Pacifica was founded by radical pacifists who refused to fight even in World War II; nor were they content to wash their hands of the situation and be quietly hidden away in camps. Rather they wanted to disseminate their ideas; so after World War II, they established Pacifica radio, in the words of its mission, to “gather and disseminate information on the causes of conflict between” and to “contribute to a lasting understanding between nations and individuals of all nations, races, creeds and colors.” Hopefully the Pacifica board, which meets this weekend in New York City, will live up to this legacy.

In the late 90s and early in this decade, problems long-festering Pacifica spilled out and resulted in a series of lockouts, lawsuits and conflicts that gripped the network, which owns five stations. By the time the cataclysmic events of 9-11 happened, the network was in a state of internal war; crucially, its flagship program, “Democracy Now!”, was eerily being censored from Pacifica’s stations in New York City and Washington, D.C.

This occurred largely because “Democracy Now!”, unlike much of the other programming on those stations, sought to report on moves by the Pacifica national board, which seemed intent on mainstreaming the network, and possibly selling off parts of it. There was some indication that these actions could even have been motivated by goals of personal profit for board members (the stations are now worth hundreds of millions of dollars). . . .”

for more go to:  http://www.counterpunch.org/2006/06/02/can-pacifica-live-up-to-its-promise/