KPFT Notes

KPFA still has formal postings for the following positions. Lemlem Rijio is the current KPFA interim general manager.

Program Director
KPFA, Berkeley, CA

Established in 1949, KPFA-FM was the first listener-supported radio station in the United States. Located in Berkeley, Calif., it is the flagship station of the Pacifica network. KPFA/Pacifica’s founding mission statement begins with: “To contribute to a lasting understanding between nations and between individuals of all nations, races, creeds and colors: to gather and disseminate information on the causes of conflict between any and all such groups.’ Broadcasting at 59,000 watts, KPFA serves much of Northern and Central California with an eclectic range of cultural, music, news and public affairs programming. KPFA is seeking a Program Director who is serious about creative, quality programming accomplished in a collective decision-making environment. Responsibilities: The Program Director is responsible for the overall supervision and coordination of station programming, including a paid programming staff of about 20 and a volunteer programming staff of over 100. In conjunction with the General Manager, the Program Director consults and collaborates with the Program Council consisting of paid and unpaid staff, and representatives from the listening community. The Program Director establishes and maintains a daily reporting relationship with the General Manager and works in tandem with the other departments within the station. The Program Director participates in the planning of goals and budgets, and analyzes audience and fundraising data, including Audience Research. Requirements: Demonstrated commitment to the principles set forth in Pacifica’s mission statement. Bachelor’s degree or commensurate experience in related media fields a plus. At least 3 years’ experience in radio. Excellent supervisory skills and a proven ability to work with paid and volunteer staff are necessary. Must have a commitment to the creation of programming reflective of the diversity of the listening area. Strong interpersonal and communications skills, ability to lead and mentor people, and ability to work well in a multicultural environment are essential. New media and new technology skills are a plus. Should be a radio visionary with a well-developed sense of quality community-based radio programming. Salary: This is a full-time management position. Salary DOE. Open until filled. Excellent benefits: medical, dental, 403(b), generous vacation and paid holidays. To apply: Send resume and letter of interest to: Lois Withers, Business Manager, KPFA Radio, 1929 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704. KPFA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Refer to Job code #0306PD.

General Manager
KPFA, Berkeley, CA

KPFA-FM in Berkeley, California, was established in 1949 as the first listener-supported radio station in the U.S. It is the flagship station of the Pacifica Network, which is a mission-driven organization dedicated to free speech, peace, social justice, and cross-cultural understanding. Broadcasting at 59,000 watts, KPFA serves much of Northern and Central California with an eclectic mix of arts, cultural, music, news and public affairs programming. KPFA seeks a General Manager to provide leadership and vision, who is serious about innovative, high-quality, community-based programming. Responsibilities: The General Manager (GM) supervises a management team consisting of the Development Director, Program Director, Business Manager, Operations Director and others, in the administration of all station operations, including programming, human resources, budgeting, fundraising, long-term planning, and FCC compliance. The GM reports to both KPFA’s elected Local Station Board and Pacifica’s national Executive Director in implementation of the Pacifica mission. Requirements: Demonstrated commitment to Pacifica’s Mission. Bachelor’s Degree or commensurate experience in related field. 3-5 years of management experience in radio or related media required, radio preferred. Candidate must be committed to creating a diverse workplace. Candidate will possess excellent management skills and a proven ability to work collaboratively with paid and volunteer staff. Candidate will possess strong interpersonal and communications skills and the ability to lead and motivate staff and volunteers. Salary: This is a full-time management position. Annual salary: DOE. Excellent benefits: medical, dental, 403(b), and generous vacation and holidays benefit. To apply: Email your resume, letter of interest and salary requirement to Yolandaatpacifica.org, fax to (510) 849-0242 or mail them to: Yolanda Thomas, Pacifica Foundation, 1925 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704, Applications will be held in confidence. DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: Open until filled. Refer to Job Code 0406GM. Pacifica Foundation/KPFA is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Pacifica Radio – Network Programming Coordinator

Status: Regular Full Time
Main site: Washington, DC

Definition:

The Network Programming Coordinator works under the supervision of the Executive Director, and is responsible for the implementation of Pacifica's national programming policy and the coordination of its national production and distribution resources and personnel.

