AUT: Armed guards drag KPFA (US radio) newcaster off air (fwd)

["Harry M. Cleaver" <hmcleave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 13:31:10 -0700
From: "PRENSA NUEVO AMANECER<amanecer@xxxxxx>" <amanecer@xxxxxx>
Reply-To: chiapas-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: Multiple recipients of list <chiapas-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Armed guards drag KPFA (US radio) newcaster off air


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From:           	sffnb@xxxxxxx
Date sent:      	Wed, 14 Jul 1999 12:00:08 -0700 (PDT)
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On Tue, 13 Jul 1999, Ken McCarthy <ken@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> July 13, 1999
>
> Armed guards drag KPFA newcaster off air
>
> 1. Armed guards dragged long time radio host and journalist
> Dennis Bernstein off the air at radio station KPFA this evening in
> Berkeley, California and shut down the newscast as another
> reporter attempted to relate the event to listeners.
>
> 2. A misdirected memo reveals the Pacifica board appears
> to be in the process of attempting to close KPFA and sell
> WBAI, the two most important alternative radio news
> sources in the United States.
>
> More details:
>
> ------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
> Subject:        	Pacifica has taken over KPFA--act now!
> Date sent:      	Tue, 13 Jul 99 18:40:35 -0800
> From:           	Andrea Buffa <ma@xxxxxxx>
>
> This evening, security guards dragged Dennis Bernstein out of KPFA. When
> the KPFA news department reported what was happening, Pacifica took over
> the airwaves of KPFA. Please help in whatever way you can--whether that
> means going to the station and doing direct action or calling every
> political, labor, peace, community, and other leader you know.
>
> Andrea Buffa
> Executive Director
> Media Alliance
>
> For more info:
> Telephone contacts: Media Alliance: 415-546-6334
> Coalition for a democratic Pacifica: 415-258-9182
>
> BULLETIN: KPFA NEWSCAST INTERRUPTED...TAPES PUT ON AIR BY
>             PACIFICA IN PLACE OF REGULAR PROGRAMMING
>
> At 6:06 p.m. this evening, the KPFA evening news was interrupted
> by background sounds of KPFA "Flashpoints" host Dennis Bernstein
> protesting rough handling on the part of the armed security guards
> who apparently were enforcing his suspension for material broadcast
> on the air a few minutes earlier.
>
> As news anchor Mark Mericle was describing the scene, his microphone
> was abruptly cut off, and there was dead air for two minutes.
> Then a pre-recorded speech  began to be broadcast.
>
> THERE IS AN EMERGENCY DEMOSTRATION GOING ON AT THIS TIME...IF YOU
> ARE NEARBY...PLEASE COME TO 1929 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR WAY IN
> BERKELEY AND SUPPORT FREE SPEECH COMMUNITY RADIO...
>
> AND FAX...phone...or e-mail Dr. Mary Frances Berry and the other
> members of the Pacifica national board to protest their outrageous
> actions!
> ----------
>
>
> Chair of Pacifica's Governing Board
>
>
> Dr. Mary Frances Berry - at-large member
> 624 Ninth Street NW #700
> Washington DC 20425
> phone: (202) 337-0382
> FAX: (202) 376-7558
> e-mail: mfberry@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> Pacifica National Board, Executive Committee
>
> David Acosta, Vice Chair - KPFT
> phone: (713) 926-4604
> FAX: (713) 921-2780
> e-mail: cpadga@xxxxxxx
>
> June Makela at-large member
> phone: (212) 673-9225
> FAX: same
> e-mail: junemakela@xxxxxxx
>
> Roberta Brooks (resigned)
> phone: (510) 763-0370 Ext. 18
> FAX (510) 763-6538
> e-mail: Roberta.Brooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> Ken Ford - WPFW
> Phone: (202) 822-0228
> FAX: (202) 822-0369
> e-mail: kford@xxxxxxxx
>
> Frank Millspaugh - WBAI
> phone: (212) 741-0839
> FAX: (212) 924-7409
> e-mail: fmillspa@xxxxxxx
>
> Bob Farrell - KPFK
> phone: (323) 299-3800 X 255
> FAX: (323) 299-3896
> e-mail: rfarrell@xxxxxxxxxx
>
> Pacifica National Board Members
>
> William Lucey
> Nat. Secretary-Treasurer, AFSCME
> Mbr., Exec. Board, NAACP
> wlucy@xxxxxxxxxxx
>
> Michael Palmer - KPFT
> (Real Estate Broker, Houston, TX)
> FAX: 713-960-8583
> mpalmer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
> July 13, 1999
> CONTACT: Belinda Griswold 415-546-6334 x313
>
> CONTROVERSIAL EMAIL RECEIVED DETAILING POSSIBLE CLOSURE OF KPFA
> AS  LAWSUIT IS FILED TO  FORCE ACCOUNTABILITY COMMUNITY LEADERS DECRY
> CRACKDOWN
>
> BERKELEY, CA - At a press conference at 1:30 p.m. today, Media Alliance
> Executive Director Andrea Buffa will release a controversial email she
> received yesterday that describes plans by Pacifica Radio to close KPFA
> and possibly sell another Pacifica station, WBAI in New York. The email
> appears to have come from Pacifica board of directors member Michael
> Palmer.
>
> "We are working to confirm the authenticity of this email and call on
> Michael Palmer and Pacifica Board Chair Dr. Mary Frances Berry to
> immediately publicly confirm or refute this email," Buffa said.
>
> Phone calls by Media Alliance and several Pacifica board members to
> Palmer have not been returned. Local Internet service provider IGC was
