70-14,102 STEBBINS, Gene R., 1934- LISTENER-SPONSORED RADIO: THE PACIFICA STATIONS. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1969 • Mass Communications University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan Copyright by Gene R. Stebbins 1970 THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED LISTENER-SPONSORED RADIO: THE PACIFICA STATIONS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Gene R. Stebbins, B.A., M.A. ****** The Ohio State University 1969 Apposed b Adviser rtment of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS No work such as the present one could be under­ taken without substantial help and assistance from a great number of people. The author is deeply indebted to many persons, including the followingr the Board of Directors of Pacifica Foundation for permission to do research in the records and papers of Pacifica and KPFA, the many persons now associated with KPFA who contri­ buted valuable information, the many former KPFA staff members who consented to lengthy interviews, and a number of persons who by correspondence contributed sig­ nificant information, including Mr. Norman Jorgensen, attorney," Mr. Johnson D. Hill? and Mrs. Joy Hill. To two women who have never met, but without whom this work would never have been possible, go the author' deepest appreciations Mrs. Vera Hopkins, Secretary to Pacifica Foundation, whose patience and assistance far exceeded that asked; and the author's wife Judy, whose proofreading and suggestions were invaluable. ii Finally, the author wishes to acknowledge the persons noted in these pages and many who are not whose devotion, patience, and perseverence are responsible for the existence of the Pacifica stations. They were fre­ quently unpaid, grossly unrewarded, and usually unappre­ ciated. Without them, Pacifica could never have been. The program schedule reproduced in Appendix C is from the KPFA Folio, copyright by Pacifica Foundation, used by permission. iii VITA September 1$, 1934 . Born, Dayton, Ohio 1956 B.S., Business Education, Manchester College, North Manchester, Indiana 1956-1959 Teacher, Northwestern High School Springfield, Ohio 1959-1960 Teacher, Thomas Mack Wilhoite High School, USNAS, Port Lyautey, Morocco 1960-1961. Graduate Assistant, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. 1961 * . M.A., Speech, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio 1961-1965 Instructor in Speech, Denison University, Granville, Ohio 1965-1969 • Assistant Professor of Speech, Sacramento State College, Sacramento,. California FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Speech Studies in Broadcasting: Professors James E. Lynch, Richard L. Mall, and Harrison B. Summers Studies in Public Address: Professor Harold F. Harding Minor F;ield: Education. Professor I. Keith Tyler \ iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii VITA iv LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES ix Chapter I. INTRODUCTION 1 A. Review of Related Literature B. Description Co The Importance of the Study D. Hypotheses II. NONCOMMERCIAL BROADCASTING AND LISTENER- SPONSORSHIP 15 A. Early Broadcasting By Educational Institutions B. Reservation of Educational Channels C. Precedents for Support of a Station by Listeners III. BEGINNINGS OF PACIFICA FOUNDATION 32 A. The Founder Lewis Hill B. Planning for a Radio Station C. The Richmond AM Application IV. EARLY BROADCASTING IN BERKELEY 54 A. KPFA-Interim B. Silence C. The Renewed KPFA V. FINANCIAL STABILITY UNDER THE GRANT FROM THE FUND FOR ADULT EDUCATION, 1951-1955 113 VI. ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEMS 148 v VII. GOVERNMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS OF PACIFICA STATIONS 204 A. Loyalty B. Transfer of Control C. Programming VIII. PACIFICA STATIONS IN THE SIXTIES 280 A. The Union and the Strike B. Programming of KPFA C. Critical Evaluation of Programming D. Financial Support IX. THE SUBSCRIBERS OF KPFA 308 X. KPFA AND OTHER STATIONS 349 XI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 366 APPENDIX A. PROGRAM SCHEDULE, KPFA-INTERIM, September 1949. 375 B. PUBLIC SERVICE PROGRAMS BROADCAST BY KPFA, September 17, 1962, to January 6, 1963. .... 377 C. PROGRAM SCHEDULE, KPFA, March 2-8, 1969 384 D. SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE AND COVERING LETTER 392 SOURCES CONSULTED 395 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Total FM Receivers Manufactured and Metropolitan San Francisco FM Penetrations, 1947-1954. • • . 130 2. KPFA Public Affairs Programs by Category- October 20, 1965? to February 20, i960 .... 290 3. KPFA Programming by Categories, March 2-B, 1969. 292 4. Financial Data for KPFA by Years 304 5. Summary of Findings of Two KPFA Surveys, 1950 and 1955 310 6. Education Levels of KPFA Subscribers, 1965 . • 313 7. Mean Scores, Liberal-Conservative Scale 330 8. Reported Voting Record .... 