Various comments and findings here to expose all that can be found, for now.

Trying to provide others as info is dis-covered or locatable to EXPOSE and help the lack of transparency that has pervaded KPFK forever and is just now loosening up in crumbles ....only because of the precarious financial and adminstrative problems therein now...as before but worse, here are some findings:

       from some emails received online : 

 

all programs can be heard on the WEB too, later, for maybe 65-90 days [not all are same time available, so check it out or call station 818-985-2711]. KPFK can be heard streaming live online at http://www.kpfk.org/ and click on ‘Listen Live.’ Times are PST- then look for program name and program time

[sent Nov 2 - here excerpted]                 "AUDIO ARCHIVES

Many KPFK programs, …are archived on http://www.kpfk.org “…after broadcast for listening on demand. …. To get to audio archives. click on ‘audio archives.’ Times listed are the  PDT or PST time …. Translation: you can listen to the show any time of the day or night on demand. Be sure to check out the 2 very convenient search engines on the top of the audio archives.

                                                "VITAL LOCAL BOARD ELECTIONS 

The elections are proceeding as you might have heard candidate statements on the air. Don’t fret – you won’t have to rank and vote for every one, which would be a gigantic undertaking. But if you hear someone who seems to be bringing something to the station, make note. Also there are slates of candidates which are announced on the statements by members of the slates. Some are good guys, some are bad guys. I consider good guys as people who are bringing some skill or knowledge to the station. The bad guys as wanting to force their philosophy or club or particular insanity or desire which will continue the downfall of the station under the disguise or illusion of fixing it. 

The board has some good members, but the majority, now way over their normal time of office, has not been beneficial to station operations for years and many have gamed the system to gain power to do whatever they plan. At this point that includes cutting the staff to ½ time and trying to bust the union. (not very progressive even if they claim the title) We need our listener-sponsors to hang in, hang on, and keep us alive while we’re under reconstruction.”

  [and sent on oct 29]         "LAST WEEK OF OCTOBER FUND DRIVE       

As of ... Oct. 29, our total is approximately $436,515 (the people who know how to work the fund drive computer program are out sick, hence the approximation). We will proceed until Friday November 6.

  

                                            "KPFK LOCAL BOARD ELECTION (CRUCIAL)

The ballots were sent out 3rd class on Oct. 15 so if you're a subscriber (as of Sept.) you should have or be getting your ballot soon. Voting will be carried out all month. It is crucial that we get a quorum so the local board can be cleansed of destructive forces which currently control the majority. 

Two different candidate slates have been mailed to all voters - to help make your choices, check the endorsements of the slates. Everyone 'supports the station' but some don't. Everyone wants 'better programming' but to some this means more of their friends and fellow ideologues without reference to the listener preferences. 

Everyone wants less on air fundraising, but some would cause more fundraising by ignoring listener preferences for their own tastes and desires. Some mean well but are tools for those who have a history of destructiveness and self-serving.

 Our entire local board is waaaayover the time of service they were elected for (if indeed they were elected) They gave KPFK a $500,000 budget deficit and offered to raise $5000 to ease the burden. They gave us several managers but haven't been able to select a permanent program director for years. 

One slate complains we are overburdened with 'health and spirituality programs' but they constitute about 5 1/2 hours per week during the days and evenings and are a major part of listener interest and support. One slate wants a KPFK with mostly volunteer programmers with just a few staff to help out - well, we have over 90 volunteer programmers and 4 paid staff programmers. What do they want?? This is a serious election - the board wanted it to be ignored, but it is happening anyway.”

[and sent on Oct 28^th :]       "OCTOBER FUND DRIVE CONTINUES       

The October fund drive will spill over into November and is scheduled to end on Nov. 6 so we get as close to the goal of $750,000 as possible. ...., but we do have the responsibility of doing our part while canceling a minimum of programs.”

                         “KPFK LOCAL STATION BOARD ELECTIONS (CRUCIAL!!)

Help is on the way. Two candidate slates have sent mailers to all voters (at their own expense) to help you in choosing. Be sure to also check the supporters of the candidates to insure the validity of your choice. It won't be necessary to rank EVERY candidate. What is urgent is that we get a quorum (10 percent) of votes in to insure that the election will be counted.           Those who look forward to the demise of Pacifica hope deeply that you will ignore this election and allow their tools to remain in power.”

