A Perspective From Houston

by

Shannon Smith & Sheila Harris

(625 words)

 

KPFT was established in Houston in 1970 as part of the Pacifica Network. The current manager of KPFT is Garland Ganter. He is directly assisted by his wife, the Development Director of KPFT, Molly O'Brian.

Steadily over the past fifteen years KPFT's management has eliminated all of its local news programs, minority programs, prime time local music programs, and apprenticeship training programs. The majority of gay and lesbian programs, women's issues programs, and cultural programs, normally associated with the type of radio programming intended by the founders of Pacifica Radio, have been eliminated. Today over 80% of KPFT's programming consists of a play list of music (which can be found on their web site at www.kpft.org) which is known in the music industry as Adult Album Alternative or Triple A. This music itself represents little diversity other than the fact that no other station in Houston plays it, which unfortunately is one of the reasons why Garland Ganter is successful with record breaking fund drives and increased listenership.

Currently there are no members of the KPFT Local Advisory Board (LAB) that voice any opposition to the agenda of Garland Ganter or that of KPFT's Pacifica National Board Representatives, and not one is willing to become involved with or show any interest in the Spiegel & Yee Lawsuit. As a result people such as Michael Palmer and David Acosta, who have been vocal in their desires to sell one of the Pacifica Network Stations, were appointed to the Pacifica National Board. Also there is no vocal opposition amongst the progressive community in Houston, and there are a few reasons why this may be the case. One being that certain progressives in Houston realize the value of being broadcast at 100,000 watts in the nation's fourth largest city, and aren't willing to lose the limited token progressive programming that still manages to exist. The second reason may be the fact that Amy Goodman, the host of Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now and the only accurate progressive news source on the air in Houston, continues to enthusiastically ask for listener's donations on microphone alongside Garland Ganter, despite Garland Ganter's known history of removing progressive programming from KPFT, as well as his direct involvement in participating with the recent shut down of KPFA. Unfortunately the listeners in Houston who know nothing of the intricate struggles (thanks partly to the fact that the gag rule is still strictly enforced at KPFT) concerning Pacifica's upper management and political structure turn on KPFT and hear Amy Goodman pleading with Garland Ganter for donations, and because of the trust they have put into Amy Goodman they donate with nary a feeling of distrust or concern towards Garland Ganter or the direction he has taken KPFT.

KPFT is the Pacifica Network's weakest link in the struggle to restore the Pacifica Network back to the vision of its founders. Until the entire progressive community starts to focus on the situation surrounding their struggle's weakest link the entire Pacifica Network is in jeopardy and will continue to be, regardless of any democratic advances being made at the stations that have the largest amount of progressive support. Who would dare call for democratic elections of the LAB here in Houston in the manner being suggested in Berkeley considering the lack of protest on the part of progressive Houstonians, and the advances being made by Garland Ganter in his ability to increase funds and listener sponsors solely based on a predominately music oriented format.

Not only is there no support of opposition movements in Houston there doesn't appear to be an awareness of how the situation at KPFT influences the very existence of the other Pacifica Network Stations.