KPFA Program Council
1929 Martin Luther King, Junior Boulevard
Berkeley, California 94704
August 28, 1999
To The KPFA Program Council,
The Pacifica crisis began well before March 31, 1999. While most of the recently fired and suspended staff have returned to KPFA, the removals that occurred beginning in May, 1995 (which paved the way for the rest) have yet to be addressed.
We have a golden opportunity to right a wrong and return to the air one of the oldest and most knowledgeable voices KPFA has ever had on its schedule. We speak, of course, of William (Bill) Mandel. His is not the only voice that was silenced in what has become known as the purge of '95, but his is currently the most identifiable voice, familiar to tens of thousands of listeners nationwide.
We feel very strongly that an integral part of KPFA's unrestricted return to the airwaves under the provisional dissolution of the "gag/dirty laundry" order must include the just return, as soon as possible, of Bill Mandel. His wealth of knowledge is needed now more than ever: International arenas -- Soviet history and US Relations and everything in between, much needed during the bombing of Yugoslavia. Local issues -- including the history of KPFA, Pacifica and the many important movements and struggles the station has reported on and been part of since the 1950s.
Bill Mandel's was the FIRST voice silenced by the 'gag rule.' Until that voice can be heard again (outside of the demonstrations which support the fight KPFA is now engaged in with the Pacifica board and management), our job of restoring KPFA to the community cannot even be
said to have begun in earnest.
As lovers of free speech radio, our goal is the return of ALL voices snuffed out under the gag rule. But our particular focus now is on reinstating Bill Mandel's show, his voice is sorely needed on the air to strengthen the fight against the ongoing moves by Pacifica to sell
the station. We seek your cooperation in adding Bill Mandel back into the programming schedule as soon as possible.
The listener/supporters signed below call on you to rectify, with utmost haste, one of the unaddressed wrongs of the "current" crisis.
Signed:
