April 15th marked the 60th anniversary of a progressive Bay Area radio station and a forum to discuss the past, present and future role of independent media in a market dominated by mainstream media.

"We need a media that covers the movements that create static and make history," said Amy Goodman, the award-winning journalist and host of "Democracy Now!" she continued, "That is what has made this country great."

When the Berkeley-based Pacifica organization launched KPFA 94.1 FM radio and made its broadcast debut on April 15, 1949, it was the "first listener supported non-commercial radio station in the United States," according to the KPFA Web site. The station was founded by World War II conscientious objector Lewis Hill and would instantly become a base for expression of numerous viewpoints.

"He [Hill] said, there's got to be a media outlet that is not run by corporations that profit from war, but run by journalists and artists, and that's how Pacifica was born," Goodman said. "It pioneered the idea of listener sponsorship that was later taken up by National Public Radio, by public broadcasting."

One of Pacifica's flagships, 13-year-old "Democracy Now!", is a progressive radio program produced in New York, N.Y., and is broadcast weekdays between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.

Amy Goodman is on a nationwide, 70-city speaking tour to promote the value of independent media and a recent book she co-authored with her brother, investigative journalist David Goodman. "Standing up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times" tells the story of citizens challenging government and making changes at the grassroots level.

Coinciding with KPFA's first broadcast, Amy Goodman spoke to a standing room only crowd of students, faculty and residents in Le Conte Hall at UC-Berkeley on April 15 - an institution known for its involvement in the free speech movement.

And her visit there was no accident.

Sarah Porter, a 22-year-old UC-Berkeley peace and conflict studies student and devout "Democracy Now!" listener noticed free time in Amy Goodman's tour schedule and spearheaded the effort to get her on campus.

"Independent media is particularly important in the development of critical thinking in students," Porter said. "Amy Goodman and her team are doing stories that no one else talks about and they take a lot of risks."

But the independent media has an even more formidable task ahead.

"Think about what we are dealing with today... cataclysmic crises," Amy Goodman said. "In order to solve these problems we need to be able to hear people think outside the box. We see where the status quo has gotten us."

Ali Hakimi, a 24-year-old UC-Berkeley political science student said, "I didn't notice how necessary it [independent media] was until the build-up to the war in Iraq. There weren't any outlets that were questioning the government. That's when I really noticed how important it is to have a voice that isn't clouded with sponsorship... with sponsorship come demands."

Lemlem Rijio, KPFA's general manager, is proud of her station's history and is bullish about the future of independent media organizations, even as some mainstream media outlets falter. "The key thing that is happening is the economic threat to news organizations and news media and the fact that we [KPFA] have to step up and fill the void," Rijio said.

Pacifica has expanded its diverse programming beyond Berkeley via ownership of stations in New York, N.Y., Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Calif., and Houston, Texas, and affiliation with 130 other media outlets, according to the Pacifica Affiliates Network Web site. KPFA also broadcasts its programs online via its Web site, www.kpfa.org.

"The public airwaves are a national treasure and we have to protect the public airwaves ... we have to ensure they bring out the full diversity of opinion. This is the hope for our country," Amy Goodman said.