KPFK
Encyclopedia
KPFK is a listener-sponsored radio station
based in North Hollywood, California, United States
, which serves the Greater Los Angeles Area
, and also streams
24 hours a day via the Internet
. It was the second of five stations in the non-commercial, listener-sponsored Pacifica Radio
network.
KPFK began broadcasting in April 1959, twelve years after the Pacifica Foundation was created by pacifist
Lewis Hill
, and ten years after the network's flagship
station, KPFA
, was founded in Berkeley
. KPFK also broadcasts on KPFK-FM1 along the Malibu coast, K258BS (99.5 MHz FM) in China Lake, California, K254AH (98.7 MHz FM) in Santa Barbara, California
.
With its 110,000 watt
main transmitter atop Mount Wilson
, KPFK is one of the most powerful FM stations in the western United States. The station can be heard from the California/Mexico border to Santa Barbara to Ridgecrest/China Lake. A second 10-watt
translator is licensed in Isla Vista, California
, a census-designated place outside of Santa Barbara. The transmitter for that station is located atop Gibraltar Peak, allowing its broadcast to be heard over a large portion of coastal Santa Barbara County.
, Houston, Texas
, New York, New York, and Washington, D.C.
As part of the Pacifica Network the station receives some funding from charitable organizations such as the Ford Foundation
, but operating costs are primarily covered by listener-sponsors, as the station runs no advertisements or other commercial programming. On-air fund drives tend to occur thrice yearly, although there are occasional drives held for special circumstances. For example, after Hurricane Katrina
in 2005, KPFK held a fund drive to raise money for survivors of the catastrophe. Contributors to KPFK generally donate a minimum of $25 for a year-long membership, and larger donations are rewarded with DVDs, CDs, and books. For people that contribute upwards of $100, there is the KPFK Film Club. The film club screens art films, documentaries, film classics, and even current first-run films on weekend mornings. Although the club only promises at least 12 films per years, there were over 100 screenings in 2004.
and Free Speech Radio News
. KPFK program producers are accorded the maximum amount of editorial freedom possible. The only requirement is that they adhere to KPFK's mission statement, which states that all programming must be educational and non-commercial, must "serve the cultural welfare of the community", and must "contribute to a lasting understanding between nations and between the individuals of all nations, races, creeds and colors". The station's political position is generally regarded as on the left-wing
of the political spectrum. This includes issues regarding women, the many ethnic groups which make up a sizable population of Southern California, and the LGBT
community. In fact, IMRU, KPFK's program on LGBT affairs, is the nation's longest-running broadcast produced by and for the LGBT community. KPFK's dedication to the environment and the human condition at large, has drawn award-winning radio personalities, like Cary Harrison, into the fold with an interactive call-in show, heard Mondays at 2PM, called "Reality Check with Harrison".
One distinguishing feature of the KPFK schedule is its Spanish language
programming, which is an hour and a half on Monday-Thursday (9–10:30 pm) and 5.5 hours on Saturday evenings (4–9:30 pm). During those programs, all announcements except for the call letters are made in Spanish. KPFK was the only public radio station in the United States to split its schedule in this way. However, KPFK has now launched a half-hour daily Spanish language news program for the Pacifica network, Informativo Pacifica which is being carried on KPFK at
10.30-11.00 PM Mon-Thu and is also carried by other Pacifica stations and affiliates. http://wbai.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10363&Itemid=141
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
based in North Hollywood, California, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which serves the Greater Los Angeles Area
Greater Los Angeles Area
The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
, and also streams
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
24 hours a day via the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. It was the second of five stations in the non-commercial, listener-sponsored Pacifica Radio
Pacifica Radio
Pacifica Radio is the oldest public radio network in the United States. It is a group of five independently operated, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations that is known for its progressive/liberal political orientation. It is also a program service supplying over 100 affiliated...
network.
KPFK began broadcasting in April 1959, twelve years after the Pacifica Foundation was created by pacifist
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
Lewis Hill
Lewis Hill
Lewis Hill was a co-founder of KPFA, the first listener-supported radio station in the United States, and the Pacifica Radio network....
, and ten years after the network's flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
station, KPFA
KPFA
KPFA is a listener-funded progressive talk radio and music radio station located in Berkeley, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KPFA airs public news, public affairs, talk, and music programming. The station signed on-the-air April 15 1949, as the first Pacifica Station...
