Forwarded message:

To: prison_radio@topica.com
From: Noelle Hanrahan <radioqc@sirius.com
Subject: Turn out noon 4/15 KPFA & Agitate Now!
Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 12:30:29 -0800
Message-ID: <0.10001764.7064502-887937772-923945429@topica.com

Dear Friend of Prison Radio,

Please take action on this cause.

Pacficia Radio is at a crossroads: the national leadership has fired a
universally loved and respected station manager at KPFA (Nicole Sawaya)
and needs to hear your voice.

Also, here is a true story that illustrates my experience with Pacifica
National:

In February of 1994, as the director of Prison Radio/Quixote and
producer of Mumia's radio commentaries,  I offered to produce regular
commentaries by Mumia on Pacifica National.  Jane Henderson of EJUSA also
attended the meeting. At this meeting, Gail Christian, head of Pacifica
National Programming, told me:  "I don't even want to listen to the
tape...we don't want to make him a martyr...We are not interested."

That was at 10:00am in the morning.  That very same day, at 11:30am Jane
Henderson and I offered the series to Ellen Weiss at All Things
Considered/NPR, and she not only played the tape but she agreed to make
him a regular commentator, noting that Mumia is "one of the best
commentators we have ever heard."

As many of you know, national forces including Bob Dole pressured
ATC/NPR to censor the commentaries.  Pacifica, including Pacifica
National, DID come through and have consistently played the
commentaries--BUT it was because of individual programmers and one or two
independent voices.

Pacifica National has always been hesitant to promote Mumia
commentaries, often telling me that they had concerns.  They even went so
far as to tell me that if I wanted to do a national series, I should
change the title of the radio series from "All Things Censored" so as not
to offend NPR/ATC.

When Temple University radio and its 12 relay stations across
Pennsylvania cancelled "Democracy Now" and all of its Pacifica
programming when Mumia's commentaries debuted in March of 97, I was told
that Gail Christian commented "why couldn't they just have censored the
Mumia part of the broadcast?"

We need to keep ever vigilient ---.

Pacifica must be a place for the free exchange of ideas -- and
programmers who remain unafraid to report the truth must be supported.

We need to act NOW.
 

Toward Justice and Freedom,

Noelle Hanrahan
Prison Radio/Quixote