As Null fiddles...

As the bills pile up, rent remains in serious arrears at three locations, fundraising marathons fall way short of their goals, customers don't receive the products they paid for, and the programming continues to drive away listeners, there is a small group of dreamers at the Atlantic Avenue location. Dreamers? Well, I used to think that, but, as the station continues to deteriorate, I am more inclined to believe that something duplicitous is going on. The group comprises Berthold Reimers, who has a history of twisting the truth, and his cronies, who have a love-hate relationship with him. Why he still holds that job is a question that underscores my suspicion of a dubious scenario being played out.  So, yes, there may be dreamers in this cast, but their naiveté is being taken full advantage of by the schemers.

Bear in mind that these are inside people surely they know more about what is going on behind the green curtain than we do, at least that's what they like to tell us--except, of course, Reimers, he has been undercover  since 2009. Cross his palm with silver and he might answer his phone, but nothing is guaranteed. 

Mitchel Cohen and  Jim Dingeman sometimes admit that WBAI's programming needs work, but neither of them seems willing to do anything about it. Reimers is the only one in this group who has the authority to affect changes, but he is totally clueless when it comes to any aspect of broadcasting, so the station's glide into the morass if mediocrity continues with its diluted fare of insipid show, like mundane dj shows that push anything from record labels and boat rides to Jesus Christ. Null and lesser-known quacks use the station for free product advertising, and irresponsible producers foist upon a small dumbed-down listenership outlandish lies that are never challenged as the opportunists who create them get rewarded with free access to the station's microphones. 

I don't think anybody can deny that Mitchel and Jim have put in a lot of work in an effort to straighten out the mess generated by sloppy, unlawful handling of the so-called "thank you gifts," but when the station keeps running infomercials for products that it has not had the money to purchase, no progress can be made. Reimers has a habit of earmarking funds solicited on the air, then spending it on something else. We are told that Gary Null's products get special treatment, but even his "stuff" has been known to collect dust at Atlantic Avenue. Reimers has not made many appearances on the air, but he each time we hear his whimper he assures us that the "premium" issue has been taken care of—however, it hasn't.

As you may have noticed, when they run a marathon, WBAI's air becomes dominated by Gary Null—he is slick and he can bring in money. The fact that his good friend, Steve Brown, is an active member of the aforementioned Reimers coterie is something to worry about, and if Mitch thinks the newly appointed interim PD, Mario Murillo, is going to turn things around, he must not realize that Murillo is interim by choice and seemingly more interested in getting himself on the air during the short time he intends to stay. Here he is Tueday morning, August 26, calling Haskins from Bogata:

 

Now Dingeman is suggesting home delivery of the products, which is unrealistic, but this coterie lives in another world. In the midst of all this, Dingeman invites people to WBAI's office for a communal reading of "Hamlet" and to enroll in seminars on broadcasting! As they say, you can't make this stuff up.

Unless you look in on Nalini's PacificaRadiowaves list, you may not realize how disorganized and dysfunctional the Pacifica National Board and local boards are, but they have been going on for months, bickering, name-calling, finger-pointing, and accomplishing nothing. Most of those people have an inside track, but they are stuck in it. Sometimes, Mitchel Cohen will tell this rain-soaked group that the sun is shining, and they will tell him that WBAI will soon be gone. Here, some mean that it will finally succumb to years of abuse, others are determined to forcefully get rid of it. Mitchel's is the sole voice of ersatz hope. Here's a post of his from a couple of days ago:

"Actually, I think we HAVE done a very good job at WBAI, given the things we were up against. We kept the station going for 14 years in spite of all the negativity, violence, and stupidity coming from National. 

WBAI will not be 'gone soon' -- in fact, we have the possibility of becoming the funding source for the entire network once again (as we had done for years) if we do the proper promotional campaigns that Steve Brown, I, and pretty much everyone else except management has been pushing for (We're finally all united, here), as programming improves (which I think will begin happening in mid-September as Mario Murillo takes over as interim Program Director), and as we kick into gear more internet programming that is not hamstrung by the 168 hours per week limit in over-the-air broadcasting (and as we make the archives sortable by topic, key word, show, guest, etc.). What an opportunity!

Even though the numbers don't show it, we are not far from turning it all around financially. Just one too many mornings and a thousand miles behind.

You, however -- as a Director of Pacifica -- have a special responsibility for refocusing the network. In my view, you should strive to reach agreement with members of all factions to achieve that refocusing of national PROGRAMMING, PROMOTION, and INTERNET; end all the committees for now and bring everyone into focusing on those things. Put out coherent proposals that would win consensus or near-consensus from all directors -- it's really not that hard if you stay focused on the actual radio work of the network and less on the internal politicking."

                                                                    Mitchel Cohen

One wonders if Mr. Murillo will tolerate the kind of nonsense Geoff Brady dishes up once a week. This is from last week and it has to do with pyramid power:

Perhaps that's what they should be  doing at the Atlantic Avenue location: building a pyramid that can eliminate the electric bills.