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KPFA: Ten Years After The 1999 Hijack Attempt
As Pacifica embarked on its new democratic path it became clear that everyone that fought the Hijackers didn’t do so for the same reason! At KPFA some staff and their supporters sought to defeat the Hijackers so that they could control KPFA and make the decisions about who/what gets air time and who gets the paid jobs.
After mass listener support rescued KPFA and Pacifica from a self appointed Pacifica National Board (PNB) that was planning to sell KPFA or one of the other stations and take the “community” out of the network, new democratic Bylaws were written and adopted. You can read the Bylaws at http://www.pacifica.org/governance/PacificaBylaws-new.html .
Pacifica’s Bylaws state a commitment for peace and social justice, Article One, Section 3. It seems inconceivable that peace and social justice can even be approached with out a democratic process with transparency and accountability. As Gandhi said “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
As Pacifica embarked on its new democratic path it became clear that everyone that fought the Hijackers didn’t do so for the same reason! Most listener activists and some staff supported the new democratic process and welcomed the involvement and input of the listener/subscribers who are the regular audience and the financial supporters of the station and Pacifica.
At KPFA some staff and their supporters sought to defeat the Hijackers so that they could control KPFA and make the decisions about who/what gets air time and who gets the paid jobs. This latter group has used the power of the stations progressive reputation and the power of the microphone to maintain control and frustrate the new Bylaws in many ways.
The staff group I am referring to was identified by an e-mail from Brian Edwards-Tiekert to the other “insiders” that became public in 2005. You can read the e-mail at http://peoplesradio.net/Dismantle.htm. The author acknowledged its authenticity. Their group now claims that it never met to discuss “dismantling the Local Station Board (LSB)”, aka the democratic process, or “how do we make our enemies own the problems that are to come”. This group has been supported by their electoral counter part, first called KPFAForward (2004) and now Concerned Listeners (CL).
In the 5+ years under this leadership group KPFA subscribers have gone from 28,000 in 2003 to 20,000 now! That is a 28% decrease while they increased the paid staff by 50%. Bringing us a $300,000 deficit this year. At the same time they refused to do anything about the financial problems hurting Pacifica. Their conduct actually precipitated a major financial crisis at Pacifica. http://berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2009-05-14/article/32873?headline=The-Pacifica-Financial-Crisis-Who-is-Responsible- .
Let’s see what these folks have done toward “dismantling the LSB”. In 2003 the KPFA Program Council, made up of paid and unpaid staff and listeners, voted to move Democracy Now! (DN!) to Prime time, 7-8am and move the morning show to 8-10am. There was/is significant listener demand/support for this time change. It is common practice and common sense to put your most popular/dynamic program in prime time. In May 2004 the LSB voted to move DN! to prime time as per the Program Council’s prior vote. This has never been implemented. WHY?
In 2007 GM Lemlem Rijio, quietly ended the Program Council. The LSB’s CL majority ignored the previous Resolution codifying the Program Council and did nothing to save the Program Council.
In 2007 GM Rijio took away the official status of the Unpaid Staff Organization (UPSO). UPSO existed to represent the unpaid staff at KPFA, more than 200 people. These are the people who do the majority of the work that goes on the air.
The CL slate literature for the 2006 and 2007 LSB elections was silent on the important issues of the Program Council, UPSO and the DN! move to prime time
In 2009 the CL LSB majority voted to meet only once every other month, instead of every month as all the other stations do and KPFA had done for 5 years. They ignored the backlog of work to be done and how it delayed the selection of LSB members to important PNB committees.
Over a year ago they took the link to the LSB page off the front page of the KPFA web site. They don’t announce the LSB meetings on the front page of the web site and often don’t announce them on the air as required by the Bylaws.
How has the CL maintained its slim majority on the LSB? Here are some of the dirty tricks they have used to dominate the elections. In 2006 and 2007 GM Rijio refused to allow any election information to be broadcast when the ballots were sent out. Rijio’s justification was that there was a fund drive in progress despite election information being broadcast during fund drives at other Pacifica stations. In 2006 and 2007 CL spent thousands of dollars and sent out a slate mailer to arrive with the ballots during the election information black out, imposed by their ally GM Rijio. To top that off, in 2007 when they finally did run some candidate carts, they ran all 22 at once, with CL candidate Sherry Gendelman’s first.
