Question One: Why do you wish to serve on the Local Station Board?

KPFA Listener-Sponsor candidates

Carl Bryant -

Steven Conley - I served effectively during the first democratically elected board in 2003 and expanded participation between staff and listeners. I believe that those skills are currently in need at the station today as well as nationally.

Bob English - I want to serve on the KPFA LSB in order to: a) represent listeners in station governance and realize the Savepacifica movement vision and objectives; and b) serve listeners and return service to KPFA, which has informed and served North/Central California communities for 57 years.
As Pacifica activists and long time listeners are aware, the heritage, values, programming grid and multiple damages of the old regime continues at Pacifica stations and little has changed at KPFA, where sadly we still have "Pat Scott/Lynn Chadwick radio." Listeners were never invited to an open house to celebrate our "victory over the hijackers;" the first liberated PNB meeting in Berkeley was only legally noticed on air, poorly attended and the interim manager (iGM) didn't bother to attend to give a station report. With few exceptions the banned and fired were not returned. The Transformation principles for equity and reallocation of programs, air time slots and resources to new, community and people of color staff/volunteers are marginalized, mostly ignored and forgotten. Back to business as usual, the pre-movement, "healthy station" status quo prevails.
Our elected LSB has been obstructed and made to appear "dysfunctional" by a voting block of staff and allied listener representatives - recruited or co-opted by and loyal to senior core staff, interested in station access and favors, (some turning their backs on the listeners who elected them) - resisting democratic change and shared decision making. Meanwhile, the by-law mandated, selected GMs may have lacked sufficient community radio and station management skills and experience and grounding in the Pacifica Mission, but not given support or cooperation they were driven out of the station, which has become a management free zone with insufficient support, structure and resources for volunteer staff and programmers who were once the heart and soul of KPFA community radio.

Dianne Enriquez - My main goals for serving on the LSB are to share my cooperative spirit and organizing experience to create a more cohesive board for the benefit of KPFA. I would like to help establish of a greater and more organized approach to outreach and prioritze this and aid the station in being accessible to a greater range of diverse and underrepresented communities such as the disabled, elderly and especially, the youth community, which is where most of my experience lies. I would also like to help the board develop as a greater fundraising body for the station and develop proactive methods and events, allowing more listeners to contribute and develop a personal investment in the station as well as ensuring the continued growth of KPFA as a valuable source for progressive media.

Sherry Gendelman - I have been involved with protecting the KPFA airwaves for several decades. I was Chair of the LAB during the upheaval of the late 20^th Century. I played a prominent role in the lawsuits that led to the ouster of the irresponsible and reckless Pacifica national board. That ouster brought the idea of democracy to KPFA. I believe it is an entirely different process to make democracy work to strengthen the station and its influence. For these reasons I returned to the LSB in 2005. My passion for the station and its programming is undimminshed. As our Democracy becomes more threatened, I rely upon the station more and more. I believe my skills and experience can help KPFA to realize its goal.

Mathew Hallinan –

Chandra Hauptman – To ensure that listener sponsors have a recognized role in governance, acknowledged by management and all KPFA staff.

• To advocate for equal access to KPFA for people with disabilities.

• To ensure programming serves the mission and the listeners’ needs.

David Heller – My main reason for running is to bring more transparency, accountability and democracy to the station. Having run for the board last year, I became painfully aware of how inadequate the election process is. The voters seem to be intentionally kept in the dark about whom they are supposed to vote for. This is most likely why close to 85% of the eligible listeners do not vote. After attending many LSB meetings, it has become clear to me that some people are committed to keeping the listeners in the dark and out of the loop in programming, financial and policy decisions. It is my goal to create a stronger LSB that involves the listeners in a more dynamic and participatory manor.

