http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8rv0w0q No online items Finding aid to the Matthew Lasar Papers on KPFA and Pacifica Foundation SFH 614 San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library 2020 100 Larkin Street San Francisco, CA 94102 [email protected] URL: http://www.sfpl.org/sfhistory Finding aid to the Matthew Lasar SFH 614 1 Papers on KPFA and Pacifica Foundation SFH 614 Language of Material: English Contributing Institution: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library Title: Matthew Lasar Papers on KPFA and Pacifica Foundation creator: Lasar, Matthew Identifier/Call Number: SFH 614 Physical Description: 11 cartons(11 cubic feet) Date (inclusive): 1938-2003 Abstract: The Matthew Lasar Papers on KPFA and Pacifica Foundation contain the research materials used for Lasar's books Pacifica Radio: the rise of an alternative network (1999) and Uneasy Listening: Pacifica Radio's civil war (2006). Pacifica Foundation is an American non-profit organization which owns five independently operated, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations known for their progressive/liberal political orientation. KPFA is a member of the Pacifica Foundation and broadcasts from Berkeley, California. The collection is stored off-site. Language of Material: Collection materials are in English. Conditions Governing Access The collection is available for use during San Francisco History Center hours, with photographs available during Photo Desk hours. Collections that are stored offsite should be requested 48 hours in advance. Publication Rights All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Matthew Lasar Papers on KPFA and Pacifica Foundation (SFH 614), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library. Provenance Donated by Matthew Lasar in 2006. Related materials Researchers are encouraged to see also the SFPL library catalog and The Pacifica Radio Archives at https://www.pacificaradioarchives.org/. Conservation Note During processing the entire collection was refoldered in acid free folders. For preservation reasons AV materials my need additional processing. Administrative History Pacifica Radio Pacifica Foundation is an American non-profit organization which owns five independently operated, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations known for their progressive/liberal political orientation: KPFA in Berkeley, California (inaugurated in 1949); KPFK in Los Angeles (1959); WBAI in New York City (1960); KPFT in Houston (1970); and WPFW in Washington, D.C. (1977) Pacifica Foundation also operates the Pacifica Network, a program service supplying over 180 affiliated stations with various programs, primarily news and public affairs. It was the first public radio network in the United States, and the world's oldest listener-funded radio network. Pacifica was founded in 1946 by pacifists E. John Lewis and Lewis Hill. During World War II, Hill, as well as Lewis, filed for conscientious objector status. After the war, Lewis, Hill and a small group of former conscientious objectors created the Pacifica Foundation in Pacifica, California. KPFA in Berkeley commenced broadcast activities in 1949. For most of its history, Pacifica gave each of its stations independent control of programming. During the 1990s, a major controversy arose over rumors that the Pacifica National Board and national staff were attempting to centralize control of content in order to increase audience. There were accusations that the board proposed changing the network's funding model away from a reliance exclusively on listener donations and toward a mix of listener donations and corporate foundation funding similar to that of NPR. There were also accusations that the Board was considering selling both KPFA and WBAI in New York City, which operate on commercial-band FM frequencies (94.1 and 99.5, respectively) worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Matthew Lasar Finding aid to the Matthew Lasar SFH 614 2 Papers on KPFA and Pacifica Foundation SFH 614 Matthew Lasar, PhD, was a reporter for KPFA's news department through most of the 1980s. He holds a doctorate in history from the Claremont Graduate School and teaches history and media courses at the University of California at Santa Cruz. In his book Pacifica Radio Lasar presents a study of the Pacifica Foundation's turbulent evolution from its pacifist origins to its current presence. He discusses the relationship between its first station, KPFA (1949), and its role in the political world around it, from World War II and McCarthyism, to its coverage of the Vietnam War, and the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley. His narrative weaves together interviews he has collected from KPFA contributors. Uneasy Listening tells the story of the epic battle over five listener supported radio stations that rocked the American Left and raised difficult questions about public