Morning Show pledge total nearly $50K; new 8 am show alienates listeners

Your responses to our PLEDGE TO BRING BACK THE MORNING SHOW with Aimee Allison, Brian Edwards-Tiekert, David Bacon and all the other wonderful original Morning Show staff have been amazing!

Our goal was $80,000 in pledges, and in the short time since our call went out, we have received nearly $50,000 in pledges. THANK YOU LISTENERS! Our plan is to present what we have to Pacifica management and see what can be worked out. Stay tuned.

If you haven’t pledged yet, please consider doing so. Or, if you are able, we hope you’ll consider an additional year-end amount. And remember: we are only asking for pledges at this time — no checks please. PLEDGE ONLINE | PLEDGE BY MAIL

We also thank those of you who donated directly to KPFA during its on-air emergency fund drive last week, or attended the recent KPFA benefit at La Pena. The outpouring of support has been very encouraging.

New 8AM show alienates listeners

On Monday, December 20, KPFA launched a new “all volunteer hosted” show in the 8 am slot that had been occupied by the Morning Show. The time slot’s audience has plummeted, amid allegations of patronage, political reward and violations of worker solidarity.

Many of KPFA’s unpaid staff have refused to participate, such as labor journalist David Bacon and PM Press publisher Ramsey Kanaan, who are among those who have issued statements of solidarity.

As one listener wrote to Pacifica, “This idea of yours to cut the Morning Show and replace it with volunteers is a big failure. We understand you got rid of Edwards-Tiekert & Allison for political reasons. You’ve also done a horrible thing by cutting David Bacon’s show. This was probably the only labor show anywhere on the dial. Oakland Scene is sorely missed as well. Frankly, none of the changes you have made are going over well with KPFA listeners. We want our Morning Show back!”

SaveKPFA has published a Fact Sheet on Boycotting the 8AM Show directed at those who might be invited to appear on it. Please read it and pass it on by email or xerox. Please also check out our new Facts About KPFA’s Crisis for answers to several key questions.