Roles and Responsibilities

Definitions

To establish a shared understanding, here are our definitions:

    • Employee: An individual compensated for their labor (e.g., managers, paid producers, paid host/producers, technical producer/board op, continuity leads, engineers, etc.).
    • Volunteer: Someone who donates time without pay (e.g., volunteer producers, host producers, live music engineers, etc.), contributing regularly without financial compensation.
      • To vote in Pacifica elections, volunteers need a minimum of 30 hours’ service in the 90 days before the cutoff date. The Pacifica national election supervisor will inform KPFA of this date prior to the upcoming elections.

Departments: KPFA is organized into Departments, Sub-Departments, Programs, and Teams

Roles: Roles create containers for success and goal achievement. Defined tasks and expectations divide substantial projects into manageable parts. Within these roles, each person offers their best work. Well-defined roles reduce miscommunication, enhance transparency, and help everyone concentrate on delivering quality content to our listeners.

Administration

  • General Management: Implements the station’s strategic plan.
    • KPFA Management contact: [email protected] (forwards to General Manager, Program Director, Development Director, News Director, Chief Engineer and Business Manager)

Office of the General Manager Contact

*The email forwards to the GM and all of his Admin Assistants, and all have signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement. This is the proper channel for confidential communication.

**The Slack channel is visible to all staff. DO NOT share confidential information on this channel.

  • General Manager (GM): Ensures the smooth operation of the station and its financial sustainability, the health and safety of all staff, as well as the development of both new and current relationships with other foundations, nonprofits and major donors. Reports to the Pacifica executive director.
    • GM and Manager Responsibilities: Define goals, oversee programs and projects, set deadlines, develop roles, guide departments and staff, and handle workplace conflicts.
  • Business Office: Ensures the station’s financial stability, management, and operational efficiency.
  • Business Manager: Handles financial statements, financial reporting and analysis, budgets, ledger upkeep, bookkeeping, bill payment, payroll, taxes, administrative HR tasks, contract negotiations and facility maintenance. Reports to GM.
  • Business Office Team: All report to the Business Manager
    • Accountant: Accounts payable, bank reconciliations, reimbursements, deposits, general accounting.
    • Business Office Assistant: Financial records reconciliation, payroll, and assists the Business Manager.
    • Mail Clerk: Distributes mail and packages. Recycling, watering plants and assisting with general building tasks.
    • Receptionists: Greets guests, answers the main extension and emails.
    • Maintenance/Janitorial: Facility upkeep.

Development Department

  • Development (Fundraising and Membership): Generates revenue by organizing fundraising activities that secure support from donors and foundations.
  • Development Director: Cultivates donor relationships and engagement, ensures smooth fund drive operation, sets on-air fundraising goals, tracks performance, offers training/mentorship, pitch points, thank you gifts, matches, and broadcast audio. Reports to GM.
  • Development Department Team: All report to the Development Director.
    • Development CRM Administrator: Maintains donor database and ensures accuracy of donor information and payments.
    • Membership Coordinator: Supports donors, manages thank-you gifts, oversees donor database, and supervises phone room during on-air fundraisers.
    • Development Assistant: Deposits donations, updates donor information and assists the Development Director.

Engineering Department

  • Engineering and Operations: Installs, maintains, and ensures all broadcasting equipment, systems, and facilities operate efficiently and reliably. Oversees daily station activities and processes, ensuring efficiency, effectiveness, and continuous high-quality audio streaming.
  • Chief Engineer: Oversees technical station operation, including web, radio, and facilities; ensures rule compliance; maintains 24/7 broadcast readiness; oversees all activities involved in the production and distribution of high-quality audio; schedules, plans, organizes, coordinates, and manages all the technical resources and operations staff needed to produce a program; acts as GM in their absence. Reports to the GM.
  • Engineering Department Team: All report to the Chief Engineer.
    • Chief Operator/Transmitter Engineer: Responsible for the maintenance and operations of the station’s broadcasting equipment, primary and backup transmitters, facilities and systems; ensures compliance with relevant regulations; maintains station/license documentation.
    • Weekend Engineer: Responsible for the technical transmission of content, maintaining equipment and facilities, ensuring seamless on-air broadcasts, optimizing signal quality, and supporting the production and distribution of content during weekends.
    • Morning Board Operator: Responsible for the continuous stream of live content during weekday mornings and afternoons, for following all station and FCC rules and regulations. Line produce as needed.
    • Afternoon Board Operator: Responsible for the continuous stream of live content during weekday afternoons and early evenings, for following all station and FCC rules and regulations, for line producing as needed, and for scheduling the daily stream of content — ie, pre-recorded and live shows, interstitials aka promos, IDs and PSAs.
    • Live Music Engineer: Responsible for setting up and striking equipment, greeting music guests and providing access to the performance studio, to ensure a smooth and successful broadcast of live music shows.
    • AV Technicians: Responsible for the continuous stream and recording of meetings and events.
    • Engineering Interns: Responsible for assisting engineers, learning and putting into practice engineering skills. Also assists staff in daily operations.
    • Independent Contractors & Vendors: Provide additional temporary services and support.

Programming Department

Programming: Oversees the creation and coordination of KPFA’s on-air and digital content. This includes curating shows, booking guests, scheduling programs, and ensuring all content aligns with KPFA’s mission, editorial guidelines, and community standards. The department works collaboratively with staff and volunteer programmers to produce accurate, timely, and compelling programming that serves our diverse audience. Ensures adherence to station guidelines in this handbook and on kpfa.org/staff.