                                      ###

(c) 2015 photosbyalexandria.com 

like KPFK : this depicts the drying out and death of a radio-mark, almost drained out, dessicated, destroyed....going... going... but there may be a chance of replenishment still..maybe ?  oh, wait.... it has...................

then there are also other versions of reality and events and facts to check out here- but how do we  figure out whose truths and truthsayers are most believable?  

check out what there is time for and decide and  inquire further - to dis-cover what is the Validity of the conflicting claims, accusations, and all declarations - that can [or not] be substantiated: 

 

http://www.savekpfa.org/how-kpfa-shrank-its-pledge-drives/

https://www.laprogressive.com/kpfk-and-pacifica/     


and  https://www.laprogressive.com/kpfk-and-pacifica/#comment-945284    is copied here:

“Well written article with lots of attacking - but thus more, informative, dissenting, & varied information presented.   Best place of discussion I've yet found anywhere on net, or have I missed some better discussion sites? 

Why are the inner workings of KPFK and it's apparent demise so difficult to local on internet?

Is it mostly a secret to donors-stakeholders and only the fighters in-the-know? 

And having attended many, too many, LSB meetings, as any public member is left mostly confused, out-of-loops, and felt ineffective and unheard, even in my 1.5 min comment in 5 hr meetings.   But  It is  understood that it was the LSB and it's committees that  selected and then approved the KPFK managers and others. 

If so, is the LSB also responsible for the many lapses, ineffective or unprofessional work done by these GMs?   

Who would be the responsible people for placing those poor GMs and PDs and staff in place?

And then  who also were the LSB majority or most members that "passed" those  budgets -- that were  only presented that hour of that day - by every GM ? With no previously examined, or any items up for question, but the budget thus  presented at that meeting for a "pass this budget now" -- even  when some very few dared to question even the obviously erroneous info and figures ?

It made no sense. No examination of budget and how it was created, what it contained, if figures added up, but just projected on a bumpy wall in LSB meeting for passing, with numbers barely readable And this was year after year, not just 1x.

So who is responsible and who are accountable for all those debts, mistakes, miscalculations, by GMs selected by the same LSB groupies who did not reveal to the public their divisions nor alliances, to make sense of what was being observed.

Strange results that do not surprise. If Boards claim when asked that they don’t have power and then have or use voting motions and passing budgets power, where is Reality and some accuracy ? 

So many who have visited LSB have never returned. Others come repeatedly - to vent their particular issue,  or support programmers, or declare their personal prejudices and say so -- in public comments section.  

But the many donors, volunteers, audiences have no power nor visibility of  what else happens that strains or drains the KPFK station's stability. Attending anything KPFK is to give more money or to watch dysfunctional processes that keep silent on salient problems.

Until recent eruptions, staff reductions and firings, those OUTside did not know, could not participate, did not vote and would not know the failures of those they had voted for before.  Now, revelations are dribbling out, revealing the morass and messes that have long been in the dark halls of KPFK, and other Pacifica stations.         

 

Still, information is not straight forward, believable, and in continual angry dispute, opposite sides vehemently attacking the other without giving the rest of us Full and Factual Data nor Information we can believe or trust.    What a waste of what once, long long ago, was apparently "a good station" to pay for.

                                                   ######

          and here below are bits from some others’ relevant comments there:

 

"It looks like the station is censoring Sonali’s program because she aired dirty laundry. On the KPFK archives you can see Tuesday’s and Thursday’s programs, but not Wednesday’s. Of course this could be a coincidence. But this has happened before. They pulled the same stunt in 2003 when they censored Democracy Now because Juan Gonzalez went on the air and quit because of the hijacking that was going on. They also verbally abused Amy Goodman at the station and locked her out of WBAI and canceled Pacifica’s flagship program (DN!). That’s why when the Free Pacifica movement won Amy insisted on having her own independent studios.            

 BTW, Ian Master was completely OK with how Amy and the rest of the programmers were treated back then. He was on the same side as Nation Institute’s Marc Cooper and station GM Marc Schaub (sp?). Reminds me of the old adage: “the weaver in his own web”!”