The work of the coordinator is guided by Pacifica’s mission to operate radio outlets that encourage the creative skills and energies of the community; contribute to a lasting understanding between nations and individuals of all nations, races, creeds and colors; gather and disseminate information on the causes of conflict between such groups; promote the study of political and economic problems and of the causes of religious, philosophical and racial antagonisms; and employ varied sources in the public presentation of accurate, comprehensive news on all matters vitally affecting the community.

Main responsibilities:

1. Ensures and assists in the development of clear national programming policies and goals through a consultative process among Pacifica stakeholders, and coordinates the implementation of these goals and policies, upon adoption by the Pacifica National Board through the setting of annual national priorities and a national programming evaluation process.

2. Coordinates the development, production, distribution, and evaluation of mission-driven national programming throughout the Pacifica family, effectively mobilizing the resources of affiliate stations, Free Speech Radio News, the Pacifica Radio Archives, the D.C. News bureau, national technical and web staff, station news and public affairs departments, and others.

3. Facilitates the national distribution of programs produced by affiliate and local stations, and coordinates a process for determining the schedule and protocol for use of the KU satellite in cooperation with the Affiliates Coordinator.

4. Develops new national programs, in cooperation with other members of the Operations Collective and by soliciting input from both Pacifica and independent producers.

5. Encourages the involvement of all ages, genders, languages, backgrounds and beliefs in the programming and production infrastructure, mindful of CPB financial incentives.

6. Promotes and facilitates community-based "remote" broadcasts, community outreach and needs assessments with the cooperation and support of local stations.

7. Develops and submits budgets for approval to the ED and the CFO; maintains established budget and cost guidelines; assists with proposals regarding future national programming, distribution, and funding sources.

8. Develops and maintains a network programming calendar in consultation with station managers, program directors, and other national staff.

Duties:

1. Manages the review and approval of special broadcasts within guidelines established by the Operations Collective (including general managers, national programming staff, and others designated by the OC); ensures that protocols are followed, maintains quality, and evaluates programs after they have occurred.

2. Provides staff support for the National Programming Committee and organizes periodic meetings with other stakeholders.

3. Works with the Affiliates Coordinator, other national staff, and affiliate stations to solicit feedback on programming and distribution, and to expand Pacifica's audience through partnerships with community media networks and media advocacy organizations.

4. Ensures that training programs are organized for existing and new volunteers and assists in that process, with a focus on Pacifica and station missions, remote broadcasts, production, and journalism, to ensure that new voices are heard on the air.

5. Works with technical staff to assess the distribution needs and existing resources of the network on an ongoing basis to assure that all needs are being met.

6. Organizes yearly training programs for station staff to avoid violations of FCC regulations, including episodes of obscenity or defamation that can jeopardize Pacifica's licenses and expose it to legal liabilities; issues periodic reminders to station management and staff on compliance responsibilities.

7. Provides support to local stations, in conjunction with the National Technical Director, consultants, and other staff, for the live broadcast of, a) Town Hall Meetings that contribute to community needs assessment, and b) programs that contribute to a deeper understanding of institutional racism and how to address it.

8. Promotes collaborative relationships between local staff around the country in ways that build "network" synergy, including regular meetings with key station personnel.

9. Reports to the Executive Director monthly on implementation of the National Programming Policy, current and planned programs, and supervision of assigned National Staff.

Qualifications:

Education: Bachelors degree in mass communication or related field, or 4 years of documented equivalent training.

Experience: Five years of media management and programming and/or production experience. Background in public or community broadcasting, familiarity with radio technology, and personal history of peace and justice activism is preferred.

Skills and abilities: Ability to work in a multicultural environment, communicate at the highest level, and prepare sophisticated analysis and various types of presentation. Must have demonstrated employee and volunteer relations skills and be able to relate to a wide range of people and opinions. Excellent general writing skill. Detail oriented and able to handle multiple tasks.