, was founded in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. KPFK also broadcasts on KPFK-FM1 along the Malibu coast, K258BS (99.5 MHz FM) in China Lake, California, K254AH (98.7 MHz FM) in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
.
With its 110,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
main transmitter atop Mount Wilson
Mount Wilson (California)
Mount Wilson is one of the better known peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains, part of the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County, California. It is the location of the Mount Wilson Observatory and has become the astronomical center of Southern California with and telescopes, and and tall...
, KPFK is one of the most powerful FM stations in the western United States. The station can be heard from the California/Mexico border to Santa Barbara to Ridgecrest/China Lake. A second 10-watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
translator is licensed in Isla Vista, California
Isla Vista, California
Isla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 23,096. The majority of residents are college students at nearby University of California, Santa Barbara or at Santa...
, a census-designated place outside of Santa Barbara. The transmitter for that station is located atop Gibraltar Peak, allowing its broadcast to be heard over a large portion of coastal Santa Barbara County.
Funding
The station is part of the Pacifica Network which has additional stations in Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, New York, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
As part of the Pacifica Network the station receives some funding from charitable organizations such as the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, but operating costs are primarily covered by listener-sponsors, as the station runs no advertisements or other commercial programming. On-air fund drives tend to occur thrice yearly, although there are occasional drives held for special circumstances. For example, after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
in 2005, KPFK held a fund drive to raise money for survivors of the catastrophe. Contributors to KPFK generally donate a minimum of $25 for a year-long membership, and larger donations are rewarded with DVDs, CDs, and books. For people that contribute upwards of $100, there is the KPFK Film Club. The film club screens art films, documentaries, film classics, and even current first-run films on weekend mornings. Although the club only promises at least 12 films per years, there were over 100 screenings in 2004.
Programming
Like most Pacifica stations, KPFK runs an eclectic schedule, including world music, talk radio, and public affairs programming. While KPFK airs some national programming, including Democracy Now!Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
and Free Speech Radio News
Free Speech Radio News
Free Speech Radio News is an independently produced half hour daily national and international radio news program focusing on peace and social justice issues in the US and around the world. FSRN is collectively run by its workers and reporters...
. KPFK program producers are accorded the maximum amount of editorial freedom possible. The only requirement is that they adhere to KPFK's mission statement, which states that all programming must be educational and non-commercial, must "serve the cultural welfare of the community", and must "contribute to a lasting understanding between nations and between the individuals of all nations, races, creeds and colors". The station's political position is generally regarded as on the left-wing
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
of the political spectrum. This includes issues regarding women, the many ethnic groups which make up a sizable population of Southern California, and the LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
community. In fact, IMRU, KPFK's program on LGBT affairs, is the nation's longest-running broadcast produced by and for the LGBT community. KPFK's dedication to the environment and the human condition at large, has drawn award-winning radio personalities, like Cary Harrison, into the fold with an interactive call-in show, heard Mondays at 2PM, called "Reality Check with Harrison".
One distinguishing feature of the KPFK schedule is its Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
programming, which is an hour and a half on Monday-Thursday (9–10:30 pm) and 5.5 hours on Saturday evenings (4–9:30 pm). During those programs, all announcements except for the call letters are made in Spanish. KPFK was the only public radio station in the United States to split its schedule in this way. However, KPFK has now launched a half-hour daily Spanish language news program for the Pacifica network, Informativo Pacifica which is being carried on KPFK at
10.30-11.00 PM Mon-Thu and is also carried by other Pacifica stations and affiliates. http://wbai.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10363&Itemid=141
History
- 1959: The Pacifica Foundation begins its second station — KPFK. Terry DrinkwaterTerry DrinkwaterTerry Drinkwater was an American television and radio journalist best known for his 25 year career as a correspondent for CBS News...
is its first General Manager. - 1961: KPFK wins Pacifica's second George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting.
- 1962: The FCCFederal Communications CommissionThe Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
withholds the license renewals of KPFAKPFAKPFA is a listener-funded progressive talk radio and music radio station located in Berkeley, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KPFA airs public news, public affairs, talk, and music programming. The station signed on-the-air April 15 1949, as the first Pacifica Station...
