Unsolved puzzle

Many have tried, even more wish they could, but all have in one way or another been discouraged from cleaning up WBAI's program schedule. In recent months, we have seen a total amateur named Tony Bates handed the task--he had no clue, so he only succeeded in making the station more unlistenable before an alleged criminal incident and generously signed staff/volunteer petition hastened his departure. He was succeeded by Chris Hatzis, an Australian who actually had radio experience. He wrote a promising report indicating that he  knew what had to be done, then failed to do anything at all. Circumstances surrounding his departure are murky. Next in line was Andrew Phillips, another Australian, and the only one who did not head straight for the microphone. He had an impressive radio background, however, which  included previous stints at WBAI and another Pacifica station. It did not take long for Andrew to make his behind-the-scene presence felt on the air, so there soon came into view a light at the end of the long, dark tunnel. Sad to say, it also did not take long for him to be discouraged—that happened when iED Summer Reese did not see improved programming and ethical fund raising change things around overnight. She ordered the immediate return of infomercials, quacks, propagandists and fear mongers—WBAI's dumbed-down listeners (what was left of them) responded and pulled out their credit cards. Andrew was not fired, but Reese had obviously created an untenable situation, so he did what any person of integrity would do: he quit.

There followed a short period when Berthold Reimers, the $100,000.00 figurehead, took over the PD job and, as one might have expected, botched it. Taking advantage of a vacuum, Bob Hennelly invaded the morning show, which had become a source of much embarrassment in the hands of Michael Haskins, and within a week elbowed his way to the iPD job. His only real interest was to make WBAI the voice of local labor unions, which turned out not to be quite as seamless a marriage to the existing racist Mumia mumbo jumbo faction as one might have envisioned. When not on the air on the morning show, Hennelly was out there, mostly in New Jersey, selling air time to union chiefs. It was all very transparent and short-lived.

Reimers had once again stepped in and brought the station down some more (can you say "gospel show"?) when another alumnus, Mario Murillo came forward and took over the iPD job. He is on a six-month sabbatical, so the "i" is clearly to be taken literarily. So far, he has made himself a regular on that morning show (which has had as many different names as the station has marathons) and there is a discernible change in the way some things are handled. Murillo will decidedly not succeed in changing things around before he leaves, but at least he is not just sitting there.

Yesterday morning, he again pushed Haskins aside and did his thing, which has been to replace Hennelly's union focus with one on South America, but Murillo is a bit more subtle about his agenda. Here are some excerpts from yesterday morning that will give you an idea of Murillo's course. He does acknowledge that WBAI is in a deep hole, but he has not yet done any of the essential weeding. Hearing him talk on this clip, we know that the morning show will no longer be a bus driver's holiday. Expect an emphasis on South America and.... are you ready? Expect Bernard White! Notice on this fragment that Murillo is not at all pleased with the marathon extension that is taking place, suggesting that Reimers and/or Pacifica is interfering again.