> contacted about verifying the path by which the email was sent to Media
> Alliance. IGC's tech services department has stated that the email looks
> to have legitimately been sent from Palmer's account. The full text of
> the email is available at www.zmag.org or www.counterpunch.org.
>
> Full text of e-mail:
>
> From: Palmer, Micheal @ Houston Galleria,
> mpalmer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> To: 'Mary Francis Berry', ma@xxxxxxx
>
> Hello Dr. Berry,
>
> I salute your fortitude in scheduling a news
> conference opportunity in the beloved Bay Area
> regarding one of the most pressing issues of our
> time............
>
> But seriously, I was under the impression there
> was support in the proper quarters, and a definite
> majority, for shutting down that unit and
> re-programming immediately. Has that changed?
> Is there consensus among the national staff that
> anything other than that is acceptable/bearable? I
> recall Cheryl saying that the national staff wanted
> to know with certitude that they supported 100%
> by the Board in whatever direction was taken;
> what direction is being taken?
>
> As an update for you and Lynn I spoke with the
> only radio broker I know last week and his
> research shows $750,000-$1.25m for KPFB.
> There would be a very "shallow pool" of buyers for
> a repeater signal such as this and it would be
> difficult to do a marketing effort quietly due to the
> shortage of buyers. So there is no profound latent
> value to that asset. The primary signal would lend
> itself to a quiet marketing scenario of discreet
> presentation to logical and qualified buyers. This
> is the best radio market in history and while public
> companies may see a dilutive effect from a sale
> (due to the approximate 12 month repositioning
> effort needed), they would still be aggressive for
> such a signal. Private media companies would be
> the most aggressive in terms of price, which he
> thinks could be in the $65-75m range depending
> on various aspects of a deal. It would be possible
> to acquire other signals in the area, possibly more
> than one, to re-establish operations, but it could
> take a few years to complete if we want to
> maximize proceeds from the initial license transfer,
> or leave only $10-20m in arbitrage gain when
> purchase(s) is complete. None of this reflects tax
> consequences. This broker, just like any other
> that would undertake such an effort, would need
> certain agreements in place prior to starting.
>
> Mary I think any such transfer we would ever
> consider requires significant analysis, not so much
> regarding a decision to go forward, but how to
> best undertake the effort and to deploy the
> resulting capital with the least amount of tax, legal
> and social disruption. I believe the Finance
> Committee will undertake a close review of the
> Audigraphics data provided recently to determine
> what it is costing us per listener, per subscriber,
> per market, per hour of programming...in order
> give the Executive Director and the General
> Managers benchmarks for improvement. Even
> with that data my feeling is that a more beneficial
> disposition would be of the New York signal as
> there is a smaller subscriber base without the long
> and emotional history as the Bay Area, far more
> associated value, a similarly dysfunctional staff
> though far less effective and an overall better
> opportunity to redefine Pacifica going forward. It is
> simply the more strategic asset.
>
> With this in mind I would encourage frank
> description of the realities of the media
> enviornment we operate in and of Pacifica's
> available resources to participate and have impact
> in the evolving media world. The Executive
> Committee, at a minimum, should have access to
> experts (whether from Wall Street, NPR/CPB,
> Microsoft or otherwise) to get a strong reality
> check (me included) about radio and Pacifica's
> position in it so that informed decisions can be
> made. My feeling is that we are experiencing a
> slow financial death which is having the normal
> emotional outbursts commensurate with such a
> disease. We will continually experience similar
> events, in fact we have been experiencing similar
> events over the past several years, primarily
> because we are not self supporting through
> subscriber contributions and have a self imposed
> constraint on asset redeployment that leaves us
> cash starved at a time when our industry is being
> propelled in new directions, each requiring capital
> outlays of consequence. We're boxed in at our
> own will. This board needs to be educated,
> quickly, and to take action that will be far more
> controversial that the KPFA situation. How can we
> get there?
>
> So, now I've exhaled more than I should, but you
> know where I'm at. Let's do something.
>
> MDP
>
> end of memo
>
>
>
> 		================================================
> 		    Brass Check - http://www.brasscheck.com
>
> 		 "...if only the press were to do its duty, or
> 		 but a tenth of its duty, this	hellish system
> 		 could not go on."
> 		 - William Cobbett, Rural Rides, 1830
>
> 		=================================================
>
>
>
>
>
>


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