KPFK

Infobox Radio station
name = KPFK


city =
area = Los Angeles, California
branding = Pacifica Radio
slogan = Radio powered by the people
frequency = 90.7 (MHz)
repeater = K204AE 88.7 (MHz) China Lake, California
K254AH 98.7 (MHz) Isla Vista, California
airdate = July 26 1959
share = 0.3
share as of = FALL 2007
share source = RRC [cite news |title=Los Angeles Market Ratings |publisher=Arbitron |work =Radio Research Consortium |url=http://www.rrconline.org/arbitron |date=Fall 2007]
format = Public Radio
erp = 110,000 watts
haat = 863 meters
class = B
facility_id = 51252
coordinates = coord|34|13|45|N|118|4|3|W|region:US_type:city
callsign_meaning = K PaciFiC (K)a
former_callsigns =
affiliations =
owner = Pacifica Foundation
licensee =
sister_stations =
webcast = [http://www.kpfk.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=260&Itemid=82 Listen Live]
website = http://www.kpfk.org/

KPFK (90.7 FM) is a radio station in Los Angeles, California, United States, which serves the Greater Los Angeles Area, and 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, K204AE (88.7 MHz FM) in China Lake, California, and 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 US. 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.

KPFK's self-proclaimed political allegiance is progressive, with some classifying it as far left. [ [http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0824-03.htm A New Front in Pacifica's Civil War ] ] [ [http://www.alternet.org/story/12739/ AlterNet: The Left Eats Its Own at KPFK ] ] [ [http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/83 The Left ♥ CAIR, MPAC, et al. [Weblog - Daniel Pipes ] ] [ [http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=9185 FrontPage Magazine ] ]

Funding

The stations in the Pacifica network receive 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.

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! and Free Speech Radio News, most programming is local. KPFK hosts, who are referred to as "programmers", 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, [http://www.imru.org/ IMRU] , KPFK's program on LGBT affairs, is the nation's longest-running broadcast produced by and for the LGBT community.

One unique 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, which is being carried on KPFK at 5:30 AM PT (replacing a previous local bilingual Spanish-English news show) and is also carried by other Pacifica stations and affiliates. [http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2003/07/kpfk_change_is.php]

History

*1959: The Pacifica Foundation begins its second station — KPFK. Terry Drinkwater is its first General Manager.
*1961: KPFK wins Pacifica's second George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting.
*1962: The FCC withholds the license renewals of KPFA, KPFB, and KPFK pending its investigation into "communist affiliations." Pacifica was never cited (see The Investigator).
*1963: KPFK runs the very first Renaissance Faire as a fundraiser (the event is managed by Theme Events Limited [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_fair#History_of_the_fairs_in_America] ).
*1974: The Symbionese Liberation Army delivers the Patty Hearst tapes to KPFA and KPFK. The KPFK manager is jailed for refusing to turn the tapes over to the FBI.
*August 31, 1986: Jerker, a Robert Chesley play dramatizes the reflections of a man dying of AIDS, airs on Pacifica station KPFK. Because it included graphic sexual language, the FCC ruled that it violated an indecency policy.
*1987: Ladysmith Black Mambazo makes their first live U.S. radio appearance on KPFK.
*1992: CPB Board member Victor Gold targets KPFK for strident African American programming and controversial speech aired during Black History month, by filing an FCC complaint.

hows

*"Uprising Radio"- Weekday mornings 8am-9am. Host: Sonali Kolhatkar.
*"Something's Happening"
*" [http://www.tsr.homestead.com Truth Seekers Radio] " – Saturday 1am-3am. Hosts: Santana aka Nexus102, Dj Daz, Shakespeare, Andre S. Belcher (Stan B.), Lady Christal
*"Divine Forces"
*"Forward Motion"
* [http://www.kpfk.org/programs/130-musicneverstops.html "The Music Never Stops"] with host Barry Smolin

Translators

In addition to the main station, KPFK is relayed by an additional two translators to widen it's broadcast area.RadioTranslators
call1 = K204AE
watts1 = 9
class1 = D
freq1 = 88.7
city1 = China Lake, California
call2 = K254AH
watts2 = 10
class2 = D
freq2 = 98.7
city2 = Isla Vista, California

References

External links

* [http://www.kpfk.org/ KPFK 90.7 FM official website]
* [http://www.pacifica.org/ Pacifica Radio Foundation]
* [http://www.well.com/user/dmsml/kpfk.html Mt. Wilson transmitter]
* [http://www.well.com/user/dmsml/kpfk1959/index.html Historical transmitter photos]
*FM station data|KPFK
*FMQ|K204AE
*FMQ|K254AH