RadioPoetics.org

My name is Tracy Rosenberg, I’m running for the KPFA Local Station Board as a listener representative and I hope that you’ll vote for me.

In eight+ years of involvement with KPFA and its community, I’ve served in a variety of ways: as the program coordinator on staff, as a listener representative on the program council (twice), as an activist and strategist and sidewalk camper in the lockout days, and as last year’s election supervisor. So I’ve been on the payroll, off the payroll, and in the streets - and I know the issues and the people in and around KPFA. I was honored to be chosen as the program council facilitator from 2005-2007 - by unanimous consent among paid and unpaid staff members, board members and other listeners. As we all know, unanimous consent to anything is not common at KPFA.

As a long-time staff member and now the Managing Director at Media Alliance, the longest-running regional media advocacy center in the country, I’m knowledgeable about the challenges KPFA will be facing as rapid change continues to alter the media landscape.

I’m running for the board because I care about the strength of independent media and because KPFA’s 59,000 watt signal can not be replaced. There is no way for community-based media to recapture a media asset of such size and range. We can’t afford to lose it. But lose it we will, if internal battles continue to rip time and energy away from re-tooling to meet the challenges of the Bay Area’s demographic changes, the digital conversion, the lightening fast news and information from the blogosphere, the need to update programming from time to time, and the financial challenges inherent in the listener-supported model.

I’m proud that KPFA and Pacifica have turned toward listeners and not away from them, as San Francisco’s NPR-affiliate KQED did so famously a few years ago. The openness is admirable and all too rare. But it needs to be openness to really working together, not just lip service coupled with obstructionism and parliamentary politics.

I believe I have the track record of working with people on all sides, the knowledge of media policy, a deep commitment to more community-driven information, art and culture on the air, and the group facilitation experience to be an effective board member. I’m running as an independent candidate, not on a slate, but welcome endorsements from any of the existing board members or my fellow candidates.

Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions about my candidacy. I’d be happy to talk to you.

Tracy Rosenberg
E-Mail: tracyrose@gmail.com

Candidate Questionnaire

Why do you wish to serve on the Local Station Board?
I’d like to bring my experiences, both within the KPFA community in program council, election supervision and program coordination (on staff), and as a progressive media activist to the board and put them to use. I think the combination of skills that I am bringing (nonprofit management, knowledge of the media landscape, and years of experience within KPFA) will be useful and helpful on the local board.

What skills, qualifications and experience would you bring to the board?
See above. I’ve been a manager in the nonprofit sector for many years (and the for-profit
one before that – altogether for close to 15 years). I have excellent accountancy and
financial management skills. I work professionally in media advocacy and progressive activism and know and understand many of the issues in remaining relevant, accessible, solvent and radical. I’ve been active as a volunteer (and occasionally employed by) KPFA on and off for the last 8 years (since 1999) and can put that experience to work immediately without a long learning curve on internal matters.

What can be done to improve the dynamics and effectiveness of the Local Station Board?
The board needs to rely less on parliamentary style tactics and more on dialogue. Robert’s Rules won’t help you if people are striving to score points rather than solve problems. And they’re no substitute for dealing with people in good faith. I think the board would benefit from the election of more independent candidates. No ones vote should be 100% predictable in advance 100% of the time. And that’s what happens when everyone is staked out on opposite sides of the table.

What LSB committees would you like to join? What Pacifica National Board committees?
Programming and Finance, if needed.

Would you be interested in serving on the Pacifica National Board, and why?
Possibly, although the time commitment is extreme. If I did, than I would primarily be interested in doing so to facilitate better national communication within an environment of local autonomy. I’m very interested in more program syndication and wider audiences for some of the excellent locally-generated programs in all five signal areas.

How do you view the dynamics between the Pacifica network and local station autonomy?
Tricky and filled with mutual suspicion at the moment. I believe in local vitality, so the challenge is to utilize pooled resources without dictating from the top to the folks on the
ground.

