As Mario stacks the race cards...

As Pacifica argues away the time, eagerly awaiting results of California AG audit, WBAI turns darker and darker as it slowly sinks deeper into the red, weighed down by irrelevant personal agendas and gross mismanagement.

Mario Murillo's temporary rescue mission seems to have been another bait and switch mis-operation, for there is, so far, no indication of his crawling back into his hole. So, what has he "accomplished" so far? 

People who did WBAI great harm in the past are trickling back; shamefully bad, often fraudulent programs are still in place; paid-for so-called "premiums" remain unshipped; fund drives never reach their goals, even after being extended; lack of maintenance and unskilled "engineering" have made dead air and technical breakdowns  commonplace; religious worship has seeped as a desperate Reimers' goes for that church money; lies and coverups stream left and right with greater reliability than the station's signal; a cardboard box studio is not a farfetched vision as Pacifica non grata becomes unwanted on the NYCC campus, thanks to a major mis-call by Reimers. 

These items only skim the surface and few people will be surprised to see scattering vermin when someone finally lifts that rock and lets the daylight in.

As an assortment of discarded staffers and volunteers join Murillo's Marauders and slither back into place at the station, the sinking morale can barely keep up with the rapid ebb of intellect that has brought this once significant radio station to a dead end.

New York City has had black radio stations, but never one as lacking in spirit and talent as the current, moribund WBAI. How can a city pulsating with original thought and creativity harbor a station whose own pulse stopped beating many years ago? This could not possibly be a radio station in the country's largest, most ethnically diverse market; a station without commercial ties, broadcasting at 50,000 watts from atop the Empire State building—a station whose  free form schedule and accessible microphones was set up to be the voice of enlightenment, the voice of truth, the voice you could trust to get you started on your own explorations.

It could not be, but it is.

Now compound the mystery by factoring in the reality that WBAI is run and its air dominated by people whose creativity and spirit has influenced, worldwide, virtually every field of artistic endeavor, shaped lifestyles, dictated fashions, enriched literature, and inspired thought.

In other words, Berthold's bozos and Murillo's marauders seem to have accomplished the impossible.  

Bear in mind that an accurate description of the large audience they have alienated should not be measured in mere hues but rather on a scale of intellect. They have dumbed down a very smart radio station.

Here—taken off the air this morning—is an example of the depth to which WBAI has been sunk. You will hear Linda Perry read yesterday's most negative black news, totally ignoring several more illuminating fresh items (other stations carried them); there will be the obligatory audio glimpse of Cornell West doing his most recent act, and Pinocchio Haskins will stick his nose in to make sure that you get the race angle. As always, the show also had its usual parade of news twisters, but I cut all that nonsense out—you have either heard these cartoon characters or you can catch up with them on tomorrow's strip.

You may have noticed that there was no mention of Pacifica having hired a new Interim Executive Director. I guess Mikie G. feels confident that Mario or Berthold will get rid of him, if he acts right.

Apropos the new iED, here's an item from today's Houston Chronicle:

Houston radio executive John Proffitt, who was general manager of public radio station KUHF (88.7 FM) for 25 years, will become executive director in May of Pacifica Foundation Radio, which owns five noncommercial radio stations, including Houston's KPFT (90.1 FM).

Proffitt will move from Houston to Berkeley, Calif., the foundation's headquarters, for the daunting task of attempting to shore up Pacifica Radio's troubled finances and to reshape a governance structure that has been, by design, loosely organized for decades.

In Houston, for example, KPFT is operating at one-half of its listed power of 100,000 watts while the station struggles to raise $200,000 to replace its transmitter, which was damaged in 2012.

Proffitt, who left KUHF after the University of Houston-owned radio station and television station KUHT (Channel 8) were reorganized in 2011 with a single general manager, has been working for two years as a volunteer with KPFT, co-hosting a program and helping with fund raising.

Margy Wilkinson, who chairs the Pacifica national board, said the foundation "still faces significant challenges, (but) I'm confident that John can see us through them and put our network back on a path of growth."

Proffitt said Pacifica's fund-raising efforts have not rebounded fully from the 2008 recession, and one of his first duties will be to work on a financial restructuring plan for the foundation.

"Pacifica is fixable in theory, but in practice, it's very complicated," he said. "There is a diffuse governance structure. It truly is community radio. There are divergent interests at work, and that is part of the problem, and the executive director has in many respects somewhat limited authority by his or her accountability to a very diverse board."

Duane Bradley, general manager of KPFT in Houston, said he was pleased with Proffitt's appointment.

"I'm somewhat hopeful and optimistic as opposed to otherwise, which is the more prevalent sense I've had of Pacifica in recent years," he said. "It's a welcome change for a hoped-for better Pacifica tomorrow."

Bradley said the station has commitments of $52,000 toward buying a new transmitter for KPFT.