Mental abilities: Ability to think clearly and manage multiple changing priorities, remaining pleasant and positive. Requires critical thinking, ability to support people with difficult challenges, and good judgment

Salary- $65,000 plus excellent benefits package

Application deadline: Open until filled

To Apply: Send resume and letter of interest to:

Phil Osegueda
Assistant to the Executive Director
1925 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, CA 94704

The Pacifica Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a diverse workforce.

• Alexandra Siimotas, M.D., pulled together a great Open Journal Thursday. A board-certified ob/gyn, Dr. Simotas speaks on women's health and gives advice to listeners on a variety of issues they face. She came through our New Voices program. Here are audio links to her April 6 and April 27 Open Journals. Alex is reachable via her website. We'll try to get Alex back on in June, as well as connecting her with a few shows for appearances.
• TechWeb says XM Satellite Radio reported a net loss of $149.2 million for the quarter ending March 31, compared with a loss of $119.9 million during the same period a year ago. Losses increased as subscriber acquisition costs rose to $62 per new subscriber in the quarter from $52 a year ago. Programming costs are noted as an ongoing issue.
• Since our most recent schedule changes, I have received a steady stream of complaints from listeners about profanity and graphic content during the station's midnight-5 a.m. safe harbor period. Thus, I need to clarify a few things. Safe harbor is not a license to no longer screen music or play/say anything you wish. Safe harbor is intended as an opportunity to selectively air items one might not get a chance to air because of language. Graphic sexual content is still regulated by the FCC and a number of on-air discussions are not permitted, regardless of the hour. Gratuitous profanity is not acceptable. I ask you to spend some time and carefully review your content. If you wish to air something with profanity, or to have an off-color discussion, please ask about the law and community needs, and choose in service to the community first. I do not want to issue a sanction over this, and would most prefer people moderate their guests, music and/or themselves. If complaints continue, I will touch base with individual programmers about the complaints and the reason for particular content, then make a judgment from there. However, the frequency of profanity and questionable content during late-night programs is widespread. I know many of you have received little guidance on this, and appreciate your efforts to improve.
• I do not expect every programmer to like one another, but I do expect everyone to be respectful of one another on the air in the interests of KPFT. Taking what you feel about a particular person's beliefs or persona to the airwaves is not okay. Such behavior really is a disservice to listeners and only isolates others when, as you know, our mission is about encouraging dialogue and understanding. There are a few cases, such as with programmers joking together about each other, which are fine. I am happy to facilitate a mediation session between two volunteers who are having communication issues; just ask me to make this happen. However, mocking other volunteers' efforts, beliefs, voices, et al. on the air will not be tolerated. I haven't formulated a sanction for this and would prefer not to go there if I don't have to, so please be courteous to other volunteers and let's work off-air on any concerns with others you may have. Thanks.

As promised, here are notes from the Great Music Breaks Workshop. As with the Story Focus notes I posted, I think all volunteers could learn from these ideas. Basics in preparing for a music show’s breaks
Prep
Warmup: don’t wait until the show to be warm.
Listen
Aircheck

Less is more. A good break should only be two minutes at most.

Good posture is critical.

Good modulation means you have consistent breaths at consistent times.

You are presenting content that transforms people.

Do not be a radio announcer. Be a communicator.

Personalize it. “Are you talking to me?”

People will not change what they do until they listen to their show and care about it.

Don’t read it; speak it. Say something important by asking questions, say ‘you.’

Music breaks should be two minutes.

Attitude that radio does matter, no matter the time, needs to be clearly conveyed.

Be entertaining. Have fun on the air, and realize people listen to the radio to be entertained. If they didn’t, why wouldn’t they just buy CDs?

Take your ego out of airchecks, listen 24 hours after it’s done and critique yourself then. Listen while distracted and pretend you’re a radio audience.

To think about as you listen to an aircheck: Are you connected to your content? Are you sharing yourself with me? Do you seem interested in what you’re saying? Does it have variety?

A lot of your voice is in the body, not your mouth.

Here are technical aspects: pitch (monotone? Are you utilizing your highs and lows?); rhythm (to you have pacing or run everything together?); tempo

DO NOT SAY “you’ve just listened to” or “up next” because people already know that.

Mix up your styles; avoid ruts; change up your presentation of names and songs.

Promos should invite you to something.

