Women's Magazine Back on Air!

http://kpfawomensmag.blogspot.com

Thanks to all your emails, calls and pledges, Women's Magazine producers have been told that we will be going back on air on Monday, June 1. We are very excited and are planning a live show for that date, so please tune in between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. on June 1, or anytime after that on this website or at www.kpfa.org/womensmagazine!

Due to this victory, we have decided not to go forward with the planned demonstration on May 21, but we are continuing to work with other unpaid staff and LSB members to pressure for an open, democratic and accountable decision-making process.

We still need your support, so please keep checking this blog or sign up for our RSS feed.


http://kpfawomensmag.blogspot.com/2009/05/
womens-magazine-back-on-air.html

Protest at KPFA May 21, 5 p.m.

http://kpfawomensmag.blogspot.com

Protest at KPFA May 21, 5 p.m.
Tell everyone you know! Come out come out wherever you are!

When: Thursday, May 21, 5:00-6:00 pm
Where: KPFA Studios, 1929 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley




PROTEST at KPFA to

-- Save Women's Magazine
-- Restore the Program Council
-- Demand Democracy, Accountability and Community Programming Controlled by the Community at our radio station!

It is not only feminist/womanist voices that are being silenced. There is no specifically African American show. Many other communities are ignored or marginalized at KPFA. Unpaid staff have been harassed and prevented from organizing. The program council, which is mandated by bylaws, has been disbanded.
Demand that community radio be accountable to the community!

http://kpfawomensmag.blogspot.com/2009/05/protest-at-kpfa-may-21-5-pm.html

it's a darn "sham" - radiopoetics.org

http://radiopoetics.org

it's a darn "sham"
Mon, 05/11/2009 - 12:47 — bard

Folks,
I thought you'd like to know we have "sham/runaway" majority LSB board that doesn't believe in democratic process let alone fairness. Below are some examples from the 5/9/09 LSB Meeting:

_"DIS-ACTION" 1: _
LSB Chair Conn Hallinan refused to allow Noelle Hanrahan to regain her seat as an LSB listener rep, even though the PNB voted that "change of status", from listener to staff, or vice versa does not disqualify someone from continuing to serve out her/his term on the LSB. His ruling was appealed and the majority on the LSB voted to uphold the ruling. Bonnie Simmons, Sherry Gendelman, Warren Mar and others, on this, and on a few other occasions yesterday, asserted that the "PNB cannot tell the LSB what to do" even though these people know full well that the LSB is a committee of the PNB.

Bonnie also informed the LSB that she introduced a motion to rescind the prior motion allowing Noelle back onto the board. The rescindment motion doesn't count since it is a pending motion. The prior motion, allowing Noelle to be re-seated, which was already passed, is currently the “law of the land”.

_WASTE OF TIME "DIS-ACTION" 2: _

In addition, the majority KPFA LSB made and passed a motion, to tell the PNB that they do not support the new election policy and feel it is too cumbersome and unworkable and will take too many hours away from regular programming.

_PROGRAMMING MOTION:_

Joe Wanzala introduced a motion that the LSB create a program committee, made up of 4 listeners and the iPD and GM, to work together to ensure that KPFA programming conforms to the Pacifica bylaws. He brought this motion in response to one recently passed at the PNB.

In another action, contrary to the bylaws, a member of the majority board amended this motion to give the LSB chair the authority to appoint the 4 listener members of this committee, even though the bylaws clearly state that all committee members are elected using STV. This was also challenged but lost to the majority.

So, in summary the undemocratic majority of our LSB is out of control. Stay tuned to hear more about this in the future.

Chandra


http://radiopoetics.org

Why Has Women's Magazine been cancelled by KPFA Management?

http://kpfawomensmag.blogspot.com

• Without prior notice or consultation Sasha Lilley, interim Program Director, informed Women's Magazine (WM) on 1/20/09 that the show would be taken off the air for 3 months and replaced by “Letters from Washington” hosted by Mitch Jeserich. She stated the reason being that a 1pm public affairs slot was needed for this show but did not explain why their show was the one selected to be replaced.

• Over 50 listeners complained to KPFA mgmt about the abrupt cancellation

• A requested meeting with Sasha and Amelia Gonzalez occurred on 2/19/09. Sasha affirmed that the show would be back on the air at the end of 3 months.

• At the March LSB mtg., when asked when the Women’s Show would return to the air, Lemlem also affirmed that the show would be back on 5/4/09.

• In compliance with a request by WM, a cart was prepared, just prior to the end of the 3 mo period, informing listeners that WM would be back on the air beginning 5/4/09.

