Tuesday, April 7, 2015

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.

15 comments:

  1. Let’s get something right. WBAI isn’t “black” as much as a conspiratorial, self-aggrandizing segment of black radical politics. As you know, I dubbed it “Ghetto Politic.” WBAI management is self-deluded into thinking that this cult is bigger than it actually is. If they can’t figure out after 20 or so years of this stuff that it is a failure, they never will.

    The audio:
    “De-niggerize.” Yeah, go tell all the black singers and kids to stop calling each other nigger. Good luck.
    Linda Perry is a non-entity. I want to hear Hay-tie sing They’re Coming To Take Me Away, well, when he’s not mumbling affirmations while someone else is talking. Just dump Hay-tie and let Brown do the show alone.

    No mention of Proffitt’s hiring because WBAI seems to ignore Pastcifica activities. Personally, I think that all Pastcifica stations should have to run the PNB hootenannies and their local LSB meetings.

    "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."

    Fatalistic but realistic comments. Maybe he and I think the same way, as those are my sentiments, but in different words.

    SDL

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  2. Haskins and Brown are inane. Long after Cuba goes free market and democratic, we will still have Radio Havana broadcasting from New York City on 99.5 FM, and they will be funded by the Smithsonian as the last remaining natural habitat for Castro would-be leftists.

    Regarding Proffitt, he is already acting in a dynastic-secessionist fashion by sending the bread back to his Houston, TX station. If he will try to bring the rest of the Pacifica stations more in line with the KPFT, then it will be NPRization time for the BAI gang.

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  3. I was listening in the car this morning. They had someone on ( don't remember who ) and they were talking about reparations. I had to change the station. I don't think I've heard anyone talk about reparations in over 20 years. In the mid 90s I had a friend who had a T shirt that read "Reparations are Due!" That was the last time I had heard that word.Anyway, just something I noticed. -Chris in NJ

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  4. In 2002, then City-councilman Charles Barron, a frequent guest on WBAI, stated at a reparations rally in Washington,DC,
    "I want to go up to the closest white person and say, ‘You can’t understand this, it’s a black thing’ and then slap him, just for my mental health."

    KGT

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  5. I turned on WBAI a few minutes ago to be barraged by a laughable streak of promos for utter nonsense. I can't believe the pulling of reperations out in this day and age. A national shut down day? Yeah, the day after, let me know what stores you saw shut down. Dr. Ben? Mumia? This is all a self-delusional drug. The funniest thing is that they really think this is going to bring them listeners. Watching self-destruction can be so funny.

    Oh, well. All this makes sense as "Cake" Davis Cosmic Colostomy Bag show is up next. Radio off...

    SDL

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    1. I heard the same nonsense. I wonder if anybody is making money on it? Have any of you noticed.how this exploitation is escalating, what with the gimmick books, the ghettoizing of WBAI, etc.? What will they turn to when people realize that they won't be receiving compensation for other people's suffering. They appear to hate seeing others of their race succeed and they don't even want to hear about other ethnic groups having had anything but a charmed existence.

      Amazing and sad.

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    2. Making money? I would imagine the politicos getting donations from followers, selling tickets to events, books, etc. I think people are trying to gain publicity on it, though. And, yes. The exploitation is increasing rapidly. Certainly in the past few weeks. WBAI is becoming more racist by the day. How much slavery can we hear about? Ukraine, ISIS, Nigeria, Venezuela, Mexico, etc, barely get a mention. If you trust in WBAI, you will be more ignorant of the world than watching a half hour of network news. But then, maybe that is what they want? Notice you never hear about poor quality education in the ghetto?

      I agree that they hate seeing other black people who are successful. If blacks don't exude the expected political stance, they are ignored. No Cleavon Little, Roscoe Lee Brown, etc. Fred "The Hammer" Williamson or Jim Brown? Oh, well.