    • Programming for air contact: [email protected] Slack #on-air
    • Program Director (PD): Responsible for the overall sound, structure, and strategic direction of KPFA’s programming. This includes coordinating with producers and hosts to develop content, overseeing special broadcasts and long-term planning, and ensuring all programming aligns with the station’s mission, editorial policies, and community values. The Program Director promotes upcoming shows and projects, supports both employee and volunteer programmers, and facilitates collaboration between departments. They lead regular planning meetings, train new staff and interns on station operations and protocol, and supervise the Programs Team. Reports to the GM.
    • Assistant to the Program Director/Producer-at-Large Public Affairs/Culture: Provides administrative, logistical, and communications support to the Program Director. Helps ensure smooth programming operations, maintains updated content across platforms, updates episode descriptions, supports programmer engagement, and assists with special broadcasts, digital campaigns, and station initiatives. Also, provides professional production and hosting support for KPFA’s paid programming. Serves as the primary fill-in when assigned producers or hosts are unavailable and assumes all responsibilities of Host and Producers, ensures content meets technical and editorial standards, and aligns with KPFA’s mission and FCC guidelines, and maintains consistent quality across programming. Reports to the PD.
    • Programs Team: All report to the Program Director.
      • Host: Responsible for leading on-air conversations, presenting topics and guests to the audience, and ensuring the tone, delivery, and content reflect KPFA’s mission and editorial standards. Hosts engage listeners, guide the flow of the program, and collaborate with producers to deliver timely and compelling content.
      • Host-Producer: Carries both hosting and producer responsibilities (see “Producer” section below).
      • Producer: Oversees the planning and execution of a radio program. Responsibilities include making editorial decisions, preparing and distributing a run sheet for board operators or technical staff, coordinating guests and other resources, editing and submitting audio content, directing live broadcasts, updating episode descriptions, and promoting the show on social media.
      • Assistant Producer: Supports the lead producer with all aspects of show production. Responsibilities include line producing during live broadcasts, editing and submitting audio content, updating episode descriptions, and promoting the show on social media. May also help coordinate guests and prepare run sheets as needed.

Music Department:

Music Programmers reports to the Music Director.

    • Music Department contact: [email protected] Slack #musicdepartment
    • Music Director: Oversees KPFA’s music programming and serves as the primary point of contact for music programmers. Responsibilities include coordinating schedules, maintaining programming standards, supporting music hosts with content and resources, and ensuring alignment with KPFA’s mission and sound. The Music Director also helps curate special broadcasts, reviews music submissions, and fosters relationships with the broader music community. Reports to the Program Director.
    • Music Programmer: Oversees the planning and execution of a Music Program, and ensures the tone, delivery, and content reflect KPFA’s mission and editorial standards. Responsibilities include leading on-air conversations, presenting music and topics and guests to the audience, making editorial decisions, coordinating guests and other resources, editing and submitting audio content, directing live broadcasts, updating episode descriptions, and promoting the show on social media. Music Programmers collaborate with the Music Director to deliver timely and compelling music programming.

News Department

  • News: Responsible for producing and covering news content and special coverage such as elections, live town halls, and emergencies. Responsibilities include conducting interviews, producing stories, anchoring newscasts, assigning coverage, scheduling volunteers, and monitoring daily media. The department trains reporters and news interns through workshops. The News Department works with the GM/PD to oversee the station’s emergency response and leads on-air coverage during emergency activations.
  • News Director: Responsible for supervising and training news staff, overseeing the department’s administration, producing special broadcasts, and ensuring adherence to the station’s journalistic standards. The News Director collaborates with the Pacifica Foundation to expand news reach and partnerships. Reports to the GM.
  • News Team: All report to the News Director.
      • Morning News Anchor:  Produces morning newscasts (7am, 7:30am, 8am, 10am, and 12pm), serves as an assignment editor, sends headline reports to affiliates, supervises morning news staff, and contributes content to the evening newscast.
      • Evening News Anchor:  Produces and anchors the hour-long evening newscast and some afternoon headlines. Conducts interviews, supervises evening staff, assists with assignments and editing, and helps plan and implement special news coverage.
      • Afternoon Editor:  Anchors the 4pm news headlines, edits reporter scripts and intern content, produces original reports, and solicits stories from non-Pacifica sources.
      • Reporter: Produces original news reports as assigned by the assignment editor, News Director, or anchor. Reporters are encouraged to pitch stories and conduct field reporting.

Organizational Responsibilities (Applies to Everyone):

  • Own your work, roles, and responsibilities.
  • Communicate clearly and concisely with colleagues.
  • Report content violations using appropriate forms (e.g., Sensitive Language Report) for station guidelines: obscenity, indecency and patently offensive language, equal time and the fairness doctrine, payola and plugola, defamation of character, copyright issues, and fair use to the PD.
  • Report personnel issues to your direct supervisor. If the issue involves the direct supervisor, report it to their supervisor, or the GM.
  • Report technical broadcast issues to the engineering department via [email protected] or Slack #engineering.
  • Participate in station fundraising efforts.

On Air Procedure: The lead producer or host producer is the lead decision-makers for a show’s content and execution; hosts, board operators, engineers, and others will serve as support staff. In music shows, the DJ takes on the roles of producer, host, and technical producer. In the event of team conflict, essential discussions about workflow should take place during planning meetings or debriefing sessions.

Ramification: Any actions affecting a healthy work environment, such as boundary violations, argumentative language, or other hostilities, will result in management intervention.

 

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