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• Nomination Statement
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My name is Sarv Randhawa, and I'm running for re-election to KPFA's Local Station Board. Over the years, I have struggled along with many others to preserve valuable community institutions: volunteering at La Pena Cultural Center when it was first founded, managing the Freight & Salvage Coffee House in the 1970s, and, most recently, joining the struggle to save KPFA and Pacifica in 1999.

I have served as an elected representative on KPFA's Local Station Board since it was first created three years ago, and I have also represented KPFA on the Pacifica National Board for my entire term. This year, I became Vice-Chair of the Pacifica National Board. In my years of board service, I have worked hard on several committees: the national board's Programming Committee, Coordinating Committee and Executive Review Committee, and the local board's Outreach Committee and General Manager Hire Committee.

KPFA/Pacifica has been an advocate for Peace and Justice and a voice for the voiceless for over 55 years. Perhaps no other radio station in the world has embarked on such a noble mission. It has brought us musicians, artists, writers, thinkers and philosophers covering the most important issues of our times. In an age of disappearing community institutions, KPFA is vital for our community and for our nation.

I believe that the greatest danger facing humanity is its habituation to war and violence. The founder of this network, Lew Hill, realized that the conflicts would not be resolved through violence and war, and that the solution lay in dialogue and discussion. I deeply embrace his vision and commitment to Peace and Justice; as a member of the Local Station Board (LSB) I will continue to contribute to the realization of that vision today. I will work toward consensus in decision-making, and a continued commitment to arts, culture, and music on KPFA's air.

I am proud to be endorsed by Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions and focus of Bill Moyers' groundbreaking PBS television series "The Wisdom of Faith With Houston Smith." I'm also running as part of the group whose platform is listed at kpfalisteners.org. We are endorsed by media critic Norman Solomon, Global Exchange co-founder Kevin Danaher, former Local Advisory Board chair Sherry Gendelman, Pacifica Historian Matthew Lasar, author of Pacifica Radio: Rise of an Alternative Radio Network, and Lynn Hollander.

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

KPFA has enriched my life with its programming in music, arts, literature, and public affairs for over 30 years and I want to give back whatever I can. It takes a long time to establish democratic community institutions such as KPFA/Pacifica, let alone a media institution run democratically. I have been privileged to serve on the first KPFA elected board as well as the Pacifica National Board. I will put to use my valuable experience over the past three years and do my best to keep this institution vital and preserve it for generations to come.

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

The LSB must work well with Pacifica and also must reach out to the many communities that are the KPFA listeners. The LSB is a critical link between the station, Pacifica and its listeners and as such is a critical element of the Pacifica network. The LSB/Pacifica relationship must be one of shared power, cooperative and collaborative decision-making and ongoing dialogue.

3. How could the station better serve its listeners?

The station has two roles: First, as a forum for educating and informing us listeners about the most fundamental problems that face humanity and their relevance to our local community; Second, as a forum to address the needs and concerns of our community. The station must reach out to new listeners, seek their involvement, and foster on-air dialogue with them. It should diversify programming by nurturing new creative talents, it should sponsor events with community groups. This work requires the combined and collaborative involvement of the LSB, listener communities and staff.

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 station must develop on-air programs that are of importance and relevance to the community it serves. I would go to various under-represented communities and seek their ideas on how the station could best serve their needs and would work with the station management, LSB, and the Programming Council to address these issues. In general the station is doing a good job of reaching different communities, but with a diverse and active LSB it could do even better. Such a Board will also contribute to increased representation of different communities.

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

I am against Pacifica accepting donations from corporations. I believe that it is counter to and would interfere with the very concept of listener-sponsored radio as envisioned by the founders of the network.

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.

Because of my diverse experiences, I have learned to lead as well as to work well in group settings. I can listen to and respect diverse points of view. I will bring candidness and humor, which I consider to be essential for a well functioning democratic process. I have been active in community projects for over thirty years. I was in one of the first groups of volunteers that helped establish La Pena Cultural Center in Berkeley and at one time managed Freight and Salvage Coffee House. I was elected as a Director of the local chapter of Professional Engineers in California Government. I am an active member in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley and was on the steering committee that presented Summer Forum covering issues in Economics, Population and Government. I have earned the respect of my fellow directors on the Pacifica National Board and am honored to currently serve as Vice-Chair of the Pacifica National Board.

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

No, at present I do not anticipate missing 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 am interested in serving on the programming and governance committees. Currently, I am chair of LSB Outreach committee and also serve on the LSB fundraising committee.