The Story Focus for Radio Workshop at NFCB was one of the best I attended. I wanted to share my notes from this session with our volunteers; I think everyone, whether you’re doing news or public affairs, can learn from these techniques. I will post the great music breaks session notes tomorrow. Writing for the Ear: taking scripts and writing them for speech as opposed to reading them.

Advocates may not understand what a story is, how to tell not just the facts but what a story is.

Think about what story stays with you? Stories about people are most memorable; people talking to people.

Start any story with the audience. What they are interested is the relationship of a story to themselves as human beings. Passion, feeling, what it means to a source.

There is a big difference between stories and facts. Use facts to tell a story, but people to illustrate it.

Mind map: Draw a circle and draw spokes from it. When your brain synapses connect, they map outward. The problem is that once one think a given thought pattern, it’s more likely we will think that way. Use the circle for brainstorming.

Put happiness in the middle of your circle. Now go around the circle, without thinking, and place associations with each spoke. Now look at what you have in terms of happiness. How many of you have written down one, two, three words others will share? Go through and see what words get at least half. Note that everyone is an individual, and the chances of finding half the room with consensus on a word are slim. Now, do spokes on each word/spoke. This will give you a new way of thinking of something.

How do we decide how to do a story? First, think of who is in the story. If it is in your mind, put it down. Every spoke could be a trail to a story.

Now, once mind map is done:

Why do I care? Why am I doing this story and not some other story? If you can’t find a solid reason why you care, find something else. If you’re forced to care (job), identify a means of caring.

Why will my audience care? Once you understand this, you have your angle.

Developing the idea. What do I know about this story? What do I need to know? What don’t you know? Who is in the story that I could talk to? Think about who has the authority to tell a story because they’re living an experience. Just about everyone has a perspective.

Research: putting names to story development. When you find someone who is engaged in some way, as opposed to just talking about it, write it down and maintain this contact, as it is a story.

Once you find that person it is a “focus statement” for a story. Focus on what they’re doing and why (i.e. what they tell you about why they’re doing it). When listeners make a conclusion, they make that story their own. You want to leave enough work for the audience to do, so they remember the story.

We have to be careful not to underestimate the intelligence of our audience.

We all have different stories in our heads; the easiest story to cue is about personal responsibility. When you go to the individual, people turn to personal responsibility. @Focus on the systems in your stories, if our focus is to make social change.

As you have developed the story, you are to the General Focus Idea: given all this information, do I care about this story? If you can’t connect it to a larger audience, move on. It’s not about your agenda, but your listeners.

Radio is more competitive than it has ever been, that if we do not make it compelling, they will go somewhere else.

You hear print stories on the radio all the time, but no one remembers them. The mistake that people make is that listeners care about what they care about, and we need to be aware of what their listeners care about, not what we care about. They have their own interests, and we can keep them by telling stories that they care about.

All of us have stopped and listened to the radio. Our listeners do too. When done right, radio connects with people and make a real difference.

Question about influences/biases: desire to not be biased, and an editor (just someone to review) help in fairness.

Question on clarity: biggest block is scriptreading and writing. We tend to write for the eye, but not the ear. We do not talk like we write; ear does not hear words, it hears ideas. We can read for hours, but not listen for hours. Ear fatigues quicker than the eye. Example of Ira Glass; e mimics human speech rather than script. The sentence is to speech as the paragraph is to writing.

One can convey optimism, energy, passion in breath and cadence. Performance is important; listeners do not have facial expressions. If you need to go over the top, so that voice conveys more, good. We are not trying to deceive, but to be honest. Emotion sets a tone.

As a young producer, you may create a montage, but as a veteran, you can give context.

KCSB is recruiting for a half time News Director who is primarily responsible for training and mentoring students and community members in the production of a daily local news cast.  Secondarily, the person assists in the development and maintenance of public affairs programs.

KCSB is located at the University of California at Santa Barbara.  Employees receive tuition reductions, so it is possible for the news director to pursue academic courses while in this position.  For information and a full job description, go to http://hr.ucsb.edu/employment/.

