A group of people calling themselves “New Day Pacifica” have started an email petition to change the structure of your station and the Pacifica Foundation. Please don’t sign! If you have already signed, please consider UNSIGNING! This will help save Pacifica about $150,000!
Dear Station Member,
Why shouldn’t you sign? Because these proposed new Bylaws would make Pacifica more like NPR.
Nothing against NPR, mind you. But we don’t need more NPR! How would this petition lead your station to become more like NPR?
This communication has not been paid for by the KPFA, KPFK, KPFT, WBAI, WPFW Station LSB or the Pacifica Foundation. It is a campaign communication distributed by or on behalf of Social Uplift Foundation. Otherwise, it has no affiliation with or endorsement by the KPFA, KPFK, KPFT, WBAI, WPFW Station LSB or the Pacifica Foundation. Please note that you are receiving this email because you are on the KPFA, KPFK, KPFT, WBAI or WPFW Station membership list.
Smaller Boards
Yes, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and many accountants and audit firms favor smaller boards. They are familiar with NPR stations. They are comfortable with the NPR model.
These proposed Bylaws make the boards smaller and weaker and give a great deal of power to the Executive Director with no local and very little national oversight. Pacifica’s Local Station Boards currently provide a valuable check on the power of the General Managers of the stations. The National Board now directly supervises the Executive Director. In contrast, the “New Day Pacifica” proposed Bylaws give almost unlimited power to the Executive Director:
Article Eight, Officers of the Foundation, Section 3: Executive Director
…The Executive Director may initiate the process to fire a General Manager as well as to effectuate it following standard human resources procedures…
How else would these proposed Bylaws make Pacifica more like NPR?
Less Democracy
These Bylaws pretend to be more democratic, but they aren’t. They limit local control to mainly fundraising and outreach. This will mean more rich people on the local boards which will mean programming that rich people approve of. Like NPR.
Both Greg Palast and Helen Caldicott have dubbed NPR ‘National Petroleum Radio’.
Noam Chomsky has criticized NPR for being biased toward ideological power and the status quo.
NPR stations have mainly appointed boards. The average public radio station gets 19% of its revenue from corporate underwriting. Many conclude that this funding has compromised their programming. Some Pacifica Managers and Board Members have been pushing for corporate underwriting. Our local and national boards have prevented underwriting for many years.
The much revered progressive media watchdog group, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), was founded on the belief that corporate ownership and sponsorship, as well as government policies and pressures, restrict journalism and thereby distort public discourse.
Let’s keep Pacifica Stations powered by the people and free of corporate, political and big money influence!
Here’s how you can help:
- DON’T SIGN the ‘New Day Pacifica’ petition. This will help prevent another expensive bylaws referendum. The last one cost about $150,000!
- UNSIGN if you signed it already!
- Become a candidate in the next [Station] Local Station Board election beginning in June of 2021. Or encourage other qualified [Station] members to become candidates. Our governance is only as strong as its board members. Find out more information about local station boards. If you have questions about becoming a candidate or need more information, contact Dr. King Reilly at: kingreilly@roadrunner.com or 323-839-0985.
- Make a donation to your station:
