GrassrootsKPFK: Omar Burdet

I am the Guardian Omar Burdet and I’m running for a seat on the KPFK Local Station Board.

It is a sad but true fact that KPFK has hit rock bottom as the life blood for Free Speech Radio shrinks into thin air. Listenership and fund-raising are at an all time low. The station is still unable to hire qualified staff and the crisis seems to be getting worse, as nothing has changed since the last Local Station Board election.

We need to bring KPFK back to the original format that it was built upon and developed from, beginning with its inception 50 years ago. In order to do that, we need to first double the fund drive goal. I advocated new and improved marketing methods to implement new, sustainable programs not accesible through mainstream media that reflect the caliber of media that local, national and global listeners want to hear. Issues that accurately educate the public about the arts, music, politics, history, community and the world at large continue to be the cornerstone of Pacifica Radio’s foundation. The very fact that the station has continuously been able to broadcast it message successfully for the last half century without the kind of restrictive and unlawful corporate control that many fly-by-night stations are subject to is a telling testament to the fact that these kinds of programs are what the people need and still want to hear.

As we begin to redevelop this new KPFK, we can begin truly servicing those communities that need our services, networks and resources the most. Then KPFK will be on the road to making real change for the short term and long term. We can then begin to transform the power of a public media facility like KPFK into a proactive vehicle for organizing people and resources around the issues that affect the greatest number of people. We can always go further and we should go further by expanding the way in which KPFK interacts with the public, and in doing so, increase the demographic that it reaches and teaches, specifically, people under the age of twenty-one.

This group represents a large segment of the total population that feels underrepresented, misunderstood, isolated, uninformed. If KPFK is able to capture the interest of this group, it may well be on its way to creating a brand new long term listenership base, talent pool, and future support base grounded in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Email Omar by clicking here.

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Q & A

Why do you want to be on the Local Station Board (LSB)?

The transformation of the current economic,technological, political and social changes plays a important role for new ideas and direction for KPFK, sharing new energy and commitment is what I can give for the Local Station Board.

How do you envision the LSB working with the Pacifica Foundation, staff and listener members?

Collective input within the movement speaks louder than words with honesty and sincerity.

How can your station better serve the community? Please define community.

Industriously servicing a community that need our services,networks and resources the most.

Describe some actions you would take to increase the influence of the station in underrepresented communities and to increase the diversity of the listening audience.

Providing peace and friendship to work together from a mutual esteem,respect, and devotion. Like marriage, it must not be taken for granted but it requires a joint effort. To be effective, participatory governance that is accountable to listener-sponsors and and responsive to the diverse needs and interests of the Southern California listerners and communities.

What sources of funding, other than listener donations, do you feel your station should solicit? Do you have any ideas with respect to improving the current funding mechanisms?

Fiscally transparent,responsible, and sustainible practice non-profit management to the people not corporate underwriters, supporting progressive people’s radio by promoting events like concerts, community parties, public speakings, sports event at parks and centers and fully promote our Pacifica Archives through out the LA areas with events and educational programs in schools and colleges with grants and scholarships.

Please state briefly the skills, experience, educational background, work history, organizational affiliations, areas of community service, areas of interest and expertise that you would bring to the Pacifica network as a member of the Local Station Board.

I’m currently majoring in business,law and mass communication at LATC and LACC and been a volunteer for KPFK for eight years and I’ve learned so much by being involved with KPFK. It a knowledge of and the ability to properly and quickly execute the fundamentals.

On which Local Station Board committees are you interested in actively serving? If you are a current Local Station Board member, on which committees do you currently serve?

Governance and Programming Oversight committee and Outreach

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