[Kzyxtalk] Fwd: Open Letter to Heather Gurewitz

[sako4 at comcast.net]

Heather Gurewitz 
Field Representative 
Congressman Jared Huffman 
Fort Bragg District Office 
430 N. Franklin St., Fort Bragg, CA 95437 
Mail: PO Box 2208, Fort Bragg, CA 95437 
707.962-0933; fax: 707-962-0905 
www.huffman.house.gov 

****************************** 

Thursday, August 20, 2015 

Heather Gurewitz 
Field Representative 
Congressman Jared Huffman 
Fort Bragg District Office 

Dear Heather, 

I was just copied on your email to Meg Courtney of the KZYX Board. A word to the wise, if I may. 

Representative Huffman would be well-advised not to get over involved in KZYX internal politics. There is real cause for concern here at the station, and there could be blow back for the congressman. I would hate to see that happen. Jared Huffman is a good man. 

I'll explain. Five good reasons. 

First, one third of the station's 2,100 members who voted in the last KZYX election, voted for reform candidates. Every open board seat was hotly contested, and the proposed reforms were sweeping in scope in that they would return KZYX to a truly public/community station model -- not the radio station currently operated by a few insiders . One third of the voting membership can't be all wrong, Heather. 

Second, last year, several members of the public, including myself, a sitting member of the KZYX Board of Directors and a past treasurer of the Board, filed objections to the automatic renewal of the station's two FCC licenses, pending the FCC's review of the station's operations. The station tried to defend itself in formal responses that contained a lot of "legalese". The FCC then contacted each of us for feedback and additional information on the station's responses. We got back to the FCC with our feedback. That was a year ago. 

Third, recently, five people -- including myself, Doug McKenty and King Collins, past members of the KZYX Board of Directors, Dennis O'Brien a KZYX board candidate and Ukiah attorney, and Norman De Vall, a retired and highly respected member of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors -- filed for discovery on the station's dubious financial record keeping practices and other aspects of operations. 

Fourth, it may be coincidental, however unlikely, but former KZYX Executive Director and General Manager, John Coate, announced his resignation within 24-hours after receiving the discovery demand. 

Fifth, complaints to the California Office of Attorney General, which oversees non-profit corporations, and the California Department of Business Oversight, are pending. The complaints will focus on KZYX's exclusionary governance practices. 

As a footnote, I should also add that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has slashed funding to KZYX. Why? Because KZYX does not reach enough of our minority population here in Mendocino County. Too few Latino(a) and Pomo listeners. 

And, I should add, popular support for KZYX is also declining -- membership has fallen from 2,300 to 2,100 in only the last few years, despite John Coate's aggressive efforts to double membership. 

Here's my suggestion. 

Representative Huffman can support public radio in Mendocino County by supporting KMEC at the Mendocino Environmental Center, and KNYO in Fort Bragg. Also, KMUD's broadcast signal reaches much of Mendocino County. 

He should become a member at all three public radio stations, and so should you! Forty bucks will do it. KZYX is not the only game in town. They don't have a monopoly. People have choices. 

Here's a link: http://www.kmecradio.org/donate/ 

Much-needed reforms will come to KZYX, but I suspect reform will come only over time and only through the intervention of regulatory agencies, and possibly through litigation. 

Thank you, and regards to Representative Huffman. I look forward forward to having him as a guest on my show at KMEC. 

Representative Huffman may be interested in knowing that my show at KMEC is a finalist for a $211,000 grant at a major foundation to expand on the interviews we've done with the following whistleblowers at KMEC: Tom Drake, Bill Binney, Kirk, Wiebe, and Russ Tice from the NSA; Ray McGovern, Patrick Eddington, and Melvin Goodman from the CIA; Coleen Rowley and Jesselyn Radack from the FBI, Elisabeth Murray from the National Security Council; and Matthew Fogg from the U.S. Marshall's Service. 

We are currently negotiating with Edward Snowden's attorney for an interview in Russia with him. 

I was also just introduced to Judy Ehrlich, who was nominated for an Oscar for her excellent documentary on Daniel Ellsberg. 

If funded by the foundation grant, we at KMEC hope to build on our interviews with whistleblowers to create a new curriculum for professional responsibility and ethics for the next generation of national security professionals and federal agents. 

It's an ambitious project, and KMEC may be a longshot, but we're in the running. Our proposal has been endorsed by several big players in the intelligence community. 

Sincerely, 

John Sakowicz 
KZYX Board of Directors (2013-2016), Board Treasurer (2014) 




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