- KPFA
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KPFA 
City of license Berkeley, California Broadcast area Berkeley/San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, California Branding Pacifica Radio Slogan "Listener Supported Pacifica Radio" Frequency 94.1 (MHz) First air date April 15, 1949 Format Public Radio ERP 59,000 watts HAAT 405 meters Class B Facility ID 51246 Callsign meaning PaciFicA Owner Pacifica Foundation Webcast Listen Live Website kpfa.org KPFA (94.1 FM) is a listener-funded progressive talk radio and music radio station located in Berkeley, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KPFA airs public news, public affairs, talk, and music programming. The station signed on-the-air April 15 1949, as the first Pacifica Station. The aims of the station are to promote cultural diversity, promote pluralistic cultural expression, contribute to a lasting understanding between individuals of all nations, races, creeds and colours. It also promotes freedom of the press and acts as a forum for various viewpoints.[1]
Contents
History
Launched in 1949, three years after the Pacifica Foundation was created by pacifist Lewis Hill, KPFA became the first station in the Pacifica Radio network and the first listener-supported radio broadcaster in the United States. Previously, non-commercial stations were licensed only to serve educational functions as extensions of high schools, colleges, and universities. This departure into listener-oriented programming brought many detractors as KPFA aired controversial programming. The first interview with anyone from the gay political movement was broadcast by KPFA, as well as Allen Ginsberg's ground-breaking poem Howl in the 1950s. In 1954 the broadcast by a group of marijuana reform advocates extolling the pleasures of cannabis resulted in the tape being impounded by the California Attorney General. In the 1960s KPFA and Pacifica were accused of being controlled by the Communist Party, and several challenges to its license were waged, none of them successful.
KPFA was the first station to broadcast a radio show specializing in space music, with the debut of Stephen Hill and Anna Turner's Music from the Hearts of Space in 1973. Later in 1983, the show was syndicated in the U.S. to NPR stations and also remained at its first home at KPFA.
Labor disputes
In 1999 the station was effectively taken over by KPFA's governing Pacifica Foundation, after Dennis Bernstein, the long-established host of the station's Flashpoints news magazine, was forcibly removed by police for airing grievances on air over a labor dispute.[2][3][4] A broad cross section of protesters joined in direct action outside of the station[5][6][7][8][9] in a weeks-long lockout during which station management spent over half a million dollars on security measures.[10] At one point, listeners created a separate fund to accept listener pledges that would be directed away from the Pacifica Foundation.[11]
In 2007, KPFA derecognized its Unpaid Staff Organization. The staff claimed that Pacifica Radio had been making network more corporate, softening its voice of dissent, and attempting to get rid of some of the volunteers at the station. In 2008, a forcible removal by police of a KPFA volunteer highlighted the concerns between management and volunteer staff.[12] A member of the KPFA board suggested that it was problematic that there was no grievance procedure for unpaid staff at the station.[13]
In November of 2010, the management of Pacifica laid off most of the staff of the popular KPFA Morning Show. The union representing the paid staff of KPFA claims that the lay offs were done in violation of the union contract. [14] Pacifica management says the lay offs were financially necessary and done according to staff seniority. [15] Pacifica management replaced the paid staff of the Morning Show with an all volunteer crew.[16]
Affiliated Stations
KPFA sister stations are WBAI, KPFT, KPFK, and WPFW. Pacifica continues today to be a listener-supported network of stations. The main KPFA transmitter is a 59 kilowatt class B, though there are also two smaller boosters, KPFA-FM2 in Bonny Doon and KPFA-3 in Oakley.[17] KPFB 89.3 is a smaller station, also in Berkeley, that covers areas of Berkeley that KPFA can't reach. It also carries some separate programming specifically for its Berkeley audience. KPFA programs are also rebroadcast by KFCF in Fresno. KZFR in Chico also carries KPFA's programming from 2:00-6:00 a.m. daily. In the Bay Area, Comcast carries KPFA's broadcasts on cable channel 967, as part of its digital radio offering. The channel is labelled "Variety/Berkeley".
