I’m Anthony Fest and I’m running for re-election as a Staff representative to the Local Station Board.

I produce and read the evening news on Sundays and holidays. In addition to serving on the LSB, I’m a member of the Unpaid Staff Organization Council, and a former representative to the Program Council.

I’m proud to be endorsed by fellow staff members Shahram Aghamir, Gabrielle Wilson, Nick Alexander, Malihe Razazan, and Khalil Bendib, among others.

The challenges facing KPFA and Pacifica today are probably the most difficult ones since the 1999 crisis. The anemic economy is undermining our fund raising, while technology rolls out new alternatives to traditional radio. While we have no control over these factors, in other ways we do control our destiny. Simply put, we need to do the best we can at producing radio. Unfortunately, this has not been happening for the past several years.

One problem is that far too much time and energy is lost to conflict. For example, when in 2007 the General Manager abruptly withdrew management recognition of the Unpaid Staff Organization (UPSO), I and other unpaid staff began a campaign to win re-recognition. After a 20-month struggle, we were finally successful, but this was a battle we should not have had to fight at all. Time spent on such conflicts is time that can’t be spent producing radio.

Another impediment to our work is the undermining of longstanding KPFA institutions that made the station a participatory workplace. UPSO is one example; another is the Program Council (PC). With representatives from paid staff, unpaid staff, listeners and the LSB, the PC was a venue for democratic decision-making about programming. However, the General Manager and Program Director have halted PC meetings and decreed that management will make programming decisions unilaterally. I believe instead that “none of us is as smart as all of us,” and that collaborative decisions will be better decisions.

Another serious problem, connected to those above, is that the station has stopped innovating. During the years when the Program Director job was vacant, KPFA nonetheless introduced shows like APEX Express, Full Circle, Pushing Limits, Voices of the Middle East, Women’s Magazine, Youth Radio and more. Now we’ve had a Program Director for several years, but no new community-based shows have joined the lineup; there are still no weekly programs for the Black community, the LGBT community, etc. These programs are needed both to serve the communities and to expand our audience and subscriber base. Instead, the station has stood still, or even backtracked (e.g. Youth Radio was canceled).

Although KPFA is not organized as a co-op, it will still work best when we all have a voice in major decisions, and when all staff are treated with respect and appreciation for their contributions. If re-elected to the Local Station Board, I will continue to advocate for the rights of staff members, the restoration of KPFA as a democratic and participatory workplace, and a resumption of creativity and growth.