One document that I want to make sure you see is this report from 1985. Flo Green warned us then, and probably now to know that we can't just wish this all into working......as she says, "to simply mandate change, no matter how desperately it is needed or wanted, will not make it occur. People must know how to do it and they must know what it is that must be done." The difference between then and now is the new structure in which over 125 people all feel they have a hand in our governance, many having never managed any sort of business, or run any media organizations, or negotiated complex contracts or had to oversee a national staff and multi-million dollar enterprise. We are woefully short of people with expertise in the areas that Pacifica Foundation needs. In other words, even after all the ballots are counted and committee chairs appointed, we still don't seem to have the people who know how to do it, or what needs to be done. Nalini =============================== >From F. Green, Pacifica Foundation Long Range Planning Report, 1985 Summary Pacifica Radio Foundation Long Range Planning Process The Pacifica Foundation is the only multi-state, non-commercial radio group in the United States, and the only group to hold more than five non-commercial licenses. Of 192 CPB-qualified stations, with total weekly cumes of 4,400,000, the five Pacifica stations account for 400,000 weekly listeners, about 10% of total. Approximately 25% of all Americans within the continental United States can receive a Pacifica signal. Nearly 80% of Californians are within radio range of KPFA, KPFK or the KFCF translator. In size, KPFA, KPFK and WBAI are among the top ten; WABI is fourth in audience share. Thirty years ago, when KPFA founded the first listener-supported radio, it was experimental. The success of this attempt was decisive to the Ford Foundation's decision in 1956 to help build public television: in this way Pacifica has been a major force in communication, a force far greater than its own stations. Today listener support is the basic funding component of all public broadcasting. In spite of many impressive broadcasting moments and station periods, Pacifica has never taken advantage of its national network, of its powerful influence or of the possibility of a "Pacifica" image. Much of its history is ridden with fragmentation, in- fighting, conflicting purposes. And the many awards Pacifica has won do not undue the untold damage that has been done to so many who have worked there. At first it seemed to me that Pacifica was caught in the 60's, unable to move into the 80's. But I no longer think that is correct. A more accurate picture might be that "the movement- moved beyond Pacifica. The best that was Pacifica left and the people who stayed behind were unable or unwilling to see beyond their own personal needs. They then began to shape Pacifica into their own vision of a progressive organization, rather than let it move forward to a place where they might not fit. The people who stayed behind have also learned all the right games and all the right names. What worse thing could one do to a Pacifica person than to call them a Racists or a Sexist. So rather than deal with the real issue, which is usually who should have access to the air time, people call one another names. There does not seem to be any process or procedure for dealing with real issues. The "big" issues for Pacifica seem to be who is politically correct, how Pacifica is better than the other folks with successful programming and big audiences and how much air time one can get for their own windy pronouncements about their own uninformed views. The "big" issues are how can paid and unpaid under-mine any management efforts to clear up if those efforts mean personal agendas or air times are jeopardized. The "big" issues are usually how does this affect me, how can I benefit; rarely is it what is best for the life and health of Pacifica. There are two elements that must be considered before any tasks can be undertaken. The person who is to do the task must have two characteristics: they must be able and they must be willing. Ability is shaped by experience and education. Willingness is shaped by desire, motivation and personal needs. Without all of those characteristics in place, it is very hard to get the job done. To simply mandate change, no matter how desperately it is needed or wanted, will not make "it occur. People must know how to do it and they must know what it is that must be done. To simply direct Pacifica to "Clean up the air sound" or to "Raise more money" or even to "Get rid of the dead wood on staff" is to court more failure. If Pacifica is to "clean up its act" it must do some heavy, intense training and learning. It must provide extensive support systems for the people who will take responsibility for the cleaning up. The planning sessions showed me, beyond any doubt, that most of Pacifica is desperate for change, for a better work environment, for a product they can be proud of. To respond to that need will take super human effort and a clear understand SHARED BY ALL (not mandated by management) of what the end result will look like and who will do what to get there. Egos will need to be put aside for the better good of the whole. A synergistic approach is needed where there is belief that the sum of all the parts working together produces a greater result than each part working separately can produce. That is not what your history says you are able to do easily, but it must be done if Pacifica, as it currently is structured, is to survive. **************Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home. (http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15&ncid=aolhom00030000000001)