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ELECTION NEWS

The big news this month is that there has been unprecedented on and off air outreach about our local station board elections.  Petition signing parties, election packet downloads and early return of candidate applications show very strong interest in the election.  At KPFK last night about 100 people (no exageration) attended a petition signing party.  I would estimate that there were 30 to 40 serious candidates there.  Also, members came from as far away as Santa Barbara and San Diego to help sign petitions and express support for the election..  There has been similar strong interest at all the other stations, especially KPFA and WPFW.

Much thanks should be given to Les Radke, our National Election Supervisor, and all of our very conscientious and effective local election supervisors.

PACIFICA IN-PERSON MEETING

Please post this announcement broadly:

The Pacifica National Board will meet in person in New York City on Friday, July 24 through Sunday, July 26, 2009

This meeting will be held at the Beekman Towers Hotel, 3 Mitchell Place, NYC.  www.thebeekmanhotel.com

Previous in-person PNB meetings have typically included at least one closed session for discussion of legal and personnel matters. Session scheduling depends upon agenda approval for the entire meeting, which typically occurs on Friday.  A closed session will be scheduled for Friday, July 24th in the afternoon and, possibly, Sunday morning. However, appropriate consideration of the business scheduled for public sessions could require a different scheduling of one or more closed sessions.

Starting times:

Currently, the public session is scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM Eastern Time on Friday. There's an executive session beforehand, which may run over.

Starting times for Saturday and Sunday will follow when a draft agenda is available.

Possible items for discussions at this meeting may include:

1)   Reviewing Draft Budgets for Stations and Units

1)   [sic] Strategic Planning

2)   Programming improvement

3)   Gathering, reviewing and making available Pacifica Policy for
Personnel, Programming, Finance, etc.

4)   Moving from transitional management to more stable leadership and
management

5)   Visions and Goals for the Pacifica Foundation

STATION NEWS

(Taken mostly from notes from a GM teleconference held on Thursday, July 9th -- 100% accuracy not guaranteed.  Corrections would be appreciated.)

WPFW

Grigsby Hubbard, WPFW IGM:  "We had LSB meeting last night (Wed., July 8).  Things are going well.  It's important to note here that staff is uplifted and relieved and gratified that we're turning the corner on things.  We've had at least a half dozen years of real neglect. Transmitter.  Broadcast console.  If we had newer equipment we wouldn't have the maintenance challenges we now have.

"Some of our equipment is literally in an out house, a shed in the building.  We're trying to identify a CD player that will be adequte for speech.

"People are coming in from National and other stations to cover the Sotomayor hearing.

"As we look at our numbers, it makes for a strange out of control budget.  Over and above our central services fee we have a legal expenses.  Plus extraordinary expenses that are hitting us in terms of the election, severance, etc.

"There is lots of good news.  We are reconfiguring the staff.  Ramping up volunteers.  People are being very responsive.

"I cancelled the contract with the Duck Race.  We've been losing $ on all our special projects like that.

"Our next fund drive is Aug 7 to 10th.  Saturdays and Sundays we're very good anyway.  We'll wrap around that with Friday and Monday. We're preparing that now.  It's exciting to work with programmers as to how they can help us with the drive.

"Bobby Hill, the Program Director, agreed to come back on.  Big hurdle.  He loves WPFW, which is why he gave 3 1/2 months notice. He's now back as interim PD.  We're trying to change the model of one gate keeper for programming."

KPFT

GM Duane Bradley says:  "We're in the middle of an exciting and hectic time with numerous balls in the air -- the planned 6 am - 7 pm grid (programming) shift will go into effect on Monday, July 20th.  Then 3 weeks after that there'll be a mini-drive.

"After lengthy analysis of years of data - arbitron, fund raising, program council input, anecdotal info, etc., we've made a choice to move away from a woven quilt of different representations of communities to a more streamlined, unified stripping of programming to conform with the way most people listen to radio.  So there'll be a strip at 6 am and then at 3 pm.  The strip from 5 am to 9 am will be news and public affairs.

"We're moving news hour from 5 to 4 and putting DN! at 5.  Then at 6 we'll run good syndicated shows.  These will include: This American Life, David Barsamian, Explorations, If You Love This Planet with Helen Caldicott, From the Vault, etc.

"Block strips that will be more unified -- afternoon public affair strip from 3 to 4 will be more personality driven.  6 to 7 am will be more informational, not personality driven programming.  The information is the predominant driver in the morning as opposed to the personality who is the host of the show.

"The different stripping of the music programming is still in flux. We've thinking of bringing in a former staff/board member who has experience as a DJ for the music strip.  We may bring a portion of the World Cafe (NPR) for the noon hour.  It's not on in this market. We're negotiating with NPR right now.  David Di has hosted this show for 2 decades.  Largely an Americana Heavy Adult Album singer-songwriter programmer.  Second hour he usually has a guest DJing or a live set.  This will tie our weekends and weekdays together.  We'll put in another strip in the afternoon that's a little more patchy - hip hop, alternative, bongy.  We have a show, for eg., called Generation Radio -- South Asian kids who have bonga -- upbeat useful stuff.  So that's an example of the changes.

