Question Six: How do you view the dynamics between the Pacifica network and local station autonomy?

You can find all of the listener candidate's answers to Question Six on this page.

KPFA Listener-Sponsor candidates

Steven Conley

Ideally autonomy should be first viewed from the POV of the communities we serve and then how does the national vision develop and compliment that local view.

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These relations and responsibilities are in part prescribed in the Pacifica by-laws, but the newly created, elected boards have struggled with asserting and defining the extent and limits of mandated powers and responsibilities.

The LSB elects four PNB directors, votes on proposed Pacifica by-law amendments and shares the GM selection and termination process with the Executive Director (ED).

Our elected LSB has established KPFA budget and management review, recruited General Managers (GM), moved to terminate one GM and passed resolutions to affirm program policy and air time decisions, which the interim manager (iGM) and core staff refused to implement.

There is no question, assumption or ambition by listener representatives to "micro-manage" station staff, operations and programming; that's just a false issue propagated by a few staff of the semi-permanent iGM administration and their loyal recruited candidate slates. However, the Board is responsible for ensuring overall quality, diverse, relevant community programming; effective, accountable and transparent management practices and structures. For instance, I have urged the LSB to recommend and station management to develop an HR/EEO compliant filing and resolution capacity and process in order to manage and reduce incidents of violence, harassment, intimidation and other discrimination, and eliminate costly law suits. I will also pursue development or improvement of a staff counseling and progressive discipline policy and practice.

The positive vision, objectives and intent of the Savepacifica, listener democracy movement is a message that many KPFA/Pacifica staff understand and respect, while it needs to be heard and respected by others, just as listener activists and representatives need to respect and resolve misconceptions, misunderstandings and feelings of distrust and betrayal with staff and managers.

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Dianne Enriquez

In my opinion, KPFA is the flagship of the Pacifica Network. In recent years it has been very successful in hiring a number of new and very diverse staff, managed it’s finances well enough to end these recent years in a surplus, and has stayed very true to the Mission of the Pacifica Network. Now, with Nicole Sawaya as the Executive Director of Pacifica, the opportunities and potential to make all stations within the network strong are unbounded. It is important for KPFA to stay involved and aware of what the Pacifica network is doing.

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Sherry Gendelman

I believe that talent and programming comes from a local level. Local communities support “their” station. KPFA, the first and strongest, in the network, is no exception. Unhampered, it has flourished. I understand that the local stations tithe to the national office. At the present time I don’t believe that role of the national office is well defined. Clarifying what Pacifica is about, will result a more productive and creative partnership.

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Mathew Hallinan

no answer submitted

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Chandra Hauptman

Stations have never had to operate as one network. It is hard to undue past practice.

I hope a strong ED can bring the network together. I hope Nicole Sawaya will fulfill that role.

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David Heller

It is important to develop and maintain a good working relation between our network affiliates and rely on one another for assistance in nation programming and relevant news gathering. It is important to balance that with strong local news programming, which allows people to know what is going on at their own local level.

In depth local news in combination with hard hitting national coverage is what is needed to expand listenership and hence financial sponsors, which will directly affect the revenues of the network as a whole.

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Warren Mar

Obviously there needs to be balance. We don’t like the way the corporate media is going about eliminating local journalism, however, we also have to realize that the problems in the U.S. are national. We are also waging an imperialist war and policies coming from D.C. have global implications. Shows like Democracy Now! are very important not only for KPFA but also to changing public sentiment towards the war. We need to promote national and global reporting from places such as the Middle East and Latin America where U.S. policies are affecting the people’s lives greatly and also generating mass movements. At the same time I’m always happy to hear David Bacon report on the Woodfin Hotel struggle in Emeryville or what is happening with the Day Laborers in San Francisco. I think KPFA should support good journalism, whether it is international or local. This will separate us from the corporate media pack.

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Susan McDonough

It’s a balance between the two. Pacifica offers us shows like Democracy Now! which is terrific. At the same time, we need local programming to cover local issues – to reach those folks who are listening to our station. Now that Nicole Sawaya has been hired as the new ED of Pacifica I’m hopeful we’ll see real progress.

