>>> Open Letter to KPFK Management and Local Station Board on New Programming Schedule

Carta Abierta a la Gerencia y Mesa Directiva de la radio KPFK sobre su nueva programacion.

>>> We, the undersigned, strongly oppose the new programming schedule ("grid") adopted by management without listener input. We urge that it be swiftly replaced by a grid adopted after broad consultation with listeners about how air-time on KPFK can best be used to fulfill the Pacifica mission and meet the communities' needs.

Nosotros los firmantes de este documento nos oponemos categoricamente a la nueva programacion adoptada por la gerencia sin consultar a los radio oyentes. Y pedimos que sea reemplazada de inmediato por una derivada de una consulta con la radio audiencia sobre la mejor forma de usar las ondas herzianas para cumplir con la Mision de Pacifica y satisfacer las necesidades de la comunidad.

>>> The new grid reflects an ongoing effort to sanitize the airwaves, silence voices of dissent outside the Democratic Party, and marginalize or eliminate grassroots community voices. It could only be imposed in the undemocratic way that it was, without engaging listeners, staff and stakeholders in an informed discussion about the station’s future.

La nueva programacion refleja un esfuerzo por esterilizar las ondas radio electricas, silenciar las voces disidentes fuera del partido Democrata, y marginalizar o eliminar las voces de las comunidades de base. Esa programacion solo pudo imponerse en la forma anti democratica que se hizo, excluyendo de la discusion sobre el futuro de la emisora, a los radio oyentes-patrocinadores y a los empleados.

>>> The grid is expressly based on financial considerations and driven by Arbitron ratings, even though Arbitron is widely understood to misrepresent audiences, especially by under-counting young people and poor people, particularly people of color. The grid favors so-called "strip programming," in which a single gate-keeping host controls a block of air-time throughout the week.

La nueva programacion esta basada estrictamente en el aspecto financiero y los resultados de encuestas de “Arbitron,” entidad que es bien sabido, deja fuera de sus analisis a segmentos de la poblacion especialmente los jovenes, los pobres y la gente de color. La nueva formula favorece la llamada “programacion de franjas” en la cual una sola persona controla un bloque de tiempo en el aire durante la semana.

>>> To carve out that time, management has dropped shows and cut others to 30 minutes, rescheduling them and others at hours unfamiliar to their audiences, and when talk-radio audiences are small. Intentional or not, the effect of this kind of rescheduling will reduce the listeners of these shows, increasing the likelihood of their ultimate elimination.

Para diseniar la nueva configuracion, la gerencia ha eliminado algunos programas y reducido otros por mitad, cambiandoles el horario de transmision a tiempos que su audiencia regular ignora, o a horas en que hay poca audiencia. Intencional o no, los cambios reduciran el numero de oyentes de esos programas, haciendolos vulnerables a su posterior eliminacion.

>>> These changes in programming correspond to other undemocratic changes in management and governance, including illegal "suspensions" of elected board members and efforts to pre-ordain the outcome of searches for new management.

Esos cambios anti democraticos en la programacion son similares a otros como “la suspension” de miembros electos de la Mesa Directiva y acciones tomadas con el fin de predeterminar la conclusion de la contratacion de miembros de la gerencia.

>>> These changes cannot be allowed to stand, because they will doom KPFK to irrelevance at best, exactly at the moment when economic, political, social and environmental crises cry out for a medium of communication open to the struggles and resistance of popular movements.

No se puede permitir que esos cambios se hagan permanentes pues eso condenaria a KPFK en el mejor de los casos, a convertirse en una emisora irelevante, en momentos en que la crisis economica, politica, social y ambiental, piden a gritos un medio de comunicacion abierto a las luchas de resistencia de los movimientos sociales.

>>> The forces seeking to neuter KPFK as a voice of community activism, cultural and ethnic diversity, and incisive dissent have already driven away more than 10,000 listeners in the past 4 years. The new grid and other purges could destroy the station entirely.

Las fuerzas que tratan de prevenir que la radio KPFK sea la voz del activismo comuntario, cultural, diversidad etnica y disencion aguda, ya han alejado mas de 10,000 radio oyentes en los ultimos cuatro anios. La nueva programacion podria destruir la radio completamente.

>>> Please sign and circulate this petition and send in signatures to: grassrootskpfk@yahoo.com. Thanks!

Favor de firmar y circular esta peticion y enviar las firmas a la siguiente grassrootskpfk@yahoo.com. Gracias.

>>> Anyone who wants to can sign their own name and make a comment here: http://www.ipetitions.com/peti...

Las personas que quieran firmar y escribir un comentario pueden hacerlo en el siguiente lugar: http://www.ipetitions.com/peti...://www.ipetitions.com/petition/KPFK_Programming_Changes/

>>> NAME/NOMBRE – Please print/Favor de escribir con letra de molde.

>>> Email/direccion de correo electronico:

We see again both 1) why KPFK should turn the web listener forums back on and 2) why KPFK doesn't want them on and why Lafferty turned them off.

These schedule change sinvolve dozens of issues each of which merit discussion by listeners. On the whole, these changes may well hurt listenership and drive others to the web.

A station web forum would provide a place listeners would think to go and raise these issues. As it is now, a few listeners know some KPFK material appears in LA Indy Media but very few. There is no obvious place for listeners to go and discuss what KPFK is doing.

I recognize that Ian Masters might quickly become subject one, but Ian can blame only himself for insulting so many people's intelligence over the years.

To identify a few issues, Counterspin at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday morning is absurd. KPFK has handled Counterspin very poorly over the years, leaving the internet as the only reliable access to it. On discovery of downloading programs rather than listening to them, listeners may start asking why they should send money to the jerks running KPFK for what they can get on the net.

Seven p.m. Friday should be a week ending issue discussion hour, not music.

If ten a.m. weekdays is to be changed, it should be a local talk program, not some Washington program. That time is a prime talk radio hour and it should be the same on KPFK.

Moving Assumpta Oturu from Sunday at 1 p.m. makes the Sunday look "all white folks."

Why no daily midday news?

Once again, KPFK looks more like they are rearranging desk chairs on the Titanic.

On KPFK, the Gays, African Americans, American Indians, disabled, feminists, union workers, teachers union members, Palestinians, and Hispanics all have their show.

With Obama's health plan cutting Medicare 0 billion, his announced intention of cutting "entitlements," including cutting social security and medicare even more, and the Obama Zero Social Security adjustment for two years, the Obama Democratic party has declared economic war on senior citizens, who like these groups stand as objects of political attack. Over the years, the KPFK concern for senior citizens issues has been zero. KPFK should add a program for senior citizens addressing the attacks on them by Obama.

here is the classic example of those claiming to be fair, free and open and then hiding behind a pseudo-name of an established non-profit big radio-signaled station.

They also seem to claim to speak for all KPFK stakeholders, which they do NOT.

This is being addressed to people who the writer [one writer or many or a few, or ly those selected for a particular viewpoint ? ] believes apparently will copy and paste and repeat their words and intentions. And they want free speech thinkers or parrots to do this ?

There are many programmers who assume they OWN a time or length of on-air time on Pacifica because they have held it [ hoarded, kept, and secured it somehow ] for a while. They assume that they "should" be kept in place indefinitely, keeping the POWER of the spoken on-radio-air word for themselves and their allies, only.

These stuck and selfish people assume : No changes should be allowed, no experiments, no trials or errors, nothing but what the few who have already been entrenched [whether liked by us or not is not the only issue here ] and still demand to stay in situ forever ...if possible.

They also often promote themselves on air and ask listeners to act out for them to remain and get more and more and stay secure in their obtained slot.

Some other few KPFK stakeholders think that changes are not only inevitable but required and a positive change, without believing the horrors and fears elaborately described by those who want to keep what they THINK is "theirs" in perpetuity, of course.

Fear of worse is the weapon of choice of those who want to keep what they think they "had" for always.

It may be that this article above is the example that repeats again how old and tired and futile are the same-old same-old methods and exhortations of a few...

those who do not want to have anyone else to have a say on air,

who do not want to share the air space with others whom they personally distrust or dont understand

and

who make false claims about their own importance and retaliatory powers.

It is definitely time for change, more than it was in Nov 2008.

Locally KPFK is ready to become what it has claimed and been unable to manifest for a long while. A real expression of many varied & unusual points of views, other cultural expressions, real experiments in radio advancement, and a more positive effect for us all, who pay the bills of this station that is OURS.

Do not believe all who claim ownership or authority because they have had air space or have been staff or have had contacts at KPFK ...those who dont want to lose anything they have gained, taken, hoarded so far.

Change is in and on the air.

finally.

Generalizations and abstractions have nothing to do with the specific and concrete substantive changes at issue here: Counterspin at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, moving Assumpta Oturu, Friday evenings at 7 p.m. and weekdays at 10 a.m., etc.