      It's all very cult like. You have the paranoia, persecution, isolation, conformist ideology, etc. My guess is that behind the scenes we have black politicos trying to vie for leadership in the cult and using WBAI as a stepping stone. Al Sharpton doesn't cut it with many of the radical Ghetto Politic pack anymore. There are others blacker than him now.

      I know I am being redundant, but WWRL should be a lesson.

      SDL

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    3. Emboldened by Mario Murillo, it has already crossed way over the line at WBAI. I heard Lister Hewan-Lowe's "Burn Baby Burn" show this morning and the 1960's blather coming from this idiot's mouth is unbelievable. The guy is so full of hate that he can barely get it spewed. It's "hate whitey" and "kill the pigs", etc. etc. Even when he plays his unimaginative rap crap, he has to inject his own hate messages. This morning he also had Don DeBar on the phone, somewhat more restrained in his use of language, but equally misguided. How sis something like that ever et into the weekly schedule?

      I wonder how this loser, Lister, felt when fellow brown Caribbean Reimers summoned the "pigs" to help him forever banish Sidney (a loyal WBAI voice for 2 or 3 decades) from the station? Seeking enemy collaboration, perhaps?

      Every day, there are "black and brown" people of all ages doing fantastic, positive things that our society benefits from, but they are of no interest to these small-minded hate mongers.

      I don't know how much you know about opportunist Jesse Jackson, but he took a tainted path to go after recognition and money. Well, he is a part of the Reparations soap opera, one that seems to have roots in the Marcus Garvey scam. How can any intelligent person not feel embarrassed upon seeing Garvey dressed like a buffoon in his costume, complete with feathered hat and phony medals? It was a joke that white supremacists welcomed—they were all for this "going back to Africa" scheme, and Garvey even had a meeting with the KKK in Atlanta (1922).

      In terms of people affected by this generic ghetto revue, I think the hardest hit victims are "black and brown" Americans whose intellect is insulted by the likes of Ron Daniels and the WBAI bozos.

      Don't worry about sounding redundant—there are no new wrinkles in this scenario, just different faces trying to milk the same old cow.

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  6. Chris--You've heard of the lobsters in the bucket? When one tries to claw his way out, the others pull him back in.

    I think it's a pretty good metaphor for the kind of race politics we hear on BAI.

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    1. I agree, Justine. Will we ever see photos from the celebratory KKK/GOP parties held when these opportunists sink out of view?

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    2. I'm a Republican. I consider the KKK reference to be a compliment.

      KGT

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  7. Well, seems someone has picked up on my comments about on the NY radio board about WBAI and classical music. Here's the link to my first post. Just scroll below it to link to the follow ups. I plugged this page in my follow up to the guy loving WBAI.

    OK, did my good deed for the day.

    SDL

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  8. Well, seems someone has picked up on my comments about WBAI on the NY radio board about WBAI and classical music. Here's the link to my first post. Just scroll below it to link to the follow ups. I plugged this page in my follow up to the guy loving WBAI.

    http://www.musicradio77.com/wwwboard/messages/420815.html

    OK, did my good deed for the day.

    SDL

    (corrected verion. See what happens when you spend the morning yapping in Spansih and Italian?)

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  9. Well, I guess I get it now. I turned on WBAI at about 9:00PM to hear the whole reperations scam. Yup, asking for donations like a preacher. Damn suckers falling for this crap. Yeah, it costs money to keep the reperations commission going, especially when you have charlatans making a living fleecing the sheep.

    By the way, doesn't it violate FCC rules to have third party pitching on a non commercial station without prior FCC approval (shades of Prescod and ebola)? Not that Bernard White cares. He must be so laughing at WBAI for letting him on premesis. I would be, if I were him.

    I think some of these dopes may actually think that someone is actually listening to their crap.

    WBAI, more and more marginalized every day.

    SDL

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    1. I was hoping that you heard this farce. I am setting up a new post for this and will add your comments to it. If any of you wish to add your approval or disapproval of this scam, please feel free to do so when the post is up.

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