Pacifica Radio

The Pacifica Radio Foundation is the licensee for five listener-supported, noncommercial FM radio stations in the United States. Pacifica also controls the operations of these stations, which include KPFA Berkeley, California (first broadcast 1949); KPFK Los Angeles, California (1959); WBAI New York City (1960); KPFT Houston, Texas (1970); and WPFW Washington, D.C. (1977). Pacifica distributes news, public affairs, and cultural content on its stations and on some 200 broadcast and online content providers. Pacifica also owns the Pacifica Radio Archives, which houses over 100,000 items spanning the period from 1949 to the present day. Pacifica’s primary contribution to journalism has been in through programs that document political debates, social justice movements, and cultural change. This entry examines Pacifica Radio’s history, expansion, rise as an alternative ...