• At the above meeting some concerns were raised about the level of programming, and WM reps agreed to work with Amelia to complete a self evaluation.

• The staff were never given a written evaluation or informed of any corrective action plan or timeline in which to improve their programming.

• The staff were never informed that their show may be taken off the air due to its “spotty” programming.

• In fact, after special programming for International Women's Day, WM asked for and got feedback from Amelia.

• In response the show came up with a new format, some new approaches to woman's issues, and laid the groundwork for reorganization.


• The return date was also posted on the KPFA website

• On May 4th, just prior to the show being aired, with the hosts and guests sitting in the studio, with no prior notice or consultation, the board opp informed the WM hosts that Sasha had pre-empted their show for a previously aired program.

• Reps of WM met with Sasha that afternoon to discuss the situation. She was apologetic, and said she had no idea the show was scheduled to be back on the air on that date. She still maintained that she had misread an email from Amelia confirming the May 4th air date for the show.

• even though KPFA has speakers throughout the station that air live programming, including the carts;
• and even though Sasha, as the interim PD, should be fully aware of the KPFA programming schedule.

• At this same meeting WM reps asked Sasha when the show would be back on the air. She indicated, for the first time, that it would depend upon their upcoming program evaluation.

• The WM requests support from the LSB and the KPFA listening community for continued programming of the only program on KPFA specifically serving the women’s community and other marginalized communities, in conformance with the Pacifica mission.

• The WM further requests that there be open and transparent communication between KPFA mgmt and WM staff.

• The WM welcomes feedback from mgmt regarding a critical evaluation of its programming and suggestions for corrective action.

• The WM requests that the LSB use this experience as a template to guide its recommendations to KPFA mgmt in its oversight role regarding programming policy that is fair, open and transparent.

• The WM requests that KPFA mgmt reconstitute the Program Council which did develop a fair, open and transparent policy regarding KPFA programming and evaluations.

• And WM reminds the LSB that there are system-wide power imbalances in the broader Pacifica family, and that these need to be addressed as well.

Thank you for your attention to these matters.

The Women's Magazine

* * * * *

The below motion was approved by the PNB on 4/26/09

"Motion: That the LSB’s are to work with station management to ensure that station programming fulfills the purposes of the Foundation and is responsive to the diverse needs of the listeners (demographic) and communities (geographic) served by the station, and that station policies and procedures for making programming decisions and for program evaluation are working in a fair, collaborative and respectful manner to provide quality programming” We recommend to the PNB that they request, in writing, an explanation from the LSBs, GMs and PDs on how they are implementing this bylaw."

Les Radke National Election Supervisor

Pacifica Foundation.org

Les Radke Chosen as National Election Supervisor

"I am happy to announce that I have engaged Les Radke as National Election Supervisor. His qualifications, reputation for fairness and impartiality, past experience with Pacifica elections and dedication to the Pacifica Mission and Bylaws make him an excellent candidate for this position.

"I am grateful for the hard work, diligence and persistence of National Election Committee members and hope that this Committee will continue to meet to support the NES, Local Election Supervisors and the election process."

In Peace,
Grace Aaron
Interim Executive Director of
The Pacifica Foundation

PLEDGE DON'T GIVE to Save Women's Magazine

http://kpfawomensmag.blogspot.com:
Save Womens Magazine

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY

Dear Friends,

In January, KPFA management made a decision to preempt Women's Magazine, the only hour of programming on its airwaves focused on women's and gender issues, which has aired three times a month for the last four years. Listeners and programmers were assured that the show would go back on the air at the end of the first 100 days of the new administration. However, now it appears that management may permanently remove Women's Magazine from its lineup. This is unacceptable. The Program Council comprising listeners and staff, which is mandated by the Pacifica bylaws and represents the only accountability for programming decisions, was unilaterally dissolved by the Interim Program Director several months ago.

This fund drive, we are asking you to flex your money to save Women's Magazine. If you can, call during WM's regular slot - Monday, 1:00-2:00 pm, but if you can't call then, call any time during the fund drive and make a pledge but do not pay it yet. Tell the person who takes your pledge that you will pay it when Women's Magazine is back on the air and the Program Council is reinstated. (The person will say they can't write it down, but it's good to say it anyway.) If WM and the Program Council have not been reinstated when you get the bill in the mail, write on it that you are waiting until they are and send it back.

Email kpfawomensmag@gmail.com and tell us that you pledged. No pressure, but if you're willing to tell us how much you pledged, it will help us keep track of how much virtual money we've raised so we can prove that we can in fact fundraise.

Finally, ask everyone you know to join this campaign for democracy, accountability and women's expression at our station!

