A few over ninety KPFK supporters gathered at the station on March 3, to protest the threatened sale of WBAI (New York). The Action Resource Center and the Pacifica Accountability Committee, and others, called this demonstration to coincide with other demonstration taking place in New York and Houston, where the Pacifica Board of Directors was meeting.
The Board was considering by-laws changes which would have made the sale of WBAI much easier for a handful of people to pull off, and make it . The changes were written by Board member John Murdock, an attorney with the union-busting law firm of Epstein Becker & Green (EB&G). Despite an obvious conflict of interest, EB&G represents Pacifica Radio in lawsuits against it, filed by members of the station local advisory boards, listeners and two dissident members of the Pacifica Board. The demonstration wound up with a rally gathered around our traditional stage (Jay's pick-up truck).
There we got a report from the Board meeting, phoned in by KPFK Advisory Board member David Fertig. He described a gathering of over 400 activists from all over the country. The meeting was attended by besieged Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman, her recently-resigned co-host Juan Gonzalez and recently fired WBAI Program Director Bernard White. There was also a meeting of representatives from the advisory boards of all five stations. (We have since learned that the by-laws changes were tabled, and the Pacifica Board will hold public hearings in all five cities where there is a Pacifica station. As soon as the LA hearing is scheduled, the information will be posted at www.pacfolio.org)
The rally proceeded smoothly, except for a minor disruption. A group calling itself Billionaires for More Media Mergers (AKA Billionaires for Bush [or Gore]) forced their way onto the stage. They spoke in favor of the by-laws changes, then went on to sing a couple of songs: "The Merger" and "Let's Sell Pacifica." The Billionaires then took off for urgent three-martini lunches.
At this point in the struggle for community radio at KPFK and Pacifica are urged to support the lawsuits. Contributions can be sent to:
- Free Pacifica Legal Action/Vanguard Fund
- c/o Vanguard Public Foundation,
- 383 Rhode Island Street, Suite 301,
- San Francisco, CA 94103.
We can also attend KPFK Advisory Board meetings (see: www.stationadvisoryboards.org). We can write to our state legislators and others who can make public statements of concern for Pacifica (with copies to all members of the Pacifica Board).
The LA demonstration was also sponsored by KPFK Listener-Lab Alliance Workgroup and the Industrial Workers of the World/LA-GMB; and, was endorsed by: the International Action Center, Michael C. Ruppert/From The Wilderness Publications, Michael Novick/People Against Racist Terror, Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador/LA, Peace & Freedom Party/L.A. County Chapter, Aztlan Media Collective, Bob Long (member) - Harbor Greens, Billionaires for Bush (or Gore), Los Angeles Catholic Worker, Freedom Socialist Party, Radical Women, Ron Wilkins of the Patrice Lumumba Coalition and H. Rap Brown Justice Committee, and L. A. Wages for Housework Committee.
Vince Ivory,
Pacifica Accountability Committee
www.pacfolio.org