"We're running tons of tutorials about the elections.  We've scheduled mixers for signing ballot petitions.

"We will be having a Service Auction/Gala/Costume Party/Dinner.

"We'll be having a Mini-drive in mid-August.

"Ahmad Anderson, interim HR Director, is coming down next Wednesday. Our Board meets next week.

"Our finances look good, the budget process is progressing.  We should have a brief passage of KPFT budget at next LSB meeting on Wed., July 15th.

"We have about 10 candidates for listener members so far, 2 staff. But usually most of our candidates have come forward the last moment in the past.

Are staff and listener member lists are ready?  "We have 8,118 paid listener members as of July 8.  Only 80 unpaid staff who have documented 30 hours in last 3 months thus far -April 15 to July 15."

KPFA

Lemlem Rijio said: "I was on vacation for about a week.  Been in budget hell trying to understand the new budget template and project appropriately for next year while still grappling with our current financial state.  We will make programming changes and restructuring that will put us in better financial health and higher istenership.
l
"We have a program proposal we're submitting to CPB in a week and a half.  And a planned giving campaign is coming up so that we won't face any cash shortfalls.  We'll be in drive in October.  We'll be facing hardships in January if we don't get some extra $ soon.  We are planning on a mini-drive.

"We hired a very good business manager.  She's able to analyze numbers very well,.  We'll be meeting with our Treasurer this afternoon. There is an LSB meeting this Saturday when we'll present a draft budget, then we'll have an open meeting to discuss budget.

"KPFA is producing the upcoming Sotomayor hearings.  Haven't decided yet whether it'll be all gavel to gavel.  It'll be a local production but available to stations and affiliates.  Jon Almeleh was instrumental in putting this together.  Mitch Jeserich will go to D.C. for this.  While he's in D.C. he will also hope to launch 'Letters from Washington' -- we may not be able to launch that in a couple of weeks, but we'll get back to you about where we're at on that."

KPFK

Sean Heitkemper:  "Spending days as GM and Acting PD, so have more meetings than I could ever imagine.  Contemplating what to do with this station in terms of improving programming and overarching strategy.  Still haven't arrived at anything definitive.  Have potential plans, have to come up with the best solution.

"The other thing that's taking up many hours per day is the budget. We haven't been able to reach magic # of 1 month extra.  We're about $100,000 short.

"Our Local Election Supervisor is worried about how quickly the lists will be finalized.  Other than that it's all day every day meetings and tasks.

"$929,000 came was pledged in the recent fund drive.  Don't have fulfillment numbers yet.  Terry Guy, KPFK Membership Director, is in San Diego at the Annual Development Exchange - Public Radio Development Conference.  Hopefully, he will come back with some magic bullet.

"Fund drive #s -- through end of June $511,000 on fund drive.   55% has been received by the end of June.  We relied on very successful strategies, but strategies that if over used will be counterproductive -- this fund drive we went 21 days.  We peeled off a day or 2.  We didn't keep it going to get next $70,000 that was under budget.  This drive we took off all the stops toward the end but still extra money was not coming in, so decided we had hit a wall.  So we will have a 1 day fund drive to make up that $70,000.  We saw that it was counterproductive to continue the drive until the goal of $1,000,000 was reached.  So KPFK was under goal for this drive by about 6%.

"A lot of the gifts were from our health and spirituality block.  We pre-empted all over the place and ran those types of gifts.  We peppered the grid with those gifts.  One was Cat Ingram - a compelling, interesting person who has a whoe array of ways tol improve health by using thngs you can find at the grocery store.  But the more you rely on those items the hard it is for the next fund drive because you have to match the quality of those special gifts. The better approach is to support the programming on a regular basis. But we have to keep the lights on.  Got pretty close to the goal."

WBAI

LaVarn Williams, iGM of WBAI:  "We're going into fund drive.  The next drive was supposed to be end of July but we moved it to start on August 3rd.  Health premiums seem to do really well.

"Sotomayor hearings -- Mitch said he'll contact Jose Santiago and Howard Jordon at WBAI and use them during the hearings which will make the hearings more relevant to NY as Ms. Sotomayor is a New Yorker.

"Chuck D of 'Public Enemy' is going to be doing a program.  He's on. We're really exciting.  The ESPN of hip hop is how Chuck D is envisioning this.  We're looking at a Monday evening for him.  The show will include a summary of hip hop over the last week and weekend.  Also, he has a political bent.  This show will be pre-produced.  It will begin in the middle of August.  Maybe once a month or every 6 weeks we'll do a live show.

"Our staff has been totally cut, so if anyone has info as to how to get premiums out, we could use your advice and help.

"Updating all the data bases is something we need to get done quickly.  The staff is really excited. But on the finance side and budget side we're really struggling.  Before last GM left he set up a repayment schedule for the office rent.  Although we had a really successful fund drive we have the burden of all that extra rent to pay."

iCFO REPORT

LaVarn Williams, iCFO:  "We have a total cash flow for the network.