Women's Magazine is off the air but on the web! Check out breaking news and audio clips on our blog http://kpfawomensmag.blogspot.com/.

Join our Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=79430924351 .

Introducing... Media Justice: KPFA

Welcome to Media Justice: KPFA, a portal of information and perspectives from inside Pacifica flagship station, KPFA FM.

Articles and links on this site include contributions from a broad-based cross-section of producers and staff (paid and unpaid), independent journalists, board directors, volunteers and community supporters across the KPFA service area in Northern and Central California.

The rise of the Media Reform movement in response to FCC policies resulting in increased consolidation and corporatization of media resources, has also raised public awareness about accountability of broadcasters to their local communities. The issue also examines approaches, policies and systems to promote and acheive equitable representation and direct access by all sectors of the community to the media resources and outlets. Much of this is aptly described under the term "Media Justice".

Quoting from the organization "Reclaim The Media":

" Media Justice speaks to the need to go beyond creating greater access to the same old media structure. Media Justice takes into account history, culture, privilege and power. We need new relationships with media and a new vision for its control, access, and structure. Media Justice understands that this will require new policies, new systems that treat our airways and our communities as more than markets. "

The Media Justice: KPFA portal is geared towards promoting a community-friendly, healthy, productive and democratic internal work environment that facilitates these goals. Contributors are participants who are working on the inside to improve KPFA, committed to enlightening and engaging community participation through Active Pacifism, rather than armchair Passivism; while applying concepts of Media Reform and Media Justice to advance the Pacifica Mission.


    Media Justice: KPFA
    mediajusticekpfa @ gmail.com

"Pacifica Launches California Newscast" between KPFA & KPFK...who knows ?

16 April, 2009 - 17:24 — maryjanie

QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED - - - - - - - - - - of ""Pacifica Launches California Newscast" general article written 4/14/09 [see]

#1 Who dares to make this claim and be believed "crucial information ....which they won’t find elsewhere" ?? How exclusive are any Pacifica reporters and what makes them provide information not available to all & any other media and reporters?
"Exclusive" ? not.
Interesting ? maybe.
Current ? probably.
"trailblazing idea" ? not very new or different than other cooperative stations do. "not beholden to commercial interests" ? but beholden to certain political groups interests and their limited viewpoints and actions. probably.

#2 What happened to the person and position called Nathan Moore who was the program coordinator for Pacifica ? Has this position been refilled to help coordinate an effective and fairly-shared selection of programs ? Why did he write on Pacificana.org that his position was eliminated about 4-5 months ago ?

#3 If the prior news staff at KPFK were released or removed or fired or sidelined, and possibly for ethical or 'good' reasons of which The Community KPFK serves knows not... if that staff was not-good-enough, how is this new version of newsreporters and their findings going to be evaluated and selected as being "better" ?
What criteria are those decisions based upon ?
Who makes those decisions ? Is it a single person ? group? or who then approves those decisions?

#4 The Community who have no or little access to what occurs within our KPFK station. These stakeholders will again just be the same passive audience, just waiting breathlessly to be told what is good, what is "news", whose news is serving them, and having to again trust that Pacifica's own image-building version of itself will really play out this time...

as Pacifica is said to be, "people powered" or is this meaning "more people" rather than the same old group in another uniformed fashion as other radio stations ?
The uniform can be be politically 'left' or 'radical' or 'Green" or even "those struggling" ....

What makes that promotional PR blurb believable ? huh ?

Of course, we will dutifully wait to decide how helpful this shared task will be and if we the payees of the news at Pacifica receive our fair and full share back. Maybe yes ?

We will all wait to the news to sound clear and fair. California here we are !

http://kpfcommentators.blogspot.com/

KPFA's Manager Attends A Board Meeting

www.intergate.com/~daniel41:  
Between the Minutes on March 14, 2009

by Daniel Borgström

KPFA's General Manager, Lemlem Rijio, paid a rare visit and gave a manager's report at the public Local Station Board (LSB) meeting of March 14th. Actually, it's part of the manager's job to attend every LSB meeting.

Some of the board members seem to have no problem with Lemlem Rijio's noncompliance in this and other matters. The Sherry Gendelman faction, which call themselves the "Concerned Listeners" (CL'ers), give uncritical support to Lemlem and the rest of the KPFA management.

But not all of the board is inclined to sign blank checks. There is an opposition, members who see themselves as continuing the legacy of 1999, and they began raising issues and asking penetrating questions. These were, in order of speakers, Gerald Sanders, Shahram Aghamir, Chandra Hauptman, Tracy Rosenberg, Joe Wanzala, Aki Tanaka, Anthony Fest, Henry Norr, and Sureya Sayadi.