Warren Mar – I am running as a candidate for KPFA’s Local Station Board because I believe, like the others on my slate of concerned listeners, that our country is in a precarious time in its history. We need KPFA, now more than ever. More than that, we need a stronger KPFA - one that can reach a broader base of disenchanted and disenfranchised people in Northern California, into our central valley and the foothills of the Sierras. Like many activists, I have been a long time listener and fan of KPFA. I have been able to become a member when able to donate small amounts on salaries as a union organizer and more recently a community college instructor. Donating money on a working class salary is the least I could have done, but I now want to join the KPFA board to help build the capacity of the station.

Susan McDonough - As a KPFA listener since the early 1970’s, I believe it’s time for me to give something back (beyond pledge donations) to this radio station. I rely on KPFA for information, news, and analysis that can not be found elsewhere. I also love a number of its music shows. I am frightened by what is happening in the US, and what the US is doing around the world. Without a station like KFPA, the real scoop will not reach the general public. We must expand our listenership and membership to help rebuild a mass movement for social change.

Antonia Medrano - I have been a long time listener to the station since the days of the coup in Chile (1973). I bring to the board a life long commitment to human rights, civil rights, immigrant rights and social justice. Also a perspective that brings a Latino/chicano view on human rights/civil rights.

Attila Nagy - I’m a candidate for reelection to the LSB to carry on with the responsibility of representing the interests of KPFA listener/supporters. I will continue to work for transparent and democratic governance, to be accountable to our primary stakeholders, the KPFA’s listener/supporters. One of my concerns is outreach to the communities to broaden our listener base, by supporting good management and staff who are responsive to the needs of the diverse communities with programs that are relevant to our signal area, will invite a broader demographic.

Richard Phelps – I believe that KPFA/Pacifica and its affiliates and community stations are the best hope to provide real news and analysis to the people of our country. We must protect and build the Pacifica stations and the affiliate network and help community stations when we can or we are doomed to an Orwellian nightmare that is planned by Rupert Murdock (Fox News etc.) and his ilk. The FCC's continued reduction of the limitations on media monopoly is clear evidence of where we are being taken. Clear Channel up and down the dial with Rush ("lock up the drug addicts", except me) Limbaugh as the senior social commentator. I will continue to use my 40+ years of experience to help KPFA/Pacifica reach every community with relevant, engaging and entertaining programs that encourage people to challenge mainstream thinking and eventually become active in progressive movements.

Mara Rivera - KPFA is our bulwark against the New World Order by reporting the truths that we can’t hear on commercial media.
I want to strengthen it by making sure the listeners share decision making through the LSB, committees, and their feedback, along with the staff & management, as is mandated in our bylaws.

Paul Robins - KPFA is my lifeline to sanity, reason, heart, truth and culture. I was drawn by the news and public affairs and stayed because of the music and art. I’ve been connected to KPFA as listener, volunteer, unpaid staff, and paid staff over the past 30 years. Serving on the board is about helping to ensure the Station’s financial survival and expansion to a broader listener community. These two goals are intimately linked. I want to be part of helping make this happen.

CC Campbell Rock – I would like to serve on the Local Station Board to advocate for the expansion/access to KPFA to more grassroots organizations and initiatives; and to push for more community based news coverage. I also would like to work with LSB to encourage Pacifica Radio to establish a radio station in New Orleans, where the people have no access to the radio medium for their voices.

Tracy Rosenberg – I’d like to bring my experiences, both within the KPFA community in program council, election supervision and program coordination (on staff), and as a progressive media activist to the board and put them to use. I think the combination of skills that I am bringing (nonprofit management, knowledge of the media landscape, and years of experience within KPFA) will be useful and helpful on the local board.

Gerald Sanders - The facts reveal that the corporate media, i.e. the Headfixing Industry, dominates the airwaves. This makes KPFA, Pacifica and its affiliates a key player in providing real news and analysis and coverage of events to the people of our country. Therefore, we must protect and build the Pacifica stations and the affiliate network. The FCC’s continued reduction of the limitations on media monopoly is clear evidence of where they have taken us. Clear Channel up and down the dial with Rush (“lock up the drug addicts”, except me) Limbaugh as the senior social commentator. I will continue to use my 40+ years of experience in various social movements to help KPFA/Pacifica reach every community with relevant, engaging and entertaining programs that encourage people to challenge mainstream thinking and eventually become active in social movements. I want to be on the KPFA LSB because I think I have and will continue to make positive contributions to our station.

