THE ISSUES — KPFA Protectors

Protecting KPFA as Pacifica Sinks— KPFA, We Have Your Back!

This election is critical to protect KPFA’s bank accounts, building, staff, and programming. Voters, please follow the money that Pacifica takes from KPFA, and VOTE with KPFA Protectors to keep KPFA strong.

Programming

KPFA Protectors safeguard KPFA’s Independent Investigative Programming. We support local and national programming with in depth reporting and analysis of climate emergency, racist right wing nationalism, violence, nuclear threat, militarism, jobs, poverty, inequality, voting, immigrant rights, LGBTQ, women’s and reproductive issues, the healthcare and housing crises, people’s culture. diverse activist movements and emergency resources. We strongly oppose Pacifica’s move toward commercial underwriting that threatens the integrity of programming and hurts listenability.
KPFA Protectors support KPFA’s outreach to Youth and our diverse Multi-Racial California communities.
Training Programs Support KPFA’s Program Quality
KPFA Protectors support recruitment of students and youth as interns for KPFA operations program, has a long standing News Training Program and UpFront has an Internship Program.
KPFA is establishing 2 new programs to train interns in audio, video and social media production. Collaborations are “in the works” with Berkeley City College, the State Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Berkeley Community Media, Pacific Coast Community Services, and other community organizations.
KPFA Protectors Opposes Commercial Underwriting
KPFA’s mission is, “to maintain an independent funding base”. This allows KPFA to have independent coverage of political, social, racial and economic issues that other stations do not air. And now, it looks like the Pacifica’s slide into on-the-air underwriting announcements could affect KPFA.
In January of 2023, the Pacifica National Board, (PNB) passed underwriting motions in a desperate attempt to increase revenue in the face of financial crisis at 4 of Pacifica’s 5 stations. Pacifica’s top down shift to sponsored commercial underwriting
- Is dangerously naive about the dangers of corporate and government influence on programming
- does not take into consideration the money and staff time needed for implementation.
- does not address the core issue of low listenership at financially failing stations.
KPFA is funded by listener donations which prevents corporate control of programming. In contrast, an estimated 90% of media assets are owned by 6 major corporate giants. Many of the remaining 10% have corporate underwriting. In public radio, “underwriting” means using on-air announcements that acknowledge financial support— it is advertising but without specific promotion. A Wikipedia article cites underwriting as “inhibiting influences on public affairs programs (even self-censorship) where investigative journalism is featured…"
At the February 23, PNB meeting a Director from WBAI glorified WBAI’s underwriting stating ”that has to be exploited at other stations”. This appears to contradict Pacifica’s policy that each station can decide if they want underwriting.
Pacifica’s Proposed Programming Control
Pacifica’s Strategic Planning Committee that oversees the underwriting project is also recommending more Pacifica control of programming at all stations. That may include Pacifica monitoring all shows and forcing Pacifica national programming on all stations with Pacifica wide fund raising.
These plans are being led by a PNB director from WBAI. Many of WBAI’s long running shows have almost no monthly donors or have questionable content and fund raising practices. And although some have apparently been on ‘for ever and ever and ever,” the program director is “not going to just go in there and take everything off the air that doesn’t make any money.”
The big question is: do KPFA listeners want people who cannot successfully run their own station dictating what goes on the air at KPFA? KPFA Protectors strongly oppose Pacifica control of KPFA’s programming. KPFA Protectors are opposed to Pacifica’s corporate and government underwriting. KPFA pays its bills, is listener supported and protects the integrity of its programming. It has been designated as “the Best Radio Station in the USA by The Nation magazine
Pacifica Finances & KPFA
Almost $1 Million of Pacifica’s aged unpaid bills are for urgent essential services that are ripe for termination due to nonpayment.
Pacifica is in default on a government EIDL loan which has been turned over to the US Treasury Collections Department. Pacifica owes $26,193 in back payments on the $2,080,000. loan.
Pacifica has missed 2 payments on the originally $3.2 Million loan used to pay off a judgement for expenses incurred at WBAI. Interest is around $18%. KPFA’s station building was used as collateral on that loan. Pacifica”s plan to sell KPFK’s building to decrease debt has not materialized after months of being on the LA market.