332 9. Comparison of Ranking of the Performance of President Nixon and Governor Reagan 333 10. Mean Scores on Liberal-Conservative Scale by Ratings Given to President Nixon 335 11. Reported Educational Level 337 12. Reported Family Income . 33# 13. Reported Use of News Media 339 14. Newspaper Doing a Better Job Reporting News. 340 15. Television Station Doing a Better Job Reporting News 341 16. Television Station Doing a Better Job in Public Affairs Programming ..... 342 17. Outstanding Total Programming on a TV Station. 342 vii id. Radio Station Doing a Better Job Reporting News. 343 19. Radio Station Doin£ a Better Job of Public Affairs Programming 344 20. Radio Station Whose Total Programming is Outstanding . « « 343 viii LIST OF FIGURES 1. Map Showing 1 mv/mile Contour of KPFA, Berkeley . 121 ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION "In my opinion, Pacifica should lean toward programs that present either opinions or information not available elsewhere.Firm in this belief, Lewis Hill established a small FM radio station at Berkeley, California, in April, 1949. Today, the Pacifica Foundation operates radio sta­ tions in three major metropolitan centers—Berkeley (serv­ ing the San Francisco area), Los Angeles, and New York. These stations are unique in American broadcasting, because nearly all of their financial support comes directly from listeners rather than from advertising or an education­ al institution. Hill felt that only in this way could the greatest potential in radio be realized with complete free­ dom from sponsor bias and vested interests of station owners. Programming on Pacifica stations is considerably different from the typical fare of radio stations in the United States. It has been described as "stimulating, absorbing, bold, and often controversial," 2 as "programs -J Lewis Hill, as quoted in Eleanor McKinney (ed.), The Exacting Ear (New York:Pantheon, 1966), p. 32. 2Gale R. Adkins, review of McKinney, The Exacting Ear, in Quarterly Journal of Speech, LIII, No. 2 (l£67), p. 193. 1 2 that were unforgettable," 3 and a new dimension and a fresh voice—different and dissenting. A. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A number of studies have examined commercial radio or television stations. 5 Another work investigated an individu- ^Harold Winkler, "Pacifica Radio—Room for Dissent", NAEB Journal, XIX, No. 3 (i960), p. 95. ^"Jack Gould, New York Times, July 10, I960, Sec. 2, p. 15. ^A partial listing of these might include: James E. Lynch, "WJW-TV; a History" (unpublished Master's thesis, University of Michigan, 1949)I Charles Gordon Shaw, "The Development of WJR, the Goodwill Station, Detroit" (unpub­ lished Master's thesis, Wayne State University, 1942), Erling S. Jorgenson, "Radio Station WCFL: A Study in Labor Union Broadcasting" (unpublished Master's thesis, University of Wisconsin, 1949)? Phillip Friedman, "KXOK, the Star-Times, St. Louis, Missouri" (unpublished Master's thesis, Univer­ sity of Missouri, 1950); Jack Ansell, Jr., "The Story of a Station: A History of the Radio Station WDAF, Owned and Operated by the Kansas City Star with Simultaneous Refer­ ences to the History of U. S. Radio" (unpublished Master's thesis, University of Missouri, 1950); Maryland W. Wilson, "Broadcasting by Newspaper-owned Stations in Detroit, 1920- 1927" (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Michigan, 1952); Wilburt James Richter, "The History and Development of Television Station WTTV, Channel 4, Bloomington, Indiana" (unpublished Master's thesis, Indiana University, 195#)? George M. Stoke, "A Public Service History of Radio Station WFAA—$20" (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Northwestern University, 1954; Nellie Graham Colbert, "A History of Radio Station WJBO, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with Emphasis on Programming Policies and Practices, 1943-1952" (unpublished Master's thesis, Louisiana State University, I960); Lillian J. Hall, "A Historical Study of Programming Tech­ niques and Practices of Radio Station KWKH, Shreveport, Louisiana, 1922-1950" (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Louisiana State University, 1959)? Sammy Richard Dana, "A History of Radio Station KMLB, Monroe, Louisiana, with Em­ phasis on Programming Policies and Practices, 1930-1953" (unpublished Master's thesis, Louisiana State University, I960); Stephen David Buell, "The History and Development of WSAZ-TV, Channel 3» Huntington, West Virginia" (unpub­ lished Ph.D. dissertation, Ohio State University, 1962); 3 al closely identified with a particular station.^ In addi­ tion, individual histories of broadcasting have centered on a commercial station, 7 or include valuable material about g early station operations. However, the emphasis in a major­ ity of these studies and histories tended to be on the over­ all operation of the stations, measured in terms of financial success. Lichty observes: "Very few of these provided more than