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Antonio Medrano

Local control is paramount, must reflect our multilingual, multi-ethnic bay area.

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Attila Nagy

The Pacifica National Board has the responsibility to maintain the five stations in the network. Each of the stations must be responsive to the listener/supporters’ needs in order to stay relevant and build the audience. As a member of the PNB Programming Committee, I support more national programs – also some relevant programs that are produced in the local areas to be broadcast on all five stations and affiliates.

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Richard Phelps

We need a well-run national office that can guarantee fairness and due process at all stations. Right now we don’t have that and we often have Bylaws violations at local stations and violations of due process that demonstrate a tyranny of the local majority with no intervention by the Pacifica National Board (PNB), due to a collusion by some PNB members from each station to protect each other from proper PNB review and consistent application of our Bylaws and principles of due process equally to all.

With regard to programming we need to develop a good working relationship between the National office to facilitate a positive approach to the tension between having network programs and local autonomy, consistent with our Mission and the current state of the world around us. We need to provide mechanisms to share each stations quality programs and ideas with each other. We don’t need each station repeating the same things. We need to find ways to share our collective talents and develop synergy.

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Mara Rivera

Both station autonomy and cooperation among the network are necessary.

The network is needed to resolve problems with democracy, accountability, and transparency at the stations.

Providing some network wide programming and stations sharing programming could be helpful but inflexible strip programming and turf issues can inhibit this.

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Paul Robins

I believe this is a difficult and complex problem. The local stations want to serve their local communities and give air time to people representing those interests. The Pacifica network necessarily has a broader scope that definitely should be represented on the local stations. “Think globally. Act Locally” become problematic within Pacifica. We need to face this problem head on, acknowledge it and come to some understanding at each station.

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CC Campbell Rock

I have no knowledge of the politics of local station autonomy relative to the Pacifica network.

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Tracy Rosenberg

Tricky and filled with mutual suspicion at the moment. I believe in local vitality, so the challenge is to utilize pooled resources without dictating from the top to the folks on the ground.

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Gerald Sanders

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Sureya Sayadi

I believe local station should have it's autonomy, but collaborative network regarding overall mission
of KPFA. I believe that when the Pacifica National board meets in Northern California and every
region where it has meetings, it needs to arrange time for the programmers and producers in the local
area to join with in discussion and plans on how to improve the network. These PNB meetings which
are held at great cost to the foundation need to be organizing and educating events for the regional
stations that can help vitalize and strengthen the stations.

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John Van Eyck

no answer submitted

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Joe Wanzala

In terms of the finances of the Pacifica network this is a false distinction - the financial health or lack thereof of each of the stations in the network affects all the others, so positive collaboration is critical and autonomy not a real option. Programming affects not only the five stations but also the dozens of affiliated community radio stations around the country and there is a delicate balance between each station maintaining its own unique characteristics and national programming, which tends toward a more uniform sound. National programming plays an important role in cultivating a sense of cohesion within the network as well as raising the networks profile, in turn having an impact on the national discourse. I have no fixed ideas about this dynamic and see it as a constant work in progress.

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Jim Weber

The stations should have a democratic partnership with the network; both seeking the same goals of satisfying the listener needs (a mutually collaborative autonomy? Like a good marriage?)

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Stan Woods

I’m concerned about the network as a whole. I think my union’s slogan ‘’An injury to one is an injury to all ‘’ applies also to our progressive network. Our true need for local autonomy shouldn’t ever over shadow that.

That being said true equality means a equality of effort and commitment. KPFA, as the strongest station, has and should continue to do what’s necessary for the financial survival of all five stations . But there is a limit to what we can and should do.

For more on our National situation go to www.peoplesradio.net

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Steve Zeltzer

I believe that when the Pacifica National board meets in Northern California and every region where it has meetings, it needs to arrange time for the programmers and producers in the local area to join with in discussion and plans on how to improve the network. These PNB meetings which are held at great cost to the foundation need to be organizing and educating events for the regional stations that can help vitalize and strengthen the stations.

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