Most of Pacifica’s Insurance Policies for all of the stations have been CANCELLED, due to non-payment. This includes insurance for equipment, broadcast studios, towers, property and casualty insurance, general liability, excess liability, and media liability insurances.
KPFA’s and other station buildings used as collateral for Pacifica’s loans are no longer insured which violates the loan agreements
Health Benefits and Payroll Debt: Pacifica currently owes $90,171 for past health care benefits. Some stations have ongoing problems paying payroll and health care benefits. $20,000 was taken from KPFA in August for payroll at other stations. KPFT provided $52,000 to cover East Coast stations health benefits. Pacifica will probably continue to have payroll and health benefit shortfalls which will likely require payroll reductions particularly for staff not protected by a union.
Accounting Problems:
Some stations have not provided documentation and invoices that correspond to each of their expenses.. Pacifica is not seeing justification for some of the expenses involving debit or credit cards required for the independent audits. There is a proposal for Pacifica consolidation of bank accounts
Audits
Pacifica is late with its 2022 Audits and doesn’t have the $35,000 needed to get started It will cost about $78,000 total. The audits are needed for: grant applications, nonprofit status, the IRS, and the FCC. The 2021 Audit described Pacifica as not a going concern.
Legal Debt
Over $100,000 has been taken from KPFA to pay for some of Pacifica’s legal expenses. Pacifica does not have an invoice or a breakdown of the unpaid hours above the retainer owed to Pacifica’s General Counsel but it is estimated to be over $120K.
Central Service Fees to Pacifica
A Pacifica National Board resolution calls for successful stations to give up 15% of their revenue for network expenses. Financially failing stations are asked to pay only 8%, Instead of ensuring that stations improve their programming to become “as nearly self sustaining as possible”, as mandated in the Pacifica Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation, there is inequity and dysfunction.
Failing stations:
WBAI owes over 2 months in back station building and tower rents. The 2021 Audit stated that WBAI owes over $8 Million to the network. KPFK has hundreds of thousands of dollars in past payables.
KPFA Donors & Financial Autonomy
Many KPFA listeners have written to KPFA management and board members saying that they want financial autonomy for KPFA. Many asked about how to be able to donate only to KPFA and if it is possible to restrict their donations only for KPFA programs. They cited concerns about Pacifica’s dire finances causing KPFA resources to be taken to cover debt from Pacifica and other stations.
Governance
Attacks on KPFA Managers, Staff & Board Members
Please watch out for attacks on KPFA managers, staff and board members. Many who have been vocal about Pacifica’s dysfunction have been targeted with false and misleading accusations that confuse the listeners. The key to clarity is by following the money and resources that Pacifica takes from KPFA and notice who ignores it.
A KPFA National Governance Committee member proposed Pacifica training for board members to prevent bullying. The network has so far not provided it.
The Pacifica Election Committee and National Board have asked that the Fair Campaign Provisions be amended to prohibit slander and libel against managers, staff and board members. It was not amended.
Two major attempts to protect KPFA and other station assets have been opposed by Pacifica.
There are widely discriminated false narratives about the attempted intervention at WBAI to address financial decline. When Pacifica Executive Director, John Vernile, attempted to implement programming and operational changes at WBAI in 2019. His reorganization attempt was met with his firing. Vernile later won an arbitration judgement for defamation against him and in December of 2022, over $300,000 was taken from KPFA accounts to pay off the judgement. Apparently KPFA was the only station with the money, even though the defamation took place at WBAI. Pacifica appealed the arbitration and lost and is appealing a second time.
There have been attempts to blame the people who testified in the defamation hearing for KPFA’s loss saying that if they had not testified the money might not have been taken for the judgement. That is like blaming a witness to a bank robber for the bank robber going to prison.