How should the Pacifica Foundation find a wider audience?
Humor helps. Pacifica is often not funny and most of us progressives are trying to laugh so we won’t cry. I think Stewart and Colbert, among others, have shown that the audience is there for the ideas if they can be presented in an entertaining way that isn’t too preachy.

The issue is what audience do you want? Wide is not a precise adjective. Is the desired audience younger, minority, recognizably progressive, not recognizably progressive, English-speaking, not English-speaking, interested in politics, alienated from politics, more educated, less educated, professional class, working class? I’m not saying that you entirely have to choose, but what you prioritize will affect how you program and it is the programming that listeners will respond to. That needs to be thought about in more developed terminology than “wide, big, lots” or the equivalent.

I’d also suggest doing some training workshops and some broadcasting initiatives within communities that are the subject of outreach. Having people pick up some basic radio skills and work on the occasional segment and get it aired on KPFA about stuff they care about will build loyalty and a sense of “our station” in the desired audience segments.

What can be done to preserve and share the treasures of the Pacifica Archives?
Play them! People don’t know the extent of what’s there. “From the Vault” – Pacifica’s
archive treasure show should have a place on the KPFA schedule.

Do you have any ideas for new approaches to fundraising for Pacifica?
Fundraising is always hard. I’d try to find some mid-level premiums at the $35 or $50 rate. Most cost $75-100 and that’s depressing for people who can’t afford it. I’d try to facilitate some more corporate equipment donations. They can be gotten. Foundation fundraising is tricky for Pacifica – it tends not to be stable and to come with some strings, so my preference would be a membership model as is feasible. If possible, a few more benefits annually, might be helpful – It is our responsibility, I think, to keep our budget within the range the subscribers can basically pay for.

How do you view Pacifica’s potential in providing internet content?
Almost unlimited. Just a question of man/woman power and bandwidth. Both of which are limited at the moment. It would probably take a little army of geek volunteers to fully implement the potential.

What technologies should the Pacifica Foundation consider for the future?
Digital radio and it’s not a question of consideration. It’s almost here. Multiple streams with varying content for divergent audiences not as heavily targeted in the “main grid”. Open broadcasting opportunities so we host the work of others as well as our own. I’m sure there are a million more possibilities.

What can be done to improve our signal strength?
Look into repeaters where signal trouble has been reported.

Should the station consider relocating the studio to other facilities? Where and Why?
I don’t really see why. When you have a building that’s bought and paid for (unlike just about every other non-NPR public radio station in the country) – why? If the building is too crowded, than I’d suggest looking for additional office space rather than studio space – cheaper to rent and easier to find.

How can our station better serve under-represented communities?
Asking them is the best way to find out. I’m an advocate of not only asking them, but training them to provide it and then broadcasting it. That is what builds loyalty and a sense of ownership.

How can our station better serve the many linguistic communities of the signal area?
In time, non-English streams may be useful. Programming that focuses on bi-cultural and bi-linguistic issues is helpful, interesting and compelling for many people who grow up and/or live in multiple language/culture situations.

What do you see as our station’s strong and weak points?
Strong points: long and proud history, ability to engage the community for its protection when threatened, willingness to broadcast events that need to be heard more widely, ability to serve as a platform for unpopular, minority viewpoints, significant staff diversity.

Weak points: tendency to preach to the choir, lack of humor, inability to program as flexibly as needed, limited resources, on-going tension between music and public affairs programming for schedule space, deterioration of arts programming

Have you ever been party to, or provided support for, a lawsuit involving Pacifica or its employees? When and Why?
Nope

How do you think the election process for Local Station Board can be improved?
In time, Internet voting to prevent the huge expense of postal mailings.

What are your hobbies, interests, and other organizational affiliations?
Lots of hobbies and interests: film, writing, traveling, animal rescue, protest activities.
Being elected to the KPFA board will make all of those things harder to pursue :>

What question(s) would you pose to your fellow candidates?
Are you willing to pledge to fall back on Robert’s Rules only when talking to each other first doesn’t work?