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KPFK (90.7 FM) is a listener-sponsored
radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
based in
North Hollywood, California North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North H ...
,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, which serves
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
, and also
streams A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...
24 hours a day via the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
. It was the second of five stations in the non-commercial, listener-sponsored Pacifica Foundation network. KPFK 90.7 FM began broadcasting in April 1959, twelve years after the Pacifica Foundation was created by
pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...
Lewis Hill, and ten years after the network's
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
station,
KPFA KPFA (94.1 FM) is an American listener-funded 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 sign ...
, was founded in
Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...
. KPFK also broadcasts on
booster Booster may refer to: Amusement rides * Booster (Fabbri ride), a pendulum ride * Booster (HUSS ride), an evolution of the Breakdance ride * Booster (KMG ride), a pendulum ride Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Booster, a cha ...
KPFK-FM1 along the Malibu coast, K258BS (99.5 MHz) in
China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake is a United States military facility in California. China Lake may also refer to: Places in the United States *China Lake, Kern County, California, an unincorporated community named for a nearby dry lake * Ch ...
, K254AH (98.7 MHz) in
Isla Vista Isla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of 2020 census, the community had a population of 15,500. The majority of residents are college students at t ...
and K229BO 93.7 MHz in
Rancho Bernardo, San Diego Rancho Bernardo is a master-planned community in the northern hills of the city of San Diego, California. Geography The topography of Rancho Bernardo consists of canyons and rolling hills that have large bedrock outcroppings. The major floral bio ...
. With its 110,000-
watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
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 The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
translator is licensed in Isla Vista, California, a census-designated place outside Santa Barbara. The transmitter for that station is located atop Gibraltar Peak, allowing its broadcast to be heard over a large portion of southern Santa Barbara County.


Funding

The station is part of the ''Pacifica Network'' which has 5 radio stations besides KPFK, and provides programming to over 150 affiliates. Operating costs are covered primarily by donations from listener-sponsors and sponsored events. The
501(c)3 A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...
non-profit station runs no paid commercial advertisements or sponsored programming. Memberships at a minimum donation of $25 allow participation in the election of Local Station Board members.


Local Station Board (LSB)

In two years during a 3-year cycle, station members and staff elect the Local Station Board (LSB) as required by the Pacifica Foundation Bylaws. The KPFK LSB elects members from its body to the Pacifica Foundation board of directors and has support and advisory duties for the station. The full LSB meets monthly, and committees of the LSB meet on both regular and ad hoc bases.


Programming

Like all Pacifica stations, KPFK has, since its inception run an eclectic schedule of performing arts, public affairs, and news. Many programs are available through the Pacifica Network for rebroadcast to affiliate stations and are streamed for a limited period on the Online Archives. Maintaining its adherence to Pacifica founder Lew Hill's Mission, KPFK focuses on news, public affairs, and performance of local interest, while blending in nationally and internationally focused programming. Programming is primarily English language, but includes twenty-two hours broadcast in Spanish five evenings per week, Monday - Thursday, and Saturday. With the rest of the Pacifica Foundation stations and in accord with the Mission's commitment to dialogue, KPFK maintains community access to the airwaves, which was stated as:


