Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

KPFK elections are underway. These elections, along with elections for the other four stations in the Pacifica National Network marks Pacifica as the first non-profit radio network in the nation to elect it's leadership by a direct vote of it's contributing members.

This after a hard won battle of listener activists against a self-appointed National Board determined to streamline the long time community based stations into an NPR type organization controlled from the top down.

These elections mark the first time listeners will have actual control over on-air content as well as organizational policies of the network through their elected representatives to the Local Station Board. Of the 18 Listener-Sponsor Delegates elected by the KPFK Community and the six Staff-Delegates elected by the Staff, two Delegates will be chosen to sit on the National Board, along with Delegates from the other five stations, making Pacifica the only Democratically run radio network in existence.

This experiment in Democratic media is a wonderful opportunity for everyone in the community to participate in shaping this powerful medium into an even stronger tool for education and the creation of true change.

None of this has come without great struggle and much debate between listener activists. There is, as in every other aspect of the movement for social justice, almost as much diversity of ideas as there are participants and large disagreements over people's ideas of how this battle should be waged. These ideas need to be looked at with care, as these elections, as previously stated, will have great impact in the future policies of this very important and powerful medium. Please take the time to study these ideas and please participate in the KPFK community.

For election information: http://www.kpfk.org/elections.php