The Pacifica Network is the world’s oldest listener-sponsored radio network, giving rise to shows like Democracy Now! and Letters & Politics, which we air here on WORT.

But Pacifica is facing a series of financial and management crises. What could this mean for the future of independent, progressive community radio in this country?

For today’s show, we get an overview of Pacifica’s history and the latest updates from Sherry Gendelman, president of Pacifica Safety Net.

Sherry Gendelman is the president of Pacifica Safety Net, a California non-profit organization formed by Pacifica radio listeners, volunteers, and donors to protect the Foundation’s five local stations from the immediate dangers they face. Sherry is former interim executive director of Pacifica and chair of the Pacifica National Board and a practicing criminal defense attorney.

Sherry recently co-authored an op-ed with Zack Kaldveer in CounterPunch called “Protecting Pacifica. Saving Independent Radio. Building a Progressive Movement.”

Note: Please excuse the abrupt ending of the program. This was due to an unexpected issue with the call software. Thanks to Summer for engineering and Richelle for producing.

Cover photo by Fringer Cat on Unsplash