KPFK Column

Truth cannot be suppressed

By Vince Ivory

(1798 Words)

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Like water over and around a dam, the truth about what’s really going on at KPFK and Pacifica is finally getting out to community radio supporters in Southern California. Despite the gag rule, KPFK subscribers are learning about the pressure and harassment that "Democracy Now!" host Amy Goodman and others have endured at Pacifica, and the grassroots resistance efforts.

On March 23, over 1,200 people crowded into the First Baptist Church, in Los Angeles, to hear Amy Goodman, her recently-resigned co-host Juan Gonzalez, recently-fired WBAI Program Director Bernard White and La Opinion’s Political Editor Pilar Marrero. Introductory remarks were made by California Assemblyperson Jackie Goldberg, and KPFK General Manager Mark Schubb presented his side of things.

Because of the gag rule (zealously enforced by Schubb), this information is not heard on KPFK (except when Goodman risks her job to tell us all about the embattled studios of WBAI). She referred to this when she stated: "It is not my opinion that it's the studios of the banned and the fired, it's a fact - a sad fact. And as long as Bernard can't speak on the radio, and Sharan and Janice, as long as... and the list goes on and on, names you do not know here at KPFK... as long as they can't be heard I do feel that it is my mission, Democracy Now!'s mission, really in the Pacifica mission, to go to where the silence is and say something."

Jim Lafferty, of the National Lawyers Guild, began the program by announcing that members of the Pacifica Board had been invited to participate, but were not there. "However," Lafferty said, "I must also tell you that even more distressing than the absence from this stage of the Pacifica Board members is the behavior in the days and weeks leading up to tonight's forum by persons who disagree with those who are sponsoring this forum. They have tried in all sorts of unsavory ways to undermine this event. They have tried to do so with pressure, including a threat aimed at at least one of tonight's featured speakers. Word has reached me that they apparently discussed canceling the Lawyer's Guild Show, which I host, because it is supposedly disloyal of me and the National Lawyer's Guild to have even associated ourselves with this forum."

Almost as compelling as the Pacifica drama is the drama behind the scenes of this forum. Ramona Ripston, Executive Director of the Southern California ACLU had been set to moderate the forum, but withdrew. An enormous amount of pressure had been brought down on her. Ripston issued a statement saying: "I regret any misunderstanding caused by my acceptance of and withdrawal from the role of moderator of the March 23 panel discussion regarding Pacifica. As a long-time fan of Pacifica Radio and programs such as Amy Goodman’s, I immediately accepted Jim Lafferty’s invitation when he called me. I should not have done so without greater knowledge of the nature of the underlying controversy and the bitterness it has caused on both sides."

Ripston went on to address rumors of alleged threats to keep the ACLU off KPFK: "Mark Schubb and Marc Cooper did not coerce me in any way in order to have me bow out." She also praised Cooper, Joe Domanick and Jon Wiener -- the very people rumored to have pressured her. These three writers for The Nation magazine are unabashed cheerleaders for Pacifica management.

While the parties involved are denying any coercion or threats, it is interesting to note that Schubb triumphantly announced from the stage: "But I took the opportunity - even though it will raise some question as to why I did it -- of printing out Ramona Ripston's statement as to why she withdrew from this event and making copies available for you."

Two statements were read by representatives of AFTRA, the union representing both the paid staff at KPFK and some Pacifica employees. Both statements condemned the boycott and all demonstrations. The demonstrations were mischaracterized as labor picket lines, while failing to acknowledge the real issues at Pacifica. Later in the program, Gonzalez addressed this directly: "And to put the question to rest among the union members who are still inside, this is not a labor boycott -- this is a listener boycott. It is a listener boycott. No one is talking about the people inside, in the collective bargaining units doing anything, this is about the listeners who sponsor this Network deciding a national referendum what they believe is correct or incorrect about the policies of the Pacifica Board."

It’s not clear what role management played in orchestrating the AFTRA statements, but their involvement is undeniable. Goodman addressed this in her presentation: "I was the dissenting vote on the AFTRA statement. I'm a part of the national programming unit in Washington and I was very concerned that I got an email of that statement before I voted on that statement, not from my AFTRA colleagues, but from management. I can tell you AFTRA itself is deeply concerned about that, as well."