Likewise, they have nothing to do with the process in which KPFK listeners and sponsors had no input on the changes and no place, like a listener web forum, to discuss them.

NOTE this:

"The Programming Oversight Committee (PrOC) of the KPFK Local Station Board (LSB) will be convening a Listener Forum to discuss the recent programming changes instituted at KPFK. Following a brief presentation by the Interim Program Director, Alan Minsky.

the floor will be open for listener questions and comments.

Sunday, November 22, 2009, 5 - 7:00 pm

Echo Park United Methodist Church

1226 North Alvarado, Los Angeles 90026

------------

and this was ALSO HIDDEN BY INDY STAFF...not allowing free speech at this site too ? Is this a govt run conspiracy too ? must be !

- - - -- - - - - - - - -

see "hidden posts" for Indy censorship in effect, again !

by all colored people of the world • Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 at 3:26 PM



why was this post above "hidden" when it had no curse words, no exhortations to kill or main or hurt

anyone of any color or shade or hue ?

why was Indymedia so readyto HIDE one person of any racial stereotype's point of view when it hinted that maybe KPFK was more dark in shading than liter ?

How insulting to speak openly of racial ratios and

controls and rebellions. How difficult to admit or review what KPFK contains, both in staff, programming and LSB members too.

What is wrong with PC? It pretends to be open and honest and caring while it is as slanted, twisted, and censoring FREE SPEECH that is not even insulting ... just in case...anyone...who disagrees with t heir point of view is open about that different view.

whew !

It's personal. Fuck 'em.

On Saturday, we got Dr. Earl followed by Assumpta, from Sunday, followed by Affo Dicia. Then at 4 the Latins take over.

Saturday for the colored folks, and Sunday for the white folks, like Ian Masters.

Separate but equal.

Straight out of Plessy v. Furgeson.

Who at KPFK thought this up?

I note the above comment about hidden posts.

When I looked at this page I saw: "Listed below are the 10 latest comments of 9 posted about this article."

However when I counted the comments I saw only 7.

Why are the other two hidden? What do they say?

Why is IndyMedia hiding posts? Who decides what comments to hide?

One is a documented Jew hating moonbat that used to go by the name of Sheepdog.



http://la.indymedia.org/news/2007/05/198569_comment.php#199575

"reasons for hiding

by sd Tuesday, May. 22, 2007 at 6:15 AM

1st

concerning squashed posts.

This is off topic from this general *infiltration* thread .

2nd

I am hiding items which are fraud, hate/insult, spam and of course, off topic.

If you wish to start another *editorial* thread or comment on any other *editorial* thread, do so.

You may wish to use this thread:

http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/02/148353.php

or not."

So glad someone finally gave us all who read here some actual info because most of our concerns and attempts to find out have NO responses at all.

Honestly, glad some info is given.

However, the original article says :

"On KPFK, the Gays, African Americans, American Indians, disabled, feminists, union workers, teachers union members, Palestinians, and Hispanics all have their show"

so racial-ethnic groups were clearly mentioned as part of what is used as consideration for everything done at KPFK.

and the hidden comment that may displease some but seems to not be insulting, hateful, or off-topic after all talks about that writer's opinion that maybe less euro-americans than Afro-American and hispano-americans have a voice on air. Could be. Re read that bit.

2ndly, the pointing out the censorship was then CENSORED for mentioning that it could be seen in bright pink under "hidden" stuff...and that mention which was certain ON TOPIC and NOT HATEFUL nor insulting except to those who think they can hide=censor=leave-out what they DONT happen to LIKE.

Perhaps it is personal. I doubt the collective at Indy are in full agreement, actually.

So the website is Owned by a collective who then determines thru it's volunteers and organizers who and what can be written, tho there is an awful lot of

very strange pix and articles that are left on ...maybe to be read and loved...maybe to just prove that " yes, see, we are so PC we even leave these writings up here "....

thanks for the work and explanation, even if it did not ring right or true IN THIS CASE. The point is made to insure that the site not be deceitful, hypocritical, slanted to one view or opinion, and lives up to it's stated mission....tho who can insure anything like that

nowadays....everyone is getting away with saying one thing and doing anything but that.....

and if Indy is no longer the place to communicate with strangers of all ilks and blends, then we'll easily find or create another one that will not claim to be "independent" and admit it's biases or controllers do whatever they wish.

whatever...