DANIEL BORGSTROM

Daniel Borgstrom, current LSB member for the past 2 1/2 years; before that, for over a decade, attended numerous LSB meetings & wrote articles about KPFA, was active with Occupy Oakland, Lake Merritt Peace Walk, & Veterans for Peace

Candidate Statement: Asked why I joined the Marine Corps (1959 to 1963) I say “Where I grew up, there was no KPFA or Pacifica Radio affiliate.” There was a constant corporate drumbeat of anti-Communism, always pretending to advocate for democracy while backing dictators.

During the McCarthy Era, KPFA bravely exposed lies of Cold War propaganda. KPFA opposed the Vietnam war. Recently however, while some programs steadfastly question the never-questioned, others increasingly echo corporate media’s support for imperial policies abroad. Establishment groupthink is replacing KPFA’s anti war voice.

I oppose the financially reckless New Day bylaws. ND’ers kept the old bylaws’ worst parts and excised provisions for progressive oversight. Rescue Pacifica allies on Pacifica’s National Board finally caught audits up and are on track to staunch Pacifica’s longtime bleeding which KPFA “Protectors” for years exacerbated during their dominance as the national majority faction. As U.S. voters demand equal access, Pacifica needs to pass ironclad policies encouraging members to steward their network and restore financial health. Rescue Pacifica has for years urged KPFA to get better integration with web-based media as a major component of financial sustainability, and KPFA management is FINALLY starting to go along with that.

Pacifica includes five sister stations and over 200 affiliates. While corporate media reportage remains limited to views of the two-party system, the need to keep our network together is greater than ever. It would not be cozy to have our own separate station here in the Bay Area, as though separate from finance-driven demands of global capital. With climate change and multiple ongoing wars, our progressive and antiwar voice must go everywhere.

This means defending our network against Pacifica-bashers. We must work amicably with all the stations in the network, and, most importantly, we must oversee our own local station. An LSB duty is to evaluate the General Manager every year — this has not been done for about five years.

We must resurrect the Program Council, whose task it is to evaluate programs, both new and old to ensure that programming is relevant and robust.

Transparency and accountability is our objective. Our job includes asking even unwelcome questions. Fellow board member James McFadden was “censured” by the majority faction at KPFA for writing an article which apparently caused some discomfort. It’s at
https://www.counterpunch.org/2021/06/11/a-rebuttal-to-the-kooky-protecting-pacifica-article-by-kaldveer-and-gendelman/

When the New Day faction voted to censure James, I reminded them that I also write articles, and they told me, “You will be next!”

As a board member I ask questions, represent and report back to listeners. My articles are at several websites, including my own at http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/

The most important goals of Rescue Pacifica are to preserve our Pacifica radio network and return KPFA to it’s traditional antiwar voice.

Daniel Borgström

http://RescuePacifica.net
http://PacificaInExile.org
http://PacificaFightback.org
http://PacificaDemocracyProject.org
http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/

DISCLAIMER: This is not an official Pacifica Foundation website nor an official website of any of the five Pacifica Radio Stations (KPFA Radio, KPFK Radio, KPFT Radio, WBAI Radio, WPFW Radio). Opinions and facts alleged on this site belong to the author(s) of the website only and should NOT be assumed to be true or to reflect the editorial stance or policy of the Pacifica Foundation, or any of the five Pacifica Radio Stations (KPFA Radio, KPFK Radio, KPFT Radio, WBAI Radio, WPFW Radio), or the opinions of its management, Pacifica National Board, station staff or other listener members.