KPFK, money matters, audits and none works as it is suppose to... hmmmmm

This is an edited reposting from     
             http://pacificainexile.org/archives/1951

Those are notes - taken from the KPFK LSB meeting of June 19,2016  - and parts herein revealed to the 'rest of us'.

           THOSE ALWAYS NEEDED =$ $ $ MONIES

General manager of KPFK, Leslie Radford announced a plan to balance a very hefty amount of the 2017 budget -  by not making any partial payments on KPFK’s 2015 $249,000 debt to its parent foundation. Pacifica,

This radio station, KPFK, has the biggest shared-services-fee of  all the 5 stations in the Pacifica network.  

If there is a refusal to pay enough or anything of the $249,000 debt owed the umbrella network, from June to October of 2015, then the radio network may also be unable to pay for this year’s board elections, for or the 2014 or 2015 financial audits.

More importantly, the failure to file audits will prevent the restoration  of Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding- which has been  worth $750,000 each year.

              AUDITS AND NOT DONE AUDITS

Also, the Pacifica chief financial officer also reported that  Pacifica’s insurance carriers are demanding the audit report for way-back 2014. Thus the network may also be endangered if they lose insurance coverage - if all management concerned cannot provide, to all recipients, the required audit reports.

Ms. Radford reported that she has been unable to hire a bookkeeper since January 2016. = 6 months ago,  because the latest candidate  she selected has disconnected their phone and disappeared.

[The  concerns of those who hear about this problem is why is there only 1 candidate, and how many have applied or if not, why not more applicants are interested in a paying job at KPFK ? 

The details of these decisions and how they are made are not known or revealed. As the management can work in the 'dark' and silences -- with all KPFK members having to merely trust that the managers are being fair, open, and making known the opening to as many competent bookkeepers / accounts as possible. 

And with the 'job market' being one always complained about on this station,an opportunity like this should be used and appreciated, or so most would assume.]
 
In response to LSB local board members' questions, Ms. Radford reported that  KPFK owes $25,000 to the "Material World Foundation" for someone having mishandling a grant  before -   the grant provided earlier, for the renovation of the  KPFK station’s “Studio A”.

Music director, Maggie Le Pique, indicated that the funds were
 then taken to be used elsewhere - by Margy Wilkinson [ as PNB or temporary  interim Executive Director of Pacifica ]  - and this being done during her time when she was acted as the "volunteer executive director" - then.

It was also notable that Ms. Wilkinson is from KPFA, not from KPFK.

         THOSE WANTED 'SUSTAINING' MEMBERS

Ms. Radford indicated a hoped-for-goal of finding 35,000
donation-"sustaining" members for KPFK.  Sustaining members
are those who agree to pay $10 or $20 every month - vs. a larger dollar amount per fund drive - to be paying the station on an ongoing basis.

[The unstated assumption is that payments continue on past a 1 year deadline, go unnoticed, and remains a funding source indefinitely... or until that member realizes their commitment and/or discontinues voluntarily, and informs the station of that decision.]

When asked how many sustaining members KPFK actually had currently,  Ms. Radford claimed that there are 5,000 to 7,000. But a Local board treasurer Fred Blair supplied that the real number is only 250. That is a big discrepancy. Who knows the real income levels ?

 [Apparently no one has asked nor had access to verify the figures  provided, so 'facts' are elusive and statistics are made variable.  Confusing numbers concerns all KPFK members and those who  have been donating voluntarily, as "sustaining" or not, because the goals are 'set' according to KPFK's actual net income, presumably.

Plus, audits to confirm what are actual incoming dollars and what are their required expenses, and what must be paid in a timely way - to all to whom monies that KPFK owes. 
  
Apparently audits are not being conducted, and certainly not in any up-to-date way, as is required of all non-profit organizations, as is KPFK too. ]

                      VOTING ON THE 'BY-LAWS'

The KPFK LSB- local station board - has passed a resolution declining to vote on any proposed [PNB ?] bylaws amendments. This is  because they say they do not recognize the current board majority as being legitimate and thus lacking the authority to approve any changes to the bylaws.

