Re: KPFA Expands News as PNB Closes KPFK LA News Dept.

[http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert (Robert)]

This makes Michael Scott look like the best boss ever.

 > From: KPFA Protectors <http://www.email.actionnetwork.org/~info>
 > Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:00:21 +0000 (UTC)
 >
 > Pacifica Directors Shut Down News in LA
 > 
 > And Promote Underwriting
 > 
 > What Have They Done?
 >    *  A small majority of Pacifica National Board Directors, without any 
 >    political or broadcasting insight, made a disastrous decision last Thursday 
 >    to eliminate the entire news staff at our sister station KPFK. The board 
 >    majority is obviously unaware that most listeners want news, first and 
 >    foremost. And this inside group of directors are using their governance 
 >    stronghold to put programs on the air that are increasingly irrelevant to 
 >    listeners while they ignore listener data, community input and the long 
 >    time radio experience of skilled management when it comes to making 
 >    critical programming decisions.
 >    *  Adding insult to injury, The Pacifica National Board’s (PNB) Strategic 
 >    Planning Committee is actually discussing and promoting business sponsor 
 >    underwriting to make up for the huge deficits that this board has 
 >    generated.
 >    *  All of this is happening amidst the board’s incompetence and abject 
 >    failure to generate new revenue—they are currently $266,240 behind in 
 >    accounts payable to various vendors such as Pacifica’s auditors and 
 >    financial oversight firm.
 > 
 > News and Public Affairs at Risk in Pacifica
 > 
 > Losing the KPFK newsroom is a devastating loss. Two key reporters and hosts, 
 > Ernesto Arce and Dan Fritz grounded in the communities they covered, 
 > contributed reports from Los Angeles to KPFA’s Pacifica Evening News. It's a 
 > big loss to KPFK, KPFA and the entire Pacifica family. KPFK’s popular 
 > producer of Background Briefing, Ian Masters, described the change at KPFK as �> ��…an alarming development that is certainly the agenda of what now appears 
 > to be the majority faction on the boards who would like to get rid of news and 
 > public affairs…”. Some PNB directors have promoted the idea that news is 
 > too expensive and does not generate donations. Instead of building strong news 
 > departments with experienced staff, internships, trainings, and community 
 > engagement like KPFA does, stations KPFK and WBAI made news a low priority and 
 > became dependent on fast money, using questionable health and beauty product 
 > premiums. That hurt their reputations which resulted in declining 
 > listenership. The other two Pacifica stations are mostly broadcasting music.
 > 
 > KPFA’s News Department
 > 
 > KPFA is now the only Pacifica Radio station with daily newscasts throughout 
 > the day, beginning at 5:55 AM and culminating with the hour-long Pacifica 
 > Evening News at 6. KPFA’s news staff, supported by KPFA’s diverse 
 > management team, expect to be broadcasting soon from an upgraded digital 
 > newsroom with better sound quality, reliability and versatility. KPFA News 
 > Co-Director and Morning News Producer Aileen Alfandary recently shared that:
 > 
 > “For KPFA news staff, (many of whom are broadcasting from home), this has 
 > been a year like no other: covering a deadly pandemic, epic wildfires and 
 > unbreathable air, massive nationwide protests against police violence and a 
 > president posing the biggest threat to U.S. democracy in our lifetime.”
 > 
 > KPFA Steps in to help KPFK
 > 
 > KPFA”s General Manager, Quincy McCoy has offered to help KPFK saying: "We're 
 > delighted to provide news and information to our sister station, and look 
 > forward to collaborating with KPFK to provide coverage of local and regional 
 > news from the west coast."
 > 
 > The Underwriting Threat
 > 
 > Meanwhile, members of the PNB Strategic Planning Committee, lacking sound 
 > broadcasting judgement have promoted UNDERWRITING as a solution to Pacifica’
 > s financial woes, (at their 9-21-20 meeting). They don’t seem to recognize 
 > the need for editorial independence in accurate news and public affairs 
 > reporting, and the fact that underwriting violates the Pacifica mission. There 
 > have been past underwriting proposals for a chain grocery store sponsor and 
 > airing commercial football games. It seems ironic that some of the very same 
 > people sending emails saying KPFA supporters want to make Pacifica more NPR 
 > like, are the ones who advocate underwriting.
 > 
 > With shortsighted thinking, the Directors supporting underwriting may be 
 > promoting it because the $3.2 million subprime loan to Pacifica, to pay off a 
 > judgement for WBAI debts, comes due in April 2021, and there is no workable 
 > repayment plan. All Pacifica stations with the exception of KPFA are operating 
 > at a loss and the KPFA, KPFK and KPFT station buildings have been used as 
 > collateral for the loan.  
 > 
 > KPFA Supports News and Opposes Underwriting
 > 
 > Many KPFA members donate to protect our programming from the slippery slide of 
 > underwriting which would compromise the integrity of content. Instead of 
 > allowing strings of announcements from business sponsors on our airwaves, KPFA 
 > has made a deep and abiding commitment to funding news. This makes it possible 
 > for the KPFA News Department to generate donations for the station to pay its 
 > bills. Did you know KPFA’s nightly news has the largest listenership of any 
 > program on the station.
 > 
 > KPFA Membership
 > 
 > Thanks for all your support for KPFA. We are reaching out to family, friends, 
 > and communities to help increase membership. Please help grow our numbers by 
 > telling others about KPFA, and encouraging them to join by clicking on the 
 > DONATE button at kpfa.org 
 > https://u1584542.ct.sendgrid.net/ss/c/Z_ZqkvoEVNEBXR4DaXxzv_OBXKdhRBYaJWn2hjtskXFn740uysKVtJAX_oXr5iqKlxNcCQAmXaEHVH7Jl-4eSwPhvoZjJhSwZwGfB5pb5qN5RBrSLJQUFiUDvudqcsmyEnxU1IYEfnRxook3_o0CNsFgXMfahEi5Rnzc4YMnjI8BfDrlI7Nz0rRb9U2KCLkOHnUTcLcSkoeFE85BjC6bMa8wyQVDyZqHGWr36OQf2FSJ-yl8GoD6uJZa9uf0ZpsJnRjFI8I7DjGMeHx8jveWeBLu7WC8WhlJZk8uo1I1rTaSzzM8FfwXUP4OyYMZclhVHQZFGO990TNM8rbjwCr1xWN36fcR_M4JiIplllJLlzJ03m004-rM_rDaoqQvXVXXLJm4ddNZkWlQAYvStqf8Gn1WiD0PR1_dJvFt_fhEcdj-yiR27GsD-0htjsIvHi_y1aWOevhGPcNg-cTwYJY6sw/369/jtJ_vknxRkC9iEEvLj49gQ/h0/wqEt6PogSnbavcZSgRp6piQEOYa3GI_FfdclR6WHqLU,
 > . As donating members, we can vote in the 
 > upcoming Pacifica election to elect people who will protect KPFA. And please 
 > let us know if you are interested in running as a candidate for KPFA’s Local 
 > Station Board in 2021.
 > 
 > “KPFA Protectors” are board members, staff, volunteers, and listeners who 
 > have combined email resources from Save KPFA, United for Independent Radio and 
 > individual KPFA community members. We support KPFA’s diverse staff and 
 > management team and we work to protect KPFA’s station building. We uphold 
 > KPFA’s peace and social justice investigative journalism without corporate 
 > underwriting. We build community engagement and membership and strive to 
 > insure that KPFA and all Pacifica stations are financially self-sustaining.
 > 
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