See also
- Aimee Allison
- Charles Amirkhanian
- Larry Bensky
- Dennis Bernstein
- Pratap Chatterjee
- Laurie Garrett
- Adi Gevins
- Sep Ghadishah
- Matt Gonzalez
- Doug Henwood
- Don Joyce
- Pauline Kael
- Ramsey Kanaan
- William Mandel
- Richard Pryor
- Kenneth Rexroth
- Nicole Sawaya
- Bonnie Simmons
- Susan Stone
- Elsa Knight Thompson
- Alan Watts
- Negativland
- Over the Edge
References
- ^ "KPFA's Mission". KPFA Official Website. 31 May 2009. http://www.kpfa.org/mission. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
- ^ Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer (14 July 1999). "KPFA Broadcaster Dragged Away From Studio Police arrest supporters of program host". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/1999/07/14/MN85580.DTL&type=printable. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
- ^ Charles Burress, Chronicle Staff Writer (15 July 1999). "Battleground at KPFA -- Employees Locked Out Hundreds of fans protest changes at Berkeley radio station". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/07/15/MN64513.DTL. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
- ^ Charles Burress, Janine DeFao, Chronicle Staff Writers (16 July 1999). "Legislators Step Into KPFA Clamor Hearing demanded as protesters besiege Berkeley station a third night". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1999/07/16/MN95131.DTL. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
- ^ Michael Taylor, Chronicle Staff Writer (17 July 1999). "KPFA Fans Create Separate Fund". Berkeley Gets Radical Over KPFA Lockout, Anyone with a cause welcome to protest. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1999/07/17/MN64131.DTL&type=printable. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ Julie Chao, SPECIAL TO THE EXAMINER (29 July 1999). "KPFA's owners reopening station in "goodwill gesture' Pacifica Foundation to take 6-12 month management hiatus". San Francisco Examiner. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1999/07/29/NEWS5289.dtl&type=printable. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
- ^ Dan Fost (29 July 1999). "Silenced KPFA Dissidents Put Out the Rallying Cry in Cyberspace Back in the '60s, it was mimeographs -- today, you just log on". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1999/07/29/NEWS5289.dtl&type=printable. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
- ^ Jim Herron Zamora, Larry D. Hatfield and Julie Chao, OF THE EXAMINER STAFF (30 July 1999). "KPFA olive branch sparks mass confusion Station tells workers to return, but protesters want offer in writing". San Francisco Examiner. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1999/07/30/NEWS12968.dtl&type=printable. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
- ^ Robert Selna, SPECIAL TO THE EXAMINER (3 August 1999). "KPFA transmitter still off-limits to staff Employees return, but tower continues to broadcast signal from Houston". San Francisco Examiner. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/examiner/archive/1999/08/03/METRO14918.dtl. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
- ^ Debra Levi Holtz, Chronicle Staff Writer (8 September 1999). "Nearly $500,000 Spent During KPFA Lockout". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/1999/09/08/MN4696.DTL&type=printable. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
- ^ Debra Levi Holtz, Chronicle Staff Writer (19 October 1999). "KPFA Fans Create Separate Fund". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/10/19/MN25229.DTL. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ Leslie Fulbright, Chronicle Staff Writer (2 September 2008). "Tension high at KPFA after volunteer arrested". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/02/BAF912K36V.DTL&tsp=1. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ Judith Scherr (4 September 2008). "Rough Arrest at KPFA Stuns Station, Community". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2008-09-04/article/31010?headline=Rough-Arrest-at-KPFA-Stuns-Station-Community. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ http://www.labornotes.org/blogs/2010/11/behind-layoffs-kpfa-radio
- ^ http://pacifica.org/homepage/update-regarding-kpfa-budget-crisis-and-staff-reductions.html
- ^ http://kpfaworker.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/pacifica-replaces-union-workers-with-political-allies/
- ^ FCC.gov
Further reading
- Lasar, Matthew (April, 2000) Pacifica Radio: The Rise of an Alternative Network (American Subjects Series). Temple University Press. ISBN 1-56639-777-4
- Lasar, Matthew (January, 2006) Uneasy Listening: Pacifica Radio's Civil War Black Apollo. ISBN 1-900355-45-0
- Walker, Jesse (June, 2004)"Rebels on the Air: An Alternative History of Radio in America".
External links
- KPFA official site
- whitings-writings.com The Lengthening Shadow: Lewis Hill and the Origins of Listener-Sponsored Radio in America
- Query the FCC's FM station database for KPFA
- Radio-Locator information on KPFA
- Query Arbitron's FM station database for KPFA
- Query the FCC's FM station database for KPFB
- Radio-Locator information on KPFB
- Query Arbitron's FM station database for KPFB
- w9wi.com List of "grandfathered" FM radio stations in the U.S.
