Open Letter to KPFK's Community Advisory Committee [CAB] :

[Repeated emails have been sent to the GM, to CAB at the KPFK station address and to specific individuals who were to lead this committee. There have been 3-4 prior requests for information from these sources with no responses from any one at all, leaving the impression that there is 'no one there' or 'no one who cares' to fulfill the obligations the station is required to maintain. The following is a copy of the last email sent again on 10/11/08]]

"This is a 4th Inquiry about the CAB meetings, with never a response from anyone at all to my prior requests for information. Is this personal discrimination ?........or sheer neglect and dysfunctional systems ?

"This is the 3rd month that I am inquiring and checking to find a CAB KPFK meeting and there is NO SPECIFIC INFORMATION given ...except this general blurb now on website, that was NOT posted there earlier. [Interestingly There is no indication of when it was posted either.]

"The KPFK Community Advisory Board meets the last Thursday of the month at 7:00PM at the KPFK Station All of these meetings are open to the public. "

"THERE IS NO NOTATION ON EVENTS CALENDAR [nor were there for Aug or Sept either ] that does list other meetings such as LSB. How is this possible ? Why is there no information given about specific dates, or if a meeting IS happening in this month of October [or August or September, when there was also NO responses at all from anyone to my questions about a meeting ]

"If there is a new chairperson, are they not responsible at all for insuring that alll KPFK people are directly and openly INFORMED so they can participate, unless that person has chosen to deliberately leave me out by refusing to respond ? [ Or is no one checking their listed "CAB@kpfk.org" email site ? which is not likely]

"This is a shameful and despicable neglect or sign that the CAB is not of value or is discriminatory but pretending to be inclusive. Whatever is Wrong with this committee or the station's oversight of anything that is 'required' but not happening properly or fairly, or it's chosen leaders, this persistence on my part to elicit information seems futile.

"The Public Corporation for Broadcasting may need to be notified about the absence of this committee's proper functioning or the station's staff chosing to ignore it's obligations.

"The main phone line listed on the website for CAB information is responded to by a person who said they did NOT KNOW anything about such a meeting, it's date or it's leaders.

"Why is this main KPFK phone number listed for information if none is available ?"

from a dedicated kpfker who refuses to just 'go away'

[Note: None of the emails below sent to same addresses at station have ever been answered in any way - the info therein may be relevant tho ]

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Date sent : Tuesday, September 16, 2008, 10:39 PM

This is an email that was never responded to by anyone, and is there a Sept CAB meeting happening ?

Please have the courtesy of sending a response. thank you.

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Date sent : Thursday, September 5, 2008, 12:28 AM

did you have an August CAB meeting ? I kept checking KPFK website and also indymedia and saw nothing nor heard about it happening or being cancelled. Yet I heard an on-air announcement about CAB to call front desk but w/o specific info. No one who answered phone knew anything about a meeting. What is happening ? Care to let me know if you have the time ? thanks

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Date sent Sept 6, 2008 :

I have written but had no reply to date, tho chairperson [and secretary ] may be too busy to deal with these type of inquiries. Also, I presume there were minutes written up, from the July meetings and then August one too....and I would like to know where these are posted for everyone involved with KPFK to be able to see and learn what is being done, discussed or planned.

In order to insure that a wide range of communities are able to attend and contribute,to know which groups are currently being represented, which are so far excluded or not in,which groups are desired, and who is doing outreach to groups in any specific ways ? It is important for this group to share what it is and how it works, to interest others, perhaps.

Can this also be shared information, outside of attending the meetings or only sent to those who actually were able to attend tha meeting ?

It may be possible that there are others too who cannot easily come to No. Hollywood on a Thurs night - for whatever reason - and would still like to not be totally excluded or out of the loop. I have already specifically informed other groups that are 'communities' and I am encouraging them to attend CAB as well, hoping to expand the ways that diversity can broaden the participation.

My concern is also that someone claiming 'representation of a group' may be limited to those who are regular KPFK volutneers/subscribers already. Maybe that is the exent of representation that CAB desires ? Please do not leave out the great majority of the 'other' populations that are also dedicated listeners and maybe potential sponsors of this station- to have CAB and KPFK to be a fuller & broader - creating "real representation' of even more 'communities' .

Some special programs may elicit followers who might not know but are needed to fill the diversity of interested parties advising the station as well. It is also important to know how "representation" is defined and accepted, so that not just personal points of views predominate. Anyone can say "I represent...."whatever age, culture, race, occupation, education, whatever and it may not be actual 'representation' but rather self- identification [including a their few special friends, or others] instead.

Is there some information that the KPFK receptionist is giving to anyone who does respond to the on-air general announcement, because when I telephoned, the person who answered did not know anything, not even that these gen'l CAB blurbs are being aired.

Please respond to my concerns and questions, or forward this email to whomever is willing to give us all more information about this CAB opportunity to do some good.

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[dead silence is not a good sign]

Over the years, I have written letters, left messages on the phone, and sent emails to KPFK generally, specific departments, and specific individuals.

