I’m a professional medical doctor, long time listener and sustainer of KPFK. I moved to L.A. from Michigan 35 years ago, with no time for television, so radio is my regular source of news and entertainment. I know I’m not alone in my belief in the potential of KPFK and Pacifica.
I am a progressive political thinker ever since, as a little girl, I cut out donkeys for the back yard tables at political events. As a child of a teacher-family, my belief in equal education and equal rights for all, was certified by Supreme Court dictum, “Separate is Not Equal”. For that, radio remains the most accessible and universal media for awareness and education about human differences and challenges.
I love organizing purposeful special events, including past successful fundraisers for Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), and Earth Day Education Seminars. Currently, I am an active member and treasurer of SoCal ADA, organizer of L.A. area Physicians for a National Health Program, board member of Momentum/UCP-LA, supporter of HODG/lunches for homeless and PDA.
Living in SoCal, my friendship circles widened to include a world of active, progressive, amazingly good people, from whom I learned KPFK was a major source of the national news in the 1960’s & 1970’s. Also, I learned KPFK has inherent enormous value, for its license which allows broadcasting that reaches further than any other station “this side of the Mississippi.” Why is it struggling?
Up until now I have been on the sidelines, watching the frustration of my friends and husband, as I began missing favorite radio shows being dropped from the KPFK schedule. Most seriously, turning on the radio to hear preachers of snake oil & magic crystals, profane language, and adolescent chatter is offensive to my decades of education. KPFK was once filled with intellectual challenges and creative entertainment. Now, like other listeners, I mourn the loss of sharp wits and great voices which have departed the station. Why should we listeners dig deeper into our pockets for such self-aggrandizing programing? Democracy doesn’t mean we owe airtime to unprofessional speech, untrained voices & programs that are neither educational nor entertaining. Someone(s) is/are digging a grave for KPFK.
More constructively, in Los Angeles, KPFK has access to garner shows with top-quality guests from local world-famous universities, medical centers, research centers, and the undisputable entertainment center of the world. Certainly there are willing students majoring in communication or theater in local high schools and colleges who would relish the opportunity to put together quality informative, entertaining programs which would attract their friends and classmates, building future audiences for KPFK. Radio-theater night, stand-up-comedian night, invited-professor night (astronomy, space, climate, nuclear, medicine, not to mention politics!) Local college/high school nights could be competitive, and would build the younger audience.
I’m running for this local KPFK listener board position to understand why, how or who is compromising the enormous potential of KPFK, and to help build a viable station.
|