"The Budget Template is still a work in progress.  It will allow us to summarize our progress.  Cash flow is very difficult with BAI because the payment schedule was not reflective of any cash flow.  There are bills that had not been paid since Oct. -- all the services we really need.  So we've set up payment plans.  Someone had vandalized the cameras, no lock on the station.  we're getting an estimate on repairing the cameras, putting locks on, etc.  The issues at WBAI are very difficult.  The staff sees this as a rescue.  We have the support of the staff and see there is a way to rescue BAI from current debt and start fresh."

Brian DeShazor, Pacifica Archives Director adds:  The Noam Chomsky DVD master should be sent to the Archives.  It helps the Archives increase its premiums revenue.  Revenue that should be coming in to the Archives through having the Archives produce premiums and drop ship them for the stations.  This is a revenue source for the Archives that should be bolstered as it has diminished."

"We can talk about drop shipping premiums through the Archives."

PACIFICA ARCHIVES DIRECTOR REPORT

Brian DeShazor, Pacifica Archives Director:  "The Archives is doing fantastic!  Since the last GM call we received a grant from American Archive Pilot Program.  Huge project -- the total grant monies are $3 million grant over 6 months.  There are only 25 participating broadcasting stations (TV and Radio) WNET in NY, KQED in SF -- the Pacifica Archive is one of only 3 radio only programs.  We have most the complete radio Archive.  This is the biggest grant Pacifica has ever gotten for our legacy project.

"The 'Redefining Black Power Project' is happening.  Also, the radio portion of that project has been edited and put together and is almost ready to distribute to the network for broadcast.  There are a variety of ways this project can be broadcast.  This is premium stuff.  Not only the 90 minute main part, but also longer pieces of interviews, etc., are also premium worthy.  Will be distributing announcements in the next week or so.  Have found some incredible stuff in the Archives about Solidad Brothers with Jean Paul Sartre and Jean Genet commenting from Paris.  Also, we have a ten part series about Howard Zinn's 'People's History' from 4 years before that book was published.  Very premium worthy.  We have another 'From the Vault' available for the next fund drives.  The Redefining Black Power Project will be narrated by Danny Glover.

"August is back to school month.  May be a way with the Campus Campaign for Archives to raise $40,000 it's below budget.  The  Grammy grant is still working, and we started a new National Endowment for the Arts grant, and a UCLA/Moffett grant.

"In our digitization projects, scholars are accessing our collection. They are now trying to get Fanny Lou Hammer's recordings utilized. The latest is that Pennsylvania State University Press will be publishing info around these recordings."

AFFILIATE DIRECTOR REPORT

Ursula Rudenberg, Pacifica Affiliate Director, attended the Grassroots Radio Conference in Montreal recently.  She enjoyed the networking and sees the possibility of adding affiliates in Canada.  Few people from the U.S. were there.  Canadian Radio is strongly supported by the government.  Also, there is a desire to keep it separate and distinct and resist meshing it with media in the U.S.

Ursula is currently in Mississippi helping a radio station start-up get off the ground.  She is doing her Affiliate Director work from there.

Ursula has already proposed a budget for the Affiliate Program.  That program's budget has been part of the National Office Budget. Starting with the next fiscal year it will have its own separate and distinct budget.

iHR DIRECTOR REPORT

Ahmad Anderson, our interim HR Director, is visiting all the stations, introducing himself to staff, and helping with the transitions at WBAI and WPFW.  He will be making a visit to KPFT soon and then visit KPFK and the Pacifica Archives.

The on-line sexual harassment training is almost ready for launch. This will begin within 2 weeks.

Comments by the iED:

All in all, a 'turn-around' is well in progress at 2 stations and on the National level.  Programming and income improvements are being planned and implemented at all five stations.  The Affiliate Network is increasing and the Pacifica Archives is moving into a period of strong support from major grantors.  Hard decisions have already been made and will continue.  There is much good news across the network. As we move past our current cash crunch we should see a period of financial stability followed by improved programming, management and listenership.  Pacifica is getting back to basics and adhering more closely to its commitment to peace, social justice and diversity. When the election is completed  new local station boards will be seated in December of this year created by a very open, democratic and well received election process with high listenership participation. Possibly the most Bylaws compliant election we've ever had.  Many,
many thanks are owed to our GMs and staff who have strongly cooperated
with the media democracy envisioned in our Bylaws.  Our election supervisors are so excellent, it is worth commending them a second time in this report!

If our staff and boards continue their very hard work, we will move forward beyond crisis mode toward stability and a greater capacity to project creative solutions to societal problems that I'm sure we all hope will profoundly uplift the world around us.

In Peace,
Grace Aaron
Chair of the Pacifica National Board
Interim Executive Director of the Pacifica Foundation

phone: (310) 286-1011, cell: (510) 734-3496

1925 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-1034 *
www.pacifica.org * tel: (510) 849-2590 * fax: (510) 849-2617

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