No one has ever responded to any of them.

When the station had web user forums, no one from the station ever responded to anything there ever.

As I listen to the fund raising appeals, I have to ask myself why should I give my money to these people when they have so little respect for their audience.

I have actually received a reply to an email to KPFK. To Armando Gudiño, the program director, specifically. I noted some of the programming changes he has made, and suggested they might have an effect on fundraising by alienating a lot of contributing listeners. He called me a racist.

A community advisory board is required only a few things. Replying to email is not one of the tasks.

Guidelines are posted on the CPB website:

http://www.cpb.org/stations/certification/cert3.html

Quarterly meetings are generally considered regular enough for meetings in the CPB's view (yes, I have worked at a public radio station that isn't KPFK and had a community advisory board). The body is composed by the station of community members as a means of ensuring community input, not to mediate inter-station squabbles or gripes over particular programming or lack thereof.

Good luck with filing a CPB complaint... that's something you can't file anonymously.

Great comments = one confirming the lack of response-ability of a member-subscribed-owned station, one result with a punch line, and one directing us all to the specific info that we may not have researched.

The problem may be in the perpetuated pretense, offered by the CPB and used by KPFK and others....

nothing need be done except have a meeting every so often and report the list of attendees, who maybe review something that is often unavailable or no one has time to pull out [due to pledge drive duties and other work ].

Just let the CPB know that there is a community of any sort out there... maybe wanting to pretend they are doing any representation of a group of listeners, or not,... and anyone can just sign in, check out, and the forms are thus "in order". ugh.

as quoted from the above given site, the minimum requirement , which means the one most used, of course, says CAB gets to "advise the governing board of the station " which means the LSB ? or the KPFK management ? or which is the 'governing board' there anyhow ?

And "advise" means say what you want, we still do what we want and think is best anyhow, or does "advise" have any further responsibility or abilities ?

and

it also says oh so carefully "The advisory board may make recommendations to the governing board to meet those specialized needs." so CAB doesnt have to do anything, but it MAY and that is a just free gift of advice or advise but has nothing indicating anyone else is listening or taking those advises into any consideration.

Maybe some of us just dont 'get it'...we can't understand the games played ...for no reasons other than Form and Appearance ....w/ NO substance...sorta like other politics we have to play at elsewhere.

So more info shared with all who care to know hereon Indymedia is really good and appreciated, and maybe even shared with those who "run" or want to lead the KPFK CAB set, if they are not already attending for their personal gain or gain of political-connectingor having their name 'listed' by having a position on this CAB.

I wonder if others are attending because they dont know what is written below and instead idealistically want to help the station? In more than getting the CPB $ funds, I mean.

No complaints are needed at the CAB meetings , but every other mention of how opaque and hidden this "free speech" station maintains it's careful balance elicits many subscribers' immediate reactions.

Why oh why is one thing said, like about having a CAB, and it turns out to be a lie or just a pretend-board, or a slippery slide to no-where-near-around-the-truth ? This sure appears to be no different maneuvers than used by the same political governmental entities the station repeatedly accuses and criticizes. How come ?

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from the CPB website=



"III. MINIMUM COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS

A. Each station that is not owned by a State, a political or special purpose subdivision of a State, or a public agency must do the following --

1. establish a community advisory board that is independent of the community licensee's governing body;

2. undertake good-faith efforts to assure that --

a. its advisory board meets at regular intervals;

b. the members of the board regularly attend the meetings of the advisory board;

c. the composition of the community advisory board is reasonably representative of the diverse needs and interests of the communities served by the station.

B. In addition, each licensee required to have a community advisory board must also permit the community advisory board to perform the following activities:

1. establish and follow its own schedule and agenda, within the scope of the community advisory board's statutory or delegated authority;

2. review the programming goals established by station;

3. review the community service provided by the stations;

4. review the impact on the community of the significant policy decisions rendered by the station; and

5. advise the governing board of the station whether the programming and other significant policies of the station are meeting the specialized educational and cultural needs of the communities served by the station. The advisory board may make recommendations to the governing board to meet those specialized needs.

C. The governing board of a licensee, if it desires, may delegate other responsibilities to the advisory board to assist the governing board or station personnel. However, the law states: "In no case shall the [community advisory board] have any authority to exercise any control over the daily management or operation of the station."

IV. SUGGESTIONS FOR COMPLIANCE

Due to the specialized needs of each service community and the variety of station organization types, it may be more confusing than helpful to suggest ways to use community advisory groups. Maximum flexibility will better serve stations, allowing the composition, organization, and role of advisory groups to be tailored to the individual needs of the respective communities."

there is more but why bother if there is no effect ?

Several writers complain about getting no response from kpfk. But they do not give their address. I am eager to respond, but I can not respond without their address. Please, complainers, put your address inside the body of your complaint. Mine is abeek@flash.net. The soft ware knows your address, but does not pass it along. Sorry you are so frustrated, but you are frustrating me. I hope we can get in touch.