Being around KPFK and Pacifica for a while one realizes that there are treasures to be maintained and potentials to be achieved. This requires participation, dedication, intelligence and experience.

First, you should know about recent positive changes that have occurred at KPFK and in Pacifica, all of which were initiated by the very board you are voting to populate right now, the KPFK Local Station Board (LSB.)

Pacifica has a new Executive Director, Maxie Jackson, an industry professional with an impressive background. You can read his background at Pacifica.org or on Linkedin.

The National Board has contracted an outside non-profit accounting firm “National Education Telecommunications Association” to clean up our bookkeeping and accounting.

KPFK has a new General Manager, Anyel Fields, who is highly qualified and highly competent. He is infusing the station with greater efficiency and expansion which include new programs, special community events, enhanced social media presence and more standardized management. KPFK has hired Kevin Flemming as the Program Director. He is a highly qualified and successful radio professional and was chosen from a pool of candidates selected by the LSB.

These are some of the highlights, and they all came from the Local Station Board and its committees and from KPFK representatives on the National Board. Of course, it is a team effort including board members from all the stations, but the impetus came from KPFK, I’m proud to say., At least that’s my opinion.

You are going to elect people to sit on the KPFK Local Station Board and the best players in this game are those who have these 4 qualities: participation, dedication, intelligence and experience. The LSB does not control the programming. The LSB controls the management. It hires and fires the General Manager and the Program Director (essentially) and makes sure the station is being run correctly, fulfilling our mission to support progressive issues and promote peace and social justice. Being on the board is a commitment to keep the station on the air and make sure it grows. You must show up to the meetings, learn about radio and governance, work on committees, research traditional and new forms of media, interview applicants, and many other tasks. Pacifica is not a theater for political conflict. Pacifica is a communication channel for educating and inspiring the public on progressive issues and serving the public’s needs and interests. That’s what I’ve done and will continue to do.

I’m Ken Aaron, currently the KPFK Treasurer. I’ve been on the LSB for about 9 years total, on the PNB for about 3 years in the past. I’ve been on various local and national committees regarding planning, programming, and finances. My background is computer technology and I’m originally from New York, living in LA for the past 43 years. I believe in the Pacifica Mission and I believe in uncensored content and a fiercely independent station. Thanks for your vote and support the Committee to Strengthen KPFK (CandidateSlate.org.)

Answers to Candidate Questionnaire

1. Why do you want to be on the Local Station Board?
   
To contribute to the maintenance and enhancement of the station and its benefit to all the people in its signal area.


2. How do you envision the Local Station Board working with the Pacifica Foundation, your station, and the community?
   
The Local Station Board (LSB) works with the Pacifica Foundation in three primary ways:

1. The Pacifica National Board is the actual legal entity that is the Pacifica Foundation. This Board is a body of 22 Directors which includes 4 Directors elected from the LSB of each station and 2 Directors from the affiliate stations. So, to repeat, KPFK elects 4 Directors to sit on the Pacifica National Board (PNB.)
2. The LSB members do work on PNB committees. Various Committees which help the PNB function such as the Finance Committee, Audit Committee, Programming Committee. The committees are populated by PNB Directors and by LSB members who are not Directors from each of the various stations.
3. Each station contributes approximately 20% of its gross revenue to the operations of the National Board. The LSB oversees that this account is maintained.
   
   The LSB works with KPFK by providing oversight of its operations, its performance and its adherence to the Pacifica Bylaws and Mission Statement. This oversight is conducted through local LSB Committees. The functions and responsibilities of the LSB and of most of these committees is defined in the Bylaws. The committees often examine operations and draft resolutions which when presented to and approved by the LSB are implemented as policy at the station. These can range from requesting greater diversity in programming content to using a different computer system.
   
   The LSB also evaluates the General Manager and the Program Director and can move to have either or both dismissed. Search committees are established to seek applicants and select a final pool for each of these positions. Finally, the ED selects the GM and the GM selects the Program Director.
   
   Each station should have an operational Community Advisory Board (CAB) to work with various people in the signal area to determine their concerns and interests and expectations of the station. This committee is a requirement of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. LSB members and KPFK staff are not allowed to participate in the CAB. KPFK also has an Outreach Committees which works to promote the station and address concerns and interests of the community.
   
   Other contacts and influence from the community are accomplished through call-in shows, report to the listener programs, Town Hall Meetings, public events, internet surveys, election of LSB members, and emails sent to management and the programmers.
   
   When we improve our contact and relationship with various communities and with the public in general, our audience and membership should grow. This is the main strategy management has chosen and will be highlighted in the station's efforts.
   
