Illustration by Mick Burson, a multimedia artist whose nomadic life feeds playful abstract work in paint, sculpture, printmaking, and public murals worldwide.
That's our tower up there, taking a walk. Don't worry. The real one is still standing tall atop Mt. Wilson, same as it has since 1959, the most powerful FM transmitter west of the Mississippi. But the station behind the signal has been moving in ways worth naming, and this is me naming them.
I'm Ace Estwick, and as of April 10, I'm the new Interim General Manager of KPFK.
Maggie Lepique has carried this station through some of its hardest stretches in recent memory. She's back in her role as Music & Promotions Director, exactly where her ear and instincts belong, and now also serving as Interim AGM. She continues the vital work of stabilizing fundraising, improving programming, building cultural partnerships, and leading the Transmitter Repair Campaign. We're a good team.
Here's some of what's shifted, in case you haven't already felt it.
The donor experience. If you've given to KPFK in the past few months, you've probably noticed that it feels different. Smoother. Less friction between the impulse to support the station and actually getting it done. We've been hearing from listeners that the new experience is a real improvement, and the donations have gone up alongside the feedback. That's what we were hoping for. Good infrastructure gets out of the way.
The shape of fund drives. A few years ago we were on-air pledging nearly every other month. Today we're down to four or five drives a year. That didn't happen by accident. It happened because of monthly sustainers, the listeners who set up recurring support and quietly keep the lights on every day of the year. Sustainer gifts are the most powerful thing an independent station has going for it. If you're not one yet, that's the single best way to help us keep the drives short and the programming long.
Programming, taken seriously. Our hosts are the station. Over the coming months we're investing in them in real ways: better tools and more support, alongside a more deliberate effort to bring new voices to air alongside the ones you already know. KPFK's programming has always been one of its strongest assets. The goal is to make sure the conditions behind the mic match the work happening in front of it.
Events are back. In April we ran back-to-back premiere screenings of Steal This Story, the Amy Goodman documentary, at the Laemmle Royal. Two sponsored showings in one day, one of them sold out, both with lively Q&A afterward. That wasn't a one-off. We produced the Thom Hartmann and Chris Hedges events last year, and the next big one lands May 9: Sumud, a full afternoon and evening gathering Palestinian journalists, labor leaders, filmmakers, faith communities, and artists six days out from the 78th Nakba remembrance. Dr. Ramzy Baroud keynotes. Tickets at kpfk.org/sumud.
I came up through this station as a volunteer, then a contractor, then whatever title could be found for what needed doing. That matters to me, and it matters to how I'm going to run the place. KPFK isn't a job I applied for from outside. It's the building I've been showing up to for years, same as many of you. Whatever I change, I'm changing from inside the thing, with people who've been here longer than I have.
The May fund drive is coming. I won't pretend otherwise. You'll hear more soon, including premiums we're genuinely proud of on labor and anti-war themes. But this letter isn't the pitch. This one's the hello.
Thanks for still being here.
Ace
Interim General Manager, KPFK 90.7 FM
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