History

In 1974, Will Lewis, the general manager of the station at the time, famously refused to turn over tapes acquired from the
Symbionese Liberation Army The United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) was a small, American far-left organization active between 1973 and 1975; it claimed to be a vanguard movement. The FBI and American law enforcement considered the SLA to be the ...
after the terrorist group's kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst. After repeated requests by the FBI and subpoenaed, Lewis cited the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of the press to no avail at a grand jury and was sent to federal prison for 15 days at Terminal Island. Lewis was finally released by Supreme Court justice
William O. Douglas William Orville Douglas (October 16, 1898January 19, 1980) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, who was known for his strong progressive and civil libertarian views, and is often ci ...
. Lewis shared a prison cell with controversial LSD guru
Timothy Leary Timothy Francis Leary (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996) was an American psychologist and author known for his strong advocacy of psychedelic drugs. Evaluations of Leary are polarized, ranging from bold oracle to publicity hound. He was "a her ...
. Lewis was just the second media representative to ever be sent to jail on a freedom of the press issue, the first was Los Angeles Times reporter Bill Farr in 1970 for not revealing sources to a story written during the Charles Manson case. Lewis progressive changes at KPFK during the 1970s turned the Pacifica station into one of the most popular in the nation where many celebrity activists were able to express their views without censorship from mainstream media. Actors Martin Sheen, Paul Newman, Jane Fonda and her then politician husband
Tom Hayden Thomas Emmet Hayden (December 11, 1939October 23, 2016) was an American social and political activist, author, and politician. Hayden was best known for his role as an anti-war, civil rights, and intellectual activist in the 1960s, authoring th ...
, who stood trial in the Chicago Seven case, were among many high profile visitors at the station during Lewis' leadership. Lewis was a manager ahead of his times. In 1974, he was the first to introduce a radio show produced and hosted exclusively by and for the gay community "The Great Gay Radio Conspiracy" as Greg Gordon, Enrich Murrello, and Colin McQueen began the program at 11pm the 3rd Tuesday of the every month. This controversial program eventually was referred to as IMRU as it created great consternation for a mostly conservative audience. Today, the program is still a fixture on KPFK as the longest running LBGTQ program some 48 years later. KPFK was the only full service public radio station in Los Angeles during the early 1970s. Lewis and the station won awards for its Watergate coverage, including the Golden Mike Award to reporter Mike Hodel. *1959: The Pacifica Foundation begins its second station—KPFK.
Terry Drinkwater Terry Drinkwater (May 9, 1936 – May 31, 1989) was an American television and radio journalist most widely known for his quarter-century career as a correspondent for CBS News. Drinkwater was also an anchorman for the West Coast editions of t ...
is its first General Manager. *1961: KPFK wins Pacifica's second
George Foster Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
for excellence in broadcasting. *1962: The
FCC The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdictio ...
withholds the license renewals of
KPFA KPFA (94.1 FM) is an American listener-funded 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 sign ...
, KPFB, and KPFK pending its investigation into "communist affiliations." Pacifica was never cited (see
The Investigator ''The Investigator'' (1954) was a radio play written by Reuben Ship and first broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) on May 30 of that year. The play lampooned the actions of the U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities ...
). *1963: KPFK runs the very first
Renaissance Faire A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire or Renaissance festival is an outdoor gathering open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which purportedly recreates a historical setting for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent the ...
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
Peter Bergman Peter Michael Bergman (born June 11, 1953) is an American actor best known for his portrayals on soap operas, such as Cliff Warner on '' All My Children'' (1979–89) on ABC as well as Jack Abbott on ''The Young and the Restless'' (1989–prese ...
's ''Radio Free Oz'' *November 17, 1966: The first appearance of
The Firesign Theatre The Firesign Theatre (also known as the Firesigns) was an American surreal humour, surreal comedy troupe who first appeared on November 17, 1966, in a live performance on the Los Angeles radio program ''Radio Free Oz'' on station KPFK FM broad ...
on ''Radio Free Oz'' *1974: The
Symbionese Liberation Army The United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) was a small, American far-left organization active between 1973 and 1975; it claimed to be a vanguard movement. The FBI and American law enforcement considered the SLA to be the ...
delivers the Patty Hearst tapes to KPFA and KPFK. The KPFK manager is jailed for refusing to turn the tapes over to the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
. *August 31, 1986:
Jerker ''Jerker, 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'' (commonly known simply as ''Jerker'') is a 1986 one-act play by Robert Ch ...
, a
Robert Chesley Robert Chesley (March 22, 1943, Jersey City, New Jersey – December 5, 1990, San Francisco, California) was a playwright, theater critic and musical composer. Biography Chesley earned his B.A. in music from Reed College in 1965. Between 1965 ...
play dramatizes the reflections of a man dying of
AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
, airs on Pacifica station KPFK. Because it included graphic sexual language, the
FCC The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdictio ...
ruled that it violated an
indecency Inappropriateness refers to standards or ethics that are typically viewed as being negative in a society. It differs from things that are illicit in that inappropriate behavior does not necessarily have any accompanying legal ramifications. C ...
policy. *1987:
Ladysmith Black Mambazo Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of ''isicathamiya'' and '' mbube''. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album ''Graceland'', and have won m ...
makes their first on-air U.S. radio broadcast on KPFK. *1992:
CPB CPB may refer to: Companies * Campbell Soup Company, an American producer of canned soups and related products * Campbell Brothers, an Australian laboratory and manufacturing company * Crispin Porter + Bogusky, an advertising agency * Corporate ...
Board member Victor Gold targets KPFK for strident African American programming and controversial speech aired during Black History month, by filing an
FCC The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdictio ...
complaint.


Translators and booster

In addition to the main station, KPFK is relayed by an additional four
translator Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...
s and one
booster Booster may refer to: Amusement rides * Booster (Fabbri ride), a pendulum ride * Booster (HUSS ride), an evolution of the Breakdance ride * Booster (KMG ride), a pendulum ride Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Booster, a cha ...
to widen its broadcast area.


References


External links


FCC History cards for KPFK
*
Pacifica Radio FoundationPacifica Radio ArchivesPacifica Radio Archives weekly radio series
* * * * * * * * {{authority control Pacifica Foundation stations Counterculture of the 1960s
PFK Phosphofructokinase (PFK) is a kinase enzyme that phosphorylation, phosphorylates fructose 6-phosphate in glycolysis. Function The enzyme-catalysed transfer of a phosphoryl group from Adenosine triphosphate, ATP is an important reaction in a ...
501(c)(3) organizations Non-profit organizations based in Los Angeles Radio stations established in 1959 1959 establishments in California