Programming

KPFA launches a morning news hour at 7AM, moves broadcast of Democracy Now to 6AM

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Starting Thursday, May 17, at 7AM, tune your dial to KPFA 94.1FM for Up Front, a news collaboration that many hope will begin to rebuild the station’s morning audience. KPFA issued this press release today about the new show, which will be a collaboration between KPFA and sister station KPFK in Los Angeles. Produced by KPFA’s award-winning News Department, Up Front will include “challenging interviews with political and community leaders, civil but heated debates, and frequent breaking news updates.”

KPFA’s Brian Edwards-Tiekert and KPFK’s Sonali Kolhatkar will co-host. Up Front will include “voices both familiar and new.” The first broadcast of Democracy Now! will return to its traditional time of 6AM to make room for the new program.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP: circulate this message to your network, then TUNE IN AND MAKE A PLEDGE on Thursday during the 7AM hour.  The number to call is 800-439-5732 (800-HEY-KPFA), or pledge online at www.kpfa.org.  You are also invited to KPFA’s studios at 1929 Martin Luther King Jr Way in Berkeley on Thursday for the program’s launch. Answer phones or bring some food to share. Let’s a take a moment to celebrate and support KPFA!

Van Jones to Pacifica: “take your hands off KPFA”

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In a recent station fundraiser, long-time supporter Van Jones spoke about the role KPFA played in his early life and work, and sent a strong message to Pacifica about its meddling in KPFA’s affairs: “There’s a reason we’re so passionate about this station,” said Jones, “and there’s a reason the people in Pacifica need to listen to the voice of the people and take their hands off this station and let the voice of the people be heard. We can solve these problems here locally.”

If you missed his talk, here’s the next best thing: a 3 minute clip from the presentation. Jones is president and founder of Rebuild the Dream, an initiative to restore good jobs and economic opportunity. He’s also co-founder of three thriving nonprofit organizations (the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change, and Green For All). You can also get a CD of his talk as a premium with your donation to KPFA.

Lively picket at Pacifica’s National Office demands firing of anti-union lawyers

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KPFA’s paid and unpaid staff turned out for a picket on a sunny afternoon last week in front of Pacifica’s national office to show their outrage with the network’s hiring of Jackson Lewis, the nation’s premiere union-busting lawyers.

Labor journalist Steve Early addressed the crowd, describing how Jackson Lewis operates to undermine unions and predicting that both the political and financial costs to KPFA could be devastating. Unpaid staffer Tina Bachemin brought a statement of solidarity, noting that Pacifica is part of the “bitter struggle that’s going on now across America to smash unionism and wage war against workers.” Listeners, many of them union members, also showed up in force, angry that their donations are going to anti-union consultants.| SEE PHOTOS here, and LISTEN TO KPFA News report

Meanwhile, KPFA itself is struggling, as every fund drive in the past year has come in below target. And last week, a lightning strike knocked Pacifica station KPFT in Houston off the air for two days. Repair to the station’s transmitter will be expensive. You can help with a donation here.