Active Radio: Pacifica's Brash Experiment Volume 1

It's easy to take public radio for granted, but the story of the first listener-sponsored public radio station (and network) shows that challenges to its survival were formidable. Established in 1949 by pacifists with seed money from wealthy Bay Area Quakers, KPFA in Berkeley began airing progressive public affairs and arts programs and soon faced stiff resistance from the FCC, FBI, and Congress. This short (179 page) book, written for general audiences, focuses on the first three decades of this "brash experiment," including the expansion of Pacifica radio to include stations in Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., and Houston. In passing, we also hear about Margaret Mead, W.E.B. DuBois, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Pauline Kael, Seymour Hersh, Carey McWilliams, Alexander Meiklejohn, and other voices of dissent and criticism aired on Pacifica. Very worthwhile.