KPFA -Mayhem-Flying chairs

[slaveplanet]

brain-dead protocol,abusive radio hosts -- and you thought the left of the dial was safe again; plus, Oaktown's top lobbyist is back at it.
By Will Harper

There's a scene from Monty Python's Life of Brian that perfectly encapsulates the turmoil at KPFA, the listener-supported leftist radio station. In this scene, Brian, the main character, approaches some self-styled revolutionaries and asks, "Are you the Judean People's Front?"
"Judean People's Front?" scoffs the ringleader, played by John Cleese. "We're the People's Front of Judea."

Of course, the two similarly named groups share similar politics. They just can't agree to agree and get on with fighting their common enemy. They'd much rather fight amongst themselves.

For a decade now, KPFA has suffered from cancerous infighting between staff, management, and overly involved listeners. The cancer goes into remission every now and then. But it's back now -- worse than ever, some say. Last month, a pair of five-year station vets e-mailed colleagues, saying that "this is the most dysfunctional it has been" during their time at the Pacifica Radio affiliate.

Recent symptoms include an engineer throwing metal chairs at his rivals and a profanity-laced screaming match between general manager Roy Campanella and Hard Knock Radio cohost Weyland Southon. On top of all that, the station is way in the red (guesstimates range from $250,000 to more than $500,000).

http://tinyurl.com/e25ap

[Syncronaut Seven]

1. KPFA, quite possibly one of the most extroridinary

radio stations in this countrys history. "Democracy is messy" *Phrase use in proper context* FU DR!