My name is Vinnie De Stefano and I am running for a seat on KPFK’s board. I have been a life-long social justice activist and a listener-sponsor of KPFK since 1971. I am a founding member of Assange Defense in Southern California, sit on the National steering committee and am honored to be their National Organizing Director. I am also currently Treasure of the Pasadena/Foothill chapter of the ACLU and sit on the ACLU Affiliate board and the Executive Committee. I have worked on police reform in my home town of Pasadena as a member of CICOPP (Coalition for Increased Oversight of the Pasadena Police) and was a founding member of Pasadena Privacy for all which has fought the Pasadena City Council and the Pasadena Police’s purchase and use of invasive technologies without the knowledge or permission of it citizens. Last I have been involved with Amnesty International for over 4 decades and in 2019 was recognized as the Urgent Action letter writer of the yea.
I have been a listener sponsor to KPFK since I first heard the station nearly 50 years ago. The fact that is was completely different from everything else on the airwaves was incredibly important to my education as I am certain is was to countless other listeners. Unfortunately, the station has fallen from its once lofty position as the primer progressive news outlet and alternative entertainment hub. As a board member I will work to rebuild the listenership and put an end to the none stop fund raising that has plagued the station for more than a decade. As a board member I would work to ensure that we put a halt to the use snake oil offerings that have become part and parcel of those fund drives that would be more appropriate on the home shopping network. Although it is true that have generated much needed funds, I believe that they are below the dignity of the station and an insult to our listeners
We need governance that works for the station and its listeners. We need to ensure that our audits are done completely, professionally and on time. That alone will allow us to take advantage of the public funding that the station had access to before our current turmoil and failure of its current governance. By finding a way to make our station work again we can also save the Pacifica network as a whole.
The necessity for alternatives to the corporate media has never been more urgent. Therefore, we need to ensure that the station and network are properly funded and run professionally. Let me be clear about one thing. We do not need to create another KCRW or NPR! What we need is a strong and robust KPFK in all its unique and uncompromising programing. That will require 21st century thinking and methods but ones that never compromise Lewis Hill' original vision for Pacifica
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