The Lasiewicz Foundation is hosting an on-line discussion with special guest, John Murdock, a former volunteer member of the Board of Directors of Pacifica Foundation. The on-line event will take place Saturday and Sunday, September 17-18, 2005 and featured on Yahoo Groups website at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LewHillproject Attorney John Murdock served on the PNB from early 2000 until the conclusion of a Settlement of several Lawsuits which rocked the Foundation and forced the resignation of the entire National Board. Mr. Murdock was one of the "former majority" members who were targeted in a campaign to "Remove the Pacifica Board" by various listeners and volunteers who protested some controversial personnel and management decisions by that Board.
ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE ON THE "MOVEMENT TO SAVE PACIFICA"
In the bitter and protracted conflict, Mr. Murdock was a target of thousands of harassing telephone calls, e-mail messages and facsimiles demanding that he resign from the Board, along with the other majority members of the Board. The "Pacifica Campaign" launched by Democracy Now's Juan Gonzalez also used the Internet to mobilize angry protests at the homes and offices of the former majority member, engaging in what some have described as "economic terrorism" and "campaigns of harassment." (See depositions by former Board members at the LewHillProject files.*) During this on-line discussion, Pacifica supporters will have a chance to pose questions to Mr. Murdock about that period, and about the personnel and management issues of that time. The crises of the late 1990's became so severe and disruptive, it resulted in the complete rewriting of the Pacifica Foundation by-laws, millions of dollars of debt and the firing or loss of virtually all the senior management at Pacifica at that time.
Our Special Gues on-line discussion will begin on Saturday, September 17 at 12:00 noon, eastern time (9:00am PST) in the Live Chat room of the YahooGroups website. This will enable a real-time "meet and greet" introduction period with Mr. Murdock. After the first hour of Live Chat, Mr. Murdock will begin to address some of the specific questions put forward and post his replies on the discussion board, where the public can continue to post their own commentaries as well.
The discussions will continue throughout the weekend and come to a close Sunday evening.
Pacifica Foundation was an early experiment in public radio, organized in the Bay Area by pacifists in 1947, led by Lew Hill and his colleagues. Pacifica is known as an important outpost for independent broadcasting, but ironically the organization has been plagued with tumultuous internal conflicts throughout it's entire history. The Lew Hill Project is a research effort by the Lasiewicz Foundation in Los Angeles, which collects and protects a historical archive on the Pacifica radio network.
The LewHillProject website was launched in 2002 to allow a wide range of Pacifica supporters to share their perspective on the organization and to house historic documents (see below.) Visitors are invited to share their own Files and Photos on the website and to launch their own discussion topics.
Members of the public are invited to join in this special discussion. For more information, contact Nalini Lasiewicz at the Lasiewicz Foundation, (818) 249-9691 or link to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LewHillproject Submitted by:
Nalini Lasiewicz
Lasiewicz Foundation
Los Angeles
www.kpftChat.org
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* LIBRARY/ARCHIVES
Files and Photos on the Lew Hill Project website as of September 9, 2005:
Board of Directors Meetings Minutes, Transcripts and Drafts of PNB, iPNB
Financial Statements (audited) Sept 30 98
Documents from the Pacifica Campaign
Pacifica Foundation News and Press Releases 1999
WPFW Capital Campaign for New Building 1999
KU Satellite Introduced by KPFA GM
Web site used in 2001 and 2002
"Fall of the Towers" Article by WBAI's Paul DeRienzo
"Storming Pacifica".Article by KPFK's Clare Spark
KPFK GM "Pacifica Crises" Mar 2001
Strategic Plan, Five Year Plan, adopted
Alliance list 2003 w 2005 PNB and LSB
Sunday Salon: Sept 2000 Bensky uses show to raise money to sue Pacifica
Deposition Nov 2000 Mary Berg
Deposition Jan 2001 Dr. Mary Frances Berry
Deposition Dec 2000 Lydia Brazon
Code of Ethics and Practices for News and Infomation
Pat Scott and Dick Bunce reply to Currents article
Deposition Dec 7, 2000 David Adelson
"Looking In" Bumpersticker, Elliot Mintz KPFK -1960s
Synopsis: Feb 1999 Bylaws Amendment Proposal
Notes to Financial Statements YE Sept 30 98
KPFA FOLIO August 94
KPFK GM asks listeners to not support the Juan Gonzalez "Pacifica Campaign" boycott of KPFK
KPFK folio - inaugural issue - July 1959
KPFK growing pains 1967 to 1969
KPFK1962 FOLIO
July 29 05 letter from Fulbright & Jaworski
Grants and Income in 1993
Employee Manual: In House Rules (incl gag rule)
Declaration of John Murdock July
Aug 1999 Hearing CA Legis Audit Comm incl Chadwick letters
June 94 KPFA FOLIO Final Article by long time Ex Dir David
Declaration of Ken Ford July 2001
Declaration of Michael Palmer June 2001
Proposed Strategy for National Programming prepared 1992
3/99 Oakland Tribune letter from Dr. Mary Frances Berry
"Freedom Now" WBAI 1963 radio w/ MLK, Abernathy, Dale Minor
Pacifica Organization and Procedures 1968 to 1995
Deposition Jan 2001 Michael Palmer
Programmers: Disclosure Rules and Removal
Perspective on the KPFA and networks disputes May 28 99
WBAIFolio1970TenYearAnniversary