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• Nomination Statement
• Candidate Questionnaire
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My name is Sasha Futran. I have 25 years experience as a journalist and commentator working in radio, television and print, primarily for public broadcasting or alternative news sources. A weekly commentator on KQED and KALW, I was eliminated from both stations because of my critical analysis of media coverage of the Middle East. I won first place in Project Censored's annual awards for reporting the most censored and under-reported story of the year, on that same subject.

I have been an activist in the media: founded and chaired a media monitoring organization; worked with Take Back KPFA, the Committee to Save KQED, various anti-war movements, Central America, Cuba, divestment in South Africa, enforcement of the ADA . . . and fighting for off-leash dog parks.

I understand the relationship between board and staff, having served on numerous boards and as past director of a peace center. I did six years hard time on the KQED board and was instrumental in squelching the planned "documentary", actually a one-hour infomercial bought, paid for, and about Robert Mondavi, among other notorious acts.

I don't think I need to belabor the trouble our world and nation are in due to our government's policies. Nor do I need to make the case for strong, effective, progressive and alternative news and information as well as the need for information about, and the enjoyment of, diverse cultures.

We are in an area where a radio station offering such programming should be thriving. This is not the case.

I understand the staff's concern for what they, and others, term "micromanaging" by the KPFA board. As a former radio programmer, that would worry me as well.

However, the problem isn't micromanaging. The problem is that the last six years have seen a revolving door of short term or interim station managers. There has been no program director during that same period. This cannot give the station the consistent leadership and coordination it must have to thrive and grow. Instead, entities set up to make programming decisions are fraught with factions, meet behind closed doors, make decisions outside their mission, sometimes don't meet at all as required by the bylaws. The Listener Board has a role and responsibilities in fixing these problems and in managing KPFA.

KPFA urgently needs to hire a station manager who must, in turn, hire a program director. The board needs to back up good decisions made by the station's Program Council that currently go unimplemented. It needs to overturn illegal decisions as well. The board needs to survey all official decision-making groups within KPFA so that they meet and operate within their guidelines. It needs to eliminate those that are not officially sanctioned. It needs to monitor budgetary matters to ensure sufficient funding, particularly for news and public affairs.

A fully functioning board and station working together is the only way to better programming and, in turn, attract and keep more listeners. Your vote will let me help fix the problems.

More information: www.allianceforademocratickpfa.org

The following endorsers' affiliations are for identification purposes only:

Dennis Bernstein, Flashpoints
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet
Michael Parenti, author
Peter Philllips, ED, Project Censored
Carol Spooner, former KPFA and Pacifica board member

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

I want to help the station get back on track after many years of controversy and feuding. Help put our house in order so that KPFA can be the best progressive station giving air to much needed information and view points suppressed elsewhere.

Part of that work will be to review how resources are allocated. I want to find ways to fund additional public affairs programming and reporters for the news shows with specialized expertise in current issues as well as additional correspondents to cover more areas and communities within the station's signal. Look at possibilities such as bringing back the Folio. Plan outreach to communities currently ignored or underserved.

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

In a mutually cooperative and beneficial manner; another area needing work.

3. How could the station better serve its listeners?

Review the programming grid. Make sure the best programs are in drive time when working people can listen. Provide some current hosts with training in more professional radio skills in order to keep people interested and listening. Make airtime available for new shows, thoughts, and people from diverse backgrounds, areas of expertise and progressive opinions. Make it a welcoming place for new people and programs so this can happen.

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 like to turn that question around. We should instead be asked how we would increase the influence of underrepresented communities and increase the diversity of programming and programmers on KPFA. Do that and the diverse listeners will follow.

One way to do that is to co-sponsor and support community events in underrepresented communities and also hold events on current issues be they local, regional, national or international. Listen to what people have to say. Make room on KPFA's airwaves so that people from different communities can have programs and be heard as experts on other shows

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

Hold events that bring progressive, alternative ideas and information to all communities and regional areas within the KPFA listener range. These could be on topics and issues of concern focused regionally, nationally or internationally.

Use on air personalities and volunteers to staff telethons with calls to present and past members to bring them back to KPFA or encourage increasing their current pledge.

Keep mentioning on the air, briefly but frequently throughout the year, not just at fund drive time, that the station is listener sponsored and donations are solicited, giving the phone number and web address.

6. Please state briefly the skills, experience, educational background, work history, organization 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 much experience in working on and with boards, already mentioned. Upon retiring from the KQED board, each person is given an individualized plaque. Mine read, in part: "Sasha Futran lent expertise in journalism, broadcasting and community affairs to the KQED board for the past six years . . . and has and brought a new level of critical analysis to all of KQED's activities and programs." I laughed when it was presented to me. Carefully phrased, it was something we could all agree on. I would bring that background and commitment to KPFA as well.

I have worked in the media mostly losing jobs because of taking stands involving the ethics of journalism. I would bring that expertise and stamina to the board.

In addition, I have worked as a consultant for numerous non-profits doing both fundraising and publicity.

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

No

8. On Which Local Station Board committees are you interested in actively serving?

GM Hire Committee
Program Committee
Outreach Committee