No injuries when bullet busts window at KPFT radio (Pacifica Radio)

Houston Chronicle ^ | Aug. 13, 2007, 6:55AM | KEVIN MORAN

[weegee]

A bullet blasted through a Plexiglas window at KPFT radio early this morning, missing a woman's head by about 18 inches, said general manager Duane Bradley.

The bullet was fired while another staff member was talking to three people at the station's front door, about 12 feet from the smashed window, Bradley said. The station is located in the 400 block of Lovett.

No one was injured in the shooting, Bradley said.

Bradley said the sometimes-controversial station airs blues, folk and other types of music as well as "alternative" programming about gay and lesbian issues and a program geared toward Texas prison inmates and their families.

But he said programming logs indicated no hot-button topics in the hours before the bullet struck the station's window at about 1 a.m. today.

The community-supported radio station at 90.1 FM finished a weeklong $135,000 pledge campaign on Sunday.

"There was actually a Zydeco music show that was on when this happened," Bradley said. "Zydeco, if anything, is kind of happy music."

Bradley said Mary Thomas, the programmer who came close to being hit by the bullet, was not engaged in any controversial on-air activity at the time.

"I think it was purposeful," Bradley said. "It's highly likely that, at some point, someone may have heard something that offended them and they decided to do something about it."

The bullet fired at the station today smashed through a Plexiglas layer of the studio window and an attached layer of regular glass, then hit a door across the room. Police still were looking for the bullet early this morning.

Bradley said KPFT has been operating since March of 1970. Considered by many a liberal or even left-wing station at the time, the station's transmitter, located then in rural Houston, was dynamited twice in 1970 and 1971. The bombings were believed to be racially motivated, Bradley said.

[weegee]

Hmm. The article mentions the nature of CERTAIN programs but ignores all of the political programming on Pacifica Radio.

And the shooter could just have easily been FROM the anarchist-socialist-revolutionary Left. They are ticked off that there is music on that station (they want ALL CHOMSKEY-ALL THE TIME) and among other activities, some arsonist set fire to a shed containing part of the station's music library a couple years ago.

There has been an internal power struggle at the station and several attempted coups from within.

[weegee]

Houston PING (and I put my own comments in the first comment).

[Spktyr]

Alternately, it could be viewed as a form of music criticism - Zydeco sucks.

[whipitgood]

Oh sure, somebody took a shot at them BECAUSE they are liberal and gay-friendly. Couldn’t possibly be a random shot, directed by some of Houston’s finest citizens.

[whipitgood]

Of course most of the businesses in Houston have Plexiglass windows. They get those hail storms down there, you know. /s

[freekitty]

Never heard of them. Sounds like someone doesn’t like them.

[weegee]

The commies hate the blues shows too, considers it all to be the “same” song:

See page 20 of this online edition of this free paper around town...

http://www.freepresshouston.com/07_07_72dpi.pdf

“10 reasons KPFT is backsliding”

The author also wants Amy Goodman rants on morning drivetime to indoctrinate her kid on the way to school rather than “the morning mix”.

[Ramius]

My company’s Houston office gets bullet holes in the windows all the time, just like everybody else.

[Chi-townChief]

“What You Gonna Do When The Zydeco Turn On You?”

[HKMk23]

Ahh-kay.

S’lemme take a crack at this:

The Whack Left gets the House and Senate, but still can’t buffalo the American people into buying their crock o’baloney. So, despite them having a stake in the pending Democrat run at the White House in ‘08, they conclude that the BEST way to move their agenda forward is to assault local media outlets that are left-but-not-left-enough?

[brytlea]

Because they play Zydeco?
susie

[weegee]

These are the whacko Left who support Kuccinich, Dean, Sheehan, Chavez, et al.

They aren’t Hillary fans. But it is interesting that the focus of the article and comments from the station is that it is BECAUSE they have radical content on the radio that they were shot, not because they don’t have ENOUGH radical radio (there is some music) and their radical base won’t take NO for an answer.

[Neoliberalnot]

Another homosexual stunt to get the sympathy vote. The shooter was most likely a homosexual male.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

There was a fire in the campus radio station in Iowa City when I was there in 69. The Daily Iowan reporter inquired as to what the station was playing at the time.
"Bonzo Dog Doodah Band," was the reply.
Next morning's headline; Dogs catch fire at campus station.

[bpjam]

Nobody has explained why the hell the prison population ‘and their families’ would want programming about queer issues? Most of the people in prison in Houston are black, and I don’t know if these libs know this, but the black community don’t like no queer issues.

And the Zydeco stuff is just another unfortunate after-effect of Katrina. Houston got the criminals, the poor, the taggers, the gang members, the unemployable and Zydeco. Too bad for Houston.

[Rio]

Better replace those Plexiglas windows with Lexan.

[weegee]

Zydeco is a musical tradition of Houston, not New Orleans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zydeco

http://www.zydecoevents.com/History.html

[weegee]

It is certainly a political smear against those who oppose the homosexual agenda. And it doesn’t make those at the station any safer to deny the violent radicals in their own ranks.

