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pacifica radio crisis
by Alex Burns (alex@disinfo.com) - December 20, 2000

The Berkeley (California) based KPFA radio station made headlines in summer 1999 amidst allegations of financial mismanagement, union-busting tactics, 'diversity' program censorship and the 'gagging' and subsequent firing of staff who spoke out. Part of Pacifica, America's most politically progressive, public and non-commercial radio network, the KPFA debacle quickly became the flash-point that divided Old and New Left.

Central to the chaos have been Mary Frances Berry (Pacifica Foundation Chair) and Lynn Chadwick (Pacifica Executive Manager). Management spent half a million dollars locking out their own programmers and on-air talent, and conducted meetings in secret, locking out dissenters concerned that public funds and listener donations were being misused. Berry used her power to try and convince police to arrest protesters. The crisis has split the New Left, with 'The Nation' columnist Marc Cooper receiving intensive criticism from Edward S. Hermann and others for his defence of a regime that has 'mainstreamed' programming, centralised power and campaigned to sell off individual stations.

Demonstrations have re-politicised many people, and groups like 'Pacifica Accountability Committee', 'Save Pacifica' and 'Free Pacifica' have sprung up in an innovative campaign that has used the Internet's real-time broadcasting capabilities to moniter radio programs and network disenfranchised and previously isolated people. Publishing capabilities has meant that previously censored and internal documents have been made public, increasing pressures for management accountability and countering frequently misleading PR spin-doctoring that Bernays would have been proud of. RTMark has gone so far as to draw comparisons to Belgrade's occupied B92 station; commentators Alexander Cockburn, Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky have broadened the context to explore what exactly makes the alternative media 'alternative'.

KPFA is owned by the Pacifica Foundation, founded in 1949 by pacifist Lewis Hill, who pioneered 'talk-back' shows. Instead of 'corporatising' the station, the Board of Trustees is attempting to censor disputes, hiring the 'American Consulting Group, a notorious union-busting firm. 5-year plans and top-down hierarchies were implemented, and when staff began to publicly reveal what was happening in March 1999, all hell broke lose. Protests from April to July 1999 grow from 1000 to 10 000 participants, leading 'freedom of speech' activists sign an August 18 1999 'New York Times' advertisement. Damage to the studios, mass arrests and on-air tussles continue, as tensions escalate, and conspiracies to sell KPFA and sister station WBAI are uncovered. The Legislative Audit Committee manages to subpoena financial records, revealing that Berry not only shot herself in the foot, but almost brough the entire network down with her.

Although faded from daily news coverage, the crisis is far from over. Despite support from leading left intellectuals including Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Angela Davis, Alice Walker and others, the full truth has not yet been made public. On November 1 1999, Pacifica News Network news director Dan Coughlin was removed and re-assigned to act as a consultant. This was interpreted as a move by Chadwick to censor coverage of the crisis by Pacifica's own stations.

A Distorted Picture of Pacifica Radio
Pacifica Radio allegedly hired the 'American Consulting Group', a notorious union-busting firm. This denial by Communications Director Burt Glass is interesting as an historical document verging on cover-up. Recently released documents available at other sites suggest that much more went on that what Glass admits. Propaganda?

KPFA Makes War, Not Love
Article from 'US News' focusing on the rift between Old and New Left at KPFA, the Berkeley, California, radio station that was the flash-point for the Pacifica Radio Crisis.

Pacifica Accountability Committee
Formed almost five years ago by concerned Pacifica Radio Network staff, programmers, listeners and sponsors, the Pacifica Accountability Committee has been the target of unsettled administrators. Get insights into station KPFK's long-term problems through documents, transcripts, proposed bylaws and more.

The KPFA Takeover
Focuses on KPFA, the station that served as 'Ground Zero' to the Pacifica Radio Crisis. Find out about the gagging and harassment of KPFA staff, the disappearing offices and mysterious whereabouts of Pacifica executive director Lynn Chadwick and more.

Censorship, Dismissal: New Crisis At Pacifica
From the 'Black Journalism Review Online' comes coverage of the Pacifica Radio Crisis with a focus on censorship and racial vilification. The rest of the site is worth checking out on a regular basis also, for alternative viewpoints to mainstream coverage.

