• Audio Statement: Download or Stream to Media Player (mp3 format)
• Nomination Statement
• Candidate Questionnaire

I, Andrea Joyce Turner, am a candidate for the Local Station Board of KPFA 94.1 FM Radio.

I am a member of the Concerned Listeners for KPFA, a slate of activists who want to broaden KPFA's listener base through outreach, support diversity in programming and engender an atmosphere of dialogue and respect on the Board.

As a cultural activist and community organizer, I have supported Pacifica Foundation and KPFA for over thirty years. I bring experience in building partnerships, collaborations and fundraising which will help strengthen KPFA's place in the community and enable the station to expand programming and explore new technologies.

As an African American woman, I've worked with diverse communities in struggles for workers' rights, civil rights and human rights. I am Program Director of Senior Companions and Foster Grandparents for the City of Oakland. I have served on several boards including A Safe Place, a battered women's shelter/program in Oakland, and the East Bay Peace Action Board. These positions have given me experience in areas of policy and program development, fundraising and outreach.

As a cultural activist, I am a founder, organizer and current director of Vukani Mawethu choir which grew out of the anti-apartheid movement. I organized and perform with the Freedom Song Network and have worked on numerous cultural festivals including Music for Peace & Liberation, Art Works for People, the Western Workers Labor Heritage Festival and Aging in the Arts, an art exhibit for Older Americans Month.

I have a BA in Sociology, an MA in Community Development & Public Service and am currently completing a PhD in Education.

I have extensive experience working with grassroots and faith-based programs and public and non-profit organizations in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. These experiences have helped shape my perspective and understanding of the power of collective work and the value of local media access. From organizing the Rainbow Coalition in Richmond, singing on trucks to get out the vote in East Oakland, rallying with farm workers in Watsonville, to working with Bill Graham as co-chair of the mass welcome for Nelson Mandela at the Oakland Coliseum - the information and access that KPFA has provided has been invaluable.

I believe my experience in fundraising and grant writing will be an asset to the KPFA Board. I've written grants raising more than $10 million for community programs dealing with mental health, homelessness and senior services.

At a time when voices for social change are being stifled, the best counter attack is a united voice of the people. Artists and activists need KPFA to celebrate our diversity, express our dissent and mobilize the progressive community into action!

Above all as a listener, I value and support the staff, apprentices and volunteers who work hard to make programs that the left depends on and that can't be found anywhere else on the dial!

As a Concerned Listener of KPFA, I ask for your vote. For information on other Concerned Listener candidates go to www.kpfalisteners.org.

Endorsed by: Angela Davis, Nunu Kidane, Betty Brown, Pat Jamison, Susan Stone.

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

I want to work collectively, in the spirit of Lew Hill's vision, to keep true to the mission of social justice and cultural diversity.

I want to ensure that the lines of communication are open and transparent (i.e. Pacifica Foundation, KPFA and above all with our listeners!) in which to assist in a process of dialogue, outreach and that of building the listener base!

I want to build a cultural base inclusive of the labor, young and older people, and people of color, musicians, literary, visual and performing artists, organizers and listeners in general! I want to work to have our voices heard in many formats throughout our varied communities.

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

If elected, I envision working with a board that is open to differing views, taking a stance and that of being responsible for the outcomes! I envision working together and in struggle to define and develop policies that will move the station forward (i.e. fund development and outreach). I envision a LSB working to reach out and include other non-progressive voices to dialogue and to develop "new" partnerships.

3. How could the station better serve its listeners?

I believe we can best serve our listeners by developing formats in which to LISTEN to our listeners: i.e. "friend-raising sessions/ in homes" - having smaller settings (not just town hall meetings), outreach to community programs serving the elderly and or youth - - just to feel the pulse of the community and identify areas of what the listener would like from KPFA.

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?

I would identify the areas where KPFA is underrepresented and develop a plan to "reach out" to schedule a format for dialogue and sharing of information. I would work with members within each of the underrepresented areas/communities to identify a means in which "we" - KPFA could share a working relationship!

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

Fundraising: Using the archives to package off air fundraising materials/sales; developing line item budget targets to develop fundraising goals - develop small targets with long-range planning goals; heavy grant development, speaker fees/stipends for the station, etc...

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.

Skills/Experience: I work for City of Oakland- Program Director for the Senior Companion/Foster Grandparent Programs. Please note my Candidate Statement for additional comments.

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

No I do not plan to miss any LSB 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?

I would like to serve on the Fundraising and Outreach committees/sub-committees where my skills and talents can best be utilized.