Statement: |
Michael Adler is my name and I would like to become a member of the KPFK Local Station Board (LSB). I believe that I can help KPFK improve their funding model and bring more high quality and diverse programming to the station while bridging the gap between the factions within the current LSB. Since February 2017 I have been the KPFK LSB Secretary, but not an elected member of the LSB. As the Secretary, I have witnessed the arguments between those focusing on bringing more diversity to KPFK and those focusing on keeping KPFK financially afloat. I respect both of these perspectives and with your support I would like to work to advance the financial stability of KPFK as well the quality and breadth of our programming.
Many of you know me from the Topanga Peace Alliance where I have been active for over fifteen years. Currently I organize our monthly movies on themes of peace and social justice and help make our annual High School Military Opt Out Drives happen. I also have over 25 years’ experience as a successful small business owner, skilled in technical writing, project management, marketing, sales, accounting, and various computer technologies.
To help the station financially and shorten the fund drive, I would support hiring part-time development staff to research and apply for funding from grants, high value progressives, government, and foundations. There are board members and volunteers, including myself, who could then help in the grant writing and soliciting process. I would also work to find an easy way for lower income individuals to make donations as small as fifty cents a week, perhaps through Venmo, or PayPal, so they can also be voting listener members of KPFK.
In order to reach a broader audience, I believe KPFK should invest in technologies that will allow us to provide multiple simultaneous broadcasts. These technologies could include sideband transmitters, push technologies (podcasts, etc.), or other internet and over-the-air based alternatives to our primary FM station. This would allow concurrent programming to multiple communities that we serve including non-English speakers and the younger audience. I also think that the station should put more effort into training, mentoring, and supporting people in diverse target audiences wanting to get into the radio, and further develop future hosts and producers.
At each LSB meeting I see that there needs to be a better way for members of the community to provide input and suggestion to KPFK. I envision the Community Outreach Committee working with members of the community to develop constructive suggestions that could be input to KPFK management directly or brought forward through motions made by the Community Outreach Committee and approved by the Local Station Board.
In closing, I believe that I can help KPFK become stronger financially, provide more high quality programming and reach a broader population with more diverse voices. I hope you will vote to put me, Michael Adler, on the KPFK Local Station Board.
Questionnaire
1) Why do you want to be on the Local Station Board?
After being the non-voting KPFK Local Station Board (LSB) Secretary since February of 2017, I have seen first-hand that that the LSB, KPFK, and Pacifica can use my help improving their fund raising capabilities, better using social media and technology, responding to listener input, and bridging the gap between the different points of view on the LSB.
2) How do you envision the Local Station Board working with the Pacifica Foundation, KPFK
and the community?
I am very familiar with how the LSB currently works with these groups. If elected, I envision the following changes.
- The KPFK Local Station Board should provide additional input to their Pacifica Foundation representatives, through both dialog with our Pacifica Foundation representatives and through formal motions directing our Pacifica Foundation representatives on input from the Local Station Board.
- I would like to see a monthly agenda item at the LSB meetings that would allow station employees and volunteers to constructively present to the Local Station Board a description of their efforts and where they could use support to better serve the Pacifica mission.
- There needs to be a better way for members of the community to provide input and suggestion to KPFK. I envision that the Community Outreach Committee could work with members of the community to develop constructive suggestions that could be input to KPFK management directly or brought forward through motions made by the Community Outreach Committee and approved by the Local Station Board.
3) How could the station better serve its listeners?
- The station could invest in technologies that will allow it to provide programming to all of the communities we serve including non-English speakers, the younger audience as well as English speaking adult subscribers. These technologies could include sideband transmitters (for HD2 / HD3 Channels), AM, push technologies (podcasts, etc.), and other internet and over-the-air based alternatives to our primary FM station.
- We could find ways to reduce the length of the fund drives. I have some ideas described under 5) below. In addition, we need an easy way for lower income individuals to make donations as low as fifty cents a week, so they can also be voting members of KPFK (perhaps through Venmo, PayPal, or other easy to use services that do not charge a minimum fee per transaction).
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?
- As noted in 3.a above, we need to look at additional ways to get our shows to a broader audience. We need to be broadcasting in both English and Spanish at the same time and investing in technologies to make our shows easier to receive on demand.
- The station could put more efforts into training, mentoring, and supporting people in diverse target audiences wanting to get into the radio, and help develop future hosts and producers. This should include youth, non-English speakers, people of color, and the disadvantaged.
5) What sources of funding, other than listener donations, do you feel KPFK should solicit?
I think KPFK should have a part time professional development staff member to research and apply for funding from grants, high value progressives, government, and private foundations. I believe that there are board members and volunteers, including myself, who could help in the grant writing and soliciting process and these resources should be used to leverage the part time professional development staff member. Graduate student interns with proper supervision could also be utilized to support this effort.
6) Please state briefly the skills, experience, educational 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 have over 25 years’ experience as a small business owner and management consultant in a computer niche. As such, I am very good at listening, working with others, providing guidance and making projects happen. I have skills in marketing, sales, writing, project management, and accounting, as well as certain business software and computer technologies. Prior to owning my own business, I ran computer departments for several years.
- I have been the KPFK LSB Secretary since February of 2017. At the beginning of 2018, I was unanimously selected by the LSB to fill this roll again. I believe that I have the capacity to work with everyone currently on the Local Station Board and help bridge the different points of view.
- I have been the computer brawn behind the Topanga Peace Alliance for over fifteen years and organize our monthly movies on themes of peace and social justice. I have also helped make the Topanga Peace Alliance’s annual “Opt Out” drive happen, where we meet high school students, give them forms to opt out of allowing military recruiters access to their personal and scholastic data and provide alternatives to the military such as information about college scholarships and meaningful careers. Because of my work with the Topanga Peace Alliance, I have many relationships in the local peace and justice community and basic skills in community organizing.
7) Do you anticipate missing any Local Station Board meetings due to family or job related problems or inadequate transportation?
No.
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