Brian Edwards-Tiekert Candidate Statement

KPFA's in pretty good shape: our listenership is holding steady, our internet presence is expanding, our finances are in the black, we're managing to recruit some pretty talented staff for open timeslots and positions and, thanks largely to KPFA's Apprenticeship Program, the station has grown so diverse the CPB now officially considers us a "minority" radio station.

The rest of Pacifica is another story: our stations in Los Angeles and New York have been running deficits, the Pacifica National Board has been passing unfunded mandates, and the Pacifica National Office, feeling the squeeze, has in turn, been squeezing KPFA. And the crisis is more than financial:
Pacifica has no clear programming direction, no strategic plan, and little idea of how the network fits into both the larger media landscape and movements for social and racial justice.

I think KPFA is in a good position to lead the rest of the network—but only if we stop pointing the guns inward. And that's where fixing the Local Station Board comes in. If KPFA is to thrive, the LSB has to be a body whose members can disagree without attacking each other, who can pull together to defend KPFA if the need should arise.

I like to think I've helped improve things in my three years on the LSB. I've worked to find common ground with people I disagree with, helping to hammer out consensus positions on everything from hiring processes to the station's budget.

I think I've been an effective representative of the staff: In 2005, I helped fight off a draconian budget that would have made sweeping—and unnecessary—cuts. In 2006, I helped develop a 360-degree process for evaluating the general manager, the first time in recent history that KPFA's staff— paid and unpaid alike—were able to participate in the review of a station manager. As the elected Treasurer of the LSB, I've brought increased transparency to KPFA's budgeting process, and pushed through policies that, if adopted at the national level, will limit Pacifica's ability to dip into KPFA's finances.

I've raised more than my share of the LSB's expenses, collecting $4500 in off-air donations from friends and comrades. And, though I work in the News Department, I've been a strong advocate for maintaining KPFA's commitment to music and the arts.

In the near future, the most important job facing the LSB is assembling the hiring pools for both a permanent General Manager and a Permanent Program Director. If we want to move KPFA forward, we need good permanent management, and if we want good management, we need a board that doesn't send qualified job-seekers running for the hills. Re-electing me will be one small step toward creating that board.