   
3. How could the station better serve its listeners?
   
At least some programming should:

a. Manifest greater diversity, including the variety of cultures in our listening area, b. Broadcast programs that address personal and family issues, how to get your kids in college, how to handle addiction in self or others, where’s a good beach to go to,
c. Have more call-in shows.
d. Produce programs with prominent civic leaders like the Mayor, Chief of Police, Head of the Health Dept and Unions Leaders.
e. Establish an online ranking and comment system allowing listers to give us feedback on the quality and relevance of our programs.
f. Hold town hall meetings and public picnics. Also, participate in local fairs.
g. Provide air time to shows produced by students studying broadcasting.
h. Provide more live music, including by unknown but up and coming bands.

Additionally, KPFK should:

• Establish Standard Business Practices regarding staff hiring, training, evaluation, and termination.
• Implement new programming to broaden the scope of material presented to the audience. (example: Thom Hartman Show, Ralph Nader Hour.)
• Use software to enhance member contacts and communication.
• Expand our presence on social media.
• Create greater accessibility to programs from mobile devices.
• Expand the inventory of programs and podcasts available via the internet. (example: Bike Show, Dog Noir.)
• Broadcast more shows from other stations and affiliates. (example: Richard Wolf, Letters & Politics.)
  
  
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?
   
KPFK currently provides more air time to underrepresented communities than any other English speaking radio station in Los Angeles, and perhaps in California. We currently broadcast 32 hours of Spanish Language Programs during the week and a 4 hour Spanish Language Music program on Saturday. We also broadcast American Indian Airwaves programming, a program covering issues of disabled people, two programs on LGBTQ issues and two programs on Middle East issues.

We are, however, ignoring several major underrepresented communities. For example: Asian Americans and immigrants, Russian, Iranian, Philippine, Armenian, and Vietnamese Communities, and of course there are others. A comprehensive project should be undertaken to accommodate these communities by inclusion in regular programming, special ethnocentric programs, and blanket programs to cover the variety of cultures in our city.

There is another class of underrepresented communities that KPFK should address. These are communities of interest, for example: Science, Academia, Civil Service Employees, Food – Dining – Nutrition, Computer Gaming, Health Care Professionals, Travel, Films (we do have a theater program) and Financial Markets. We have no coverage on Stocks and Bonds or Banking. We do have programs deriding capitalism but no programs reporting on the current aspects and activities of “The Market.”

The KPFK General Manager has one program in development that will be addressing under reported communities but I am withholding the details and you’ll just have to wait to find out what it is.

5. What sources of funding, other than listener donations, do you feel your station should solicit?
   
The intention of the founder of Pacifica, Lew Hill, was for this to be “Listener Sponsored Radio” and the “justification” for it being on the air was support from the listeners. Not government or non-profit grants, advertising or philanthropic donations. Well, practicality raises its ugly head and we have to meet the bills. So, here are some things we can do until we get the programming up to par where it is totally supported by listener donations:

• Monetize access to archive downloads (e.g. $5/month for 20 hours of material from the last 5 years,)
• Patreon.com accounts for each program.
• Go Fund me campaigns for special asset or operational goals.
• Dinner with the host (like Amy Goodman)
• VIP events.
• Dedicated grants for general operations from Govt or non-profits.
• Dedicated grants for a limited group of topics such as education, environment, conflict resolution, radio drama production or intern training.
• Bequests
• Renting out the facilities to radio and tv producers.


6. Please state briefly the skills, experience, educational background, workhistory, 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.
   
Briefly and not in any sequence:


Bachelor of Engineering from City College of NY.
Programmer for major corporations
Systems and Design Engineer in the Mortgage Industry
Car Salesman
Personal Counselor
Property Management
Dishwasher
Door to Door salesman
ACLU Chapter President
Former President of the Visual Artists Guild (Human Rights Organization)
Former Board member of South East European Film Festival
Former member of the Protect California Ballots group.

My basic interests politically center on civil rights and liberties for all citizens and compassion and address to those politically oppressed and exploited. We are all one race, we are all people of the Earth. If you have some unusual friends who are from Neptune, I’d certainly like to meet them. I think I know some who've come from Mars, but they're ok, really.


7. Do you anticipate missing any Local Station Board meetings due to family or job related problems or inadequate transportation?
   
No …. Well, maybe if I win a trip to Europe I might miss a meeting. Hopefully, my close relatives, if they die, will have the graciousness not to interfere with scheduled meetings.


8. On which Local Station Board committees are you interested in actively serving? If you are a current Local Station Board member, on which committees do you currently serve?
   
Currently I am on the KPFK Local Finance Committee, the National Finance Committee and the National Programming Committees and would continue on these committees.

Please forgive any typos or faux pas that may have found their way into my answers above.