| Statement |
It’s time to let the KPFK secret out to the world!
My name is Dutch Merrick and I am a candidate for the KPFK LSB elections of 2009.
As a long-time listener and social activist, I see KPFK as the true Progressive/ Humanist movement’s most powerful outreach tool in the region. KPFK has, however devolved into something of a “secret handshake” amongst a handful of engaged activists and devoted listeners. With one of the strongest broadcast signals in the entire U.S., it’s a travesty the only radio or TV station for hundreds of miles that would dare to broadcast the words of Noam Chomsky, Dennis Kucinich or Helen Caldicott is known by a tiny percentage of those within its range.
The message of Peace here and abroad, Justice for every person and Equality no matter our differences must go public once and for all. By deepening our resolve to touch a vastly broader audience, lessening the financial burden on the few core listener/donors and informing a much wider array of people, we can make KPFK once again a vital source of truth in the SoCal community.
I plan to use my experience and knowledge from 15 years working in film and television, being a board member of International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees Local 44 Affiliated Property Craftspersons and from volunteering and working for both the Dennis Kucinich and Nader/Gonzales Presidential Campaigns to help guide a far more effective community outreach program for KPFK.
Billboards, bus bench ads, booths at major civic events and many more tools are available and in use by other listener-supported media outlets with effective results. Enlisting more and effectively deploying our volunteer resources will also be key.
Why does “National Petroleum Radio” (NPR) rule the roost in LA’s ‘listener-sponsored’ airwaves? Why is it that when you ask a stranger in line at the market if he heard that devastating report about corporate malfeasance or the torturing of detainees on Democracy Now at 90.7 FM, they respond with a “Democracy who?” or “Pacifica what?”
Starting at the Management level through the Programmer ranks and on to the established listeners, outreach methods to our friends, compatriots and neighbors is something we must radically change. When is the last time you heard a KPFK host mention the importance of even the simplest outreach by popping by the station and placing a 90.7 bumper sticker on your car? Why is the volunteer staff not mobilized to set up an information booth and make a scene for the millions in attendance at the L.A. Marathon or similar high profile events?
Watching my friends that are part of the Gay Pride Movement come out, encourage empathy for their rights and take ownership of their rightful place in society, I am compelled to demand that KPFK supporters come out of the closet to “Be Loud and Be Proud!”
Together, let’s spread the words Truth, Justice, Peace and KPFK!
KPFK and Pacifica work when we all pitch in. So “let’s go-Dutch!”
-Dutch Merrick
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| Biography |
1. Why do you want to be on the Local Station Board?
I choose to participate in the KPFK Local Station Board as I am compelled to be more fully involved in the guidance of our region's most valuable Progressive asset.
2. How do you envision the Local station Board working the Pacifica Foundation, KPFK, and the community?
My vision for the LSB working with Pacifica, KPFK and the community is one of on-the-ground engagement. I feel that the LSB is the primary connection for listener/community members, after broadcast programming, to participate with and shape the management and operation of KPFK. Additionally, the LSB should be the advisory body at the local station level to advise and interact with the Pacifica Foundation and National Board regarding the issues that affect the entire network as well as any direct actions between the National Board and KPFK.
3. How could the station better serve its listeners?
The station can better serve its listeners by focusing on smooth, egalitarian daily operation and move forward from the recent history of petty factional infighting. KPFK presents a unique resource to promote Peace, Justice, and Equality for all its listeners. Unique features such as on-the-spot ICE-raid alerts, thorough community event calendars and neighborhood Progressive organizing activities are key tools for KPFK to uniquely offer Southern California residents.
4. Describe some actions you would take to increase the influence of the station in under-represented communities and to increase the diversity of the listening audience?
KPFK will better reach a broader audience and serve a much larger and diverse swath of listeners if it were to adopt some of the effective methods used by every other media outlet such as billboard and bus bench advertising, active participation in well attended, high profile community events, on-air campaigns for individual outreach to friends and colleagues about what KPFK offers that no other station does. KPFK must ardently encourage and empower volunteers from all parts of the community to participate in growing its audience.
5. What sources of funding, other than listener donations, do you feel KPFK should solicit?
KPFK must examine all possible sources of funding including endowments, grants, and encouraging listeners to add the station as an estate beneficiary, provided these avenues coincide with Pacifica guidelines and principles.
6. Please state briefly the skills, experience, educational background, work history, organizational affiliations, areas of community service, areas of interest and expertise that you would bring to the Pacifica network as a member of the Local Station Board.
My pertinent experience begins with my interest as an active listener. For many years KPFK has offered me eye and mind opening information that I had been shielded from by the rest of popular media. I feel compelled to give back to the station that has offered me and my community so much for so long. I am current Executive Board member of my union, Affiliated Property Craftspersons, local 44 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and participate in and/or chair several committees. Involvement in the business of my Union local has bolstered my resolve to be proactive and has developed my sense of fiduciary responsibility.
In 2007, I took leave from my industry to volunteer for, and eventually work with the 2008 Dennis Kucinich for President Campaign, for whom I produced a weekly news program for five months. I followed a similar path with the Nader/Gonzales presidential campaign in 2008, initially volunteering as a ballot access coordinator in three states and eventually working full time as a video media producer for the candidates. For several years, I have volunteers with Global Voices for Justice, a leading local organization dedicated to documenting and disseminating the Peace and Justice Movement. Previously, I sat as a Board Member of the Film and Television Committee, an organization formed to represent the rights and interests of Los Angeles film workers and to fight unfair film trade practices of governments such as Canada. I am a card carrying member of many activist organizations that range broadly from the California Rifle and Pistol Association to the Rain forest Action Network. Many fellow KPFK listeners will recognize me from the countless peace and labor marches I have participated in, usually in some relevant costume, over the years.
7. On which Local Station Board Committees are you interested in actively serving? If you are a current Local Station Board member, on which committees do you currently serve?
If elected to the KPFK Local Station Board, I would hope to participate in the community outreach committee in an effort to greatly enhance our contact with a broader listener base and to help more evenly distribute the fund raising burden across a wider array of station supporters.
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