Under two years of Concerned Listener stewardship, KPFA has moved
forward on the following fronts:
Programming:
- Special Broadcasts. KPFA organized the ground-breaking Winter Soldier broadcasts, which filled a national media vacuum, won a Project Censored Award, and helped point the way forward for online multimedia synergy during Pacifica broadcasts. And when Pacifica National ran out of money for syndicated live broadcasts of events like the Sotomayor confirmation hearings, KPFA stepped into the gap and produced them itself.
- Programs. KPFA brought to the airwaves some of the best programs from its sister stations: KPFK’s Uprising, and WBAI’s Behind the News – a left economics program much needed during this turbulent economic time.
- Political Coverage. KPFA led the rest of the network in organizing national coverage of the 2008 election, from the primaries through the conventions.
- Special Series. KPFA organized the nationally-distributed series “Letters to Washington” – just back this week -- bringing to the air much-needed critical perspectives on the beginnings of the Obama administration.
- Expanded News Operations. KPFA and KPFK (its sister station in Los Angeles) have integrated their news rooms into a statewide newsgathering operation—one soon joined by KFCF in Fresno, a direct outgrowth of an LSB meeting in Fresno organized by Concerned Listeners members.
- Rejuvenated local programming. KPFA’s given its morning show a complete makeover, increasing its audience and fundraising.
Infrastructure:
- KPFA has undertaken the first serious upgrades in years to its physical and technical infrastructure. Thanks to drainage improvements made last summer, KPFA’s studios no longer flood during heavy rain. Structural retrofits have made the building more stable. Retrofit work on KPFA’s entrance has mechanized the doors for better wheelchair access. A new booster in Oakley has expanded the reach of KPFA’s signal. And an air-chain upgrade currently underway will improve the sound of KPFA’s signal.
Finances:
- Under Concerned Listeners leadership, KPFA has produced the most-detailed budgets in the Pacifica network, amassed
- the largest cash reserves in the network, and—even in the current economic crisis—kept more money in its bank accounts than any of the other Pacifica stations.
- KPFA’s gotten there because its board majority has supported professional management, realistic budgeting, and accountability from Pacifica National. Specifically, the Concerned Listeners have:
- Raised thousands of dollars to help KPFA expand its signal
- Brought a much-needed breath of civility to KPFA’s often-rancorous board meetings
- Bought an unprecedented level of transparency and detail to the budgeting process
- Taken strong stands in support of financial accountability at Pacifica, the nonprofit that owns KPFA
- Completed the hire of a permanent general manager after yearsof interim management
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