• Nomination Statement
• Candidate Questionnaire

I'm Anthony Fest and I'm running for election to the LSB as a Staff delegate.

We can all be proud of KPFA's history, but we can make the station even better. There are many populations in the Bay Area who merit more attention in our broadcasts, including immigrants, prisoners, veterans, seniors, and low-income people. We also need more environmental programs, and more coverage of local public services (schools, health care, transit, etc.). Ideologically, KPFA should be the "big tent" of the Left: a place where socialists, anarchists, Greens, and progressive Democrats can all be heard. To carry only one political perspective would be like playing only one kind of music.

We need to do a better job of bringing in volunteer programmers. We're fortunate to be in a region rich in progressive thought and activist tradition; we need to draw more of that energy into KPFA, not just for answering phones during fund drives, but for creating programs.

We should try to learn from other community radio stations. We should study what our counterparts are doing at KPFK, KBOO, etc., and look for good ideas that we can adapt to our station.

Another priority must be making the station more widely known. Can we say with confidence that everyone who should know about KPFA does know about KPFA? We can't rely only on bumper stickers; we need to do more publicity. A series of ads in community newspapers, and perhaps a couple of billboards, could help raise KPFA's profile.

I've been a volunteer in KPFA's News Department since 1994. My primary work now is hosting the evening news on Sundays and holidays. Among the improvements I've brought to these newscasts are meticulous editing to remove pro-government bias from wire-service reports, and doing phone interviews with people who live where the news is happening (e.g. Palestinians in Gaza), rather than depending entirely on U.S.-based 'experts' for analysis of the day's events. Another enhancement I've made is reading a list of Community Announcements (upcoming lectures, demonstrations, etc.) at the end of each newscast.

In addition to my News Department experience, I've been a member of the Program Council for two years, as a representative of the Unpaid Staff Organization. The PC performs evaluations of programs already on-air, and also decides which proposed programs should be approved for broadcast. Serving on the PC has enhanced my understanding of programming issues.

If elected to the LSB, I will be a dependable and conscientious member. I'd appreciate your support. Thank you!

1. Why do you want to be on the Local Station Board?

For about a decade, I've had the privilege of doing weekend and holiday newscasts on KPFA. Two years ago, seeking an additional avenue to contribute to the station, I was elected to the Program Council as an Unpaid Staff representative. Now I'd like to help with governance and management oversight by serving on the LSB. These issues will be new to me, but I pledge to approach them with careful, independent thinking.

2. How do you envision the Local Station Board working with the Pacifica Foundation, KPFA, and the community?

Besides their mandated responsibilities (budgetary control, management oversight), LSB members should help insure that the station remains "rooted" in the community, i.e. they should promote communication between station management and the community. LSB members should also make sure that the concerns of our station and our listening area are heard by Pacifica management.

3. How could the station better serve its listeners?

First, the station needs to make stronger efforts to find out what listeners want. For example, once our next Program Director is hired, he/she should host monthly call-in shows, (scheduled for the evening or weekend, so that working people can tune in) to solicit listener comments and suggestions about programming. One or more department heads should take part in each show, to answer listener questions about their specific areas. There should also be more surveys about programming (some of them done online to save mailing expense).

4. Describe some actions you would take to increase the influence of the station in underrepresented communities and to increase the diversity of the listening audience?

The surest way of proving KPFA's commitment to underrepresented communities is to broadcast programming for those communities. A couple of examples: given the region's large and diverse Asian populations, one hour of programming per week is not enough. And how can a progressive station in the Bay Area not have an LGBT program?

5. What sources of funding, other than listener donations, do you feel KPFA should solicit?

It's smart to explore additional sources of funding (benefit concerts, etc.), so long as maintaining KPFA's independence remains paramount. However, listener-sponsorship will always be the cornerstone, and we should look for ways to enhance it. For example, the station web site should have a link for online pledging, prominently displayed year-round; the online-pledge option should offer a small selection of premiums, and this array of premiums should change periodically. A permanent online presence for pledging could attract people who tune out during on-air pitches.

And let's remember that bringing in more revenue is only half the story. To keep the station financially sound, it's also important to keep a careful watch on expenditures.

6. Please briefly state the skills, experience, education background, work history, organizational affiliations, areas of community service, areas of interest and expertise that you would bring to the Pacifica network as a member of the Local Station Board.

I took KPFA's news training class in 1994 and I've been volunteering at the station ever since. I've also done freelance reporting for the Pacifica Network News, KQED News, Living on Earth, and Morning Edition. And I've written articles for the Bay Guardian and the newsletter of the Society of Professional Journalists (Northern California chapter). My focus now is doing Sunday and holiday newscasts on KPFA.

I've served on the KPFA Program Council since 2004, as a representative of the Unpaid Staff. I have a degree in economics, my day job is in state civil service, and I'm a union member (SEIU Local 1000).

7. Do you anticipate missing any Local Station Board meetings due to family or job related problems or inadequate transportation?

Not likely. In two years on the Program Council, I've missed only a handful of the weekly meetings.

8. On which Local Station Board committees are you interested in actively serving?

Finance Committee.