A Message From Greg Guma, New Executive Director of the Pacifica Foundation Written by Greg Guma
A year ago, I was working as co-editor of Vermont Guardian, a statewide weekly newspaper I helped to launch in 2004, writing articles and working with journalists from across the state and around the world. If someone had predicted then that I
would become Executive Director of Pacifica Radio, I would not have believed it. Nevertheless, it was a great honor (and a huge challenge) to be offered the position late last year. As you probably know, Pacifica is one of the most significant resources on the independent media landscape, producing some of the most politically
significant, culturally diverse and educational radio available in this country.
And who am I? Well, my professional and political journey began almost 40 years ago with a job at a local daily newspaper in southern Vermont after studying broadcasting and journalism at Syracuse University. That experience provided important lessons about community life, injustice, and the media's crucial role in
framing public debate. Still, it wasn't until working for the government, managing work and training programs in the early 1970s, that I learned firsthand how public bureaucracies often abuse the public trust.
In the years since then, I've joined with others in organizing to promote change in areas such as safe energy, renter rights, civil liberties, prison justice, and U.S. foreign policy. The work has often involved a combination of collective action, creative management, and socially responsible mass communication.
For more than 30 years, I've also had the privilege of writing for and editing alternative publications, developing scripts for political documentaries, organizing conferences and protests, coordinating non-profit organizations that work for peace and social justice, and running bookstores that have provided a community base for progressive campaigns, while writing some books and plays along the way.
But words are not always enough; some situations require political action. That's why I went to the border between Nicaragua and Honduras with other members of Witness for Peace during the Contra war, committed civil disobedience in front of the gates of a GE armaments factory, ran for local office as a progressive
insurgent, and, more recently, spoke out publicly against the Iraq war and attacks on fundamental rights.
Looking back, the most fulfilling experience may have been helping to change the politics of Vermont, my adopted home.
Anyway, now I'm at the other end of the country working with the Pacifica Foundation. My hopes are to help revitalize its national programming, maximize its human and technical resources, honor and expand its diversity, and encourage members of the community to work together with mutual respect.
Basically, the idea is to help reaffirm and realize the organization's mission. One part of that mission is to be "an outlet for the creative skills and energy of the community." An important way to do that, I believe, is to develop working partnerships with independent and community-based media groups, and to provide useful training and technical support. Another is to encourage progressive organizations to apply for new non-commercial licenses that will be available before the end of this year, something we plan to do in association with Prometheus Radio.
Another aspect of the mission is to "promote the full distribution of public information." To do that effectively, I think we must engage the talent and use the ideas that come from affiliate stations.
And a third is "access to and use of sources of news not brought together in the same medium." This, I think, points toward a strategy that incorporates more than just radio broadcasters, bringing in some of the resources that progressive print, TV, and film have to offer.
There's more to the mission, of course, and much more to say. But for now, please consider this: The tasks facing independent media in the months and years ahead are crucial. With the Bush administration in free fall and the Right in disarray, it's time to seize the moment. The question is how. My suggestion is that we project
responsible advocacy, real news and informed opinion. While doing that, however, we should also celebrate our differences rather than allow them to divide us; after all, isn't respect for diversity one of the things that distinguishes us from the forces that have used fear of those who are different to undermine freedom?
Our job, as I see it, is bring a sharp critique and a progressive vision to millions of radio listeners, to wake up the airwaves and shake up the world. It is an opportunity we should not miss, and a responsibility we cannot afford to ignore.
Leading Pacifica
At the March meeting of the Pacifica National Board (PNB) in Los Angeles, I said that one of my goals is to unleash the tremendous potential both within and surrounding Pacifica - in other words, to build stronger ties with the larger independent media movement of which Pacifica is a part -- and move forward together.
Fortunately, Pacifica Radio has hundreds of dedicated volunteers and thousands of contributors with roots in communities across the country, as well as a democratic structure that can help. As you may already know, 20 members of the PNB are elected to represent listeners and staff from the Pacifica stations, a bold step toward media democracy. But it doesn't stop there. Affiliates also nominate representatives, who fill two seats on the Board with the approval of other PNB members.
This year, for the first time, we had three nominees and thus were forced to choose. This was done via a phone call during which the three affiliate nominees made presentations to most members of the PNB and answered questions. This phone call, which lasted approximately 1 1/2 hours, proved to be an engaging and informative meeting.
The three candidates were Nathan Moore from WORT, Madison WI, Rip Robins from KSVR, Mt. Vernon WA, and Ebon Dooley from WRFG, Atlanta GA. All three candidates made impressive presentations and our directors learned a great deal about our affiliate network. The final vote for board seats was extremely close.
Ebon Dooley and Rip Robbins were seated. If you are a Pacifica affiliate, please consider them a resource for expressing your concerns to Pacifica, for obtaining information, or for helping you get more involved. They are here for your benefit. Contact them at : office@wrfg.org (Ebon) and Rip.Robbins@skagit.edu (Rip).
I would like to thank Nathan Moore for his graciousness and sincerely hope that we can keep him involved with Pacifica since he has much to offer us, as well as the community radio world.
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