Demonstators Protest KPFA Firings, "Gag Rules"

by Nicholas Wilson

Protesters denounced station management for several recent actions, particularly the abrupt firing at the end of March of KPFA's popular general manager Nicole Sawaya. Also fired days later for violating a "gag rule" against discussing Sawaya's firing on the air was thirty-year investigative journalist Larry Bensky.

Many of the programmers who joined protesters at the April 15 rally changed their names to "Sawaya Bensky" for the day in honor of the two fired people. Dennis Bernstein, the host of KPFA's popular news magazine program, Flashpoints, arrived at the rally with a blue bandanna tied over his mouth in protest of the gag rule, but he soon removed it and served as master of ceremonies for much of the rally.

Without exception, the speakers said Sawaya had been one of the best things to happen to KPFA in many years, and that she was a caring and committed person who listened to programmers' problems, tried to find solutions, and brought out the best in people. She was fired on March 31 by Pacifica Foundation Executive Director Lynn Chadwick, who said that Sawaya was that she was "not a team player" and "not a good fit" for KPFA.

Chadwick immediately appointed herself interim station manager and ordered KPFA news staff not to cover the firing, saying it was not news and not the business of the news staff to "create news." The news staff covered the story anyway, saying that the judgment of what is and is not news is not a management function. The controversy was widely reported by other media.

Chadwick has issued warning notices to several programmers for mentioning the controversy. Chadwick has also reportedly appeared in the studio with "scab" programmers so that she could immediately replace on-air violators.

Berkeley's own "Country Joe" MacDonald was one of the rally's more popular speakers. He spoke of his own and his mother's long association with and support for KPFA. Then he led the crowd in the famous call- and- response from his days as the anti-Vietnam war leader of Country Joe and Fish: "Gimme an F," "gimme a U" ... "What's that spell?" The crowd enthusiastically roared out the answer.

KPFA provided electric power to the sound system for the rally, and broadcast parts of it. A large banner draped from a balcony over the main entrance to the Pacifica/KPFA building said, "Rehire KPFA General Manager Nicole Sawaya Now," and listed a contact e-mail address at savepacifica@hotmail.com. While most of the speakers called for Sawaya and Bensky to be rehired, Chadwick has stated that it is impossible.

Free Radio Berkeley, the city's unlicensed "pirate" station, also broadcast the rally using a portable transmitter powered by a car battery. FRB provided and open microphone after the rally for anyone wishing to speak.

There has been a growing split between KPFA's grassroots programmers and the national board of Pacifica Foundation, which recently changed the nonprofit corporation's bylaws to allow the board to select all of its own members, making them accountable to only the FCC.

With valuable "commercial" locations on the FM band (lower frequencies are reserved for public broadcasting), many fear that the corporation intends to sell some or all of its five stations, including KPFA or WBAI/ New York. There is no question that there would be ready buyers for the Pacifica frequencies. Last year, a Christian radio group tried and failed to obtain the same spot on the dial as Fresno's KFCF in the adjoining county.

Many details specific to KPFA, including the text of several speakers at Thursday's rally and a transcript of that day's KPFA news broadcast about it are available on the Web at http://www.venier.net/savepacifica/.

KPFA posted a statement about "The Crisis at KPFA", at http://www.kpfa.org/bulletin.htm.

Pacific Radio's website is at http://www.pacifica.org/. Near the bottom of the page will be found press releases and policy statements related to the current controversy. There is also a link to Pacifica's strategic plan.

A transcript of Lynn Chadwick's April 2 on-air statement about the controversy over Sawaya's firing is available at http://www.pacifica.org/board/docs/pr990402.html. Some comment that her choice of language here reveals the thoroughly corporate mindset that has the grassroots supporters upset.

Pacifica's April 9 press release giving the corporate perspective on the termination of Larry Bensky's weekly public affairs program, Sunday Salon, is available at this address.

A transcript of the Pacifica Board of Directors meeting of October 4, 1998 contains a discussion of a letter from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting informing Pacifica that it must restructure its board to eliminate overlapping membership with local community advisory boards or risk losing CPB funding. The resulting changes in Pacifica bylaws are at the root of the current charges over increased centralization and diminished democracy in Pacifica. The transcript is available at http://www.pacifica.org/board/transcripts/981004/trans1.html.

An unofficial transcript of public comments to the Pacific Board at its February 28, 1999 meeting in Berkeley is available at http://www.lbbs.org/pacifcomts.htm. The transcript begins with comments by Pacific board chair Dr. Mary Frances Berry regarding Pacifica's desire to "change the demographics" of its listenership. Most of the public comments were hostile to the structural changes the board made in response to the CPB letter and to the general direction in which the board is steering Pacifica.