Thursday, April 17, 2014

A good Report to the Listeners


The video image of Tony Ryan walking back and forth at an LSB meeting with a sledgehammer on his shoulder is difficult to forget. However, that was in 2009 and we don't know what provoked it. Watching that meeting is painful, not so much because Mr. Ryan came overly prepared, but because the shouting by attendees, finger-pointing by a self-righteous board member, and general disorder in the room is one of the red flags that tell us why WBAI is on a downward trajectory.

Mr. Ryan conducted the studio meeting, because he was holding down Haskins' shift today—that made a very big, positive difference. Also at the meeting is Jim Dingeman, who has worked very hard to straighten out the premiums mess and, I believe, had a hand in setting up this report to inform listeners of the work WBAI's CAB is doing. He brings up the absolute necessity to change the station's programming, but this is a subject Reimers still seems to be avoiding. A call-in listener, however thinks that at least 50% of the current on-air offerings must be replaced.

Tony Ryan deserves praise for wanting to throw out a bunch of computers that were recently donated to WBAI. They are, he says, outdated and, thus, more likely to create headaches than to ease the work. This does not sit well with Jim Dingeman, who was instrumental in acquiring these machines, but Ryan is absolutely correct. Here's a good use for his sledgehammer! Reimers, who does not contribute to this disagreement, should go out in the world and get someone to donate new computers.

The unexpected death of Robert Knight last night was announced at the beginning of the report, but very casually, almost matter-of-factly. As you may know, I considered Knight a contributor to WBAI's demise rather than an asset, and found his programs to be utterly unsuitable for a Pacifica station, but he was associated with the station for decades and, just for that, should have been recalled with more dignity. I guess that will come, but here was an opportunity shamefully wasted.

Here is the actual report. Let us know what you think. I see Tony Ryan in a much different light now, but I still find his weekend music program wrong for the station, and—alas—I also continue to be skeptical when it comes to the station's future. Ryan and Reimers paint the rosiest picture yet, but we've heard that song before.

14 comments:

  1. A solid presentation by all concerned.

    It changes nothing, of course.

    ~ ‘indigopirate’

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    1. That's the sad part. Funny, I did not like Tony Ryan, but I saw him in a very different light this morning.I know you agree that installing outdated computers is a ridiculous idea, but Dingeman does not know about such things—nor, I suppose—can he be expected to. Reimers sounded less goofy, but he is still in another world.

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  2. Ryan was more forthright than I expected him, or any other member of BAI management, to be. And I gained some respect for him when he actually listened (or seemed to listen) to the caller who said at least 50 percent of the programs should be replaced.

    As for Knight: BAI did not give Samori Marksman or Ibraham Gonzalez, far worthier personages than Knight. Still, he deserves the respect he probably won't get. That alone should have Lew Hill spinning in his grave.

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    1. Dennnis Bernstein has a live program on KPFA right now—people who worked with Knight are reminiscing. It's gwta iver sentimental, but I guess that's to be expected. Randy Credico is the exception—he went into a hysterical outburst, more or less blaming Knight's death on racism at Pacifica. This was very upsetting to Dennis Bernstein, who eventually stopped him, saying that he didn't want to go into this sort of thing. It took some time to shut Credico up, and became embarrassing.

      Pamela Somers is still doing PR, circulating a lengthy and highly embellished bio which she and Knight wrote some time ago. I don't know if I should download and post this—perhaps just the Credico tirade. What do you think, Justine?

      I agree that Ibrahim was a far worthier broadcaster—and he was honest. I can't speak of Samori Marksman, but from everything I hear about him, he deserved to be remembered fondly. I think TPM and Indigo may disagree on his merits.

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    2. Marksman was a fairly bright guy by WBAI/Pacifica standards of the last few decades – which is, I suppose, telling in its own way.

      He also argued and seemed to actually believe that Reagan was literally building concentration camps.

      He dismissed the arts and music as pandering to the white bourgeoisie and the ruling class elite.

      He stated, on the record, that he had no use for those who didn’t share his political opinions.

      He literally expected to be a heroic figure in a Marxist Revolution, yet he was stunned, speechless and unbelieving, when Reagan ordered the invasion of Grenada – though the exact timing was held in confidence, how hard was it to see that coming, really?

      So much for a shrewd political mind. Even a journeyman analyst would have seriously weighed so obvious a possibility – an effortless victory, there for the taking.

      Only a simple-minded fool, an idologue, would consider only the possibility that things would break as they, wrapped in their ideology, felt they should.

      An amateur, waiting for his parade.

      Marksman was the consolidation of the effort to make WBAI’s identity be that of feckless, mindless, addle-brained left-wing advocacy.

      I suspect the only one who would have found him more amusing than Reagan would have been Marx.

      Not a fan, nope :)

      ~ ‘indigopirate’

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    3. When Marksman died, many people were relieved @ WBAI. End of an ugly and unfortunate era of constipated and useless ideology

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    4. Constipated, useless ideology may have ended or thinned out in the front office, but it did not leave the station. If the present era is not ugly and unfortunate throughout Pacifica, I wonder what you would call it. We may each have our preferred side of the fence, but neither of the two main factions would make the founders proud.

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    5. Tony Ryan. Scum. Threatened to beat me up at 120 Wall in 2002 after the Utrice/Bernard Chaos. Pure scum.

      Knight? Alex Jones.

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    6. I don't know who Alex Jones is/was, but—considering the outright lies Knight posted and aired on WBAI to discredit me, the "scum" label might justifiably be applied to him.

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    7. Jones is a vile conspiracy theorist. I'm sorry you had to endure Knight. I only saw him once at a Teaneck White hustle in 2001. Didn't listen to Earthwatch. But Tony Ryan is an odious human. I will never volunteer to aid Pacifica again.

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    8. Thank you for the clarification. WBAI/Pacifica attracts an odd mixture of good and very bad, doesn't it?

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  3. Chris,

    can you post a link to the Bernstein radio show where people reminisced about Robert Knight?

    Thanks!

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    1. I just posted the Randy Credico segment, but you should be able to access the whole thing at:

      http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/102026

      Go to the last 10-20 minutes of the program to hear the reminiscences.

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  4. Perhaps WBAI/Pacifica's motto ought to be (with apologies to Dylan Thomas):

    ... And Truth Shall Have No Dominion

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