Wow,Doyle, you have got the inside info on KPFA. Charles
^^^ Doyle; KPFA is financially sound, just riven with dissension. Overall I don't know much about WBAI, except what I've read elsewhere, so I won't comment. The series of new manager hirings in recent years to get management working and doing something has been wrung out by the opposing interests created to make the community part of the station mission function. Currently management at KPFA acts just like any other corporate entity including draconian security systems that don't in effect work for security purposes. Roughly there are four groups vying for a piece of the pie at KPFA. Management, paid staff, unpaid staff (volunteers who work at the station) and station listeners. By law management has many power levers. They decertified the unpaid staff organization for example. There are various boards that have quasi over lapping powers that represent these interests. Since cooperation is uneven overall between each entity there is a kind of paralysis that erupts into intense conflict when something really goes wrong. Station management operates by fiat and phony meeting consensus. Call a meeting to discuss the problems but do what they want and talk to who they want, and usurp power for their clique wherever possible. In turn they are isolated from the station staff and an unknown to listeners. The overall financial crisis in Pacifica promotes a cheap minded cost consciousness. Nothing is done easily because of financial strains coming from debt ridden stations bleeding Pacifica bank accounts. Hence, an inability to cooperate between various groups has for the time being prevented much that might happen in a more congenial atmosphere. Why do they hang on? Because all these people are tenacious and sometimes, or most of the time cooperative or speak to each other. I personally think it is a good place to be schooled in complex community processes that gives experiences one can't get elsewhere. The idea of community and how it works takes real strong efforts and know how. thanks, Doyle Saylor This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