Since its successful launch in December 2005, I’ve Known Rivers: The MoAD Story Project (IKR) – an unprecedented global effort by an international museum to collect, document, publish, produce, and archive "first voice" digital narratives about people of African descent – has published a volume of first-person narratives, poems, and stories from places as diverse as Beijing, Bosnia, Brazil, South Africa, Asmara, Haiti and San Francisco. On April 1, the project will begin accepting new submissions for its second volume of stories.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of thousands of people are still homeless, their stories still untold. The second volume of I’ve Known Rivers: The MoAD Story Project, to be published on May 30, 2006, will feature a section devoted to Hurricane Katrina survivors and their dramatic stories.

“Hurricane Katrina has produced one of the largest migrations of people of African descent since the civil war,” said Denise Bradley, Executive Director of the Museum of the African Diaspora. “Their stories and their voices deserve to be documented and preserved. And MoAD, as a ‘first voice’ institution, is best-suited to capture and contextualize these stories unlike any other museum in the nation.”

The purpose of the project is to create an international digital community that provides a voice for, and affirms the varied and often untold stories of people of African descent throughout the world. IKR is similar in vision to the historic WPA Federal Writers' Project (1936 -1940), which archived thousands of items, including essays, oral testimony, folklore, and authentic narratives of ex-slaves about life during slavery and the U.S. Civil War. IKR will continue to collect, publish, and archive stories about life across the Diaspora by well-known, published authors as well as new storytellers.

The project will use various digital media, including audio interviews, streaming video, flash, and photo montage to capture and present the most compelling stories from all entries submitted.

All stories must focus on one of MoAD’s four themes: origins, movement, adaptation, and transformation. Although, currently there is a particular interest in Hurricane Katrina stories, IKR continues to solicit all stories related to the African Diaspora.

The deadline for stories for I’ve Known Rivers – Vol. II is May 15, 2006. For more information and guidelines about story submission, visit www.iveknownrivers.org

Board elections are coming, and volunteers like you will elect staff representatives to that board. KPFT wants to see you participate in this process, as staff representatives speak for volunteers at KPFT. Please remember to sign in to the books downstairs so your status is documented. If you have time to attend a meeting or two a month and you want to bring something unique to KPFT, now is the time to consider running for the board. Again, don't forget to sign in your volunteer hours to the books on the credenza by reception.

On Saturday morning before I left for Houston, I attended the Future of Music Programming Workshop. It was somewhat interesting, though I felt the presence of syndicated program reps on the panel often detracted from the larger discussion about what stations deal with. Although I appreciate that a show like Putamayo World Music Hour is successful (we’ve even run it on KPFT before), syndicated shows also represent serious and funded competition for local, grassroots, volunteer-inspired music programs. In some cases, that competition is healthy, but in other respects, regional music could be battered down the line by tighter syndie shows that may lack the soul of local volunteers.

For those looking at how to strengthen your music programming, Nico of St. Louis’ KDHX offers the following approach.

Strengthening the core of what you do; know what you do well and the service you provide; Expand the original content that you create. Examples: 3-5 minute segments; in-studio performances. Create content that is unique.

Embed yourself in the music community. It’s less than music and more about community. To remain relevant, you must be more connected. Linking with local artists, being at clubs, understanding trends, etc.

Look at new music channels. Internet is a third channel, accompanying radio and television.

Every area has an identity and culture of its own. Very activist and very involved. The music coming out of these circles and programming feels more alive.

I will post more session notes shortly.

KBOO, Portland’s community radio station, hosted this year’s National Federation of Community Broadcasters conference. In addition to meeting up with old political associates, I enjoyed Portland for the great atmosphere that is KBOO. As a relatively new PD, this trip gave me a chance to formulate new ideas; KBOO is doing a lot of great things.

Turning The Tables is currently looking for two women with previous knowledge and/or a high interest in audio production…The successful candidates will partake in an 8 week program, where they will learn how to use studio equipment, at the end of the 8 weeks they will be taken to Cuba for 2 weeks to teach youth in Cuba how to use the same equipment…

Candidates should be 16-19 preferably, and able to speak Spanish.

Anyone interested should contact Liam Barrington-Bush, Liam@turningthetables.ca.