Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet

Subject: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Sep 00 - 01:14 AM

From PBS's Point of View program notes online: "In 1949, America's first listener-supported community radio station, KPFA, began broadcasting from Berkeley, California. The station quickly became a living testament to free speech and cultural diversity – a vital community of the air that often found itself embroiled in conflict. This riveting film takes us through KPFA's passionate 50-year history, including its founding by pacifists and poets, through its defiance of Cold War conformity, to the present day challenges that confront this on-going experiment in democratic media." (emphasis is mine)

I was too young to know much of anything about the early days of KPFA Radio; plus, I've never lived within their broacasting area. I have read a few postings, here, in the past couple of years and read some articles, so have had a great interest in it.

The above show was aired tonight. It was a fantastic program, very well done and I learned a lot from it.

While listening to some of the interviewees as they described what it was all about and the contentious times they have experienced with their struggles to keep information and diversity available, it struck me that we have said some of the very same things about the Mudcat. We've talked about how we can have a community which is diverse, with differing opinions, etc., yet have most everyone still feel welceom, etc.

One of them said what a concept it was, at the first, to boldly believe people would voluntarily pay for something which was going to be offered free of charge. All of which led me to conclude the Mudcat is to the Internet, in some ways, at least, what KPFA was for radio, esp. in the early days of both.

If you haven't seen the program, I would urge you to watch for ir, or see if you can get your community tv to purchase the video and show it. You can find info on it at www.pbs.org/pov.

Subject: RE: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: rabbitrunning
Date: 20 Sep 00 - 12:05 PM

Sounds interesting. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: GUEST,Luther
Date: 20 Sep 00 - 01:00 PM

hunh, interesting -- be curious to see how they spin the recent labor/management imbroglio at Pacifica. (ooh, I've always wanted to use the word "imbroglio"!).

While we're on the topic of radio, some of you may be interested in Radio For Peace International

And you can read up on Pacifica on their own site, www.pacifica.org

Subject: RE: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: Naemanson
Date: 20 Sep 00 - 02:03 PM

Whew! When I saw the acronym I thought this might be another flame thread.

This looks interesting. I wonder if they'll rerun the program at some time?

Thanks for the report.

Subject: RE: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Sep 00 - 02:23 PM

Here are some other threads which have discussed this:

click here

or, here

Subject: RE: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: paddymac
Date: 20 Sep 00 - 03:37 PM

Well, Kat, I've never heard KPFA, but based on the info you have provided, I think your comparison is high praise indeed for our cyber-family/community.

Subject: RE: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: GUEST,Luther
Date: 20 Sep 00 - 03:46 PM

Kat, thanks for the links to the older threads. I've only been reading this forum for a short time, and would not have guessed there was any interest at all in progressive radio here. As neutrally as possible, I will say I don't share your enthusiasm for NPR/PBS/CPB, and am more than a little skeptical about a PBS show on Pacifica, but will try to see it if I get the chance.

Anyone interested in a broader range of information than US broadcast radio permits should really look into shortwave -- a decent receiver from Grundig or Sony can be had for around $200 US, and will get you the BBC, Deutsch Welle, Radio Netherlands, and RFPI (which continues to broadcast some of the shows dropped by Pacifica), and of course much more. A good introduction to shortwave is "Passport To World Band Radio", a paperback guide published annually (they probably have a website, I haven't looked).

This is maybe a bit less important than it would have been a decade ago, a lot that used to be accessible only through shortwave is now on the web -- still, for anyone curious about a different take on the news, a shortwave receiver is invaluable.

Subject: RE: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Sep 00 - 04:30 PM

YOua re welcome, Luther and thanks for the info. Actually, on our NPR station, here, I listen to BBC World News almost everyday, as well as BBC TV news at night. The internet has also opened up news and msuic from around the world.

Point of View is, I believe, an independently produced program which is aired on PBS. The program was very good and interviewed a lot of the people who had been treated horribly by Pacifica. It was in no way slanted towards Pacifica of today, esp. at least as far as I could tell. From what I've seen of POV, they've tried to do the same thing for TV, in a more ltd. way (fewer shows) that KPFA did for radio; tell the untold stories.

Paddymac, I mean it, sincerely. Some of the things the people said, I've read right here in our threads, when we are talking about the Mudcat. It was striking in resemblance.

Thanks,

kat

Subject: RE: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: catspaw49
Date: 20 Sep 00 - 04:55 PM

Interesting correlation kat.........Sounds good to me.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Sep 00 - 10:46 PM

Thanks, Spaw, I was hoping to get a few postings from Mudcatters who were there or are there now, some who'd posted in the other threads. I'd like to hear their views. Oh well...since we are all pretty much in agreement, I guess it's no fun**BG**

Subject: RE: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 21 Sep 00 - 12:43 AM

You can listen to KFPA online at

Click here

and, incidentally, find out lots more about this national treasure and about associated things, such as schedules of appearances of a variety of speakers in the Bay Area: coming up in the next few weeks are Jim Hightower, Ralph Nader, Angela Davis (I'm glad I checked the URL before posting--I discovered the speakers, having missed any mention of them on KPFA, with my irregular listening schedule.

By the way, KPFA has seven straight hours of great folk music on Sundays, good soul and blues and jazz shows on Saturdays, two hours of world music weekdays before noon, and various other music shows late nights.

--seed

Subject: RE: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 21 Sep 00 - 12:54 AM

I'm better than anyone else because not only can I play harmonica better than Little Neo and banjo better than katlaughing, I produce more gas than Catspaw and El Swanno put together. Top that, if you can.

--seed

Subject: RE: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: katlaughing
Date: 21 Sep 00 - 01:09 AM

Charles, darlin', thanks for all of the info about KPFA; about your second posting? I think you forgot to switch threads....still luvya, though...kat

Subject: RE: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 21 Sep 00 - 01:12 AM

I guess I'm better than anyone else because I didn't post it to that thread, kat. In other words, oops.

--seed

Subject: RE: Mudcat IS the KPFA of the Internet
From: katlaughing
Date: 21 Sep 00 - 01:53 AM

Oops, on me, too, Chares...I didn't post to it, either! Hey, does that mean we are a two Mudcat clique?**BG**