    FINANCIAL CATASTROPHES EMERGING ?

Chief financial officer of Pacifica has stated directly that management of the umbrella organization does not have a plan for the financial catastrophes that will shortly ensue.

When he was asked about just who the responsible parties are,  the Pacifica CFO clarified and said that the responsible parties are the station managers and the executive director.
 
  PNB MEMBER WANTS AUDITS DONE, BUT IS DENIED

 see more details at : http://pacificainexile.org/archives/1956

then a commenter responded to the described PNB person wanting to Shriek, who apparently said:  " she then launched into a lengthy monologue, which ended with a loud shriek to   

“pay the audit NOWWWWW" "

with this:

“ A shriek sounds like the appropriate sound when so much is occurring without account-abilities, responsible managements,and the majority of "unknowing-what's-happening"- membership at each radio station.      

All those who do not read what is 'really going on' at these blog sites are assuming that all must be in order... and are listening to radio programs plus paying up some...
and that is all that is necessary.    

Obviously, they are 'ignored-ant' and do not know nor want to become more involved,  probably.  

Thanks to those reporters [as those websites] & willing exposers, andto those  who work hard to Share Actual Information, to the 'rest of us' too.   

Knowing more may also be producing anxieties, fears, and concerns, but some may also become active and assist, however, even in spurts.      

We would like to echo all shrieks that can be heard by any of those  the power and decision-making authority at any Pacifica station. 
 
n...o...w...... 1, 2, 3.....whaaaaaaaa!!!!!”


(c) portions not quoted from original websites   2016  bt 

Alan Watts, transcribed....re opposites reconciled

This is typed up from being broadcast on KPFK Sunday June 19, 2016, for further elucidation of those who like to be Reminded of older teachings and realizations. Enjoy and
share, as when this is on-air broadcast for all us, public, the intention is to Share and Teach.
                              mj 

 

(c) photosbyalexandria.com

 

             “Reconciliation of opposites” 

"always interesting to see how often psychologists talk about problem of reconciling opposites….anyone who knows anything at all of elementary principles knows that ideas of both Freud & Jung, patriarchs of depth psych, according to their ideas there is COMPENSATORY relationships to what is conscious and unconscious in our mental life, light above and dark above and vice versa.

many people who wrote most scurrilous books had exemplary lives but those who wrote pious books lived scandalous lives…  what is expressed in dreams is opposite side of life to what is lived consciously

to make person whole – whole related to holy word – problem is to get together 2 apparently-opposed sides…and is recognition that seem at 1 level opposed are at another level mutually necessary.

this is difficult to admit.  we don’t like to uncover the basic harmony that mostly looks like they are in Opposition to each other…like life and death….how we conceal the fact that they keep alive by death daily…we are constantly transforming dead animals & plants into shape of our bodies….and they hide slaughterhouses and conceal death in some-many ways, like the mortician conceals death.... it’s his job.

death is constantly denied and hidden, we don’t see how life & death go together. we fail to recognize the INSEPARABILITY of opposites, so we run into problems and so we don’t understand….    how our enemies are needed to us, and what we avoid are what we also need and use ….      

if we succeed in getting rid of our opposites, we too will collapse…so Jesus  said, “love your enemies”, not  "be nice to them or be friends"…   this shows the truth lies in the MIDDLE,  as in Confucianism – doctrine of the mean – where moderation is best…

so Buddhism is called the ‘middle way’…which means this is a doctrine of moderation.

in Buddha’s own time, 600 yrs before Jesus, the main forms of Indian spirituality was a search for liberation by extreme modification…… 

Buddha was the son of a tribal king and his father had at his birth insulted the soothsayers and was told he would be great monarch or else a Buddha…      and the father didn’t want his son to be mixed up in religion -- so he wanted son to follow in father’s way:  of kings, in the palace, and to not think of the problems in life…

but story goes, that the Buddha caught glimpses of death, poverty, diseases, etc. and  he asked why such things come into being  ???…so he escaped palace, cut his  hair, put on rags and became mendicant-beggar for 7 yrs - 

and then he followed the teachings that wisdom & peace come only from extreme mortification of flesh…but 7 yrs did not bring any peace at all.

after some time he felt he discovered secret – the MIDDLE WAY – 

simply that at 1 extreme was mortification and desire, and other was hedonism, trying to get all pleasures possible....

so he took Middle Way between those 2.   But this is part of point.  The Middle way comes to not just compromise of 2 extremes but a Profound Understanding of Universe that underlies all :   

the  logically thought life is all oppositions & conflicts…life as an encounter…of spiritual and matter.... of mind and body... of 2 different …[aspects]

as if these came from distances apart and were logically opposed - which creates conflict.

but there cant be a battle w/o a battlefield…. 

so underlying all [wars, battles, life events and thoughts ] 
there is something also in COMMON….

fighting over what they want to get is also in common – the same kinds of creatures fight each other – a compliment of agreement …agreeing to have a battle.

the real meaning of middle way – is to go below down the ‘conflict’ and see further, deeper…the mystery in Buddhist philosophy…also called ‘dialectic’ – has a dble sense ..related to dialogue, conversation, what is between teacher & pupils...

 teacher eliciting understanding of students by asking right Q …but other side is that they are Opposed Positions – thesis & synthesis – the middle way is a dialectic – in between.
 
Eastern teachers don’t seek students, as they ‘don’t have anything to teach’ based on insight that at deepest level,- that prior to conflict, life is Not a Problem.  [is connected, a whole, together. ]   

When the Inquirer seeks a teacher because they think there is a problem, “I suffer, how do I stop suffering ?”     but  the steps of dialectic student is brought to the middle way where conflict expressed -and  suffering is reduced to moderation -  to diminish that suffering… ‘I want to not suffer’ 

and teacher counters with ‘you suffer because you DESIRE’….. 

so people think that’s all Buddha said, but it was more.

just stop desiring is not the main point but only 1st step in dialogue. 

Next step is ‘how am I to stop desiring ?’     so teacher says “do you really want to ?”  and the student realizes if it is true, as Buddha seems to say, to cease desiring, that too is a Desire too…to escape, the student must say ‘yes & no” both !!!   "I don’t want to end desiring to stop desiring"….   

so next step:   “suffering is desiring MORE THAN YOU ARE GOING TO GET ! OR CAN GET” == that is what is anguish.

student ponders that and asks ‘what if I fail in not desiring more ? wont that lead to anguish too?"   so teacher says ‘don’t desire to succeed More than you can/will succeed”…
this dialogue shows student has been trying to control his desire ! 

in each step of Q & A, the Buddha is master of dialogue and taking student to higher level… while the lower level is desire of hard facts and of desire -- and at higher level, student sees that his own feelings/desires are part of the facts and not outside themselves.

to ACCEPT THINGS AS THEY ARE includes accepting our desires and our own feelings, even those unpleasant feelings [of failure, jealousy, wanting and yearning and imaginings, competitive urges ]
until student accepts and regards all of their feelings… not be limited to what they THINK or identify themselves with just those desires..... but finding what else there is inside and outside.

desires are both the same and so where is the ‘desirer’ ??? there is no difference between in and out     [as they ALL GO TOGETHER, are connected, related, whole, being the one-who-is-being-observed-is-same-as-observer…]

it is ‘a knowing’ [more fully and of more wholeness].   In Indian logic there are 4 propositions: 
yes,
no, 
yes & no, 
neither yes nor no…. 

= classifications of fundamental statements of what can be happening …. i.e.  so world exists, doesn’t exit or both or neither exists…. as philosophy separates these to explore the  Q….. ‘there is no such thing as ‘being’ as it is only an abstraction…’   nor is one neither being agnostic, skeptic, believer, but more too. 

every human being thinks in these categories even in lowest levels of thinking…some are premises a person clings to hard…what is  our own premise we cling to so desperately ?   

and then we too refuse, oppose. or object -  and see that any affirmation has no meaning without the same in denial, as the ‘no’ to the ‘yes’  always exists …
[in language, thought, and life itself ]
 
so then we have NOTHING LEFT TO HANG ON TO… this realization  brings a person into liberation, 

because it is CLINGING TO LIFE that is root of anxiety that distorts their view & causes suffering

when not clinging to life, the person is released and talked out of their own self-strangulation. "   ###




NOTE: different font parts in "[ ]" are inclusions to Watts' words for clarification only.

Pacifica Archives director resigning...Brian DeShazor going going .....away

"Pacifica Archives Director Brian De Shazor has announced his resignation from Pacifica Radio, effective June 30th. 

"De Shazor’s resignation provoked a strongly worded rebuke to Pacifica from Dr. Josh Sheppard, director of the Radio Preservation Task Force at the Library of Congress in
Washington DC.      

[snip]...    

 Pacifica had recently threatened significant cuts to archival
preservation staffing. "
                              - - - - - - - - - -
[ info snipped from http://pacificainexile.org/archives/1934 ] 
for more or same info  -  and also here:

http://wbai-nowthen.blogspot.com/2016/06/little-by-little-pacificas-last-gasps.html

AND  

 http://wbai-nowthen.blogspot.com/2016_06_01_archive.html



then comments at 1st site seemed prematurely in panic and fear == of loss of the Pacifica Archives. These long and valuable archival treasures from all Pacifica stations are housed in a separate section of the same building as is KPFK, in Los Angeles.

What more KPFK staff  - or LSB and others involved directly with the management and workings there -  KNOW and are or not openly telling us....   and the rest of "us" are  all those who have been loyal, donating,  volunteering, dedicating personal time and efforts and continually promoting and recommending  KPFK, et al. ...and ...and... and..... much more remain ignorantly baffled.

What plans did the director of these valuable saved archives have upon his resignation ?


Brian, being a very responsible, creative and involved person, - as noted in passing by a few who entered into KPFK's bldg hallowed halls -  he is not about to just drop out without a word or assist in guarding his collected treasures, surely, not !

But who has this information to share ? 
                                 
 
                    Brian DeShazor                             [google images]

MORE QUESTIONS THAT NOW NEED CONSIDERATION :

Did Brian gives his reasons for his leaving, or what he suggests happen to the archives he has fathered for so long? 

He is way too responsible to just exit without a plan for his work and treasures. What does he say about what happens there without his supervision?

Has he revealed how much [%] of old reels have been digitized and how much more needs doing ?

Or how much more actually needs preserving ?

He must have a list of those who have helped this transferring before, even for minimal pay, and if he wants to share those contacts who may want, maybe, to work & to continue some that work…now …   

or would Brian make specific suggestions of what CAN happen to all Archive materials, not what ‘should’ happen, but the various possible alternative ways of preservation ?

Or has Brian suggested another person maybe, to kinda take his place, tho he may be invaluable, others too have been working with him for years – 

and surely they too are also knowledgeable and have not all disappeared…yet, have they ?

The assumption that all is going into a dumpster is probably fear-exaggerated and not what happens when 1 person leaves their post, integral and important tho they may be to the dept.
What are the Director Brian and his co-workers: wanting, hoping, saying, suggesting, offering ?

….vs. the image of there being just a ‘dump’of archives complied by all radio stations and producers, just because of his exit ?      [that is the instant fear-reaction some have expressed elsewhere]

Can someone do an interview with those still In Charge of Archives and that dept, – Brian and also the others there, and it can then be typed, into text, to be read and/or heard — w/o it being on KPFK or a radio station?

Sometimes a piece of information elicits the worst images and biggest fears without the rest of related information that must be attached – to know the context – and actual consequences – to make sense.

Brian’s dedication and talents have made the resources wealthy and a treasure. But it took more than 1 person to create and continue that function too. Credit is fully given to him, but the assumption is that it is not just 1 hero involved or dept dissolves. 

