Saturday, July 31, 1999
KPFA Staff Begins
Station Site
Inspection and
Cleanup
KPFA's production and
engineering staff re-entered
the building today, after armed
security guards were
withdrawn. They were
accompanied by Berkeley city
officials (including the mayor,
vice-mayor, and city manager)
and inspectors from fire and
building departments. It was
immediately determined that
there had been damage to the
property while it was occupied
by Pacifica and the staff was
locked out. The alarm system
and door entry system were
non-functional, there was glass and debris in several rooms, and the front
doors were broken and could not be opened. The fire marshall set a cap of 10
people in the building maximum until the doors can be repaired and opened.
In addition, it appears there has been damage, perhaps due to lack of
maintenance, to KPFA's transmitter, which is now emitting a weaker and
distorted signal of material being transmitted via the lines Pacifica once said
were not being installed. The transmissions seem to be coming from Pacifica's
juke-box popular music station, KPFT in Houston, to which scab station
manager Garland Ganter and scab engineer Bob Cham have apparently
returned.
Pending further evaluation of equipment damage, and repair of the building and
and transmitter, there are no immediate plans to resume local broadcasting.
Fineman Quits Pacifica PR Account
KPFA's two-week old relationship with public relations company Michael
Fineman and associates has ended. A recorded announcement began late
today at Fineman's phone, saying their work for Pacifica has been completed.
As at least one reporter was told he would be called back late today, and then
got the recorded announcement, Fineman's work seems to have ended
abruptly. Fineman's phone has been flooded with irate calls from KPFA
supporters, there has been daily picketing outside his office building, and a
number of visits to his office itself.
.......
Pacifica Fails To Come Up With Announced Offer
At Mediation
The Pacifica Foundation has made an end run around the mediation process
and has gone straight to the press with an ultimatum to the KPFA community,
the eleven-member KPFA steering committee said. The committee, comprised
of union and non-union staff, community members and local management,
emphasized that KPFA staff will not be rushed back into the station,
especially when the sale of the station is still on the table.
The steering committee remain committed to resolving this crisis and returning
to the station. However, one and a half hours into mediation today, Pacifica
had yet to offer its proposal to the mediator or to the KPFA steering
committee. In fact, Pacificašs negotiating team seemed surprised by the offer
that Dr. Mary Frances Berry put out to the media.
They are disrespecting the mediation process, disrespecting the mediator, and
even disrespecting their own mediating team, said KPFA Local Advisory Board
member and steering committee representative Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi.
The Steering Committees initial reaction to the Pacifica ultimatum is that
there
are three major concerns:
Sale of station. The sale of the station is still on the table; we cannot
allow Pacifica to sell 50 years of free speech radio to the highest
bidder.
We demand that Dr. Berry and the Pacifica board members sign a
binding legal document stating that KPFA and KPFB have not and will
not be sold.
Accountability. The same people who led us into this crisis are still in
power and are still unaccountable to the local community.
Prevention. Unless we take this time to responsibly address the
underlying issues, we have no assurance that the same thing won't
happen again.
When Pacifica makes its proposal to the KPFA steering committee in
mediation--which it has yet to do -- the steering committee will discuss it
with
our constituencies. The committee represents thousands of people in the
KPFA community, and, unlike Pacifica, is accountable to its constituents.
The committee would like to thank the incredible community of listeners in the
Bay Area and the supporters of free speech radio throughout the country who
have tirelessly organized to defend this priceless public resource. It is only
because of their support and vigilance that Pacifica was stopped yesterday
from selling KPFA immediately and that the negotiating process might finally
become a serious one.
The Steering Committee will hold a press conference on Friday at 9 a.m. in
front of KPFA, 1929 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley. Bay Area station
supporters continue to mobilize for the Saturday July 31, 11 a.m. mass march
and rally at U.C. Berkeley's Sproul Plaza.
Excerpted from <www.savePacifica.net/index.htm>
