Board of Directors

Meet the Board of Directors and Staff

blah blah blah. They survive pizza,  wine, hors d’oeuvres, pledge drives and more, so you can keep listening to KFCF.  Board members serve a three year term, with no pardons or parole available.  Staff keep all the stuff together.

*****BOARD OF DIRECTORS*****

Mike Beevers, President

Michael Beevers

Mike has been a long time KFCF listener, and programmer. He has been honored to serve as board President for the last 6 years. He is now retired but as a PhD Biologist. He ran his own business for 30 years. He has never been sued, and has never sued anyone. He has served on several other boards with experience as executive director.

He wants you to contribute to this storied jewel…KFCF…, the most remarkable station in the world…. think about it….. wait for it….yes…contribute….yes contribute…you know you should. KFCF forever…. Contact: president@kfcf.org

Sean Boyd, Board Member

 

Sue Kern, Secretary

Sue Kern helps operate the Kern Family Farm in North Fork, CA along with her husband, Hansel and adult children, Rebecca and Aaron. She helps daughter Rebecca run the family’s natural food market, the Gnarly Carrot. She’s also the Family Law Information Center Attorney at Fresno Superior Court’s Self-Help Center. Before moving to North Fork in 1989, she spent thirteen years organizing farm workers and home care workers in New York and California, and is on the board of directors of Centro La Familia Advocacy in Fresno, Madera Coalition for Community Justice in Madera, and the Ecological Farming Association. She’s been on the Fresno Free College Association Board since 2001.  Contact: Sue@kfcf.org

Kevin Hall, Board Member

 

Matt Davis , Board Member

A recent addition to KFCF, Matt had previously been a local club DJ in many of the popular Fresno “hot” spots.  Matt also hosted a new music show on an un-named station back in the late 1990’s.  Matt joined KFCF to help bring music to valley ears that was being overlooked and ignored by other radio programmers. Matt’s favorite record labels are Mute, Sire, DFA, Dark Entries, Cold Transmission Music and Italian’s Do It Better. His preferred music genres are indie, post-punk, Italio-disco and interesting electronic noises . Matt has been collecting vinyl records since the early 1980’s and is known to annoy friends and family by asking them “have you heard the new….” If you would like to send music for airplay consideration, you can send your music to mattd@kfcf.org.

Rick Flores, Board Member

On The Road with The Wasteland of The Free

Born in a  Kentucky log cabin in 1809 . . . Sorry . . . wait a minute. Wrong bio.

It all started on Fresno’s Channel 30 for little Ricky. Fresno icon Al Radka took the boy, from west of Easton, under his wing at the tender age of 9, wisely advising Rick on his Channel 30 Funtime debut, a Popeye cartoon playing, “Whatever it is you do kid, just don’t be boring.”

Rick took that to heart, and Al, in turn,  took a liking to the kid and said to Rick:  “I want you back for a full week, and tell your more talented friends sitting over there to come back and they can be on the show too.”

There is something about reaching the pinnacle of your celebrity success at such a tender age that can jade a youngster for the rest of his life. Such is the sad case of Rick Flores, whom to this day still struggles with his mentor’s credo. That being said, he has muddled along, and on reflection, incredible as it sounds, for 20 years and counting, is still on the public airwaves Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon on 88.1 with his show “The Wasteland of the Free.” Contact: Wasteland@kfcf.org

John Reed, Board Member

John Reed

When I moved from the coast to Madera in 1980 to accept a job, I was isolated from all things dear.  I didn’t know anyone.  I couldn’t find the diverse cultural, political and intellectual sources I needed for sanity.  Then I found “Across the Great Divide” hosted by Robbie Osman on Sunday mornings on KFCF, 88.1.  With his blend of folk music and social commentary, I knew I had found a home.  My listening expanded to the news on “Democracy Now!” and history on “Letters and Politics.”  I was hooked.  I’ve been a listener ever since.  I found my people and my place.  I joined the Board of KFCF.  You need to support KFCF, too.