So who else can speak about what is happening…next ?

and those who are still staff and at KPFK have access to those working in Archives, as do others. Roy is one, there are other staff even not on-air that are still employed.

Other long-term programmers must also be able to assist or inquire and share what is happening to Archives or other such changes at KPFK.

The end has not yet come. Panic is not yet necessary.



There is many more chapters to this, as every other story, if the immediate scare reactions so far expressed can be allayed and all those interested in any helping way join in,

But first, who was to know this is occuring when there is soooo much continued and forever-kept secrecy about what occurs in KPFK and Pacifica and the machinations occurring therein ? 

Anyone can write, call, go to the KPFK Archives dept or KPFK radio station and inquire, ask, demand some actual facts and answers and share them with 'the rest of all donors' who 'own' the organization they have long invested into...and now want to reclaim some VOICES and responsibility to what happens at both the Pacifica Archives and other governance matters that is non-transparently and authoritatively taken-away and taken-over by just a few - secretly, silently, usurping Our Radio Station[s].

(c) 2016  bt  

KPFK has LSB elections coming - so nominate by June 30.

The KPFK story remains the same, though parts are falling away or failing without public notice. The few who dare expose what most donors to radio station Do Not Know and yet want to know and help are:

Roy Tuckman in his subscription - weekly listing his upcoming programs for the next week   HTTP://WWW.SOMETHINGSHAPPENING.COM

[[ anyone can go to http://www.somethingshappening.com and click on 'what shall happen' or 'what happened' for easy directions]]

 and

Pacificainexile.org,

and some re-postings are provided also here, hoping to 'get the real words' OUT, vs. their reverberating inside closed caves of the KPFK station, the LSB meetings [tho public the information is not always explained, intelligible, nor comment-able either- as much is discussed, written by LSB members secretly amongst each other than any public-member has NO access to learn ! ].

information culled from above sources continue here:

re: near-future fund drives - donations continually asked for and regular programming is interrupted constantly...

   June 20 - July 15 (or so - often extended longer) for a hoped for gain of  $560,000.

                                        and

   Aug 16-31 for a goal of    $275,000.

                                  - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - -

"The LSB election has been put on hold nationally due to budget shortfall "   - [whether it is local KPFK budget or national Pacifica's budget is not clear here ]
 
KPFK is having another local station board election ( a smaller one this year). Elections by the bylaws  should be done 2 out of every 3 years.

We need  any and all listeners, donors, members  with their willingness to work as volunteer [no reimbursement has been ever indicated] with  ideas - especially  if they "have talents, abilities, experiences" to add to the skills of the already elected  LSB  members (Local Station Board).

... nominations close June 30 (you  can nominate yourself). The biggest difficulty is to get the required 15 signatures, to be nominated - but there are and hopefully will still be available - gatherings at the station just for that purpose. That is where a bunch of people will sign your petition. 

[The exact process sounds vague and suspicious, as if knowing 'others' who attend is helpful to get those signatures, or who exactly is qualified to sign your nominating petition.

Further inquiries about the process can possibly be gained from phoning directly to the station and asking receptionist or a staff there :

                       1-818- 985-2711

Should you get elected - it is a crucially important position - but also a difficult one, frustrating, and sometimes gratifying, this puts you into position to make important decisions that are necessary.  New members and fresh alternative views are needed though the old-guard keeps revolving back in.

Now, lately a better local board has emerged and it is crucial to help keep them free from other power-grabbing or manipulative ideologues- as it appears there are those taking power positions who want to destroy or usurp the radio station by letting/ or leading it into bankruptcy. 

There are various people who claim the LSB, with their own agendas, some acting as proxies or agents of other Pacifica groups, and a bunch of  time-wasters too.

For more, please  info go to http://elections.pacifica.org/

Remember, the end time for nominations is June 30. so TAKE ACTION now ! and let others you know about this rare opportunity to be actually Involved [vs. just listening and wondering outside] in the improvement and functioning of KPFK ! ”





(c) 2016  mj