FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5/31/2021
Contact: Nancy Saibara: Nancy.saibara [at] icloud.com
National Programming Committee Chair and KPFT Board Member
On May 25, 2021, the one year anniversary of George Floyd's death, KPFT’s new General Manager, David Bradley-Baes, led a white management coup at KPFT, kicking off of FM twenty-three shows featuring People of Color, radical, or local content: Nuestra Palabra, Latino Politics & News, People of Earth, Proyecto Latino Americano, Voz de la Tierra, Son Pacifica, Covid Race & Democracy, Houston Indymedia, Vegan World Radio, Living Art, Whole Mother, Think Wing Radio, K. Rino, Flash Gordon Parks, Afrotoniks, Speak Out, Welcome to the Taste, Free Thinker Radio, Mini Geology, Freedom To Air, Escapism, Sojourner Truth, and Green Bubble. The Pacifica National Board has been alerted and is reportedly reviewing this action.
Not only is this move an assault on communities of color, local programmers, and radicals in Houston, the removal of shows for diverse communities threatens grant funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. These programming changes were made without any consultation with the programmers,the community, or with the Local Station Board. These changes take place just before a crucial vote being pushed by New Day Pacifica, a disruptive Pacifica faction, to institute anti-democratic changes in Pacifica Network governance (below).
New Day Pacifica endorsers reaped benefits on the new schedule grid, and eighteen of them retained FM time-slots: Larry Winters’ Spare Change, Roark’s Roadmap, Wally James’ Progressive Forum, Egberto Willies’ Politics Done Right, Nancy McAfee and Mr. and Mrs. V’s Blues on the Move, James and Colleen Nagel’s Howlin' the Blues, David Collingsworth and Hank Lamb’s Prison Show, Genie Mims’ Down Home Blues, Bill Galbraith’s Irish Aires, Duane Bradley’s Open Journal, Freddie Rothstein, Rick Norris and Laryssa Lee’s All Day Music, Jack Vakinski, Queer Voices, and Nuri Nuri’s Blues Branch.
Without being authorized to do so, New Day Pacifica sent out emails widely prominently featuring a photo of Jane Fonda, and falsely claiming she was an endorser to their platform, only to be forced to take it down soon thereafter.
White former managers and directors Duane Bradley, Bill Crosier, Jack Valinski, and Larry Winters continue to influence policy, finances, programming, and politics at the station, and continue to have prime time slots on the KPFT FM programming grid. The first manager of color in the entire 40+ year history of KPFT, interim manager Dr. Obidike Kamau, was fired by the white management and removed from the station by Houston police.
In resistance to these proposed changes, Pacifica Fight Back (pacificafightback.org) has been joined by Mumia Abu Jamal, Danny Glover, Cindy Sheehan, Harry Belafonte, Abby Martin, Leonard Peltier and others to say, 'Vote No!"
pacificafightback.orgListeners can also express concerns via email to the Interim Pro Bono Pacifica Executive Director, Lydia Brazon (ed [at] pacifica.org) and Pacifica National Board (pnb [at] pacifica.org).https://pacificafightback.org
June 5 Town Hall: What’s at Stake for Pacifica
Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 2 PM PDT
(see web link for Zoom info)
What are the negative consequences if the New Day Bylaws pass?
Contrast that with what we stand for instead!
On Finances
PacificaFightBack relies on engaging with new listeners and community-based volunteers to help support the stations and the network. PFB wants to protect the assets listeners and staff have built over decades. The PNB has improved financial record keeping and audits, making it possible for the stations to apply for grants, reassure donors, and attract compatible media partners.
NDP offers no plan, wants to sell off assets and claims a bailout will come from unnamed deep pocket “white knight” donors if they take over.
On Unity of the Staff and Workers’ Rights
PacificaFightBack stands for respecting ALL of Pacifica’s workers. We have always depended on unpaid as well as paid staff, and want to unite to rebuild our audience and mass donor base, giving on-air programmers, producers and technical workers the power they need to be heard in decision-making.
NDP stands for segregating unpaid producers and programmers from the paid staff in a discriminatory fashion, by creating a new third class of membership. Their plan reduces over-all staff representation in the governance structure.
On Accountability and Transparency
PacificaFightBack stands for participatory democracy, sharing information with listeners about station finances, operations, and programming, and maintaining elected local oversight of management.
NDP strips away all elected listener and staff oversight of how things work: management, budgets, programming and governance would be closed to meaningful participation. Its plan would create a top-down chain of command approach to management and staff.
On Diversity
PacificaFightBack stands for diversity on the air and in the stations, with respect for diverse views in governance by using STV voting. We want to keep community voices, challenging political and cultural expression, antiracist and anti-establishment voices on the air.
NDP would marginalize self-determined voices and radical political and cultural expression on the airwaves and in the governance structure. East coast stations with larger Black staffs and audiences are impacted most.
On Democracy
PacificaFightBack stands for Pacifica’s founding values, respect for minority and divergent views on local and national boards via STV voting, and keeping the airwaves open to contemporary community voices and anti-war, anti-establishment and anti-racist voices. We believe anti-racism and opposition to US militarism are central to fulfilling the Pacifica mission.
NDP blames Pacifica’s problems on a so-called “excess of democracy” and aims at voter suppression, especially of staff members. It stands for marginalizing self-determined voices and radical political and cultural expression on the airwaves, and narrowing the scope of what you hear.
Hear from programmers, producers, listeners and board members from all five stations about these vital decisions on which way for Pacifica, and add your wisdom, questions, ideas and proposals for how to win this campaign and implement the changes we really need.
Jane Fonda “NEVER endorsed” New Day Pacifica’s Bylaws Rewrite! “Vote No!” June 1, 2021
June 5 Town Hall: What’s at Stake for Pacifica– May 30, 2021
Top-Down Control or Diversity & Democracy? May 18, 2021
Vote NO! to Protect Diversity, Democracy & Accountability May 12, 2021
April 7 deadline to qualify to vote on Pacifica’s future
DISCLAIMER: This is not an official Pacifica Foundation website nor an official website of any of the five Pacifica Foundation radio stations (KPFA Radio, KPFK Radio, KPFT Radio, WBAI Radio, WPFW Radio). Opinions and facts alleged on this site belong to the author(s) of the website only and should NOT be assumed to be true or to reflect the editorial stance or policy of the Pacifica Foundation, or any of the five stations (KPFA Radio, KPFK Radio, KPFT Radio, WBAI Radio, WPFW Radio), or the opinions of its management, Pacifica National Board, station staff or other listener members.
This website and any commentary or graphics found on it, are not an official Pacifica Foundation statement or website nor an official website of any of the five Pacifica Radio Stations (KPFA Radio, KPFK Radio, KPFT Radio, WBAI Radio, WPFW Radio).
Opinions and facts alleged on the site belong solely to the author(s) of the statement or website only.
They do not reflect the editorial stance or policy of the Pacifica Foundation, or any of the five Pacifica Radio Stations (KPFA Radio, KPFK Radio, KPFT Radio, WBAI Radio, WPFW Radio), or the opinions of its management, Pacifica National Board, station staff or other listener members.
PacificaFightback.org no es un sitio web oficial de la Fundación Pacifica. Nuestras opiniones no reflejan necesariamente las de la Mesa Directiva Nacional (PNB por sus siglas en inglés), las Mesas Directivas Locales (LSB por sus siglas en inglés) o de la gerencia y/o el personal de las emisoras.
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