After the 2007 KPFA election there was only one news story on KPFA about the election. Interviewed were Sherry Gendelman, Matthew Lasar, a CL endorser, and Dan Siegel and Larry Bensky both CL allies and supporters and both guilty of using station or Foundation resources to support CL or attack their opponents in violation of election ethics. No listener activist candidates were interviewed. Why is there a FOX in our newsroom?
In the upcoming election there will be ample airtime for the election since the new PNB majority has resolved that it will be so. Bonnie Simmons, a CL/Rijio group member, recently made a motion to rescind the Resolution to require ample airtime for the election. Does an open inclusive election scare them?
“Our leadership elite may still want to believe in democratic principles-they certainly profess that they do-but in practice they have shown themselves all too willing to violate those principles in order to gain or retain power”, Cornel West from his book Democracy Matters, page 28. If democracy matters to you, it is time for a new majority on the KPFA LSB.
Please do not vote for any CL endorsed candidates if you want a democratic, financially sound KPFA/Pacifica.
Richard Phelps, former Chair, KPFA LSB, 35 year listener/subscriber, former AM & FM radio announcer.
Pacifica’s Bylaws state a commitment for peace and social justice, Article One, Section 3. It seems inconceivable that peace and social justice can even be approached with out a democratic process with transparency and accountability. As Gandhi said “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
As Pacifica embarked on its new democratic path it became clear that everyone that fought the Hijackers didn’t do so for the same reason! Most listener activists and some staff supported the new democratic process and welcomed the involvement and input of the listener/subscribers who are the regular audience and the financial supporters of the station and Pacifica.
At KPFA some staff and their supporters sought to defeat the Hijackers so that they could control KPFA and make the decisions about who/what gets air time and who gets the paid jobs. This latter group has used the power of the stations progressive reputation and the power of the microphone to maintain control and frustrate the new Bylaws in many ways.
The staff group I am referring to was identified by an e-mail from Brian Edwards-Tiekert to the other “insiders” that became public in 2005. You can read the e-mail at http://peoplesradio.net/Dismantle.htm. The author acknowledged its authenticity. Their group now claims that it never met to discuss “dismantling the Local Station Board (LSB)”, aka the democratic process, or “how do we make our enemies own the problems that are to come”. This group has been supported by their electoral counter part, first called KPFAForward (2004) and now Concerned Listeners (CL).
In the 5+ years under this leadership group KPFA subscribers have gone from 28,000 in 2003 to 20,000 now! That is a 28% decrease while they increased the paid staff by 50%. Bringing us a $300,000 deficit this year. At the same time they refused to do anything about the financial problems hurting Pacifica. Their conduct actually precipitated a major financial crisis at Pacifica. http://berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2009-05-14/article/32873?headline=The-Pacifica-Financial-Crisis-Who-is-Responsible- .
Let’s see what these folks have done toward “dismantling the LSB”. In 2003 the KPFA Program Council, made up of paid and unpaid staff and listeners, voted to move Democracy Now! (DN!) to Prime time, 7-8am and move the morning show to 8-10am. There was/is significant listener demand/support for this time change. It is common practice and common sense to put your most popular/dynamic program in prime time. In May 2004 the LSB voted to move DN! to prime time as per the Program Council’s prior vote. This has never been implemented. WHY?
In 2007 GM Lemlem Rijio, quietly ended the Program Council. The LSB’s CL majority ignored the previous Resolution codifying the Program Council and did nothing to save the Program Council.
In 2007 GM Rijio took away the official status of the Unpaid Staff Organization (UPSO). UPSO existed to represent the unpaid staff at KPFA, more than 200 people. These are the people who do the majority of the work that goes on the air.
The CL slate literature for the 2006 and 2007 LSB elections was silent on the important issues of the Program Council, UPSO and the DN! move to prime time
In 2009 the CL LSB majority voted to meet only once every other month, instead of every month as all the other stations do and KPFA had done for 5 years. They ignored the backlog of work to be done and how it delayed the selection of LSB members to important PNB committees.
Over a year ago they took the link to the LSB page off the front page of the KPFA web site. They don’t announce the LSB meetings on the front page of the web site and often don’t announce them on the air as required by the Bylaws.
