KPFA’s future is on the line. It’s owner, the Pacifica Foundation, is on the brink of financial collapse after years of dysfunctional governance. A group of listeners and staff from all 5 stations petitioned for a vote to change Pacifica’s governance structure. Their complete proposal at Rethinking Pacifica.
All Pacifica members may vote on the bylaws amendment proposal, and ballots are arriving TODAY. Look for your ballot from vote@simplyvoting.com or nes@pacifica.org writing for “The Pacifica Foundation.” KPFA has posted the details of what to do if you don’t receive a ballot.
A simplified structure + skilled board members
If passed, Rethinking Pacifica ’s proposed changes will do away with Pacifica’s chaotic and costly governance system by creating a new 11-member “transitional” national board. That board would be made up of 6 of these at-large directors and at-large alternative directors , drawn from the ranks of radio professionals and progressive activists. The remaining 5 directors would be elected by each station’s listeners and staff.
- Judy Graboyes, accounting manager for affordable housing and community development lending, musician/activist
- Bob King, retired UAW president, social justice activist, lecturer at Univ. of Michigan, former researcher at UC Berkeley.
- Walter Riley, civil rights lawyer, past work with NAACP, CORE, SDS, Black Panther Party, BlackLivesMatter, Global Exchange, Haiti Emergency Fund
- Norman Stockwell, publisher of The Progressive, former coordinator at WORT (Madison, WI), work with Free Speech Radio News and Democracy Now!, and member, National Federation of Community Broadcasters and the GrassRoots Radio Coalition
- Terri Burke (alternative) has been executive director of the ACLU of Texas, and served on boards of Planned Parenthood of West Texas, Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, and Nonprofit Management Center of West Texas.
- Louis Vandenberg (alternative) is a former KPFK producer, and manager of Pacifica affiliate KUCR (Riverside, CA)
Who endorses the bylaws change?
Nearly a thousand listeners and staff from Pacifica’s 5 stations (KPFA, KPFK, KPFT, WPFW & WBAI) are publicly supporting the bylaws change. Some of them are Larry Bensky , former national Pacifica correspondent | Mitch Jeserich & Diana Martinez , KPFA’s Letters & Politics | Heidi Boghosian , executive director, The Muste Foundation; co-host of WBAI’s Law & Disorder Radio | William Fletcher, Jr., writer/activist, host of WPFW’s Arise! | Sonali Kolhatkhar, KPFK’s Rising Up with Sonali | Matthew Lasar , Pacifica historian, author of Pacifica Radio: The Rise of an Alternative Network | Carol Spooner , former PNB member (2002-2004) and a drafter of the original bylaws | Sasha Lilly, KPFA’s Against the Grain | Peter Franck , past president, Pacifica Foundation (1980-1984) | Brian Edwards-Tiekert, KPFA’s Upfront | James & Coleen Nagel , KPFT’s Howlin the Blues | Philip Maldari, KPFA’sSunday Show | Aileen Alfandary , KPFA News co-director | Ian Masters, KPFK’s Background Briefing , and many others | SEE endorsers list
Can we finally fix Pacifica?
Rethinking Pacifica argues that a smaller, more skilled board will be able to take on the challenges confronting Pacifica, such as paying off the $3.25 million dollar loan that the national board took out on KPFA’s building and other properties to pay off a lawsuit against WBAI.
The bylaws change will succeed only if at least 10% of listener members and 25% of staff members participate, and if a majority of those vote yes. Please share this widely and encourage those who are members of all five Pacifica stations to vote.
For background on Pacifica’s crisis, please see our last newsletter , as well as articles earlier this month in The Los Angeles Times and Berkeleyside.
QUESTIONS? Please email us at votesavekpfa@gmail.com