2/16/99

To the KPFK Advisory Board,

There are decisions which can come before the Pacifica station boards and the Board of Directors that involve more than the issues immediately at hand. Such is the case now.

The Pacifica Board of Directors is preparing to make changes in the governance structure of Pacifica, supposedly to be in compliance with Corporation for Public Broadcasting requirements. This decision, and how it is made, concern more than a board's perfunctory duties or just another funding source. The Pacifica mission, articulated in the 1940s, is directly impacted by further distancing the decision makers from the communities that these radio stations are supposed to be serving.

Attached to this message is a recent article from Counterpunch Magazine describing the proposed changes. It is truly sad that Pacifica has been operating in such a closed-door manner that we must read in a magazine what we cannot hear on a Pacifica station.

We urge all the Pacifica station boards to initiate open discussions on the proposed governance changes, the compatibility of CPB funding with the Pacifica mission and the nature of community broadcasting. Until this can take place, the station boards should make it clear to the Pacifica Board of Directors that any governance changes should be postponed. This should be done both through the station representatives on the Board of Directors and through the Council of Chairs.

The health of a nonprofit organization like Pacifica is dependent on openness and accountability. We cannot reach these goals through a closed-door process.

Vince Ivory (for the)
Pacifica Accountability Committee