How has the CL maintained its slim majority on the LSB? Here are some of the dirty tricks they have used to dominate the elections. In 2006 and 2007 GM Rijio refused to allow any election information to be broadcast when the ballots were sent out. Rijio’s justification was that there was a fund drive in progress despite election information being broadcast during fund drives at other Pacifica stations. In 2006 and 2007 CL spent thousands of dollars and sent out a slate mailer to arrive with the ballots during the election information black out, imposed by their ally GM Rijio. To top that off, in 2007 when they finally did run some candidate carts, they ran all 22 at once, with CL candidate Sherry Gendelman’s first.
After the 2007 KPFA election there was only one news story on KPFA about the election. Interviewed were Sherry Gendelman, Matthew Lasar, a CL endorser, and Dan Siegel and Larry Bensky both CL allies and supporters and both guilty of using station or Foundation resources to support CL or attack their opponents in violation of election ethics. No listener activist candidates were interviewed. Why is there a FOX in our newsroom?
In the upcoming election there will be ample airtime for the election since the new PNB majority has resolved that it will be so. Bonnie Simmons, a CL/Rijio group member, recently made a motion to rescind the Resolution to require ample airtime for the election. Does an open inclusive election scare them?
“Our leadership elite may still want to believe in democratic principles-they certainly profess that they do-but in practice they have shown themselves all too willing to violate those principles in order to gain or retain power”, Cornel West from his book Democracy Matters, page 28. If democracy matters to you, it is time for a new majority on the KPFA LSB.
Please do not vote for any CL endorsed candidates if you want a democratic, financially sound KPFA/Pacifica.
Richard Phelps, former Chair, KPFA LSB, 35 year listener/subscriber, former AM & FM radio announcer.
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Comments
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Exactly how long have you been obsessed with all of this stuff sir? The cold hard reality is no one really cares. I hate to be so blunt, but you're tilting at windmills. I, (and many other progressive-minded people I know), no longer listen to KPFA because it's become way too strident and predictable. The reason audience numbers are down is because the quality of the programming has diminished noticeably.
There is still some really good music and arts programming, but the news and public affairs just sounds a little too much like the street corner soap box orator. You know, the kind of guy who's lecturing to the world while everybody just walks by ignoring him. KPFA has let itself become the voice of the wild-eyed, disheveled guys who no one wants to make eye contact with.
I suggest for your sake sir you just move on and find something more constructive to do with your time.
Good luck to you.
There is still some really good music and arts programming, but the news and public affairs just sounds a little too much like the street corner soap box orator. You know, the kind of guy who's lecturing to the world while everybody just walks by ignoring him. KPFA has let itself become the voice of the wild-eyed, disheveled guys who no one wants to make eye contact with.
I suggest for your sake sir you just move on and find something more constructive to do with your time.
Good luck to you.
Richard Phelps confusion is that he sees a world that nobody else sees. There are actually 30,000 member-listeners at KPFA. Any dysfunctional Local Station Board meetings were the first three years, when democracy was destroyed by certain Board members who terrorized meetings with loud hate-speech, rudeness and contempt towards honest Board members. Behind this anti-democratic behavior was a newly published "Peoples Radio" website, which turned out to be a Richard Phelps creation. This original website contained 23 pages of demonizing hate towards Station staff and honest progressive Board members. The website was obviously created to promote a "slate" of candidates as a takeover coup for the November LSB election. This website identified the names of the Board members who had destroyed democracy on the Board. After this exposure, the Hate Speech disruptors were no longer anonymous and they sat together with Richard. Richard's demonizing of Brian Edwards-Tiekert is based upon an email that Brian discarded and Richard got from a waste basket, and took one word out of context to falsely demonize Brian. Brian is one of the most pro-democratic and important Board members. And speaking of democracy, I once observed Richard and Brian discussing a subject where Richard became furious and threatened Brian. Richard deights in demonizing anybody he can't control. Examples include Lemlem, the GM, when Richard had seduced a former pro-democratic Board member, who publishes the Bay View newsper, to publish articles demonizing Lemlem and others at KPFA. If Richard loves KPFA as much as he claims, why would he organize and deceive honest people to join his hate crusade to demonize innocent people? He has an undefined hated towards the honest new "CL" Board members, who have reversed the anti-democracy that Richard supported for the first three years of a totally dysfunctional LSB. I encourage listeners to visit the Board meetings now and express their views. The KPFA-LSB is no longer a Hate-factory, and founder Lewis Hill would be proud of what the CL group did and would be ashamed of those who destroyed LSB democracy with their cowardly Hate.
Jim, a Pro-Lewis Hill KPFA fan.