- See more at: http://uprisingradio.org/home/2015/09/16/kpfk-gm-leslie-radford-has-cut-uprisings-hours/#.dpuf

and  another commentator wrote:                                       

“A similar thing happened 12 years ago and many were let go because their “aired dirty laundry on the air”. We formed the Free Pacifica movement and kicked the GM, Mark Schub , and a few other people out. Looks like the beast is rearing its hideous head again. We need to organize and form a movement again. KPFK has been moving to the right and increasingly identifying with the Democratic Party. So there is no room for independent and radical hosts such as Sonali.        BTW, Ian Masters was one of the hosts that was in bed with Mark Schub at the time. He sold the station down the river and instead of being kicked out, because of his charm, was promoted to 5 hours a week!            

We demonstrated outside KPFK for a whole year and organized with the staff who had integrity in order to topple the old regime. Sonali is not the first to go and I believe she will be fired altogether                       and        

What a shame that the new management is destroying this wonderful station. I started listening during the Iran Contra Hearings and this helped me complete my transition from the right to the left. I never received my pledge drive gifts and will not contribute to KPFK again until trust is restored. What a shame that a successful station was dragged down by totally selfish beings whoever they are. “     ######

OTHER COMMENTS LOCATED RELATED TO KPFK with comments included :

https://www.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/comments/3kknew/re_kpfk_this_is_the_end_leftwing_pacifica_radio/?

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/sep/10/pacifica-leftwing-radio-kpfk-wbai-financial-collapse#comments

http://www.dailynews.com/arts-and-entertainment/20150930/staffers-getting-huge-pay-cuts-at-troubled-kpfk

It is important that all readers, writers SHARE and reveal what can be un-covered about the doings at KPFK, or others will remove it from it's public radio status to privatize, slant in their only chosen direction - be it commercial, political, or racial.

While Google is a great search engine - but still cannot select past the huge slew of programmers and programs - all that brand-publicize-promote themselves. And these pages on pages of self-advertising thus obstruct the more important "news" and comments and questions and suggestions, etc. = all that is more important than their PR moves.

Where can any balanced, or fact-checked information be located ?

Who is neutral and loyal enough to KPFK to not be fighting 'them others' and be believable?

In the vast terrific proliferation and availability on the Internet, the search is difficult, and time-consuming.   

So any verifiable or thoughtful, even creative questioning  websites known can be SHARED so all who have long been donating $$$ and time can make more honest choices, and less be 'led by' either of the apparent 2-factions fighting on line and elsewhere too. 

Help us. Join "the conversation" [the latest faddish cliche]. Help the Solution[s]. Free up whatever information can be known. 

Help assist every other donor, member, stakeholder -  before another blind election results in more in-fighting, or lawsuits, or the forming of antagonistic ganging together of cronies- as repeats when those who exclusively select only what suits their versions of 'reality' at KPFK holds all the seats and powers too. 

Or those who will  create their own version of what they want. Not what is necessary for re-creating that a varied, multi- attitudinal, open-to-creative-reporting  and programs at KPFK - more as how we have known and liked to listen there ....before.

Express what else is to be considered - or who  and why to vote for in the current elections.

Names without matching descriptions of their proposed solutions and verified expertise dont  help a lot,  While a list =. a slate of one side - and that is virulently opposed to another side - and both advertising that their names must be just checked off, - so all that becomes no-choice. 

And without knowing any actualities of the people on the current ballot- so we are stupidly marking ballots without any actual knowing who is what. Just like in some governmental elections  - which turn out 'wrong' after we learn of the candidates  -  past their easy advertised promises. .

The radio blurbs have been hard to discern when the name is barely understood on air and the message gives little validatable facts. 

                Questions to ask ourselves when voting for LSB now:

What have these people DONE FOR KPFK or another radio station before ? 

Where else did they produce valued work and what affiliations do they claim ? 

Are they allied with a political point-of-view that is admitted or even open-to-dissent?

Are their motives for running for boards more than promoting 'their owngroup and views' or acquiring power ?

What experiences can they claim that gives them VALUE as a LSB member now, not in long ago past times when the world, USA, LA and KPFK was different & in different circumstances?  

What can anyone wanting to Represent US KPFK donors show that they have earned that trust or that recognition?

and mostly;  Who and How Many community KPFK stakeholders do they actually truly REPRESENT and that now  back them, instead  having of just a 'few friends' who may just as well  vote for them ?    

Remember, the LSB members must have been on the local board for a year [not sure of exact time period] before they can be nominated, or self-nominate, to be on the Pacifica Nat'l Board PNB, where apparently more important political, financial and other powered moves occur.

(c) 2015 RR