Mission: The pacifica foundation is a non-commercial, listener-supported, education and community public radio organization operating in various markets throughout the country.
Programs: The pacifica foundation owns and operates five non-commercial radio stations, and provides copies of radio programs to other non-commercial radio stations, schools, colleges, universities, and other individuals. The foundation provides archived materials from historical events, previous pacifica foundation radio programs, and events to other commercial and non-commercial media companies, schools, colleges, universities, and individuals.
Pacifica has five radio stations licensed to them by the FCC -- KPFA in Berkeley, KPFK in L.A., KPFT in Houston TX, WBAI in NYC, and WPFW in DC. They invented listener-sponsored, commercial free radio in 1949 when FM was young. They also have 200+ affiliates and governance elected by listener and staff members, unique in broadcasting. They launched Democracy Now! and currently produce a national weekly show, COVID, Race & Democracy. They have tremendous potential and are paragons of free speech but have been overshadowed in their own markets by NPR stations and need to figure out how to grow and rejuvenate their listener base and content providers in the era of social media.
