The present conflict between KPFA and the Pacifica Foundation did not begin with the firing of station general manager Nicole Sawaya on March 31 or Larry Bensky on April 7. It did not begin with a controversial vote by the Pacifica National Board in February that stripped the local advisory board of any representation on the national board. And it did not begin with the election of Mary Frances Berry to the chair of the board or the hiring of Lynn Chadwick as executive director. For the beginning you have to go back, at least, to September 92 and follow the thread of events.
Chronology of Abuses By The Pacifica Management & Board of Directors.
1991-1992 "Strategy for National Programming" a plan to create a NPR - like
National Program Service funded with donations from corporate foundations
like Pew, Ford and MacArthur is drafted by Pacifica Management.
Feb. 1993 - Pacifica Board approves "Strategy for National Programming."
KPFA Manager Pat Scott, embroiled in battles with staff at KPFA, is sent
by Pacifica Executive Director David Salniker to lobby Congress, which is
threatening to de-fund Pacifica.
1994 - Pat Scott is made acting Pacifica Executive Director and begins
dictating program formats to stations. She participates on CPB "task force"
with Lynn Chadwick, Executive Director of the National Federation of
Community Broadcasters, that recommends new funding guidelines tying
stations to Arbitron ratings and higher fundraising goals. Purges begin at
WPFW (Washington, D.C.).
Jan. 1995 - Pat Scott fires KPFK (L.A.) management and seizes control of
books. Contract negotiations there are suspended. Gag rules are enforced
against any staff member trying to inform the public regarding the firings.
Purges of programmers begin at KPFK.
Feb. 1995 - Pacifica Program Directors are told by hired consultants to
mainstream the programming.
March -April 1995 - A union-busting organization, American Consulting
Group, is hired by Pacifica to draft new contracts stripping workers of all
say in the organization, eliminating the right to strike, and unpaid staff
from the stations' unions.
June 1995 - Pacifica Board closes all future finance committee meetings to
the public in violation of federal communications law. Board minutes and
board meetings are now "confidential."
July 1995 - Pacifica Board Executive Committee Issues a "My way or the
highway memo" announcing "vast changes" and advising Local Advisory Board
members who disagree with the new direction of Pacifica to resign.
August 1995 - Massive purge of KPFA programmers by KPFA general manager
Marci Lockwood under direction of Scott.
Sept. 1995 - Observers, including Take Back KPFA representative barred from
National Board meeting in Houston.
Nov. 1995 - Brian McConnville, investigator from Inspector General's office
of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), learns of closed board
meetings and begins investigation of Pacifica's violation of open meeting
rules. He is fired 17 days later before he can release a critical report
after Pacifica's lawyer goes over his head to quash the investigation.
Deputy IG Director Mike Donavan, who looks into the Pacifica Board's actions
is also fired on eve of making a critical report.
Feb. 1996 - "Gag rule" issued saying that staff will be fired if they let
callers criticize Pacifica policy on-air.
May 1996 - Hiring of American Consulting Group is revealed. Pacifica
Management lies repeatedly as criticism mounts. Management files a
"clarification of unit" with the National Labor Relations Board to have
unpaid staff at WBAI removed from the union.
Nov. 1996 - A Pacifica 5 -Year Strategic Plan is released, after a year and
a half of secret meetings. It is a blueprint for remaking Pacifica into a
top-down corporate hierarchy. More than $60,000 has been spent on
union-busting activities
Feb. 1997 - WBAI workers win at the NLRB. Pacifica appeals the decision (its
still in court)
March 1997 - Under fire from listeners and the media, Scott hires Former
Justice Dept. spokesperson Burt Glass as Pacifica's first "communications
director". He drafts a "cheat sheet'" full of lies and evasions for use in
answering questions from the subscribers. Pacifica releases plan to reduce
local representation on the National Board by half, which would give the
board the ability to appoint a 2/3 majority.This is tabled in June when
community members hire lawyer.
April -May 1997 - A "softer" CPB Inspector General's report is released
which, nevertheless, cites Pacifica for violating open meeting laws. Scott
and Pacifica Board Chair Jack O'Dell fly to Washington and meet privately
with CPB Board and lawyers. CPB disregards it own IG's report, and praises
the new Pacifica regime.
