Date: 15 Jan 97 19:37:49 EST
From: Raymond Meyer

Here are 8 points/suggestions for discussion at the KPFA listener forum in Palo Alto that were formulated prior to the forum by a few people who would participate in it. The first 4 pertain to programming per se; no. 8 is about implementation, use of the results of the forums. We didn't get it into the discussion on Jan. 13. The remaining points are about the way the station operates, which we construed as highly relevant to the programming.

First some comments on the Palo Alto forum: I think that KPFA management wanted opinions on particular programs, yea or nay, such as they would get from a questionnaire. In my group, we talked much about particular programs, and programmers, show hosts, but did manage to agree on a couple of points more general in nature. For example: among KPFA's strengths are: its progressive viewpoint (in the spirit of non-contentious discussion, no one tried to qualify this proposed strength); its ability to mobilize listeners to take action (e.g., apparently preventing the deportation of Imad Hamad; a few years ago, helping to prevent the execution of Gary Graham in Texas).

As I remember the reports from the groups, all of them used question 4 to voice their concerns and suggestions about the way the station is run and organized.

Dennis Bernstein was there to hear first hand the strong support for "Flashpoints." Most perhaps all of the reports from the groups called for Bill Mandel's return.

With regard to Tomas Moran's role, I don't think he is a catspaw of KPFA's management. At the forum, which was intended by station management to obtain opinions only about the programming, he agreed to the proposed interpretation of question 4 that would link programming to station governance; I don't think this was in keeping with the management's intent. He also expressed the hope that discussion of programming would lead to discussionof other issues regarding the station. I believe that he wants to promote the development of democratic participation by subscribers in the operation of the station. He is risking the displeasure of both the station's management and disgruntled/pissed-off present and past subscribers. I think he is showing courage in doing so.

Ray Meyer

1) KPFA should provide more public-affairs programming at times when working people can listen to it. Some topics: labor, health care, national health insurance. Town-hall meeting format could/should be used (regularly/from time to time).

2) Preserve and increase investigative reporting done with originality, perseverance, thoroughness, and continuity. Such investigative reporting is exemplified by "Flashpoints," which provides a model of the values and concerns that KPFA should embody, and of the commitment and personal involvement that programmers should have.

3) News reports should be written by news dept. staff. News reports should not consist of unedited texts provided by news wire services.

4) KPFA should encourage artistic experimentation through its broadcasting of music and literature.

5) In is structure, procedures, and programming content, KPFA should be of, for, and by the grassroots community of its broadcasting area; KPFA should be an expression of that community.

6) The staff of KPFA, both paid and unpaid, need to have access to the station's listeners either on the air or in the Folio.

7) The station's detailed financial records should be open to the public.

8) We would like to see a committee formed that would treat with KPFA's management about the report on the results of the forums and how they would be implemented. The committee could consist of the spokespersons for the small groups into which the participants in each forum are to be divided. This would yield a committee of 50-60 people. (Should a group of that size be found to be too large to serve effectively as a committee, perhaps the members of that committee could select 15-20 of its members to serve as a subcommittee that would discuss the forum results with KPFA management.).