A flood of emails arrived from listeners last week after KPFA and Pacifica managers issued a gag rule against staff talking about problems at the network. Here’s just one:
“What are you doing to KPFA?” wrote UC Berkeley professor Richard Walker, “KPFA is the heart of Pacifica, yet you are at war with us. What madness is this? You won’t let the dispute between KPFA and Pacifica be discussed on Mitch Jeserich’s show? You won’t accept $60K in pledges to restore the Morning Show and the brilliant Aimee Allison? This is pig-headedness raised to an art form.”
Many also raised objections over the $30,000 of KPFA’s funds that Pacifica has spent on anti-union lawyers. “I’m furious that the hundreds of dollars I’ve donated to KPFA this year could potentially be used to injure the station’s workers,” listener Kristen Burlington wrote. “We don’t have time for this. There is quaking and melting and oppression in this world….We want the Morning Show back. We want John Hamliton back. We want our right to free speech back. We want our hard earned money to go to the propagation of truth and justice. And we want no more evasion and manipulation from you, Arlene.” | MORE LETTERS
She’s referring to Arlene Engelhardt, Pacifica’s executive director. On March 17, KPFA News interviewed the station’s local board treasurer as well as Engelhardt about the details of Pacifica’s $30,000 expenditure to fight KPFA’s union.
NEWS CLIPS | Matthew Lasar: What is “professionalism” in community radio?