Without notice to producers or listeners, the Washington, D.C.–based Pacifica affiliate WPFW has cancelled FAIR’s radio show, CounterSpin. FAIR learned of the cancellation early this week when listeners called our offices to ask why the show was not on the air.
CounterSpin—a media criticism show—has been censored by Pacifica stations five times this year for covering the ongoing crisis at the network. A brief history:
- 4/16/99: Los Angeles Pacifica affiliate KPFK refuses to run a CounterSpin featuring Larry Bensky, the recently fired host of Pacifica‘s Sunday Salon.
- 4/19/99: WPFW cuts off the CounterSpin broadcast featuring Bensky in mid-interview.
- *7/16/99: KPFK edits a broadcast featuring KPFA local advisory board member J. Imani and media critic Norman Solomon to include commentary on Pacifica from KPFK station manager Mark Schubb.
- 7/19/99: WPFW refuses to run the show featuring Imani and Solomon.
- 11/9/99: WPFW interrupts CounterSpin in the middle of an item about the “reassignment” of Pacifica Network news director Dan Coughlin.
In an indication of WPFW‘s hostility to efforts to cover the crisis at Pacifica, program director Lou Hankins told FAIR associate Laura Flanders that the station pulled CounterSpin‘s July 16 discussion of Pacifica issues because “We’re not putting that garbage on our air” (In These Times, 9/5/99).
When FAIR contacted WPFW this week to ask why, after years of providing the station with a high-quality show for free, FAIR had been given no notification of its cancellation, general manager Bessie Wash replied only, “I’m sorry if that upsets you.” She gave no explanation for the cancellation.
“It’s hard to conclude this is anything but a final act of censorship by WPFW,” commented CounterSpin co-host Steve Rendall. “For years, WPFW has run our analyses of fear and favor at other news outlets—but when we turned our attention to Pacifica, WPFW repeatedly interfered with and finally cancelled our show.”
*Clarification: CounterSpin‘s 7/16 Pacifica segment was aired in full by KPFK. However, the show’s lead segment on automobile consumer reporting was edited out of the broadcast—apparently to make room for Schubb’s comments about Pacifica and calls from listeners, which aired for the remainder of the CounterSpin time-slot. This action is more properly described as interference with the integrity of CounterSpin than as censorship of Pacifica issues.
ACTION: Contact WPFW and ask why they cancelled CounterSpin, and why they did so without notifying either Pacifica listeners or FAIR. If you are a WPFW listener, or a member of a Pacifica station elsewhere in the country, be sure to include that information in your letter. As always, please remember that letters with a calm, professional tone are taken more seriously than angry ones.
CONTACT:
WPFW
2390 Champlain Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
PHONE: 1-888-770-4944.
(Bessie Wash, general manager, x348)
(Lou Hankins, program director, x336)
FAX: 202-588-0561
wpfwfm@aol.com
Pacifica Foundation National Office
1929 Martin Luther King
Berkeley, CA 94704
PHONE: (510) 843-0130 or 1-888-387-8263
FAX: (510) 845-0289
pacno@pacifica.org
mfberry@sas.upenn.edu