, KPFB, and KPFK pending its investigation into "communist affiliations." Pacifica was never cited (see The InvestigatorThe InvestigatorThe Investigator was a radio play written by Reuben Ship and first broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on May 30 of that year...
). - 1963: KPFK runs the very first Renaissance Faire as a fundraiser (the event is managed by Theme Events Limited Renaissance fair#History of the fairs in America).
- July 24, 1966: The first broadcast of Radio Free Oz by The Firesign TheatreThe Firesign TheatreThe Firesign Theatre is an American comedy troupe consisting of Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman and Philip Proctor. Their brand of surrealistic humor is best known through their record albums, which acquired a cult following in the late 1960s and early '70s.The troupe began as live radio...
. - 1974: The Symbionese Liberation ArmySymbionese Liberation ArmyThe Symbionese Liberation Army was an American self-styled left-wing urban militant group active between 1973 and 1975 that considered itself a revolutionary vanguard army...
delivers the Patty HearstPatty HearstPatricia Campbell Hearst , now known as Patricia Campbell Hearst Shaw, is an American newspaper heiress, socialite, actress, kidnap victim, and convicted bank robber....
tapes to KPFA and KPFK. The KPFK manager is jailed for refusing to turn the tapes over to the FBIFederal Bureau of InvestigationThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
. - August 31, 1986: JerkerJerkerJerker, or The Helping Hand: A Pornographic Elegy with Redeeming Social Value and a Hymn to the Queer Men of San Francisco in Twenty Telephone Calls, Many of Them Dirty is a 1986 one-act play by Robert Chesley. The two-character play traces the relationship that develops between a disabled Vietnam...
, a Robert ChesleyRobert ChesleyRobert Chesley was a playwright, theater critic and musical composer....
play dramatizes the reflections of a man dying of AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, airs on Pacifica station KPFK. Because it included graphic sexual language, the FCCFederal Communications CommissionThe Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
ruled that it violated an indecency policy. - 1987: Ladysmith Black MambazoLadysmith Black MambazoLadysmith Black Mambazo is a male choral group from South Africa that sings in the vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They rose to worldwide prominence as a result of singing with Paul Simon on his album, Graceland and have won multiple awards, including three Grammy Awards...
makes their first live U.S. radio appearance on KPFK. - 1992: CPBCorporation for Public BroadcastingThe Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
Board member Victor GoldVictor Gold (journalist)Victor Gold is an American journalist, author, and Republican political consultant. His career as a political consultant spanned the period from the 1964 Presidential candidacy of Barry Goldwater through George H. W...
targets KPFK for strident African American programming and controversial speech aired during Black History month, by filing an FCCFederal Communications CommissionThe Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
complaint.
Shows
- Pocho Hour of Power - Fridays 4pm-5pm. Hosts: Lalo AlcarazLalo AlcarazLalo Alcaraz is an Mexican-American cartoonist. He is most known for being the author of the comic La Cucaracha, the first nationally syndicated, politically themed Latino daily comic strip. Launched in 2002, La Cucaracha has become one of the most controversial in the history of American comic...
, Esteban Zul, Patrick Perez, Paul Vato - Uprising Radio - Weekday mornings 8am-9am. Host: Sonali Kolhatkar.
- Something's HappeningSomething's HappeningSomething's Happening is a long-format radio program airing four nights a week on Pacifica Radio-owned KPFK 90.7 FM in Los Angeles, California. Roy Tuckman created it in early 1977 and has hosted, produced, and engineered it ever since...
- with Roy of Hollywood. - Truth Seekers Radio – Saturday 1 am – 3 am. Hosts: Santana aka Nexus102, Dj Daz, Shakespeare, Andre S. Belcher (Stan B.), Lady Christal
- Divine Forces-
- Forward MotionForward MotionForward Motion is an album by Mezzoforte, released in 2004.-Track listing:# "Tribute" – 4:27# "Nightfall" – 4:45# "Hardwired" – 4:42# "Forward Motion" – 4:57# "Beyond the horizon" – 5:08# "Four Corners" – 4:21# "Cruisin'" – 5:39...
- - The Music Never Stops- with host arry Smolin]. Grateful Dead and Jam Bands. Sundays 8-10pm.
- Reggae Central- with host Chuck Foster Rock steady, dub, and dancehall. Sundays 2-4pm.
- Page 2 Pantry- with host Niki Guluchi
- The Dark RoomThe Dark RoomThe Dark Room is a novel written by R.K.Narayan, the well-known English-language novelist from India. Like most of his other works, this is a tale set in the fictitious town of Malgudi....
- with host DJ Delphinus - Poets Cafe- rotating hosts Lois P. Jones, Jaimes Palacio, Myrenna Ogbu 2nd, 4th, 5th Wednesdays at 8:30pm
- Spaceways- with host Carlos NiñoCarlos Gabriel NiñoCarlos Gabriel Niño is an internationally celebrated producer, arranger, composer, musician, radio host, DJ, music consultant, writer, poet, and event organizer, based in his hometown of Los Angeles, California. He has been an important force in the contemporary independent music scene for over 15...
(and his son Azul Niño, when available) Sundays 10pm-12am. - Melting PotMelting potThe melting pot is a metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" into a harmonious whole with a common culture...
- with Michael Barnes - Sunday 4pm - 6pm - TruthdigTruthdigTruthdig is a Web magazine that provides a mix of long-form articles, interviews, and blog-like commentary on current events, delivered from a progressive point of view. The site is built around major "digs" led by authorities in their fields who write multifaceted pieces about contemporary, often...
Radio- with hosts Kasia Anderson and Peter, Josh and Robert ScheerRobert ScheerRobert Scheer is an American journalist who writes a column for Truthdig which is nationally syndicated by Creators Syndicate in publications such as The Huffington Post and The Nation...
- Wednesday 2pm-3pm - RISERiseRise or RISE may refer to:* Moving up-Music:* A type of melodic motion* Rise Records, a record label* Rise, an alias used by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne-Albums:...
- with Mark Maxwell. A creative jazz celebration of African roots. Sunday (evening), Monday (morning), 12:00 AM - 3AM - The Lawyer's Guild- A public affairs program to discuss current political developments. Thursday 7-8pm.
- Jimmy Dore Show- Hosted by comedian Jimmy Dore, this is an irreverent and humorous take on todays headlines and hypocrites.
- Indymedia On Air- Voices from the global Indymedia.org Network. Monday, 2:30-3:00 PM
- IMRU- IMRU is the nation's longest-running broadcast produced by and for the LGBT community. Mondays, 7-8 PM
- Global Village- Local and international music. Monday-Friday 11am-1pm
- From the VaultFrom the VaultFrom the Vault is a compilation album of home demos and unreleased tracks by American progressive rock band Spock's Beard.-Track listing:#"Stratus"#"Into Fire" #"Fire/Waste Away" #"The Light"...
- Pacifica Radio Archives' - America's largest public radio archive. Thursdays, 11:00 PM - Midnight - ExplorationExplorationExploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
- with Dr. Michio Kaku. Exploration covers the world of science. Saturday 10am - Digital Village- Ric Allan and Doran Barons. Digital Village is KPFK's weekly show about computing and the Internet. Saturday 10AM-11AM.
- Democracy Now- News and current affairs. M-F, 6-7 AM, Rebroadcast M-F 9-10 AM
- CounterspinCounterSpinCounterSpin is a weekly, half-hour radio program produced by the progressive media watch group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting . It is hosted by Janine Jackson, Steve Rendall, and Peter Hart, and describes itself as offering "a critical examination of the major stories every week exposes what...
- CounterSpin provides a critical examination of the major stories every week, SU, 1:30-2:00 PM - Connect the DotsConnect the dotsConnect the dots, also known as dot to dot or join the dots is a form of puzzle containing a sequence of numbered dots. When a line is drawn connecting the dots the outline of an object is revealed. The puzzles often contain simple line art to enhance the image created or to assist in rendering a...
- with Lila Garrett. News, current affairs. Monday 7:00 - 8:00 AM - Background Briefing- with Ian Masters. Inside breaking international and national news. Sunday, 11am-12pm, Monday - Thursday, 5pm-6pm
- The Axis of Justice Radio Network- with Tom Morello and Serj Tankian. Protest music. Airs every second, third and fourth Friday @ 7:00PM.
- The Aware Show- with Lisa Garr. Self-help programming. Weds and Thursdays, 1-2 PM