EDITORIAL:

THRILLS AND CHILLS

By Alice Chan

(554 Words)

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As we prepared to go to press with this, the last regular monthly issue of the North Bay for KPFA Folio, we noticed an unexpected and wonderful symmetry. In October 1999, when we first began to discuss resurrecting the late lamented KPFA Folio, we imagined that the new Folio could somehow be used in the process of democratically selecting our local station board, and ultimately, the national board. We were captivated by the idea that the folio could disseminate candidates’ statements and even the ballot itself. So powerful was this vision, that in order to encourage the KPFA LAB to democratically reinvent itself, we pressed hard to have a first issue published in time for the KPFA Holiday Crafts Fair in December 1999.

Now, twelve months later, we are witnesses to the reality of the newly-elected KPFA Local Advisory Board, an absolutely historic event, as reported elsewhere in this issue. Although the Folio itself did not act as a vehicle for the election, we were proud to report on the process, along with the actions of the other rebellious station boards and listener support groups around the network.

The election of the KPFA LAB was personally thrilling to me, as well. Having been one of those elected to the LAB, I found myself, on the evening of November 15^th, walking up to the table to take my place on the first truly representative station board in the history of the Pacifica network. It was a very emotional moment for me – the first step in making the Pacifica network the people’s network, the first step in taking ALL the airwaves for the people.

This movement has given me many thrilling moments. The first was in July 1999, during the lock-out at KPFA. In my small town of Sebastopol, 60-plus miles northwest of Berkeley, more than 300 people gathered on scant notice in Ives Park, to discuss what we could do to save our station. Most of us had never before met any of the others gathered there. Listening to the radio had, for me, always been a solitary act. Sometimes while in my car I’d notice another KPFA bumper sticker, but aside from my husband, I knew no one else who listened to my station. It was thrilling to come together with others of like mind that day; the new community warmed and strengthened me. Together, two weeks later, we traveled to Berkeley to join the more than 10,000 souls who marched to save the station. What a thrill that was, too. Sproul Plaza was once again filled with people of passion and conviction, as it had been during the days of the Viet Nam War and the Free Speech Movement.

The ultimate thrill occurred the day that Gary Evans stood up in a hotel convention room in Washington, DC, walked up to the front, and starting with Mary Frances Berry, served the Listeners’ Lawsuit on the national board members. He stood for each and every one of us. That moment was the culmination of so many of our fantasies.

In the months to come, we will no doubt experience temporary setbacks in our movement. Particularly at those times, it is vital that we remember how far we have come, and celebrate our accomplishments. We will prevail!