"You can't spend money you don't have," cautioned Listener Rep Gerald Sanders. Gerald was referring to the financial mess that KPFA/Pacific is now in. Warren Mar, the CL'er who chaired this meeting, cut in and spoke for Lemlem: "She already knows that!" he said. "Knowing it isn't enough," said Gerald, "You need to act on it."

Staff Rep Shahram Aghamir asked if the station is still employing consultants. "Yes, we still have consultants," Lemlem replied. "How much is being spent on the consultants?" Shahram asked, and, not getting a satisfactory answer, he repeated his question. Finally, Lemlem said: "I will send you a confidential email." She did not explain why the amount spent on consultants had to be confidential.

Listener Rep Chandra Hauptman requested that management not schedule CAB meetings at the same time as the LSB. Some people wished to attend both, Chandra told her, so the two should not be in conflict. Lemlem said okay and asked when the LSB meets--a question that elicited a few laughs since the manager receives all notices of meetings.

"Looking at the budget," said Listener Rep Tracy Rosenberg. "Have we touched our reserve to pay for the deficit the station is running?" Lemlem's answer was "Not yet."

Tracy also asked about the station's personnel policies. She reminded Lemlem that the LSB had, in October 2008, passed a resolution requiring that the information be made available to the board. The manager replied that she would need to consult the corporate counsel to discuss what role the board played in personnel matters and in changing such documents.

"You're not answering the question!" Tracy said in a loud clear voice that needed no microphone. "I asked to see the documents, not change the documents."

Listener Rep Joe Wanzala asked Lemlem about the abrupt three-month suspension of "Women's Magazine," which had been replaced by "Letters from Washington." Lemlem responded that it would return at the end of Obama's first 100 days. She made no reference to the insult to the unpaid staff of "Women's Magazine" and the program's listeners. Nor did she mention the firestorm of critical letters and phone calls from listeners in support of Women's Magazine. Her decision to preempt KPFA's only women's program had been made in a totally opaque manner, without consulting the Program Council or, possibly, anybody else.

When Anthony Fest, a KPFA newscaster and staff rep, asked Lemlem why the Program Council was no longer meeting, her reply was surprisingly revealing. "Well," she said, "the Program Council was spending time discussing whether or not it had decision-making power and of course it doesn't--that's management's job--so we stopped it." In May 2004 the LSB had passed a resolution reaffirming the Program Council's decision making powers so that abrupt, secretive programming decisions like this wouldn't take place, but management has in effect disbanded the Program Council.

Anthony also brought up management's de-recognition of the UnPaid Staff Organization (UPSO), and got the usual excuse--that UPSO was "disorganized." The 1999 lockout had inspired the unpaid volunteers into wrestling themselves into a fairly successful organization until polarizing efforts actively worked against it. It was in August 2007 that Lemlem issued a memo withdrawing recognition. The LSB at that time passed a resolution calling on management to recognize UPSO, but the resolution was ignored. The Pacifica National Board also passed such a resolution, also ignored.

In addition to Anthony Fest, several other board members also asked Lemlem about UPSO and the Program Council, but did not get satisfactory replies. Finally, Henry Norr, a listener rep and former SF Chronicle science columnist, spoke. "Your non-responsiveness to this board--" Henry began, and frankly told the manager she was showing disrespect to the board by not attending these LSB meetings, and by not giving straightforward answers to questions asked. He summed up what had been said by other board members, and added another example--the ongoing difficulty of getting announcements for demonstration and community events aired on KPFA--despite a board resolution to simplify that process. "Nothing has changed," Henry said, and laid the mike back on the table.

The audience--about a dozen listeners and staff--burst out with spontaneous applause. Before Lemlem could respond, Warren Mar, the CL'er who was chairing the meeting, cut in and barked out angrily, "That was a personal attack!" then added, "That was a speech, not a question!"

A moment later Vice Chairman Mar was engaged in a yelling match with members of the audience. Then he called a ten minute break.

The session with the General Manager resumed after the break. Listener Rep Sureya Sayadi took up the mike and rebuked Vice Chairman Mar: "Lemlem has a right to speak for herself," Sureya told the chair. "You don't need to protect her. You minimize her when you try to speak for her. You minimize her when you try to protect her."

Lemlem Rijio was appointed General Manager of KPFA last October--less than a month after a "Statement of No Confidence" in her management style was signed by 74 members of the KPFA staff. Before that Lemlem had been the interim GM for two and a half years, since April 2006.