The Theft of Pacifica!
Extensive list of links to documentation on the Pacifica Radio Crisis, with an enmphasis on union-busting tactics, walk-outs and protestor arrests.

Coalition For A Democratic Pacifica
The Revolution is being broadcast courtesy of this community oriented Pacifica Radio Crisis network. Direct action at its finest.

Committee To Remove The Pacifa Board
Committee organized to remove the entire Board of Directors of The Pacifica Foundation for abuse of their authority or discretion, dishonest acts and/or fraud. Listeners may have legal standing to join the current lawsuit against the Board to request the Court to remove the entire board. The lawsuit as it stands now does NOT now make this request. Bylaws analysis and legal documentation; links with an emphasis on emerging activist networks and solo protest pages.

Is Marc Copper A Very Nasty Man With Lots Of Hats?
One of the most controversial aspects of the Pacifica Radio Crisis has been the role of Marc Cooper and his commentaries in 'The Nation'. Dennis Bernstein exposes Cooper's possible conflict of interest and distortion regarding the night that radio management pulled the plug, landing Bernstein on 'administration leave'.

There's Something About Mary
Salon News offers a complex and revealing portrait of Mary Frances Berry, the administrative manager at the center of the Pacifica Radio Crisis. Salon focuses on her poor management record with the US Civil Rights Commission prior to joining the Pacifica Radio Network, and how her 'divisive racial politics' ignited a near-civil war between the Old and New Left. A fascinating well-researched portrait.

Save Pacifica
Incredible site extensively documenting the corporatising of grass-roots activism, bureaucratic mismanagement and divisive racial politics that have shaped the Pacifica Radio Crisis. Includes media clips, essays, RealAudio broadcasts, schedules, images and more. A must view site and model for using the Internet creatively for social activism!

Free Pacifica Radio!
Excellent site chronicling the abuse and mismanagement by Mary Frances Berry's regime, including 'propaganda analysis' of Marc Cooper's columns in 'The Nation' and 'LA Times' publications by Edward S. Hermann. Also includes the bannning of KPFK journalist Robin Urevich and demonstration rally video-clips.

Free Pacifica Document Archive
Massive collection of previously censored internal documents and radio broadcasts documenting the ruthless in-fighting, shady deals and union-busting. Welcome to the Machine.

Progressive Alternative Institutions and Resolving The Pacifica Crisis
ZNET has collected a vast amount of Pacifica Radio Crisis commentary and analysis, including what makes the mainstream media 'mainstream' and the alternative media 'alternative'. ZNET brokers negotiation tactics and stratagems, and offers background history and contexts. A must-view site.

Flashpoints.net: David Bernstein - Save Pacifica
Investigative journalist David Bernstein's authoritative site includes Lewis Hill's seminal document 'The Theory of Listener-Sponsored Radio' (1951), activist campaign photos and links to Pacifica Radio Crisis news coverage.

Racism At Pacifica
From 'Counterpunch', the savvy political zine edited by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair, this is an excellent article by former KPFT Houston Programming & News Director Rafael Renteria on the systematic suppression of diversity and multi-cultural programs. The sections on PR techniques designed to marginalise radical, idealist and realist activists makes for very disturbing reading.

Pacifica Radio: Web Active
Hear RealAudio broadcasts of 'Democracy Now' and 'Pacifica Network News', two of the most incisive and popular programs on the Pacifica Network.

The KPFA Crisis Is Not Over!
Huge collection of links and photos relating to the attempted coup d'etat at Pacifica Network's KPFA radio station. Protest and Survive!

KPFA Webcast
Management might try to censor KPFA, but you can listen to the station live via the Internet. Take the power back!

HelpKPFA
The media-savvy RTMark crew draw some frightening parallels between the KPKA debacle and the censorship of Belgrade's B92 radio station. Has Bertram Gross' 'Friendly Fascism' arrived finally in the US?

Pacifica Radio
Homepage of the Pacifica Radio Network: you wouldn't know that there have been any problems at all, from the way this web-site is run . . .

WBAI Producers' Pages
WBAI is a sister station to KPFA and was at the center of union-busting allegations and staff harassment. This site provides producer information, streaming audio feeds and links to Pacifica activist sites and other stations. Well worth checking out!

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