cutting shows

Dear Friends,

I write to you this afternoon with a story that many of you may already be familiar with, yet I feel it important enough that those of you who are not already in the loop of the recent programming changes at KPFA, where for the past 14 years I have been one of 5 daily programmers producing a diverse and wide ranging 2 hour weekly "Music of the World" radio show, become aware of a recent and significant cut in Music programming at the station.

So, for your information, I bear the news that, for reasons not entirely clear to anybody but certainly dressed up as necessary changes due to an extreme financial crisis at KPFA (Pacifica Radio's flagship station and the oldest Public Listener-Sponsored Radio Station in the world) management at KPFA took the drastic step of reducing Music of the World by 60% from being a Week-Daily 2 hour show from 10am-Noon, to a 1 hour show (11-Noon) on only 4 days. The beneficiary of this cut in Music at the station is a daily 1 hour show, Letters to Washington which, as the name suggests, concerns itself with the politics of the moment - not unlike many other Talk Radio programs that festoon the public airwaves in every direction.

Though this obviously effects me personally, as one of the programmers directly affected by this sudden change in direction at KPFA which, almost unannounced, brought about this sea change in their programming structure on November 2nd 2009, I am more concerned that it demonstrates a clear lack of commitment to the importance of keeping Music and The Arts as an essential ingredient in terrestrial radio. Without going into too much rationalization or analysis of this move, I am concerned that this particular change in the daily schedule at KPFA is the precursor to further cuts - I can't see a single 1 hour Music broadcast Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri in a day that is otherwise completely dominated by wall to wall talk radio programming from pre-dawn (6am) until long after dark (8pm) being a priority in the minds of those who make the programming policy at KPFA.

So this email is by way of an announcement to you that this is happening at this time honored Listener-Sponsored institution, in case you haven't noticed.

If this in any way raises questions for you or you have yourself an opinion about it that you would like to air then KPFA's listener comment line is (510) 848 6767 ext. 3 or you can write to the station through their web site:

www.KPFA.org/contact

In the meantime I will endeavor to continue to cram as much positive energy as is humanly possibly into a one hour (actually 56 minutes) time slot on Thursdays in my own version of Music of the World

Thanks for Listening

Stay Tuned

Stephen

Stephen Kent
stephen@stephenkent.net
www.stephenkent.net

Producer of "Music of the World"
KPFA 94.1FM Thursdays
www.KPFA.org

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ah, yes, Stephen! I know well how it feels to be "trimmed." I just was trimmed on B-TV in favor of canned non- local old shows. What is happening is everything is being tied to the mainstream frame.

Subjects of talk radio are limited to that frame, whether it's "progressive" or "right- wing." things that aren't limited by that frame aren't valued. Things like People's music, art, culture, philosophy, etc. aren't seen as important expressions. So they are not covered under the marketing tool of "free speech radio!"

funny... As I'm writing this, I'm listening to your show on LUVER!

In Freedom,
Frank Moore