June 1997 - Mary Frances Berry made new Pacifica Board Chair.
July 1997 - KPFA Manager Marci Lockwood resigns. Lynn Chadwick, Executive
Directormof the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, is made
manager of KPFA.
August 1997 - Pacifica writes a gag clause into the contracts for affiliate
stations, many of whom have been running disclaimers about union-busting at
Pacifica
Feb. 1998 - KPFK Management sends memo barring programmers from encouraging
attendance at anti-war demonstrations for Iraq.
April 1998 - Pat Scott resigns and is praised by CPB President Coonrod,
former Deputy Director of the Voice of America, and director of Radio
Marti, propaganda arm of US vs. Cuba. By now, more than 300 people have
been purged from Pacifica stations.
Oct. 1998 - Lynn Chadwick named Executive Director of Pacifica..
Dec. 1998 - Larry Bensky abruptly fired then reinstated after public outcry.
KPFA's new manager Nicole Sawaya supports Bensky and allows him to defend
himself on the air.
Feb. 1999 - Pacifica Board, overriding the votes of local Boards, staff and
communities, makes itself a self-selecting body. WBAI staff goes on the air
to mobilize the community against the heist. Board claims the CPB made them
do it. In an unpublicized meeting of the Pacifica Executive Committee on
the eve of the meeting, it is agreed that Sawaya, the most popular manager
in KPFA history, "has to go."
March 31 1999 - Nicole Sawaya fired (technically, her contract was not
renewed) Protests begin as KPFA staff goes on the air to tell the community
what's going on inside Pacifica. The staff begins making on-air statements
demanding the reinstatement of Sawaya.
April 4 1999 - Larry Bensky replies to Chadwick's distorted press statement
and reads the speech he had prepared to deliver to the Pacifica Board in
February bit was prevented from completing, on the expansion of Pacifica at
the expense of KPFA and its sister stations.
April 9 1999 - Bensky fired again after promising on the air to discuss
Chadwick's firing of Sawaya on his Sunday Salon program. The staff
continues on the air calling for the reinstatement of both Sawaya and Bensky
and an independent mediator to deal with the underlying disputes between
Pacifica and KPFA.
April 15. 1999 - 1000 people demonstrate outside Pacifica's offices in
Berkeley.
May 9, 1999 - Close to 2000 KPFA supporters rally for staff at Martin
Luther King, Jr. Park to hear June Jordan, Utah Phillips, Holly Near, Wavy
Gravy, Barbara Lubin and many others speak in support of KPFA staff. May
13-27, 1999 - KPFA staff has record $605,000 Spring Fund Drive. 6200 of 7000
subscribers pledge under protest.
May 19 - National Labor Relations Board files complaint for unfair labor
practices against Pacifica/WBAI
June 12, 1999 - 22-year programmer Robbie Osman exposes Chadwick's attempt
to portray station to Pacifica Board as returning to "equilibrium."
June 14, 1999 - Atty. Dan Siegel, representing 16 members of Local Advisory
Boards (LABs) of KPFA, KPFK and WBAI, sends a demand letter to Mary Frances
Berry advising her that bylaw amendments approved by the Pacifica Board in
Sept. '98 and Feb. '99 violate California Corporation law and requesting
that they be rescinded. Deadline for a response is June 25.
June 18, 1999 - Chadwick fires Osman, accusing him of having "forfeited" his
"access to KPFA/Pacifica airwaves."
June 20, 1999 - Hundreds turn out for an emergency rally at the station as
KPFA goes off the air for the two hours of Osman's program.
June 21, 1999 - After camping overnight in front of KPFA and Pacifica
headquarters, Chadwick has 14 people arrested for blocking Pacifica's
doorway. Chadwick and Pacifica's six employees remove the files to another
location.
June 22, 1999 - Several hundred again show up for a press conference in
front of the station, part of which is played live on :Flashpoints.
Speakers include June Jordan, Michael Parenti, Elizabeth Martinez, Van
Jones, Medea Benjamin . June 23, 1999 - Janet Reno's Justice department
intervenes on behalf of Pacifica management; US DOJ staffer from the COPS
Program (where former Pacifica Communications Director Burt Glass also
worked) questions Berkeley Police Chief about their reluctance to arrest
Pacifca demonstrators.
