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Gregory Wonderwheel [KPFA area]
Synopsis of bylaws
Mon Aug 25 09:37:56 2003

Two classes of members: Listener-sponsor members and staff members. Listener-sponsor members must have donated $25.00 minimum in previous year or volunteered; there are provisions for waiver if financial hardship.

Each class will elect its representatives to the station boards. The representatives on the station boards are called delegates. The station board delegates at each station will elect the 4 directors (3 listener-sponsors and 1 staff) from their board. The directors elected from the 5 station boards along with 2 affiliate directors (always) and 1 at-large director (optional) make up the board of directors.

Accountability: The members may remove their delegates; the station board (2/3 majority) or the members may remove a director; the station board may remove a delegate by 2/3 vote; the Board of Directors may remove a director or delegate (2/3 majority).

Amendments: Bylaw amendments may be proposed by either 6 directors, two station boards, or a petition of the members. Amendments to be approved need either a majority of the board of directors and a majority of 3 of the 5 station boards or a majority vote of a quorum of the members. If the amendment affects the voting rights of members then it must be approved by the members. All amendments will be done once a year and the content of the amendments must be posted on website and the stations must announce on the air the proposed amendments for 60 before the vote.

Station boards have the power and duty to review and approve their station budgets. (This is the financial transparency that has been lacking.)

Station boards will evaluate the General Managers and may ask that a GM be fired and if the Exec Dir agrees then it will be done and if ED does not agree then the Board of Directors will decide.

Station boards will do written evaluation of program directors.

Station boards will work with station management to ensure that station programming fulfills the purposes of the Foundation and is responsive to the diverse needs of the listeners (demographic) and communities (geographic) served by the station, and that station policies and procedures for making programming decisions and for program evaluation are working in a fair, collaborative and respectful manner to provide quality programming.

All elections will use proportional representation methods, either Single Transferable Vote (for multiple seats) or Instant Runoff Vote (for single seats).

Bylaws state Pacifica is committed to Diversity. Diversity of boards and staff will be monitored, measured, and evaluated by Committees of Inclusion that will report quarterly to the station boards and the Board of Directors.

For amendment petitions or other good reasons associated with membership, members may send a mailing to other members. The foundation must give the membership list or provide an alternative means of contact (usually giving list to mailing house that keeps if confidential and mailing sent out at member expense.) Pacifica can't censor mailings unless they are not related to membership interests (i.e., no advertisements or religious proselytizing, etc.)

Those are the highlights.