[sinclair]

"Never miss this if I can help it. Great music."

Lone Star Jukebox - Saturday: 9 AM-Noon - Texas and Local Music - The Lone Star Jukebox, hosted by Rick Heysquierdo, presents a diverse range of music from genres including Alternative Country, Americana, Border Ballads, Folk and Roots Rock. This show frequently features live in-studio performances and interviews by local and regional artists. Past guests on the Lone Star Jukebox include Tom Russell, Dave Alvin, Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett, Billy Joe Shaver, Robert Earl Keen. The Stone Coyotes, Aztex, Jack Ingram, Adam Carroll, Shake Russell, Dana Cooper, Patricia Vallone, Jesse Dayton, Trish Murphy, and many more. Stay tuned for ticket giveaways - - and you might hear Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and some classic Bruce Springsteen.

[caddie]

Looks like they’re racing up the AC national chart with a bullet!

[FreePaul]

The bombings were believed to be racially motivated, Bradley said.

What "race" is KPFT? I know most of them are in contact with something in outer space. I used to listen to KPFT for fun. It's probably considered cruel to laugh at the mentally handicapped.

Considering their location a bullet through the window may not be significant of anything other than some local dispute. Fifty years ago I lived a couple of blocks from there and it was well on it's way downhill.

[weegee]

That block is very yuppie liberal today. The violent crime is over on the other side of Westheimer.

[girlscout]

Long ago when they played mostly music they were a good station to listen to. I basically quit listening to them when the last internal take over went down a few years ago. Can’t stand any of their talk programs and the few times I do flip to their channel they are having yet another fund drive. With XM and Sirus out there with variety music, I’m sure they are hurting for supporters.

[IslandJeff]

Nice headline writers at the Chronicle. Proper English apparently optional.

[RedWhiteBlue]

There has been an internal power struggle at the station and several attempted coups from within.

And THAT is the source of their problems. I listen sometimes on Saturdays, the music is good but eventually I get tired of the editorializing and turn it off. I actually heard one of the dj's try and blame the fire, etc on the KKK. Yeah, right. Their "internal power struggles" are sometimes entertaining to read about, just read the minutes of their board meetings. Some of the stuff they spend their time on is a hoot and a real eye-opener. I just tell myself that as long as the left stays busy with stuff like that, it keeps them from stirring up crap somewhere else.

[weegee]

The doors to the station used to be open to the public but with some ex-staffers being barred from the premises, physical assaults, and attempts to run into the studio and takeover the broadcasts, they require those coming to the station to buzz in around the clock, the receptionist has to let you in.

But NONE of this made it to the Houston Comical’s piece.

I doubt it was an act of random violence and I doubt that it was because of some mysterious “gay or prison” show discussion. It was because the Stalinist audience doesn’t like sharing the station’s resources with the music listening audience (which is the demographic that coughs up more of the donations).

You can hang around town and find libs who are alternately scared and bored by the political blather of the hard leftists on that station. And they probably put their 501c3 tax status in frequent jeopardy with political advocacy, whether it is the Green Party campaign literature available to visitors in the lobby or on air appeals for/against a candidate, party, or piece of pendind legislation.

They can no more engage in political advocacy than a church can.

[isom35]

east coast vs west coast thang?

[weegee]

Actually, yeah.

[RedWhiteBlue]

They can no more engage in political advocacy than a church can.

That's an interesting, valid point ... and one that I've never thought of.

[weegee]

Their legal advisers from California reminded them of this in 2004 when they were gearing up to boost Kerry and denegrate Bush in “get out the vote” efforts.

The volunteers grumbled and pointed to conservative talk radio. Except one is a commercial enterprise that pays their taxes and the other chooses to limit their political speech by taking a non-profit tax free status.

[stevie_d_64]

Halliburton???

[stevie_d_64]

I do have an alibi...;-)

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Could be self inflicted, a hoax. The loony left certainly seems more prone to the kind of violence and crankish behavior they impute to their opponents.

[weegee]

I don’t think it is a hoax but I do believe that they are publicly downplaying their radical base who despise the entertainment programming on the station.

[Ramius]

Halliburton???

Heh. Nope, just a little uncontroversial company. All of the neighbor's offices get bullet holes too, so we don't feel exactly picked-on. It's just part of what Houston is all about.

[weegee]

Here's a followup...

Staffers look for clues in drive-by at KPFT ("third" violent attack in 3 years) (Houston Chronicle Aug. 13, 2007, 7:49PM)

[darth]

Actually I think the Zydeco and blue grass is an attempt to rope in blue collar whites to indoctrinate. As for their politics, it is various shades of bolshevik. The shooting reminds me of one of their strident talk show hosts exhorting the masses to “bring the war home”. Now they got INCOMING. I guess she got her wish and the war is coming home for them.

[bpjam]

Wow, nice find. I had no idea since I’ve never heard Zydeco anywhere other than in NOLA. I hear it in Lousiana all the damn time but I’ve never heard it in Texas. Hmmm.

I guess it is true. I really don’t know everything after all.