June 25 - 27, 1999 Pacifica Board meets. Attempts to deflect critics with
accusations of racism and violence - an old ploy of Pacifica management
since the Pat Scott days.
June 27, 1999 - Armed guards are brought into KPFA. The security company,
IPSA, is the 4th largest in the country and has had clients such as ABC
(against the NABET strikers) and the City of Atlanta. The bill may run as
high as $300,000 per MONTH. Who is paying for this? Not Pacifica, becuase
Pacifica doesn't have that kind of money. And if Pacifica is paying, how can
they justify lack of funds as a reason for having no local news at KPFT and
WPFW for the last 3 years. Tapes are being brought up secretly to Berkeley
from Pacifica Archive as Chadwick prepares to shut down KPFA.
July 12, 1999 - Andrea Buffa at Media Alliance receives misdirected memo
from Pacifica Board member Micheal Palmer discussing plans to "shutdown and
reprogram KPFA and sell KPFA and/or WBAI. MF Berry comes to Berkeley and
holds an invitation-only press conference, attempting to keep out reporters
from media who have been critical.
July 13, 1999 - Dennis Bernstein broadcasts press conference where the
Palmer memo is discussed. He is pursued by Pacifica's armed goons into the
newsroom where his tussle with the goons is broadcast, interrupting the
evening news. Garland Ganter, KPFT manager brought in to enforce the gag
rule throws the switch and takes KPFA off the air. Tapes begin playing as
hundreds converge on the station. 52 staff and communty members, including
Dennis Bernstein and the news staff, are arrested.
July 14, 1999 - Staff arrive to find KPFA locked and boarded up. They are
informed that they are on "administrative leave." Democracy Now covers the
story - and is again censored from Pacifica stations.
July 15. 1999 - California legislators call for investigation into Pacifica
finances, actions Camp KPFA is established outside the now boarded-up
building
July 16 - FAIR calls for resignation of Pacifica Board and management.
Counterspin segment on Pacifica censored by GM Mark Schubb at KPFK. Class
action lawsuit filed to reverse hostile takeover of Pacifica
Daily protests continue as Communications Workers of America sets up picket
around KPFA transmitter to prevent installation of an ISDN line that would
allow programming to be fed in from another station.
July 18, 1999 - Berkeley PD swoops down on Camp KPFA in the middle of the
night and makes mass arrests. Camp is back the following day.
July 19, 1999 - Huge benefit concert with Joan Baez and others organized on
a few days notice sells out.
Statements of solidarity come from many groups, protests continue. Protests
in solidarity are held at WBAI and KPFK.
July 22, 1999 - Pacifica hires Fineman and associates - high priced PR firm
to do damage control
July 26, 1999 - Daily protests begin outside Fineman and Assoxiates.
July 27, 1999 - Berkeley City council hold special session. Calls for Board
resignations and return of KPFA to community control. City will contribute
to lawsuit, file amicus brief. Police are instructed to facilitate peaceful
protests. Pacifica Board holds conference call discussing sale of KPFA.
July 28, 1999 National Board member Pete Bramson goes public - reveals
Pacifica Board executive committee will hold secret meeting that day to vote
on sale of KPFA. Pacifica almost bankrupt as a result of the Boards
expenditures in the cover-up. Adding insult to injury, they discuss taking a
$5 million dollars loan with KPFA's frequency as collateral.
July 29, 1999 - Foiled by the Bramson revelation, MF Berry sidesteps
mediators goes to press with statement that KPFA will reopen and staff
should return. Claims staff may "run the station."Denies sale in progress.
This is a ploy to deflect attention from sale exposure.
July 30, 1999 - Fineman quits. KPFA staff are admitted into building. An
estimated $30K's worth of damage has been done to the facilities and studios
by IPSA goons
July 31, 1999 - More than 10,000 march in Berkeley in support of KPFA and
Free Speech radio - call for removal of Pacifica Board
See the Free Pacifica Website for background on this chronology: http://www.radio4all.org/freepacifica/