Support KPFA and Con Sabor-Fund Drive til 5/28/21

KPFA 94.1 FM based in Berkeley in the San Francisco/Northern California area is busy with the current Spring Fund Drive which runs until Friday, May 28, 2021. My program “Con Sabor” which is broadcast every Saturday night from 9 to 11 PM PST will be airing special fund drive programs on Saturday, May 15th and Saturday, May 22nd. I will be asking for your financial support to keep Latin music on the air and broadcasting strong on Public Radio. KPFA also broadcasts on-line at www.kpfa.org. (Image: Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Luis Medina at KPFA Studios 2018. Photo: Luis Medina)

KPFA has been on the air since 1949 with a unique fundraising model of listener support. The Pacifica Broadcasting network which was born after KPFA was established in Berkeley, CA by its Pacifist founder Lew Hill does not accept corporate funding or underwriting so it is totally dependent on listener support. Pacifica Broadcasting is a unique network which broadcast different points of view which are to the left of the political spectrum and not given much presence on traditional news media or media in general.

KPFA has been supportive of Latino voices since Communicaciones Aztlan was founded in the early 1970’s and struggled for years to have Latino voices included in the programming. These group of dedicated activists and community volunteer broadcasters laid out the groundwork for programs such as Con Sabor to exist in public radio here in the SF Bay Area. I have been producing radio on KPFA on and off since 1976 and have served as Host and Executive Producer of Con Sabor since 1997 at the current time slot from 9 to 11 PM PST on Saturday evenings. Emiliano Echeverria, veteran producer/host at KPFA since the 1960’s, sits in for Con Sabor every last Saturday of the month with the program “Radio Cuba Canta” which showcases Cuban music from the early 1900’s to the present day.

However, it’s important that Latin music and culture programming in Public Radio are supported by the public in order for programs such as Con Sabor and Radio Cuba Canta to continue to exist and thrive in these turbulent times. You can become a member of KPFA during the fund drive by visiting www.kpfa.org. Please support KPFA and Con Sabor during this current fund drive. These fund drives are held 4 times a year…they are a necessity to keep Latin music and culture programming alive at KPFA.