Adventurous, Aggressive,
Progressive Journalist Need Apply.....

by

Shannon Smith and Sheila Harris

(419 words)

Within the past five years, KPFT's General Manager Garland Ganter has put into play the Pacifica Foundation's plan for increasing its stations listenership and funding by relegating over 130 hours a week to music only programming, and 10 hours a week to the BBC and Public Radio International's NPR-style news service 'The World' with the end goal being to increase and broaden the listenership of Pacifica's "progressive message".

Unfortunately here in Houston, that progressive message consists only of 'Democracy Now', and the increasingly mainstream 'Pacifica Network News', and only 9 1/2 hours a week of locally produced public affairs programming. The obvious question being: Where is the progressive message that these new listeners are being drawn in to receive? Suppose you take this logic to the extreme and program 22 hours a day of mainstream Top 40 music along with 'Democracy Now' and 'Pacifica Network News', would this type of format be satisfactory to Pacifica's National Board if it were to dramatically increase listener sponsors? Fortunately, there is still a limit to the extent in which Garland Ganter and the Pacifica Foundation will disfigure Houston's Pacifica station, though the boundaries are constantly pushed farther away from the vision of Pacifica's Founders.

Recently in the Houston Chronicle, the following classified ad was placed for the position of News Director at KPFT:

News Director -

KPFT-FM is experiencing tremendous growth in terms of audience and fundraising; this position offers the qualified candidate a unique opportunity to be part of a team dedicated to its continued success. Bachelor's Degree and/or 3/4 years experience in News Management/Reporting or equivalent combination of education and experience. Excellent benefits. Send letter, resume, tape, references to KPFT 409 Lovett Blvd. Houston, Texas 77006. Attn: KPFT-FM News Director. The Pacifica Foundation/KPFT is an equal opportunity employer.

After 5 years of zero local news programming and a year of publicly made promises from Garland Ganter to restore local news to KPFT it seems that KPFT's management have made this step, however, the direction and focus of KPFT's new News Director remains to be seen. If we were to be presumptuous and base our expectations for a new local news program on the past and present actions of Garland Ganter with regard to KPFT's programming we have very little to look forward to. Adventurous, aggressive, progressive journalists please apply.... it’s less dangerous in Houston than in East Timor or Iraq, but there's just as much oil, heat, and corruption.

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