Before AIR AMERICA, there was the PACIFICA RADIO NETWORK...a non-profit associaton of five primary stations and over a hundred affiliates, broadcasting the voices and views of the Left to America.
On August 31, the deadline to become a Pacifica Foundation member will pass. This will allow members to vote in the Pacifica elections this fall to determine the future of the first non-commercial radio stations and networks, and insure its continued existence in the coming months.
Registering to vote in Pacifica ends on August 31...but the ability to make a difference lasts until that vote is taken.
If you know someone who has subscribed or paid $25 or more to a Pacifica station, they are eligible to vote in the pending election in the Fall of 2007.
Make sure that they do, or the last bastion of non-commercial radio for the people will disappear for the right-wing conspiracy nuts and left wing lunatics that no one else wants associated with them.
It may surprise many to know that Pacifica and it's five stations in Berkeley, New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Washington, DC, are currently under siege from within by groups and forces attempting to silence its organic "Left" persuasions, and force it into a smaller and less vocal alternative...including a cabal of 9/11 conspiracists, a group that wants to eliminate any aspect of "professionalism", a group that wants to give away the resouirces of the Pacifica Foundation that raise funds to pay for its operations, and those who want an unstructured "free form" network without time limits or boundaries.
When it comes down to it, the battle for the Pacifica Foundation and its five sister stations is between those who wish to preserve and encourage its growth as a place for the Left, and those who are frustrated because the Left will not do as they wish or desire, for no other reason than that is what they wish to happen.
The largest problem facing Pacifica is simple ennui...a lack of will among the listeners to do something to preserve their stations.
In 1999, a cadre of people on the Pacifica National Board tried to sell KPFA in Berkeley and WBAI in New York for upwards of a quarter of a billion dollars, and floated an amendment to the Pacifica Foundation by-laws that would allow them to pocket this cash.
It took 15,000 people on the streets of Berkeley to not only stop this action, but to wake up the other four cities and the one-hundred-plus affiliates of the Pacifica Radio Network...and after two years of both legal and street action, the cadre was thrown out by a court action, and the re-democratization of Pacifica started.
And then promptly died.
What happened was quite simple and rather stupid. Those 15,000 people in Berkeley, and the unknown thousands across the country, simply sat back and let "the other people" do the work.
The Left...got lazy. The Left let the lunatics, moonbats, conspiracy nuts, and extremists take control.
Out of an organization of over 55,000 members through subscriptions and donations, less than 20%, or 11,000 people participated. In the last election, several stations had to have their voting time extended to meet the bare minimum required under the law for a valid election.
And what did it get Pacifica?
In Washington, DC, at WPFW, the station was declared "fully integrated" by its general manager when it booted out the last person who was not African-American. Now, instead of political discussion and analysis of news and events, Pacifica's station in the national capital is playing mostly jazz and reggae music. In Washington...DC...they are playing music.
In Houston, at KPFT, the "Sounds of Texas" music format, which was briefly forced on KPFA in Berkeley when the staff was arrested or locked out in 1999, still hold sway over the airwaves, though a little progress has been made in bringing back political discussion.
At KPFK in Los Angeles, a general manager was brought in...and another...and another...and allegations of sexual harrassment, physical assault, racial profiling and other abusive behavior have skyrocketed as each day goes by.
At KPFA in Berkeley, the first public radio station in the United States, staff has been overrun by a shadow organization that boasts and signed up nearly 100 members, of which no one has seen more than 12 at any time, and a group of 9/11 conspiracists are attempting to get removed, by pressure or accusation, any producer or news person who does not promote the theory that George W. Bush blew up the World Trade Center.
And, at WBAI in New York, a self-styled "Black Nationalist" organization, commonly refers to such treasured morsels as "the word 'jewelry' comes from the word 'Jew'" as an explanation of why all non-African Americans should be off the air. WBAI is also the 'welfare case' of the entire network, forcing the other four stations to give up their funding to support WBAI, which has been unable to sustain itself for nearly five years with such endearing rhetoric as the "Jew/Jewelry" comments and more, or the fundraising events where staff "lost" nearly $350,000 in cash donations over the past five years, and dwells in a Wall Street address for a rent that is more than the combined rent paid at the other four Pacifica stations.
