KPFK listeners of Amy Goodman's Democracy Now at 9 a.m. expecting to hear her previously announced interview with presidential candidate Ralph Nader got a shock. KPFK ran instead a second hour of 8 a.m. Uprising and heard that Democracy Now would return tomorrow.

The announcement did not claim technical difficulties with the program. The announcement did not say anything about broadcasting the interview at another time.

Missing her news headlines also upset listeners.

Cries for regime change at KPFK quickly went out on the internet.

Censoring Nader's interview contradicts KPFK's fund raising appeals that listeners hear on KPFK hear what they can't hear elsewhere. Listeners asked, "Why can't we hear Ralph Nader?"

Local Nader supporters had no doubt as to what was going on. The new Board under control of the Committee to Strengthen KPFK slate mailer group is committed to the Democratic party and Obama and fears that Nader might pull votes from him. Fearing that some listeners might hear Nader's interview and vote for him, they simply censored the interview.

Nader supporters fear that Obama's promises to end the war and promote change will simply repeat the party's promises in 2006 to end the war. Instead of fulfilling those promises, the party continued the funding. Obama's recent shifts to the right strengthen those fears. History going back to Vietnam, they think, has shown the Democratic party morally and philosophically corrupt and overdue to go the way of the Whigs.

The Strengthening Committee slate mailer Local Station Board group doesn't want that debate heard on KPFK. Suspicion focused on slate mailer faction leaders Grace Aaron and Ian Masters as people who may have decided to cut the Nader interview.

Nader people rejected as ludicrous any possible claim that Nader just happened by coincidence to be on Amy Goodman the day they decided to run Uprising two hours.

KPFK is in fund raising, and the donations have not kept up with its goals. Observers questioned if doing something so controversial during fund raising would backfire with Nader supporters deciding to send a message to Grace and Ian by not donating.


KPFK broadcasts at 90.7 FM. It also broadcasts in Santa Barbara on 98.7 with a repeater.

That is crap. Nader isn't the only non republicrat on the ballot. Also he will have plenty of opportunity in the months ahead to be heard on Pacifica.

Furthermore these shamlections are fixed anyway, Nader is not going to draw away any sizeable numbers from the political whore Obama or prevent him from getting the Presidential mascot position. So your "theory" is all wet.

I was disappointed to have missed Amy Goodman at 9am, but it seemed to me like Uprising was extended as an attempt boost fund drive pledges. Ralph Nader's been on KPFK countless times and I expect he will continue to be.

I agree with the previous poster--these sELECTIONS are the opium of the masses, and as Howard Zinn said earlier this year (in the March or April issue of Change-Links), they're worth two minutes of our time each sELECTION day. The rest of our time should be devoted to engaging in direct democracy.

Just my opinions.