2024-06 GM Report to Local Station Board

2024-06 General Manager's Report

Finances

The financial picture is very challenging, as we have made little progress in attracting significant numbers of new listeners. Membership is hovering just below 5000 individuals. Although we have been theoretically in the black for the first two quarters of the current fiscal year, this is primarily because expenses have been cut dramatically in most areas, especially payroll, and also development costs (the money spent on thank-you gifts and fulfillment). Revenue is down, but not as much as expenses have been reduced. The added burden of rent for 111 is a major problem going forward. We have had to cover the rent and the substantial expenses of the move, which have involved  the purchase of a lot of equipment as well, along with travel expenses for multiple visits by Pacifica chief engineer Moe Thomas. These costs, including rent for two years for KPFK and PRA, were supposed to be covered by proceeds from the sale of the building at 3729 Cahuenga Blvd West, but escrow has not yet closed -- postponed again until July -- and we have had to cover all those costs as if they are everyday operating expenses out of regular revenue. We are in another on-air drive as a result, but with little time between drives to build audience and thus membership, the proceeds are coming in slowly.

Technical

There continue to be technical and related difficulties that have interfered with operations. The Santa Barbara translator is not functioning properly, and Stuart Landau has had some health issues that prevented him from going up there with Ian Scott to fix it with a new antenna. We have established a new studio-to-transmitter link from the current location to the transmission tower on Mount Wilson. This required contracting with certified tower climbers to install a dish there, and coordinated efforts to get it lined up with a dish on the roof of 111, and functioning properly.  The small  edit bay and production studio at 111 Jackson has been completed and is in use; we have a purchase list of items needed to make the broadcast studio there available for occasional use as a pre-recording studio, when not used for on-air shows live. Various parts in the new installation have failed and needed replacement. Great thanks are due to our currently all-volunteer tech crew, Charlie Wilken, Ian Scott, and Richard Dawson. We have succeeded in restoring our streaming on TuneIn (as well as a number of other apps and platforms including MyTuner and vradioapp.com) and are in the process of working out how to get KPFK (and other Pacifica stations) on the Echo smart speaker ("Alexa, play KPFK..."). I am also working on getting Google for Non-Profits set up for KPFK for better email services for @kpfk.org email addresses and fuller access to and ability to use YouTube (which can also be monetized). Getting these access mechanisms and services set up are very time consuming affairs with many frustrations to overcome in the process.

Programming

We ran the 24-hour marathon broadcast, Radio Free Palestine, on May 15, anniversary of the Palestinian nakba in 1948. We are working on at least one special program for the current on-air drive on June 19, a 3-hour broadcast of a performance of scenes from Ibsen's An Enemy of the People by a number of celebrities, combined with information and perspectives on the climate crisis, from NYC, related to the "No Broadway Shows on a Dying Planet" action by Extinction Rebellion New York. We have also started discussion about marking the 55th anniversary this month of the Stonewall Rebellion (and the not unrelated 50th anniversary of KPFK's IMRU, the longest running LGBTQ program in the country). Marlena Bond and I are continuing to discuss and work on putting together a program council to assist in program evaluation of both existing and proposed programming. We have developed a listener feedback and programming evaluation form on the station website, and promoted it with the Dispatch. We will promote it further on air.

Social media promotion and marketing

We have been in discussion with a professional in this area, whose pro bono services on a strategic planning project for an improved social media presence and footprint I obtained through Taproot Foundation, and have also obtained the services of an intern from the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences, who can assist us over the next couple of months, in implementing efforts to promote our content through video clips on social media platforms. The pro's advice is also to concentrate efforts on email outreach and marketing efforts, and we are awaiting some guidelines from him before launching such a campaign in as effective a way as possible, with measureable goals and assessment mechanisms. I have asked programmers who are already producing video content in some way, such as livestreaming on facebook or via instagram, or who use facilities like Streamyard, that can send content to multiple social platforms simultaneously, to connect with these efforts. We have appealed for video and design volunteers in the Dispatch and have also posted a volunteer engagement form on the KPFK website. In other outreach and promotion effort IRL, I have been leafleting several large rallies with information about KPFK programs

Fundraising

As you have probably heard, KPFK is impacted by the consent decree/settlement agreement between Pacifica and the Federal Communication Commission, requiring a meticulous and far-reaching compliance process about on air fundraising and 'pitching;, program sponsorship and underwriting. All such activities will be subject to close scrutiny to assure compliance with FCC regulations on those matters. Training is underway with all KPFK and other Pacifica station personnel, including a video presentation by our FCC attorney from Foster Garvey, question and answer sessions, and a written compliance manual. These efforts must be completed by June 27 at KPFK and all our sister stations, and failure to complete the training by any programmers or producers will result in their suspension from being on air or preparing material for use on air until the training is completed. We are also facing about 2-1/2 years of close scrutiny by the FCC at all five stations, and commensurately strict self-monitoring by everyone at Pacifica. I would recommend that all LSB members take the training, even if not currently on air, as we would like to revive the mandated LSB report to the listeners, and in any event it would give all LSB members a clearer understanding of the regulatory framework we operate in and the constraints on how we can fundraise on the air.

We are working on other streams of revenue. We have signed up with Hungry Friend, a program that enables listeners to sign up and have a percentage of their charges at participating restaurants when they dine out to go to KPFK as a donation. We are exploring Good Search as another potential source of "passive" revenue; they have changed and rebranded their program in 2022, no longer seem to have the "Good Shop" online shopping program, though they do have a "gifts" purchasing program to aid charities as part of their "Good News" app. We have inquired as to whether they either produce audio "good news" reports or would allow use of their material to be read on-air.  We are also working on our local underwriting program and will be doing another training session soon (compliance an important issue here as well) to get more people involved in reaching out to potential underwriters. Support from and involvement by LSB members is very welcome in this effort, as well as in donor stewardship and related fund raising activities. A major-donor prospecting effort that Mike Bressler helped initiate has been unfortunately back burnered because of other pressing demands on the ED and me, but we hope to revive it. Again, involvement by the LSB in any and all fundraising efforts is most welcome. There is an underwriting application form and information on the station website.

Community events have been another important source of revenue (and outreach/community engagement) for the station over the past year. The Spanish language programmers have an event scheduled next Saturday at the El Sereno Community Gardens, and I have encouraged all programmers to think about community events that could boost their profile and increase their audiences, as well as raise funds for the station. The LSB could also be working on the mandated "town halls" to solicit listener input and feedback.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael Novick, KPFK interim General Manager