broadcasting in the United States that have yet to be answered. Scope and Content The Matthew Lasar Papers on KPFA and Pacifica Foundation contain the research materials used for Lasar's books Pacifica Radio (1999) and Uneasy Listening (2006). The collection contains Pacifica Foundation by-laws, news articles, correspondence, clippings, memorandum, minutes, newsletters, reports, questionnaires, interview transcripts, station guides, reports, audio tapes of interviews and broadcast shows, VHS of demonstrations and broadcasts, and other AV materials. The collection is strong in materials about KPFA and contains some content about Pacifica's other stations. Significant to the collection are the interview transcripts and recordings of KPFA and Pacifica contributors. Interview transcripts found in the subseries 1.1 are mostly conducted by Lasar and have corresponding audio tapes. Interview transcripts found in series 2 are conducted either by Veronica Selver for the film KPFA on the Air or by Matthew Lasar. There are no tapes for the Veronica Selver transcripts. Not all interview transcripts have corresponding tapes and not all tapes have transcripts. Arrangement The collection is arranged in 4 series in original order, then alphabetical by subject or name. Series 1: Research Files, Series 2: Interview Transcripts, Series 3: Publications, Series 4: Audio Visual Media. Series 1 is further organized by Subseries 1.1: Pacifica Radio Research, Subseries 1.2: Uneasy Listening Research. Series 4 is further organized by Subseries 4.1: Audio Tapes, Subseries 4.2 VHS, Subseries 4.3 Slides, and Subseries 4.4 CD-Rs. Subjects and Indexing Terms Pacifica Radio -- History KPFA (Radio station : Berkeley, Calif.) -- History Alternative radio broadcasting -- United States Subscription radio broadcasting -- United States Pacifica Foundation KPFA (Radio station : Berkeley, Calif.) -- History Series 1 Research Files Subseries 1.1 Pacifica Radio Research Scope and Contents This subseries contains Pacifica Radio by-laws, news articles, correspondence, clippings, memorandum, minutes, newsletters, reports, questionnaires and transcripts of interviews. Audio recordings of transcripts can be found in subseries 4.1. Most interviews are conducted between the subject and Matthew Lasar. Not all transcripts have a corresponding audio tape nor do all audio tapes have a transcript. Transcripts do not capture the entire audio interview. box 1, folder 1 Academic correspondence 1995 box 1, folder 2 ACLU 1946 box 1, folder 3 Adler, Margot 1997 box 1, folder 4 Alberts, Watson 1995 box 1, folder 5 Alternative media 1984-1996 box 1, folder 6 Anti communism box 1, folder 7 Anti semitism 1969 box 1, folder 8 Archives Pacifica 1983-1993 Finding aid to the Matthew Lasar SFH 614 3 Papers on KPFA and Pacifica Foundation SFH 614 Series 1Research Files Subseries 1.1Pacifica Radio Research box 1, folder 9 Arnstein, Flora 1985 box 1, folder 10 Berson, Ginny 1989-1995 box 1, folder 11 Bibliographies 1979-1996 box 1, folder 12 Black Panthers 1971 box 1, folder 13 Blankfort, Jeffrey 1996 box 1, folder 14 Boucher, Anthony 1970-1975 box 1, folder 15 Brochures and pamphlets 1950-1970 box 1, Bryant, Dorothy 1995 folder 16-17 box 1, folder 18 Budgets 1961-1975 box 1, folder 19 California 1986-1987 box 1, folder 20 Campbell, Lori box 1, folder 21 Change Poem 1988 box 1, folder 22 Chiarito, Americo 1977-1996 box 1, folder 23 Chiarito, Gert 1993-1994 box 1, folder 24 Clippings circa 1949 box 1, folder 25 Comments on dissertation 1995-1996 box 1, folder 26 Communism 1961-1979 box 1, folder 27 Community radio 1968-1993 box 1, folder 28 Cuba box 1, folder 29 Dallas, Paul 1967 box 1, folder 30 de Angulo, Jaime 1979 box 1, folder 31 Drummond, William 1996 box 1, folder 32 Elman, Richard 1968 box 1, folder 33 Elwood, Philip 1995 box 1, folder 34 Eskin, Sam 1972 box 1, folder 35 Exacting Ear 1966 box 1, folder 36 FAE (Fund for Adult Children) 1952-1953 box 1, FBI files 1958-1962 folder 37-38 box 1, folder 39 FCC 1954-1989 box 1, folder 40 Finch, Henry Roy 1994-1995 box 1, folder 41 FM 1953-1963 box 1, folder 42 Ford Foundation 1987-1995 box 1, folder 43 Foster, DM 1986-1990 box 1, folder 44 Foster, Don 1974 box 1, folder 45 Franck, Peter 1994 box 1, folder 46 Frankenstein, Alfred 1981 box 1, folder 47 Free Form 1993 box 1, folder 48 Freeman, Frank 1968 box 1, folder 49 Gardner, Josephine 1958 box 1, folder 50 Gieger, Henry 1948-1996 box 1, folder 51 Glazer, Norman 1965 box 1, folder 52 Grants 1993-1996 box 1, folder 53 Greene, Felix 1955-1982 box 1, folder 54 Hamilton, Wallace 1945-1995 box 1, folder 55 Henry, E. William 1996-1997 box 1, folder 56 Hertz. Werner 1993-1997 box 1, folder 57 Hill, Joy 1994-1996 box 1, folder 58 Hill, Lewis 1948 box 2, folder 1 Hoffman, Hallock 1963-1996 box 2, folder 2 Hopkins, Vera 1938-1995 box 2, folder 3 Kirschner, Don 1946 box 2, folder 4 Kael, Pauline 1963-1994 box 2, folder 5 KPFA 1992-1993 box 2, folder 6-17 KPFA.