Jim, a Pro-Lewis Hill KPFA fan.
JIM you must not get around to the station very much, and must still be stuck in some lewis hill black and white KPFA movie. Sorry to tell you but the LSB is a illusion to make you think that there is a process making at KPFA, but reality it is just a puppet show. See who can pull more strings and favors for the upper Management, and their lack of clear policies that don't apply to everybody only the few. I am sorry to hear that there is someone like you as a candidate Jim on the LSB to take these personal attacks on Richard, but it sounds like you got something against richard that goes beyond KPFA. You must also be pro Brian, israel, white, and capitalist right if you think management is being "honest". Jim just because you go to an LSB meeting once or twice, it doesn't mean you know what is happening inside KPFA, and if you think that then that is were you are being made blind or choosing to be. Ignorance is a choice Jim, and if you choose to be ignorant then your the one who lives a world "that nobody else sees". dysfunctional Local Station Board meetings are still happening, maybe cause your there to much, or not enough it is your reality. However, to go after one person and say they are the problem is being a hypocrite, and so is using someones personal life. When you say "Brian is one of the most pro-democratic and important Board members." is this cause you have a crush on him and can't find the balls to tell him you want him. Jim you have a crush on Brian, and should probably let him know. Maybe you should make Brian his own Radio Station, and have him be your GM, and see how your illusion of this Military Journalist vet makes your station crumble.
JW: "Richard Phelps confusion is that he sees a world that nobody else sees. There are actually 30,000 member-listeners at KPFA."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
RP: Jim Weber was at the same candidates meeting I was recently when the National Election Supervisor announced that we had approximately 20,000 subscribers/voters. I helped count the votes for the first election and it was stated at that time that there were 28,000+ subscribers/voters. The confusion is that Mr. Weber can't seem to get even close to the truth on anything. He tries to conflate my political criticisms of CL, Brian, Lemlem with demonizing. This is his way of "confusing the issues" and deflecting the reality of what they have done.
If you review his reply to my article you will see that he ignored all the historical issues that demonstrate the CL/Rigio group's anti-democratic practices. Weber produced not one fact to rebut anything I indicted them for, he just did his usual personal attack.
As for Brian ET being such a great "democratic" person why was he discussing:
"dismantling the LSB" and "how do we blame our enemies for the problems that are to come".
Doesn't sound like anyone I know that is committed to democracy.
If we are going to save KPFA/Pacifica we must vote out the historically demonstrated anti-democratic CL so we can have a LSB that is focused on pushing the Mission forward, not patronage and cronyism.
P.S. if you look at the candidate statements you will see several CLers endorsing Jim Weber, Conn Hallinan, Sherry Gendelman, Sarv Randhawa, and Andrea Turner. They should be ashamed of his rantings, but I guess they like the disatraction from their dirty tricks at KPFA. This means that they are endorsing his lies and distortions of reality. Another good reason not to vote for any CLers.
Richard Phelps
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
RP: Jim Weber was at the same candidates meeting I was recently when the National Election Supervisor announced that we had approximately 20,000 subscribers/voters. I helped count the votes for the first election and it was stated at that time that there were 28,000+ subscribers/voters. The confusion is that Mr. Weber can't seem to get even close to the truth on anything. He tries to conflate my political criticisms of CL, Brian, Lemlem with demonizing. This is his way of "confusing the issues" and deflecting the reality of what they have done.
If you review his reply to my article you will see that he ignored all the historical issues that demonstrate the CL/Rigio group's anti-democratic practices. Weber produced not one fact to rebut anything I indicted them for, he just did his usual personal attack.
As for Brian ET being such a great "democratic" person why was he discussing:
"dismantling the LSB" and "how do we blame our enemies for the problems that are to come".
Doesn't sound like anyone I know that is committed to democracy.
If we are going to save KPFA/Pacifica we must vote out the historically demonstrated anti-democratic CL so we can have a LSB that is focused on pushing the Mission forward, not patronage and cronyism.
P.S. if you look at the candidate statements you will see several CLers endorsing Jim Weber, Conn Hallinan, Sherry Gendelman, Sarv Randhawa, and Andrea Turner. They should be ashamed of his rantings, but I guess they like the disatraction from their dirty tricks at KPFA. This means that they are endorsing his lies and distortions of reality. Another good reason not to vote for any CLers.
