Posted on 11/09/2010 5:50:51 PM PST by SmithL
After losing their jobs in a cost-cutting move Monday, employees at Berkeley's KPFA returned to the radio station studios Tuesday, taking over the airwaves with a renegade show.
The unauthorized broadcast originated in a separate studio inside the station with the help of a remaining employee, said Pacifica Foundation Executive Director Arlene Engelhardt.
The station had planned to broadcast a show from a sister station in Los Angeles to fill the time previously filled the morning show, but the staff member at the controls instead opened the microphones to the former employees who held their ground for two hours, Engelhardt said.
"If you have control of the microphones, you have control of the show for the moment," Engelhardt said.
"They do like drama, and I hope they won't come back. I'm trying to avoid any tactics of force if they do come back."
During the show, the hosts talked about the layoffs and took calls from listeners. Engelhardt also said she participated in the show to explain her position that without the layoffs the station wouldn't be able to make the next payroll.
Engelhardt said with the layoffs, the station's payroll budget will shrink from $2.3 million a year to $1.75 million and that includes the cost of severance packages.
Last week Engelhardt said the station has seen a drop in listener contributions of about $500,000 a year for the last three years.
Employees of the station have offered an alternative budget to avoid layoffs by cutting the budget of Pacifica Foundation's national staff. The foundation runs four other radio stations around the country.
Sasha Lilley, a radio host of another program who still has a job at KPFA, said it was silly to cut staff from the morning show since its listeners contribute the most to the station.
"It has the most listeners of any local program and is by far the station's biggest fundraiser," Lilley said. "We're worried that now we'll have more layoffs because no other program will be able to make up the difference." Lilley said the average salary at the station is about $24,000 a year.
On Friday, employees filed an unfair labor practices charge with the National Labor Relations Board, complaining that Pacifica failed to consider alternatives to layoffs.
Engelhardt said times are tough and there were no alternatives.
"Unfortunately we are living in unfortunate economic times," Engelhardt said. "KPFA is under the same economic duress as anyone else. All of our stations have been affected and have had cuts."
Cut their public funding to ZERO
KPFA is a “public broadcasting station”. In ‘09 they got $451,009 in tax dollars.
...Pacifica...ha!....are those old Lefty’s still around?...I would have thought that they would have faded away by now...those old pony tails must be beyond gray; to snowy white.
Like little children expecting the tooth fairy to come. Or commies after the USSR imploded coming to a factory where they did nothing expecting to get paid.
Things in America are going to get worse. Blame TV’s 24x7x365 total pro-Obama propaganda and idiots who watch TV which supports TV and Hollywood.
"When the corporate suits try to force Dugan to play ads for the U.S. Army, the DJs occupy the station in protest... "
They are lunatic lefties. They believe that they deserve a well paying job for life and they should be able to broadcast whatever drivel pleases them - no need to please their audience. Stupid taxpayers have a responsibility to underwrite their hatred of America.
Not so Dear Leftists-—well all those years ranting and raving like lunatics against the corporate golden goose egg layers has finally become your dream come true. Now that there are so many less eggs to go around we thought you’d be thrilled. What means this no more golden eggs for public leftist radio? You are only allowed one reality at a time instead of your multiple worlds of delusions.
NPR? Just give it the 60s BofA treatment...
Of course nothing is stopping these people from gathering some capital, buying some cheap AM station and starting their own broadcast empire. There should be plenty of rich lefties willing to underwrite their venture and set them on their way to financial and ideological success. But, wait. That would require work and risk and a commitment to succeed. Nevermind.
Of course nothing is stopping these people from gathering some capital, buying some cheap AM station and starting their own broadcast empire. There should be plenty of rich lefties willing to underwrite their venture and set them on their way to financial and ideological success. But, wait. That would require work and risk and a commitment to succeed. Nevermind.
lol. That would really be rubbing in the salt
Maybe they can get their budget from mommy and daddy.
A liberal discovers...business is tough.
Amazing... no matter how leftist and out of touch of reality one is, the laws of economics still stand.
I can’t say I’ll be at all sorry if KPFA goes off the air. Having a close relative who listens to it constantly, the only way I could come up with to describe it is “hate radio.” That was years before I ever heard Rush.
I take it you’re not a regular listener to “Morning Sedition” or “All Things Distorted” on NPR. We get to enjoy those here in Houston along with KPFT broadcasting “Hypocrisy Now”.
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