Join us on Saturday, April 18th for a screening of the documentary KPFA On the Air, which was released in 2000 and narrated by Alice Walker. KPFA started broadcasting in 1949 and it became a living testament to free speech and cultural diversity, which often found itself embroiled in conflict. Filmmakers Veronica Selver and Sharon Wood explored the station’s 50-year history, including its founding by pacifists and poets, through its defiance of Cold War conformity, to the challenges it confronted in the on-going experiment that is democratic media.
You may have gotten a link to see this documentary at the comfort of your own home, but consider joining us and watching it on the ‘big’ screen. And if you are someone who doesn’t know the history of America’s first listener-supported community radio station, join us!
Immediately after the film screening, Host Producer Vylma V of KPFA’s Women’s Magazine will lead a panel discussion with On Air Talent. Panelists will share their KPFA origin story, recount their experiences at the station, expand on the challenges they face being on the air, and how their shows maintains its longevity on the air and how it managed to transition with new hosts and producers. The panel discussion will give the audience a view of what’s happened at the station, from an On Air Host perspective, since the film’s release in 2000.
And after that, because we want more, there will be a 77th Birthday celebration and gathering at the California Historical Radio Society’s (CHRS) museum, two blocks away from the movie theater.
For a donation of $77, you’ll get a ticket as a “Thank You” gift to the screening and for the party at California Historical Radio Society. For a donation of $150, you’ll get a pair of tickets. Note that you will be seated next to KPFA folks at the theater and your donation goes directly to KPFA.
KPFA On the Air Screening
Location: Alameda Theater and Cineplex, 2317 Central Ave, Alameda, CA 94501
Time: 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
-
- 2:00-3:15 pm – Documentary Screening of KPFA On the Air
- 3:15 pm Panel Discussion produced by Vylma V
KPFA 77th Birthday Party
Location: California Historical Radio Society, 2152 Central Ave, Alameda, CA 94501
Time: 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm
-
- DJed Music: Mike Biggz and Davey D
- Food and drinks available for purchase
About the Documentary:
Released in 2000 and narrated by Alice Walker, KPFA On the Air is a documentary film about America’s first listener-supported community radio station. KPFA started broadcasting in 1949 and it became a living testament to free speech and cultural diversity, which often found itself embroiled in conflict. Filmmakers Veronica Selver and Sharon Wood explored the station’s 50-year history, including its founding by pacifists and poets, through its defiance of Cold War conformity, to the challenges it confronted in the on-going experiment that is democratic media.
About the Panel Discussion:
Immediately after the film screening, Host Producer Vylma V of KPFA’s Women’s Magazine will lead a panel discussion with On Air Talent (listed below). Panelists will share their KPFA origin story, recount their experiences at the station, expand on the challenges they face being on the air, and how their shows maintains its longevity on the air and how it managed to transition with new hosts and producers. The panel discussion will give the audience a view of what’s happened at the station, from an On Air Host perspective, since the film’s release in 2000.
Panelists:
- Miss April of Saturday Gospel hour
- Morning Star Gali of Bay Native Circle
- Christina Aanestad of the News Department
About the Panel Discussion Producer:
Vylma V is a radio host/producer, meditation teacher and professional feminist. She produces and hosts KPFA’s Women’s Magazine on the first Monday of every month at 1pm on 94.1 KPFA Community Radio. Vylma V is also a former civil rights attorney and the founder & creator of the V- Method for Women’s Liberation. She is a drummer/dancer in the Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba/Plena folklore tradition and keeps fit by running at least 3x a week. Vylma V has been married for 31 years to her partner Cesar Barragan and raised two fine young men (Mario 18 and Diego 23) with him while living in Berkeley, CA.
About Our Partner California Historical Radio Society:
The California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) is a non-profit, educational 501(c)(3) corporation chartered by the State of California in 1974 to promote the research, restoration, preservation, publication and presentation of early radio and broadcasting. Its goal is to provide a forum for exchanging ideas and information on the history of radio and broadcasting, particularly in the West, with the emphasis on collecting, restoring and displaying vintage equipment, and related materials. CHRS is dedicated to the study of early radio and to the importance of this first wireless medium to the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization has over 700 members, made up of preservationists, restorers, collectors, historians, researchers, writers and educators.