Why is KPFA broke? | Morning Show Financial Facts | About SaveKPFA
What is SaveKPFA? SaveKPFA is a coalition of listeners and staff (both unpaid and paid) working to support the nation’s first listener-sponsored radio station, KPFA 94.1FM, based in Berkeley, California. Our endorsers are listed here. We seek to rally progressive support for the station. A group of listener and staff candidates affiliated with SaveKPFA won two-thirds of the positions in the station’s 2010 local board elections.
Who supports SaveKPFA? Our endorsers include many prominent left activists, academics, writers, artists, and elected officials, as well as listeners and staff. Since Pacifica management announced cutbacks at the station, SaveKPFA has received a outpouring of support from listeners and staff who are extremely concerned about the future of KPFA, including listeners, elected officials and educators.
What are SaveKPFA’s goals? As in the fight to save KPFA and the network in 1999, we oppose the Pacifica Board imposing its own agenda on KPFA. We have dedicated ourselves to building the station, raising funds and working for local control of our station. We are committed to seeking common ground with other listeners and staff who share our concerns about the state of the station. We need to save this precious resource.
Why are there many confusing websites for KPFA supporters? Activists affiliated with SaveKPFA constitute a new majority on the local station board, seated in December 2010. KPFAWorker.org is the site to go to for news from staff, both paid and unpaid. A group called Independents for Community Radio, which did not win a majority on the local board, has been squatting dozens of similar web domain names, twitter sites, etc. with the words “save KPFA” or “support KPFA” in hopes of confusing the public, sometimes offering to sell those names back to SaveKPFA, which represents the majority. Likewise, the same group is pouring all sorts on information on the internet, but to paraphrase Daniel Moynihan, “You’re entitled to your own opinions, but you are not entitled to your own facts.”
Did SaveKPFA “steal” its name, as is alleged by some on the internet?
No, this is a myth perpetruated by a handful of people who were part of a long-defunct early 1990s group. The words “save” and “KPFA” or “Pacifica” have been used by many activists over the last decades. Many of us organizing and supporting today’s SaveKPFA were centrally involved in these movements. We chose the name SaveKPFA with great respect for these broad collective efforts.
You may reach SaveKPFA via this form or by phone at 510-969-9373.