In fact, during the 9/11 crisis, WBAI was the only station in New York City that provided no news or information on what was happening, neglecting its own license requirements to stay on the air "to inform and assist the public" with notices of where to go for medical aid or assistance. The reason? The station manager had been too busy castigating the host of DEMOCRACY NOW, Amy Goodman, for being a 'barren and childless white Jewess' that had no right to be on the air; as well, health activist Gary Null was hounded from the station and summarily terminated without cause, taking away the near guaranteed fund raising potential that he brought with his built-in audience.
It's little wonder why Goodman took advantage of the re-democratization and broke away from Pacifica to form her own network; while all the other Pacifica stations fundraise for a devoted 30-40 days per year, WBAI now fundraises 90-120 days, up from the 60-75 days when Null was still on.
Presently, Pacifica is facing several millions in legal action based on charges of sexual harrassment, discrimination, workplace violence and other charges. Some of these are being settled out of court, some are being taken to trial.
In at least one instance, the victim of a sexual harrassment charge was elected to a governing board of Pacifica while settling her case...and the perpetrator of the harrassment continues to work at Pacifica, drawing a paycheck.
One other factor in the Pacifica Foundation that most people are not aware of is the Pacifica Radio Archives, often referred to as Pacifica's "sixth station", the repository of nearly sixty years worth of speeches, radio programs, interviews, music and commentary that preserves the history of the Left as well as some of the Right.
Abandoned to rot by the Pacifica Board prior to 1999, with tapes and old vinyl records exposed to heat, sun and a lack of protection, the PRA has managed to develop its own fundraising efforts by selling off recordings in order to pay for the restoration project to preserve all that has been damaged.
To counter this, the lunatics and moonbats are now demanding that these recordings, often used as premiums for fundraising and keeping the stations on the air, be given away or broadcast for free so that people who cannot afford the $25 annual membership fee can record the broadcasts on their $350 iPods with the $125 FM radio accessory, or their $1200 home stereo systems.
Additionally, these extremists are pushing to abandon any political organization except the Greens...and the Green Party has put a lot of resources, officially and unofficially, into getting their members on the governing bodies of Pacifica, while the extremists are doing little more than bashing the Democrats (deservedly or not) as being too centrist or even right-wing in comparison.
The largest problem that exists within those who govern Pacifica is that they campaign as "Activists" and "Long Time Peace Advocates" and "Leftists"...and almost none of these people have actual experience in the categories that matter, such as
- Radio Production
- Broadcast Management
- News Reporting
- Financial Planning
- Budget Management
- Non-Profit Corporation experience
It is the irony of the situation that draws tears; individuals and groups who 'build coalitions' to 'tear down' parts of the government policies, can't 'build coalitions' within Pacifica to let it be self-sustaining and able to address the Left as a broadbased effort.
It is "their way" or "no way"...and "compromise" is the most reviled of words to them.
The call for "removing professionals" and demanding that the news staff use "politically correct" speech, or hew to a specific political rhetoric, all point to this lack of ability to govern and operate one radio station, let alone an entire network.
And those who are in power have abused it, using their ability as directors to "unconditionally inspect" Foundation records to go thorugh the personnel files of paid staff, making notes about their personal lives, medical information and other private matters unrelated to their fiduciary duties as directors of the Pacifica Foundation without basis or even accusation.
We do not need the Patriot Act at Pacifica...Big Brother is already in action and in play among its own directors.
The combination of all these factors has now resulted in a new problem...for the first time since the 1999 lockouts at KPFA, no station in the Pacifica Foundation achieved their fundraising goals.
The time has come to "take back Pacifica" from these cretinous souls who would bankrupt and sell out the heart of the Left.
If you live near a Pacifica station, subscribe for $25 before August 31. This can be done by calling in or subscribing on-line
Even if you don't live near a station, contact those who you know that do.
Urge them to get involved to protect that last non-commercial radio media resource, to get into the action and decide for themselves who to vote for.
Protect and preserve not only Pacifica, but the Pacifica Radio Network and the Pacifica Radio Archives, for the future of our democracy, and help to do it in time for the 2008 elections.