Another attempt to address dysfunction at WBAI, in 2022 was strongly opposed by the Pacifica National Board majority. A group of members from different stations petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to investigate and address alleged FCC violations involving WBAI programming, fund raising and business practice. Documentation included issues with IRS reporting, failure to send donor’s promised premiums and public health concerns about programming. Instead of investigating the allegations, the Pacifica National Board initiated disciplinary hearings against 2 KPFA Local Station Board members for connection with the FCC petition, One whistle blower, staff member was subsequently suspended from the KPFA LSB. The PNB charges against her, inaccurately claimed that a goal of the petition was to “have the FCC deny the renewal of Pacifica’s license in New York (WBAI)”
FACT: Denial of the license was not a goal of the petition. The FCC has not denied a license with this kind of petition in the last 20 years at a minimum.” The goal of the petition, (made in the context of WBAI’s license renewal window) was to help WBAI change its current practices and to become a viable community radio station. The FCC investigation is still pending.
KPFA Protectors Support Coverage Exposing Police Violence
KPFA has a strong history of covering police violence and racist attacks. There have been false accusations that KPFA managers and board members did not support a staff member who was arrested in a protest against police violence in Antioch CA. There have been over 20 shows in the past 3 years that covered police violence in Antioch including the incident involving the staff member.
Pacifica's Strange Democracy
- The PNB cancelled the 2022 Local Station Board elections due to an apparent lack of funds for an election. This cancellation set aside the voting rights of the members,
- The PNB has allowed the Pacifica Executive Director to be stripped of her bylaw-mandated duties to make programming and management changes. This transfers more decision making power from someone skilled in non-profit and broadcasting management to the Pacifica National Board majority under the guidance of their General Counsel from WBAI and prevents the ED from addressing the underlying problems at stations that are not financially self-sustaining.
KPFA Protectors support Diverse Community Advisory Boards
in March of 2022 the KPFA LSB passed a motion that the KPFA LSB reach out to students, youth and People of Color in alignment with the demographics of the KPFA signal range for their appointments to the Community Advisory Board.
The KPFA LSB elected an initial diverse CAB with plans to expand membership. CAB members as have made reports to the station about listening interests of students, youth and communities of color.
The PNB overrode the KPFA CAB appointment and passed a motion that would have made the majority of the 2022 CAB older and white and have allowed any of the first 24 people who applied to automatically be on the CAB.
This allegedly violates Corporation for Public Broadcasting grant applications requirements that: the Community Advisory Board be reasonably representative of the diverse needs and interests of the communities served by such station.
The PNB resolution mandated using an STV voting calculation method that undermines the ability of the stations to meet the diversity requirement because it does not allow for appointments to be based on the demographics of the station’s signal range. The KPFA LSB Officers wrote to the PNB about alleged CPB violation and the PNB did not respond to the concern.
What’s Next?
Financial crisis, opposition to effective change, organizational dysfunction and commercial underwriting do not bode well for KPFA’s or Pacifica. KPFA Protectors appreciate your ongoing support for KPFA. We will continue to advocate for your interests and report to you on these urgent matters.
The quest for protecting KPFA is taking place amidst a global economic, environmental and social justice crisis, KPFA has the potential to play a key role in the future of independent media. This will mean protecting and expanding KPFA resources. KPFA listeners send their donations to KPFA, not Pacifica and other stations.. They support KPFA and want protection from Pacifica because we need KPFA now more than ever.
What would it look like if all KPFA donations could go to KPFA? KPFA is self sustaining. and has the capability to expand its programming onto multi-media platforms, reaching out to youth and diverse communities across Northern California and beyond. Freedom from financial drain will allow KPFA’s staff to create new, innovative and urgently needed programming. KPFA can become a future beacon of light with its quality production of independent news in alignment with KPFA’s peace and social justice mission.
What needs to be done?
1. INFORM KPFA MEMBERS KPFA Protector communications seek to keep you informed about efforts to protect KPFA
2. Elect KPFA Protector Endorsed Candidates to Protect KPFA’s Programming, Staff, Building and Funds
Thank you for Caring about KPFA

Protecting KPFA as Pacifica Sinks— KPFA, We Have Your Back!

Programming

Pacifica Finances & KPFA

Governance

What’s Next?

What needs to be done?

Thank you for Caring about KPFA