KPFA has decided to cut The Morning Show, their most popular production and one that has brought in 25% of their donations, according to Aaron Glantz, who published an essay on Huffington Post last night.  Glantz writes: "It's unclear why Pacifica's Executive Director Arlene Engelhardt would make such a move, which is guaranteed to lose the network's flagship station both listeners and dollars, while simultaneously undercutting its very reason for existence."  He goes on to question whether the on-point discussion of issues like the Mehserle sentencing and the debate between Kamala Harris and Steve Cooley, the candidates for California Attorney General are the reason Engelhardt swung the axe on staffers Aimee Allison, Brian Edwards-Tiekert, Laura Prives and Esther Manilla .

Glantz--and unnamed posters on Indybay-- also describe the KPFA union reacting to the way the layoffs happened, saying that the union filed with the National Labor Relations Board for multiple violations of the workers' union contract. The complaint alleges that management "failed and refused to comply with its (contractual) obligation to meet and bargain with the Union over financial alternatives to employee layoffs prior to implementing any such layoffs."

The union also said that Pacifica "appears poised to cut roughly a quarter of the station’s union workers, including staff on KPFA’s Morning Show, Against the Grain, Hard Knock Radio, and the Evening News, as well as other vital positions."

The kpfaworker.org blog has first person accounts of the layoffs from MS producer Brian Edwards-Tiekert , an interview/ statement from Esther Manilla (MP3),  and an  email exchange between David Bacon, Morning Show labor programmer, and Arlene Engelhardt, Pacifica CEO.

So what's the deal with Engelhardt?  A long-time public radio volunteer in Tampa, FL, she joined Pacifica about 11 months ago to manage Pacifica. When she left Tampa, her station manager had this to say  "Arlene is a true radio person, and a central figure in community media. This is something that Pacifica has not had during most of the legal and financial troubles that have plagued the one-time leader in community radio for at least 10 years."

So why is this happening?

The Mercury News ran a story a few days ago  saying " donations have fallen an average of about $500,000 annually for the past three years."  A statement from  KPFA & Pacifica board member Tracy Rosenberg says that financial loss is the reason for cutting the equivalent of seven full-time jobs "from a paid staff whose full- and part-time hours add up to about 30 full-time positions."

However, the staff has also published an alternative sustainable budget, which they want to discuss with station management, on Scribed. They are urging Pacifica to discuss and then implement this budget as a way to avert  the layoffs:
Sustainable Kpfa 2010 103010

Some reports say that the plan is to replace local content with recorded shows produced in LA, since the station is out of money.  But how can that be the case? Even an executive from Tampa knows KPFA needs local content to have value.

Insights and news on this one welcomed from the long-tie KPFA-ers in Oakland and nearby. Post here or email editor@oaklandlocal.com


TAKE ACTION

READ MORE COMMENTS BY KPFA SUPPORTERS: http://kpfaworker.wordpress.com/solidarity/

PROTEST CALLED: Tuesday, November 9th at 11am in front of KPFA Radio, 1929 Martin Luther King Jr Way in Berkeley (cross street University Avenue).