- kpfahistory.info KPFA: A Historical Footnote (Seventy five hours of programs and interviews from the 1960s)
Radio stations in the San Francisco market By FM frequency 87.9 · 88.1 · 88.5 · 88.9 · 89.1 · 89.3 · 89.3 · 89.3 · 89.5 · 89.7 · 89.9 · 90.1 · 90.3 · 90.3 · 90.5 · 90.7 · 91.1 · 91.5 · 91.7 · 91.9 · 92.3 · 92.7 · 93.3 · 94.1 · 94.5 · 94.9 · 95.3 · 95.3 · 95.7 · 96.1 · 96.5 · 97.3 · 97.7 · 98.1 · 98.5 · 98.9 · 99.3 · 99.7 · 100.3 · 100.7 · 100.7 · 100.9 · 100.9 · 100.9 · 101.3 · 102.1 · 102.9 · 103.7 · 104.5 · 104.9 · 105.3 · 105.7 · 106.1 · 106.5 · 106.9 · 107.7By AM frequency NOAA Weather Radio frequency 162.400 · 162.450 · 162.500 · 162.550By callsign K205BN · K212AA · K220BV · K257BE · K264AQ · K265CV · K265CY · K265DI · KALW · KALX · KBLX · KBRG · KCBS · KCEA · KCNL · KCRH · KCSM · KDFC · KDIA · KDOW · KDX54 · KDYA · KEAR · KEC49 · KECG · KEST · KEZR · KFAX · KFFG · KFJC · KFOG · KFRC-FM · KGMZ · KGO · KHB49 · KIOI · KIQI · KISQ · KITS · KKDV · KKGN · KKSF · KKUP · KLIV · KLLC · KLOK · KMEL · KMKY · KMTG · KMVQ · KNBR · KNEW · KOIT-FM · KPFA · KPFB · KPOO · KQED · KREV · KRTY · KRZZ · KSAN · KSFB · KSFH · KSFN · KSFO · KSJO · KSJS · KSJX · KSOL · KSQQ · KTCT · KTRB · KUFX · KUZX · KVTO · KVVF · KVVN · KVVZ · KYLD · KZDG · KZSF · KZSU · WWF64Defunct Satellite Radio Local Traffic/Weather: XM Channel 221 · Sirius Channel 156¹ = Clear-channel stations with extended nighttime coverage.Mass media in the San Francisco Bay Area: Radio stationsCalifornia Radio Markets: Bakersfield • Chico • Fresno • Los Angeles • Merced • Modesto • Oxnard-Ventura • Palm Springs • Redding • Riverside-San Bernardino • Sacramento • San Diego • San Francisco/Oakland • San Jose • San Luis Obispo • Santa Barbara • Santa Cruz/Salinas/Monterey • Santa Maria-Lompoc • Santa Rosa • Stockton • Victor Valley • Visalia-Tulare-Hanford
Other California Radio Regions: Barstow • Bishop • Crescent City • Diablo Valley • High Desert/Eastern Sierra • Eureka • Fort Bragg-Ukiah • Gilroy/Hollister • Imperial Valley • Marysville/Yuba City • Needles • Red Bluff • Susanville/Sierra Nevada • Tri-Valley • Yreka
See also: List of radio stations in CaliforniaPacifica Radio Network Stations Programs Persons Current: Aimee Allison • Dennis Bernstein • Blase Bonpane • Don Bustany • Pratap Chatterjee • Deepa Fernandes • Jack Foley • Amy Goodman • Juan González • Doug Henwood • Michio Kaku • Sasha Lilley • Nicole Sawaya • Jeremy Scahill • Roy Tuckman
Historical: Charles Amirkhanian • Larry Bensky • Mary Frances Berry • Jerry Brown • Marc Cooper • Bob Fass • Dorothy Healey • Lewis Hill • Pauline Kael • Saul Landau • Julianne Malveaux • William Mandel • Richard Pryor • Kenneth Rexroth • Susan Stone • Chris Strachwitz • Elsa Knight Thompson • Alan WattsRelated articles Categories:- Radio stations in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Berkeley, California
- Pacifica Radio stations
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