Sureya Sayadi - I believe KPFA is a great medium to give Voice to the voiceless, especially I like more programming by minorities for minorities,Youth, Women's issues ranging from labor, health and violence against women here and abroad. I like to see more community, national and international programming to unite the Voices of Struggle. Especially I like to produce a KPFA sister station in New Orleans and Katrina affected areas to help broadcast nationally.

John Van Eyck - I will bring to the KPFA board more than 35 years’ experience in both the Arts and Labor. The knowledge I gain because of the fine work of the KPFA staff informs my own work among local trade union workers who I helped train and represent.

Joe Wanzala - I have been involved with KPFA as a listener-activist since the mid-1990s. I have been able to witness the emergence of the new bylaws that guide the radio network's governance structure. I have come to appreciate how much time it takes to develop and implement ideas in this environment and one three-year term is not really enough time. It is clear to me that there is still a disconnect between internal station operations and the listener democracy movement that was borne out of the crisis in 1999. The primary reason I am running is to try to help cure this disconnect.

Jim Weber - To help create the democratic Board procedures necessary for the LSB to effectively support the KPFA mission.

Stan Woods - I’m a current listener representative on the Local Station Board (L.S.B.) running for reelection. I want to continue the fight for democracy, accountability, and transparency in all spheres of KPFA.
Unfortunately not all members of our board agree with this perspective.
PeoplesRadio and our allies have been fought, blocked and subjected to filibusters constantly over the last few years.
But we have persisted. Recently we have presented (and were successful in passing) a motion in support of the Unpaid Staff Organization and calling on KPFA Management to recognize and negotiate with that group.
We share the strong concern of Program council members at the abrupt stripping of their decision making powers by the interim program director. KPFA Management and their supporters on the board apparently favor the top down decision making model of the corporate media.
We disagree. We want to see a democratically elected Program council with listener representatives equal to staff and with the authority to make programming decisions by majority vote.
In general we want to continue and expand the victory of 1999.

Steve Zeltzer - I believe that KPFA and the Pacifica network need to become a much more vital and vibrant voice for the people of Northern California. I will work to integrate KPFA into the communities in Northern California and also will help to support the opening up of sister station KFPB to new programming and stream it as well. I will also join with other Pacifica board members and producers around the country to help support more national programming. There are creative and valuable programmers around the country at Pacifica and we need to integrate their programming into KFPA.

KPFA Staff candidates

Shahram Aghmir - The notion of community radio entails participation by both the listeners and the staff. The Local Station Board is intended to be a place where both the staff and listeners can work together to make decisions about the future of KPFA. As KPFA’s unpaid staff member, I would like to experience this process and contribute to it.

Mary Berg - I've been working for the democratization of this network for so many years - and especially intensely since the firing of Nicole Sawaya in '99 - and now that she is returning to Pacifica I deeply want to continue working to bring us past the divisiveness so we can make the vision a successful reality.   Also I believe there are unique contributions I can make to the board.

Chris Brown - I've been a supporter of KPFA for years and feel that by taking a more active approach, I can bring new vision to how the station moves forward.

Brian Edwards-Tiekert - I believe in KPFA and the Pacifica Mission. I've put a lot of my time and energy into ensuring both persevere, and I believe that, if enough good people pull together, we can get past the infighting and help KPFA lead Pacifica through a renaissance.

Jeannine Etter - I would like to see a broader representation of KPFA staff and community members on the board. I happen to represent 3; Female, African-American and Hip Hop.

Mary Tilson - I think community broadcasting and alternative media are critical to the life of our community/country and would like to be part of KPFA’s governance.