the ongoing crisis within the Pacifica Radio Network, including management's recent attempts to censor Pacifica's valuable daily news program, Democracy Now! Many of the stations signing here will consider cancelling their contracts with Pacifica if Democracy Now! changes under pressure from
management. Some of the stations signing have already dropped Pacifica programming in protest.
On November 16, we will boycott Pacifica's usual programming and in its place broadcast content informing listeners of ongoing events which have undermined and threaten to destroy the nation's oldest alternative radio network.
We urge Pacifica to live up to the ideals of its founders, to adopt
accountable governance, to cease all censorship, and to once again support the alternative, community based journalism that is so crucial at this time. The increasing corporate control over our lives has in fact been challenged frequently on Democracy Now! Journalist Norman Soloman sees DN host Amy Goodman as "the latest target for Pacifica's ideological housecleaning."
In addition to censorship, other problems include: lack of accountability by the Pacifica Board, undemocratic board practices, decline in quality of Pacifica Network News (PNN), refusal to negotiate with striking Pacifica Reporters Against Censorship, as well as a lack of communication and poorservice to affiliates.
One year ago, 16 Pacifica Affiliates participated in a similar GRC
organized action called "A Day Without Pacifica," to express outrage over events at the time, including the July 1999 arrests and lockout of staff, volunteers, and members at KPFA in Berkeley, during which Pacifica spent nearly $500,000 on armed guards and public relations firms.
Last year's "A Day Without Pacifica" resulted in PNN news director Dan Coughlin being reassigned for reporting on the boycott, which caused PNN's dynamic host Verna Avery Brown to leave PNN in protest. Since then, striking Pacifica journalists have been producing Free Speech Radio News (FSRN),now broadcast on many community stations nationwide. On November 16, we will broadcast a FSRN special program in place of PNN.
Actions by Pacifica Management and Board have undermined the 50 year old progressive network, which is one of the few to bring alternative voices and issues to the public. Many affiliates have been concerned about these actions since 1995, when many longtime volunteers were purged from Pacifica stations.
Currently, there are lawsuits against Pacifica in progress by listeners, former employees, local advisory board members, and some National Board members.
The Grassroots Radio Coalition was founded in 1996 out of concern over the homogenization and corporatization of the public's airwaves. GRC has hosted five annual conferences, recognizing the need for solidarity and cooperation in our work to keep the community in community broadcasting, as well as explore the threats to the independent, non-commercial, democratic nature of grassroots radio.
"We Are Pacifica - Community Radio Against Censorship" will inform the public about recent events at Pacifica and urge a change of direction from Pacifica Management. We will highlight the value of Democracy Now! and support Amy Goodman's independence as a journalist. With the current situation of corporate control over media ownership, we recognize the profound importance of returning Pacifica to its founding principles and mission. Pacifica is owned by the public. We Are Pacifica!
Sincerely,
KGNU, Boulder, CO
KMUD, Garberville, CA
KCSB, Santa Barbara, CA
WRPI, Troy/Albany/Schenectady, NY
WORT, Madison, WI
WMBR, Cambridge, MA
KZYX & Z, Philo, CA
KSVR, Mt. Vernon, WA
WMPG, Portland, ME
WCBN, Ann Arbor, MI
KUNM, Albuquerque, NM
WPKN, Bridgeport, CT
WHUS, Storrs, CT
KUCR, Riverside, CA
WGDR, Plainfield, VT
KZMU, Moab, UT
KFCF, Fresno, CA
KDUR, Durango, CO.
|
|
By Rych Withers, President - Fresno Free College Foundation/KFCF KFCF in Fresno rebroadcasts KPFA a majority of the time and has done so since 1975. KFCF originally picked up the signal off the air (94.1) in Mariposa, a small town near Yosemite National Park and microwaved it back to Fresno. |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
|
