Follow the Money
This section contains various types of financial material relating to Pacifica's income, expenditures and approach.

The Arbitron Game

Arbitron ratings are an audience measuring device used by commercial broadcasters to determine listenership in order set advertising rates. Pacifica, and other non-commercial radio stations are increasingly, and many feel inappropriately, relying on these figures to plan programming. The new CPB funding proposals from the right wing Congress are fueling this, as they are intending to make funding contingent on the size of listenership. Nothing in any of this addresses the relevance of the content-----we already know enormous listenership could be gained by more mainstream programming----what is the point of that, we ask?  Should Pacifica Radio's proud tradition of free speech and free thought be subverted to fullfil a desire on the part of Pacifica management's desire to increase their salaries and hob-nob at Washington, DC coctail parties?

• terminology
• methodology
• measuring the audience
• demographics
• time and place
• core and fringe listeners
• more fringe and summary

• KPFK Programmers ordered to Mainstream Content to increase Arbitrons, dollars

In May of 1998, KPFK management laid out Pacifica's plain to mainstream content in order to increase revenues. How has it worked and who has benefited? Pacifica's own financial and audience numbers tell the story.
• Arbitron 1997 -- All Stations
• Arbitron Toplines Report for KPFA, KPFK and WBAI -- issued 5/20/97

• Audience '98 --public radio consultants plan to increase audience - Pacifica program directors have been sent to workshops advocating these approaches -- and a letter from a programmer at another community station, explaining some of the actual effects of the plan to increase "core" audience.

Financial Discussions

Finance Committee Minutes-10/94

-The Finance Committee of the Pacifica National is at the center of the decision making which is transferring increasing amounts of money to the national entity.

Finance Committee Minutes-6/95

- The decision is made to close a future meetings of the Finance Committee to the public.

Finance Committee Minutes 9/95

top secret by order of the Pacifica National Board

Finance Committee Minutes 2/96

top secret by order of the Pacifica National Board

Finance Committee Minutes 6/96

top secret by order of the Pacifica National Board

IRS 990 - Fiscal Year 1996

IRS 990-Fiscal Year 1995

IRS 990-Fiscal Year 1994

IRS 990-Fiscal Year 1993

IRS 990-Fiscal Year 1992

• Pacifica's Metastasizing Bureaucracy - Presentation by Larry Bensky at the Pacifica Board Meeting Public Comment period (2/28/99) showing how money has increasingly been taken from the local stations to support Pacifica National's growing, and useless, bureaucracy (includes charts) Feb 1999
• KPFA's Matt Binder Vindicated in Charges of Financial Malfeasance - Dec 1998

in 1997, Binder was fired after reporting financial malfeasance in the administration of federal grant funds.
• Liberal Establishment Foundations, "Alternative" Media and Pacifica Radio:

Investigative journalist Bob Feldman follows the money trail - 9/98
• KPFK Fails to Qualify for CPB "Minority Station Incentive" Funds

KPFK receives additional funds and incentives as a minority station, although the current management has removed virtually all programming geared toward minority communities.
• Funny Money: Financial Malfeasance at WBAI? - June 1998

A series of questionable practices- blank checks, failure to pay workers health benefits, large new offices for management and inferior broadcast facilities.
KPFA building suffered many of the same problems as the new WBAI Wall Street facility
• Lying to the Kids: Fundraising at KPFK

a fundraising letter was sent on 4/21/98 by KPFK manager Mark Schubb which tries to solicit donations on the basis of KPFK's role in stopping the bombing in Iraq. He doesn't mention that a new policy was posted at KPFK, which prohibited hosts from advocating attendance at anti-war demonstrations.

• Following the Money

an article in the San Francisco Bay Guardian, October 1997, discussing how the pursuit of foundation funding influenced the way alternative media entities cover the news. See Pacifica goes for the Gold as to how this quest for foundation money affects Pacifica.

• KPFK October 1997 Fund Drive Totals

• Oct. 1996 analysis

- a report on the KPFA 1996 Marathon by Beedleumbum Larry

• Other Marathon data

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