A Letter to KPFK

Dear KPFK --

I have been genuinely conflicted about the boycott campaign. On the one hand, it has been very troubling to hear about the "Christmas Coup" at WBAI, the harassment of Amy Goodman (call it what you will), the composition of the National Board (corporate types who probably sit on a lot of boards), and more recently, the Congressional hearings on Pacifica and the pre-emption of current Democracy Now programs (and yes, we know the real deal -- the latest Democracy Now! programs are available on the Web, you know.) On the OTHER hand, I am concerned that a boycott will, as your refurbished website of apologetics claims, only encourage the Board to sell, or at least sell out some, to pay the bills. It's a real quandary for me.

Listening to Marc Cooper's hostile diatribe yesterday, however, has soldified my position. You definitely won't get a dime from me this time around. When Marc calls my fifty dollars "lousy," I think he knows where he can stick it. And no, fifty bucks don't come easy to a lot of us, Marc. Calling my fifty bucks "lousy" is pretty bourgeois verbage for a "progressive" journalist. Perhaps Marc's true elitist colors are finally showing through.

Marc's plaintive on-air freakout, and your website, fail to address the real issues, preferring to sidestep them by marring those who would question your judgement. The real issues are that Pacifica has repeatedly antagonized award-winning journalist Amy Goodman; has insinuated a desire to sell stations; has thwarted the traditional participatory role of Local Advisory Boards; has made the gross mistake of silencing a member of Congress on its airwaves; and now, has become the subject of a Congressional hearing and subsequent Washington Post article. Still got the blinders on?

The people who are protesting Pacifica and boycotting the stations, contrary to your suggestions, care very deeply about Pacifica and want it to stay true to Lew Hill's vision. They are confused about what to do, but feel that they have to try a boycott, as nothing else seems to get the attention of Pacifica's current leadership. Peaceful protests get dissidents smeared as "violent," and when the dissidents try to express a contrary opinion through their comparatively limited means, we're told not to believe "rumors" flying around on the Web.

You're starting to sound more and more like an unreliable witness.

The real crisis at Pacifica is one of legitimacy. And so, I leave you with this thought, a lyric from a song that Eric Clapton once sang: "Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself." Really: do this. Don't make us do it for you.

-- Derek Iversen