Richard Phelps
I believe that among the numerous attacks coming from the right, the most dangerous is the continuous consolidation of the media. Democracy requires a knowledgeable populace. A few corporations are intent on taking complete control of the print and broadcast media to spoon-feed us their corporate/pentagon views.
Pacifica and the other community stations appear to be our best, and maybe, only hope to get alternative views to the people. Broadcasting the progressive information that the corporations do not want people to hear is essential to support, expand and unite the many movements fighting against the various fronts for corporate world domination, and to save our planet.
Richard Phelps
Pacifica and the other community stations appear to be our best, and maybe, only hope to get alternative views to the people. Broadcasting the progressive information that the corporations do not want people to hear is essential to support, expand and unite the many movements fighting against the various fronts for corporate world domination, and to save our planet.
Richard Phelps
Richard’s doublespeak:
Monday Jul 20th, 2009 9:39 AM
“CL/Rigio group's anti-democratic practices.”
CL/Rigio are the ones who demonstrated a true devotion to the democracy that you helped to destroy during the first three years of the LSB on your “People’s Radio” website, and by the “People’s Radio” Candidates, that you helped get elected to the Board, who prevented the Board from functioning democratically for three years. Your tactics were HATE-Speech, hostility, rudeness, and contempt towards the honest pro-democratic Board members. You seem to believe that the one with the most anger and hate should win any debate. You have no concept of a democracy that involves a minimum level of mutual trust and respect. To you, “democracy” is measured by the most intimidating hate and hostility. In other words. To you, “democracy” is measured by the most intimidating hate and hostility. In other words, to you “democracy means threatening passion and anger to generate fear and intimidation to “prove that you are the most “democratic.” WOW!
The hate-filled early LSB meetings that you helped create, shocked the real listeners and station staff who came in hope for a Board that would help protect KPFA, and they left in disappointment and never came back. Then without witness, this crimes against democracy on this Board continued for three years, until the CL group replaced the “People’s Radio” democracy-destroyers and created a real democratically functioning Board for the first time, to protect KPFA, not to trash it.
You claimed that I “ignored all the historical issues”
The “historical issues” that you present as “proof” of your belief in democracy, are never explained in any detail, and would never stand the light of day if you tried to explain them. You rely only upon your hate-passion towards innocent individuals, as though your endless hostility towards the innocent should be sufficient to prove their guilt. Anyone reading your laundry list of “sins” can see that there is nothing to justify any guilt except your undefined anger and hostility. You claim to be a lawyer, but you offer no proof beyond your intense hate and hostility for your undefined “crimes”. Your “democracy” definition is “proven” by your perpetual hate and anger towards anyone you can't control with fear.
Monday Jul 20th, 2009 9:39 AM
“CL/Rigio group's anti-democratic practices.”
CL/Rigio are the ones who demonstrated a true devotion to the democracy that you helped to destroy during the first three years of the LSB on your “People’s Radio” website, and by the “People’s Radio” Candidates, that you helped get elected to the Board, who prevented the Board from functioning democratically for three years. Your tactics were HATE-Speech, hostility, rudeness, and contempt towards the honest pro-democratic Board members. You seem to believe that the one with the most anger and hate should win any debate. You have no concept of a democracy that involves a minimum level of mutual trust and respect. To you, “democracy” is measured by the most intimidating hate and hostility. In other words. To you, “democracy” is measured by the most intimidating hate and hostility. In other words, to you “democracy means threatening passion and anger to generate fear and intimidation to “prove that you are the most “democratic.” WOW!
The hate-filled early LSB meetings that you helped create, shocked the real listeners and station staff who came in hope for a Board that would help protect KPFA, and they left in disappointment and never came back. Then without witness, this crimes against democracy on this Board continued for three years, until the CL group replaced the “People’s Radio” democracy-destroyers and created a real democratically functioning Board for the first time, to protect KPFA, not to trash it.
You claimed that I “ignored all the historical issues”
The “historical issues” that you present as “proof” of your belief in democracy, are never explained in any detail, and would never stand the light of day if you tried to explain them. You rely only upon your hate-passion towards innocent individuals, as though your endless hostility towards the innocent should be sufficient to prove their guilt. Anyone reading your laundry list of “sins” can see that there is nothing to justify any guilt except your undefined anger and hostility. You claim to be a lawyer, but you offer no proof beyond your intense hate and hostility for your undefined “crimes”. Your “democracy” definition is “proven” by your perpetual hate and anger towards anyone you can't control with fear.
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