California Assemblyperson Jackie Goldberg declared her long-standing support for the Pacifica Mission. "The purpose of having listener-sponsors was to avoid the very problem that we're facing right now," Goldberg said. "It was to be free of the dominance of those people who would silence dissenting voices. And so this is a very fundamental and basic fight. Now if you could think of a time in recent American history when we needed Pacifica to be that voice more then now, I don't know what it is."

La Opinion’s Political Editor, Pilar Marrero, said she was there out of concern for what had happened at KPFA in 1999 and the censorship found throughout Pacifica. "I was also convinced to be here by... actually I was convinced to be here by the complaining of people who didn't want me to be here," she said. Marrero then described the particular importance that KPFK once had, and could have again, for the Latino community in Southern California.

Bernard White gave a detailed account of how the locks were changed at WBAI in what is now called the "Christmas coup." White, along with General Manager Valerie Van Isler and producer Sharan Harper were fired last December. Several paid staff members and volunteers have since been banned from the studios. Many in the audience were visibly shocked by what they were hearing.

KPFK General Manager Mark Schubb said he couldn’t speak to what was happening at WBAI, but defended the programming at KPFK. Schubb was interrupted at a few points by booing, despite pleas by Lafferty and others not to do this. By far the loudest and longest booing was inspired by the mention of Marc Cooper.

Schubb also defended the gag rule. "At KPFK for decades there's been something we called the Dirty Laundry Rule," he said. "And what that rule means quite simply is that programmers can't just unilaterally take programming time to agitate a particular side of a faction fight or dispute behind the scenes or a personnel matter or for a better time slot or anything like that." Many former programmers (including myself) know first-hand that the gag rule is used to keep the listeners from finding out what’s really going on at KPFK and Pacifica.

In January, 1995, a volunteer announcer was removed for an unauthorized reading of a brief LA Times article which reported the firing of KPFK management. That was the only on-air announcement of the shake-up. Apparently, it was supposed to be a secret. Schubb also claimed that no employee had been fired by him for violating the Dirty Laundry Rule. Apparently, getting rid of volunteers for that reason is okay.

The next speaker was Juan Gonzalez, who put the Schubb statements in perspective. "I'm glad that Mark Schubb came," Gonzalez said. "He had the best of both worlds. He was able to urge as many people as he could, who he had influence over, not to come to this event. He was able not to publicize it, and then when I think they realized there was going to be a big turnout, he was able to come to it anyway and present his view. So he had the best of all worlds." He then read a 1996 memo from Schubb, clearly stating that any violation of the Dirty Laundry Rule would result in immediate and permanent removal from KPFK.

Gonzalez made his case for the boycott. "Unfortunately the limitations of the system only allow the listeners to express their viewpoint through either giving money or withholding money," he said. "I have given my money to the legal suits, many other people have, because we believe that the legal suits eventually will win. However we all know how the courts in the United States of America work. We know that if you can pay lawyers a lot of money you can drag things out for a long time and the more money you can put into it the longer you can drag cases out through appeals, through motions, move venues to different jurisdictions, and this is exactly what the Pacifica Board has been involved in and will continue to be involved in."

Gonzalez argued that while the lawsuits are dragging through the courts, the staffs and volunteers are being purged. By the time the suits are decided, there could be a very different reality on the ground.

The final speaker was Amy Goodman, who spoke of Pacifica’s mission and rich history. She put the crisis at Pacifica in the larger context of problems in all noncommercial broadcasting. She challenged the Pacifica management line that changes being made are in the interests of expanding audience. She pointed out that after the Christmas coup, the first program that management took aim at was "Wake Up Call" -- one of the most popular programs and one of the biggest money makers. Seeing this, along with the pressure on "Democracy Now!" and other programs, it’s clear that the reasons for the changes at Pacifica go beyond increasing audience.

The next day, 120 people gathered for a demonstration outside the North Hollywood studios of KPFK. The Pacifica Accountability Committee, the Action Resource Center and others called the demonstration. Blase Bonpane, of the Office of the Americas, addressed the group.

Bonpane is a widely respected activist, with a long history of work for peace and social justice, especially in Latin America. He went with Amy Goodman to Peru, to visit political prisoner Lori Berinson. He is also a former KPFK programmer, who faced similar harassment to that now being experienced by so many at WBAI.

With the next fund drive set for May, many long-time KPFK subscribers are seriously considering the boycott option, and are doing some painful soul searching.

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