Contact: john@kfcf.org

Gabriel Suarez, Board Member

Stephen Sacks, Board Member

Vic Bedoian, Board Member

Vic Bedoian (L) interviews Bill McKibben, climate activist.

Vic was born and raised on a vineyard in the Kings River watershed of the San Joaquin Valley, where I graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1961.  He attended Fresno City College and Fresno State before transferring to the University of California at Berkeley in 1964 and graduating in 1966.

His career in radio began with KPFA in Berkeley working as an assistant to Erik Bauersfeld in the Drama and Literature Department before turning his attention to news and current events production.  He was a documentary producer along with news reporting and anchoring an evening news magazine from the middle 1970’s to 1990.

Moving back to the Central Valley, working his family raisin vineyard was the primary occupation through the 1990’s.  During that time, he was active in the Sierra Club Tehipite Chapter as Chair of the Conservation Committee.

From 1996 to 2008 Vic was Executive Director of the Fresno Free College Foundation and General Manager of its public radio station KFCF 88.1 FM in Fresno.

Currently Vic is the Central Valley Reporter for Pacifica Radio News covering environmental and natural resources issues, as well as general assignment reporting.  Contact: news@kfcf.org

<Redacted> at request of Board Member

*****STAFF*****

Rych Withers,  Executive Director

Rych Withers has been around KFCF so long he has five inventory tags on him. A bubble bath does not remove them.

Rychard Withers has been the Executive Director of the Fresno Free College Foundation and KFCF from June 2008 to now.  He is also the station’s Chief Engineer and is responsible for all aspects of keeping the station on the air including finances, technical infrastructure – installing and maintaining all equipment, all on-air programming, and the physical maintenance of the station and studio facilities. Rych was the station’s first volunteer when it first went on the air in 1975 and while he worked full-time in commercial radio as a broadcast engineer for CBS Radio, he stayed a KFCF volunteer the entire time. Truth was, his heart was always in free speech programs as a way to create better communities through creative and co-operative programming that would result in in-depth news and commentary, and inspiring arts and cultural programs – programming not typically found in commercial broadcasting. Rych is cat-daddy to Splotch! and The Dude. Contact: rwithers@kfcf.org

Dennis Thompson, Operations Manager

Dennis “Bozo” Thompson with some Old Tube Radios. Psst. wanna buy a 12AX7?

Dennis Thompson is the Operations Manager at KFCF, a part-time position he has held since 2013. He is the coordinator of live, in-house productions, creates station promotional material, maintains the on-air and website Community Calendar. He also provides additional technical and engineering support as needed for live events, equipment installations and repairs and has done every technical job from climbing radio towers for repairs to installing cable. Dennis is also a skilled on-air personality, interviewer, and music programmer. His shows are often seasoned with his wit and humor. He collects cats and clown noses. Contact: Dennis@kfcf.org

Tim Pozar, IT Services

Tim Pozar ponders….

Tim, a Fresno native,  helped with KFCF engineering in the early days, and later moved to the Bay Area where he has been a broadcast engineer, ISP operator, and now specializes in IT projects. Tim helps with IT at KFCF and provides streaming services. Tim works on building infrastructure that enables democratic discourse. He works on SF’s Community Broadband Network that  provides Internet to low-income folks. Recent work includes a HA network at Burning Man for the BLM.

Matt D. – Music

Matt wonders what to play next.

A recent addition to KFCF, Matt had previously been a local club DJ in many of the popular Fresno “hot” spots.  Matt also hosted a new music show on an un-named station back in the late 1990’s.  Matt joined KFCF to help bring music to valley ears that was being overlooked and ignored by other radio programmers. Matt’s favorite record labels are Mute, Sire, DFA, Dark Entries, Cold Transmission Music and Italian’s Do It Better. His preferred music genres are indie, post-punk, Italio-disco and interesting electronic noises . Matt has been collecting vinyl records since the early 1980’s and is known to annoy friends and family by asking them “have you heard the new….” If you would like to send music for airplay consideration, you can send your music to mattd@kfcf.org.