fund drives

KPFA’s Fund Drive desperately needs your help

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Largely because of a drop-off in giving during the mornings, KPFA is likely to end its Spring Fund Drive over $150,000 short — which could be catastrophic.

KPFA’s staff have launched an EMERGENCY APPEAL for pledges “in support of KPFA’s workers.” It’s a way to publicly register your dissatisfaction with Pacifica’s actions, while ensuring the station stays afloat long enough for us to win the fight.

Pledges from labor and community activists have started rolling in, encouraged by this letter from former Morning Show programmer David Bacon. Let’s send a strong message to management: support KPFA’s workers and return our favorite programming NOW!

Donating at least $25/year gives you the right to vote in KPFA board elections, recalls and bylaws changes. (More news on that soon; meanwhile, see our four reasons to give to KPFA in this fund drive.) Please forward this link widely — encourage everyone in your address book to pledge to support KPFA’s workers.

Survey results show 91% support Morning Show return, listeners ready to act

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Thanks to all of you who participated, SaveKPFA has just completed our first-ever survey. The survey was a response to KPFA management’s announcement of drastic programming changes — all without consulting KPFA’s listeners.

Seventy percent of those surveyed said the changes would decrease their listening time, and 65% said the new changes would decrease the likelihood they’d give financially to KPFA. Of the specific changes announced by management, pariticipants most opposed proposals to move or eliminate the 9 AM broadcast of Democracy Now!, and to move Hard Knock Radio and Flashpoints to the morning hours. In all, 948 people responded to the poll.

Your responses have already had an impact: SaveKPFA representatives Margy Wilkinson, Mal Burnstein and Barbara Whipperman presented the survey results to KPFA interim general manager Andrew Phillips — he told them his plans to scramble KPFA’s morning lineup were “in abeyance,” partly because of “enormous push back.”

91% say “restore the Morning Show”

The strongest positive survey response came in reaction to an option management has not yet put on the table — restoring KPFA’s Morning Show. A whopping 91% of participants registered support.

One wrote: “We need professional journalists covering local and national stories in depth. I miss all of the Morning Show, but especially the environmental news, the film reviews and the coverage of local politics and culture.” Another respondent: “Since the Morning Show is gone I don’t feel the tie to the Bay Area anymore. . . . I’ve been a supporter for 8 years, but this year I decided not to pay my pledge unless the Morning Show returns.”

Many expressed support for Flashpoints and Hard Knock Radio, but not for broadcasting them in the morning, which, as one listener wrote, seemed like a plan “set up to fail.” Over 90% of respondents supported the right of KPFA’s journalists to cover developments in the network and opposed any corporate funding.

Strong support for changing Pacifica’s bylaws

Eighty-seven percent of survey respondents said they’d support a recall of incumbent board members involved in misconduct, and about the same percentage said they’d support changing Pacifica’s bylaws to give KPFA more local control.

Of the 14% of respondents who said they are not currently KPFA members, nearly half (47%) said they’d be willing to become a member in order to vote on restoring local control at KPFA.

Since there is no way to randomly survey everyone who listens to KPFA, this survey used what statisticians call “snowball sampling.” SaveKPFA distributed the survey to its growing email list, and posted invitations in places KPFA listeners were likely to visit — such as the Facebook pages for Alternet and Democracy Now! Participants were encouraged to pass the survey along to other KPFA listeners. To avoid vote-stacking, survey software prevented anyone from completing the survey twice from the same computer.  | READ COMPLETE SURVEY RESULTS

Four reasons to give to KPFA’s Spring Fund Drive

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KPFA’s Spring Fund Drive is about to start. We want to heartily encourage you to give, despite the turmoil. Here’s why:

  1. The more money KPFA raises, the less of an excuse Pacifica has to interfere with the station.
  2. Your donations are the only thing standing between KPFA’s union staff and further retaliatory layoffs.
  3. Change. Donating gets you the right to vote in KPFA board elections, bylaws amendments, and recalls of board members.
  4. Warts and all, KPFA is worth it.

USE YOUR PLEDGE TO SPEAK OUT IN SUPPORT OF KPFA’S WORKERS: If you are able to make a contribution of $200 or more, please tell the person who takes your call that you’d like your pledge used as a match, and you’d like it to be announced as a challenge “in support of KPFA’s workers.” You can add also add that message to pledges of any size that you make at KPFA’s online donations page.