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To: Pacifica Executive Director Greg Guma, Eva Georgia, Pacifica National Board Members and the KPFK LSB

On Wednesday June 6th 2007, AFTRA bargaining unit members at a clearly noticed meeting, voted (13y, 6n, 1 abs) to make a statement of “No Confidence” in KPFK General Manager Eva Georgia.

While we are committed to the Pacifica Mission and to raising as much money as we can in the upcoming fund drive, we are extremely concerned by the managerial decisions and judgements made at the station and pending legal actions against the General Manager, KPFK and Pacifica.

TO: Greg Guma, the Pacifica National Board, and the KPFK Local Station Board
FROM: the undersigned

We programmers, and producers of KPFK agree to the following:

Our ultimate aim in our relationship with KPFK and its listeners is the ongoing and excellent fulfillment of the Pacifica mission.

To that end, it is our aim that KPFK fulfill its potential as a progressive, listener-sponsored community, whose primary assets are: (1) a 112,000 watt broadcasting signal, (2) a decades-long history of contributing to an informed and involved citizenry, (3) dedicated, talented, professional staff and programmers, (4) informative, challenging, and inspirational programming, and (5) an involved community of listeners and listener-sponsors.

Given the ongoing sexual harassment suit against the General Manager, we believe that it is economically and ethically wrong to raise money from KPFK's listener-sponsors, without full disclosure of the potential financial costs of defending the General Manager or of paying a legal settlement, in the event there is one.

Given reports of financial improprieties and/or waste and/or excess on the part of the General Manager, in order to assure transparency and full disclosure in our relationship with listener-sponsors, we call for an investigation of these matters.
We believe our calls for disclosure and transparency have a moral as well as legal basis. It is unacceptable to preach the politics of justice and integrity while tolerating or covering up unacceptable or potentially criminal behavior within the station.
At this time when so much of the media is failing to meet its responsibility to inform the citizenry, we find ourselves in a moral quandary. We feel the need to raise funds to sustain and strengthen the ability of KPFK to fulfill its mission. At the same time we believe (1) funds raised from our sponsors must be efficiently and effectively dedicated to mission fulfillment, and not siphoned off for the defense of the questionable behavior of station personnel; (2) we owe our listener sponsors full disclosure of any potential that their contributions might be allocated to such non-mission expenses.
We believe that to fund-raise from our listeners in order to pay for the lawsuit (or potential settlement) involving Eva's alleged misconduct would be a betrayal of the public on our part. Our listeners and supporters contribute to make it possible to get the real news about the war and the galloping threat to our democracy. They also contribute to upgrade the station's broadcast signal and programming. Plainly, they do not contribute for the purpose of paying legal fees for alleged misbehavior by a manager at a station.

We ask that the LSB and Pacifica respond to our views with seriousness and in a timely manner, and that they take actions that will satisfy our calls for transparency and integrity in our relationships with listener sponsors.

We are willing to work with both bodies to arrive at such actions.

The possible courses of action include the following:

• the KPFK and Pacifica Boards agree to separate out the (potential) costs associated with the General Manager's legal case from the regular fundraising.
• any funds used for expenses associated with the lawsuit involving alleged sexual harassment actions of Eva Georgia should be raised privately, and that the station's funds not be used for this purpose.
• in the light of negative press accounts of a poisonous atmosphere at KPFK and charges of embezzlement and sexual harassment, on-air fundraisers shall be permitted to assure the listener/sponsors that their contributions will not be used for legal expenses relating to the lawsuit involving the General Manager's alleged conduct.
• that the General Manager be placed on unpaid leave until her legal case is resolved.
• that since the General Manager's expense account from 2005 indicates a number of personal expenses, double billings, etc., we believe her jurisdiction over funds raised for the station should be suspended until this situation can be investigated and resolved or explained; and
• any money raised be held in escrow until an impartial Committee is chosen to oversee its use.

We look forward to your timely response, to healthy and open communications and negotiations between us, to satisfactory solutions to the current situation, and ultimately to our mutual success in pursuit of our shared mission.
Sincerely, (alphabetical order)

Ric Allen
Maria Armoudian
Don Bustany
Lila Garrett
Debo Kotun
Maggie LePique
Ian Masters
Terrence McNally
Sergio Mielniczenko
Barbara Osborn
Derek Rath
Yatrika Shah-Rais (I do not think it is ethically right not to inform our listeners how their money is being used. And it is very embarrassing to go into fund drive asking for money and telling people that their money will be used towards a sexual harassment suit. I would like to add that it is very important that KPFK's year end financial information always be made available to the public.)
John Schneider
Barry Smolin
Suzi Weissman
Roy Ulrich
Jon Weiner
and another 14 programmers and producers who wish to remain anonymous

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