Free Pacifica Radio: Report of April 2, 1999 Demo at KPFA

Report of April 2, 1999 Demo at KPFA
by Jeff Blankfort

Close to 200 angry listeners and present and former station staff came out on one day's notice to protest the firing of KPFA's popular general manager Nicole Sawaya by the equally unpopular executive director of Pacifica. Lynn Chadwick. While a huge banner hung over the station balcony expressed the staff's love of Nicole, a word not usually associated with community radio (and last used to describe people's feelings out the late Mama O'Shea), the same sentiments came from the speakers on the platforms.

These represented the broadest cross-section of opposition to Pacifica yet assembled led off by Larry Bensky who, standing on the bed of a flat-bed pickup, called on the protesters to gather in the streets. Bensky described the chain of Pacifica's offenses which subscribers to this list are already familiar with [check out the Free Pacifica website if you aren't ] and he was followed by Dennis Bernstein, host of Flashpoints, Barbara Lubin of the Middle East Children's Alliance, media critic Norman Solomon,

Union organizer Gabriel Hernandez
of Hayward, and his son TLacaelel,
3, join members of the community
protesting the Wednesday firing of
Gemeral Manager Nicole Sawaya and
other programming changes made by
Pacifca, (KPFA's parent company)
in front of KPFA's offices on Friday.

Mary Berg, unpaid staff rep on the local board, former programmers Maria Gilardin and Sue Supriano, and yours truly, speaking for Take Back KPFA. Bill Mandel, whose firing in 1995 after 37 years on the station, paved the way for the later purge, and Daryl Cherny, former partner of Judi Bari also spoke.

This turned out to be significant because the coming together of TBK with the station staff was pointed out in a lengthy news cast on the demonstration, which was just the latest violation of the gag rule by KPFA staff. All morning, programmers had talked up the protest, even when told not to do so by Chadwick, who has added the title of KPFA general manager to her trophies on the wall.

At least two TV stations were there, (Warner Bros. . 20 ran a segment on the 10 PM news) and KCBS news. The firing of Nicole and the firing on the window headed the main news-gossip column in the SF Chroncicle which has previously been posted. There is also some other publicity unfavorable to Pacifica quickly making its move towards the horizon.

[a transciption of the speeches is in the works - stay tuned - LG]

Photos by Arleen Ng

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