[Approved]
KPFA Local Station Board
Regular in-person meeting
April 12, 2014 11am-4pm
North Berkeley Senior Center
1901 Hearst Ave., Berkeley, CA
Note: An audio archive of this meeting is available at www.kpftx.org/archive.php
Present: Craig Alderson, Tina Bachemin, Brian Edwards-Tiekert, José Luis Fuentes, David Gans, Donald Goldmacher, Mark Hernandez, Cynthia Johnson, Janet Kobren, Jack Kurzweil, Joy Moore*, Andrea Prichett, Mel Sanders, Lewis Sawyer, Franklin Sterling, Ramsés Teón-Nichols, Carole Travis, David Welsh, Barbara Whipperman, Margy Wilkinson.
*Arrived after roll call.
Absent: Mal Burnstein, Paula Erkkila, Kate Gowen, Samsarah Morgan, Burton White.
1. Call to order
Meeting called to order by chair C. Travis at 11:15 am.
2. Roll call and excusing of members
Moved (B. Edwards-Tiekert) to excuse all absent members. Approved unanimously by voice vote.
3. Approve agenda
Pacifica interim executive director was not available, thus item 11 (Pacifica interim executive director) was stricken. Moved (B. Edwards-Tiekert) to approve agenda. Approved unanimously by voice vote.
4. Minutes
J. Kobren requested that date of her written PNB report be included in report. Minutes approved unanimously by voice vote.
5. Public comments
Public comments begin at 13:50 of part 1 of audio file. Max Blanchet, Dennis Bernstein, Daniel Borgstrom, Virginia Browning, Steve Gilmartin, Wanda Warkentin, Geneva Reese, Craig Williams, Aki Tanaka, Brian Geiser. Moved (A. Prichett) to extend D. Bernstein’s time by two minutes. Approved by voice vote, 2N.
6. Announcements
J. Kobren: Apr. 15 is tax day and is 65th anniversary of Pacifica and KPFA.
D. Gans: has CD of music recorded but due to printing defect he has lots of extra copies for anyone interested.
B. Edwards-Tiekert: KPFA first broadcast Apr. 15, 1949. Will be day-long celebration and fundraiser drawing from archival tapes and including interviews with contemporaries of founding. Asked for help in phone room.
M. Wilkinson: All 5 stations in network will celebrate anniversary in different ways. Apr. 14 is international day of action against military spending and will be observed in over 100 countries. Grandmothers Against the War will be distributing pamphlets at BART stations beginning at 7:15am at all East Bay stations. All volunteers welcome.
C. Johnson: We all have best interests of Pacifica and KPFA at heart. Berkeley Fellowship of Unitaria-Universalists will host open forum Apr. 27, 2pm, on all points of view about how to save KPFA and Pacifica.
F. Sterling: 1) Kris Welch show today will be video stream at kpfa.org. Will feature critical conversations on emerging technology and can be found by searching those key words online. A video PSA will be available for people to copy and paste into Facebook. 2) He is producing a live broadcast from Antioch High School May 9, 7pm.
J.L. Fuentes: May 3 2pm PUEBLO will host conversation on inner city youth struggles with Prof. Victor Rios, UCSB, author of Street Life: Poverty, Gangs and a PhD, at Castlemont High School.
R. Teón-Nichols: 1) San Francisco labor-community coalition will be collecting signatures for $15 minimum wage ballot measure, but they’re running into huge opposition. Also campaign in Oakland for $12.25 minimum wage needs support. 2) SEIU 1021 will do rally and march to Twitter building on tax day to demand no more cuts for wealthy and high tech companies. Will start at City Hall, 4-6 pm. 3) Mills College adjunct professors have filed for union election with SEIU. SF Art Institute contingent faculty are organizing for representation.
C. Travis: Tom Ammiano bill in legislature dealing with long-term solitary confinement. California uses long-term solitary confinement in levels unmatched anywhere in world. 4500 are in solitary due to classification as gang members; 40 have been in solitary more than 20 years. AB1652 specifically requires that only violent acts be grounds for solitary confinement.
7. Treasurer’s report (B. Whipperman)
TR1 is copy of fund drive report she passed out last month. TR2 is same report from this month. Shows how fund totals change over time. Fulfillment rate has increased from 56% to 70%, and pledge totals have increased due to web pledges received after close of on-air drive. This report is used for budget planning. Data manager can extract lot of data in different ways for different analyses. Similar information in report available showing how different shows perform in raising money. That report is more extensive and is available to anyone on board or CAB interested. Decreases in amounts between last month and this month are due to corrections and adjustments in pledge amounts.
TR3 is 5-month report. Books are closed for March but report goes only through February due to documentation that is still incomplete.
B. Edwards-Tierkert reported that Pacifica was late with last year’s audit to the CPB and that CPB meeting notices are being met by all stations except WBAI. CPB treats Pacifica network as one entity.
8. PNB report (B. Edwards-Tiekert)
National board voted to terminate Summer Reese’s employment and hired Bernard Duncan as interim executive director. Changes to signatories on bank accounts are being made. Nonprofit directors have right to inspect financial records at any time but currently he and M. Wilkinson are locked out national office. Members of national board who voted in minority have filed suit against foundation and judge has rejected their request for temporary restraining order.
J. Kobren read her written report (see attached).
Moved (C. Alderson): “The KPFA LSB calls on Summer Reese to respect the decisions of the elected Pacifica National Board, stop blocking elected board member’ access to records, vacate Pacifica’s offices peacefully, and help make Pacifica’s leadership transition a smooth one.” Approved: 10Y (C. Alderson, T. Bachemin, B. Edwards-Tiekert, J.L. Fuentes, D. Gans, D. Goldmacher, M. Hernandez, L. Sawyer, C. Travis, B. Whipperman); 5N (C. Johnson, A. Prichett, F. Sterling, R. Teón-Nichols, D. Welsh); 2A (J. Kobren, M. Sanders).
9. Community Advisory Board report (Carol Wolfley)
CAB supporting outreach effort in San Jose. Committee members want more access to produce PSAs. Held town hall meeting Apr. 6 to understand issues facing KPFA, facilitated by Seeds of Change. CAB member Robin Collins read report (attached) on town hall.
10. Special order of business: Development
Discussion begins at 1:35:00 of part 2 of audio file. B. Whipperman distributed ideas from last year’s brainstorming session and templates to evaluate them.
Moved (D. Welsh): “That the LSB form a 5-member development committee to gather and prioritize ideas for development, and this committee be formed of volunteers from the LSB.”
Moved amendment (J. Kobren) to invite iGm or GM to join the development committee. Approved without objection.
Main motion as amended approved unanimously by voice vote.
11. KFCF report (M. Sanders)
There has been no change since last month’s report.
12. Old business
A. KPFA policy regarding calling police
A. Prichett moved to table to next meeting. Approved without objection.
13. New business
A. Feature Story News
Moved (D. Welsh): “That the LSB urge that Feature Story News be removed from Pacifica airwaves.”
Moved amendment (B. Edwards-Tiekert): “The KPFA LSB calls on local and national management to work with Free Speech Radio News to restore their daily newscast.” No objections to amendment.
Main motion as amended: approved unanimously by voice vote.
Adjourned 3:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Craig Alderson
LSB Secretary