(Click on "Reggie" to play audio)
After several minutes of dead air, Reggie Johnson, one of WBAI's engineers, finds the dead air button and creates his own, but it all gets the better of him. There is a lot of such haphazard radio going on as the station attempts to win back fleeing listeners.
WBAI used to take pride in telling it like it is/was, when other stations were not, but that has long since been found inconvenient: it either interferes with personal agendas or requires bothersome research. A bit of both may be the case here when Reggie, eager to make WBAI sound good, gropes his memory to come up with impressive alumni. He skips a few real ones, like composer/Oscar winner John Corigliano, author Ayn Rand, pianist Marian McPartland, singer Dave Lambert, and Yoko Ono, but dwells on Malcolm X, claiming that he hosted a WBAI show in the early Sixties when no other station dared air him. Malcolm actually came to the station once, for an interview, and that was it.
He also credits Bob Fass with launching the careers of Phoebe Snow, Bob Dylan and José Feliciano, but that's a huge stretch. José came to us on the night of our Village Gate Jazz benefit, guitar in hand. Sadly, we were filled up both on and off stage, so I suggested he come to my office the following day. He performed a number and I recommended him to Bob.
As this latest fund drive droned on, you probably noticed how hopelessly amateurish and confusing many of the pitches are. Spending a moment instructing the staff and volunteers on how to sell these products most effectively would not be wasted time, or would it? Was it? Do you remember last Fall, when Murillo hired an expert for this purpose? If so, did you perceive any improvement on the air? I didn't.
As WBAI attitude goes, Reggie is one of the good guys, but these are stressful days at the station.
WBAI used to take pride in telling it like it is/was, when other stations were not, but that has long since been found inconvenient: it either interferes with personal agendas or requires bothersome research. A bit of both may be the case here when Reggie, eager to make WBAI sound good, gropes his memory to come up with impressive alumni. He skips a few real ones, like composer/Oscar winner John Corigliano, author Ayn Rand, pianist Marian McPartland, singer Dave Lambert, and Yoko Ono, but dwells on Malcolm X, claiming that he hosted a WBAI show in the early Sixties when no other station dared air him. Malcolm actually came to the station once, for an interview, and that was it.
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| As the audience grew beyond capacity, Art d'Lucoff opened his other venue, Top of the Gate, All the artists performed in both places. |
As this latest fund drive droned on, you probably noticed how hopelessly amateurish and confusing many of the pitches are. Spending a moment instructing the staff and volunteers on how to sell these products most effectively would not be wasted time, or would it? Was it? Do you remember last Fall, when Murillo hired an expert for this purpose? If so, did you perceive any improvement on the air? I didn't.
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| This appeared on WBAI's website. |
As WBAI attitude goes, Reggie is one of the good guys, but these are stressful days at the station.
WBAI/Pacifica have nothing to fear – everything will be Just Fine :)
ReplyDelete~ 'Indigopirate'
WBAI should hire Jordan Belfort as expert instructor pitchman.
ReplyDeleteKGT
I checked and see the call letters WNUL aren't taken yet. Need I say anything beyond leave off the last "L" for lousy?
ReplyDeleteSDL
Has WWTF been taken?
DeleteWMUM?
Deletekgt
What about all of those donors Amy has been hosting for dinner?
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Justine. Any professionally run organization would not allow promotional opportunities to fizzle, but WBAI never does a follow-up. There should have been photos of the winners receiving their Apple gadget, the webside should have shown supporters enjoying Amy's custom-grown coffee, and why have there not ben pictures of the allegedly super-successful gospel concert? They (Reimers and Daulton Anderson) told us that the church was packed, but that was that... no details, no figures.
DeleteWhat does that tell you? Where did the money go? How much money was collected?
Amy doesn't wear makeup. Who's she going to get for dinner? Caitlyn Jenner?
ReplyDeleteKGT
How do you know that's not makeup? She always reminds me of the Disney witch who scared me as a child—I instinctively wanted to protect Snow White... but that apple looked so good. Seriously, I am a bit bothered by Amy's voice. That show needs a producer who knows how to read a stopwatch in reverse. That would eliminate the silly, annoying rush at the end of each show.
DeleteA $3-a-flake Wheaties™ dinner with Jenner could produce an effective promo photo. :)
I'd still rather have a dinner and video game death match with a pre-married Jessica Chobot. But that isn't happening without time travel. However, I'd choose a dinner and chat with Noam Chomsky over Amy howling in my ear any day. At least Chomsky would be intellectually challenging. Eh, lunch and a coffee with Sydney Smith would probably be a blast, though.
DeleteSDL
I still would rather have a drink (or anything) with Malachy McCourt, though I wouldn't mind Noam or Sydney,
ReplyDeleteSo would I, Justine.
DeleteUm, "a" drink with Malachy? Somehow I think it would be more than a few, but fun as all hell. However, do stop when you see the little green men with pots of gold.
DeleteSDL
Malachy is self-admittedly a "Friend of Bill". I could not spend time with him. He is an angry leftist and rams it down your throat if you don't toe his leftist line. It would start off amicably, but before long, I would like to strangle him.
ReplyDeleteKGT
Wasn't Malcolm X killed by blacks ? Funny Margaret Prescod "forgot" to mention that .
ReplyDeleteBut remembered to mention that his father was killed by whitey. Hmmm............
It's called SM (Selective Memory) and there's an app for that.
DeleteFirst of all, as someone who knows Malachy and worked with him, he is not an "angry Leftist" - his son was a police officer - a good one too. Second, Reggie is a good dude - know him well and he is very angry @ the bile spewed by Mr. Albertson on this board and towards him - not amused @ all. He understands the need for this board, but he thinks it is unfair.
ReplyDeleteI don't know who you are or why you need to mask your identity, but the "bile" your imagination has me "spewing" at Reggie is kind of a stretch, don't you think?
DeleteThe audio is real, the voice is Reggie's, the words his own. If that is "bile," I would think it would be up to him to make any changes needed. I also corrected some of the "facts" he cited regarding WBAI alumni—that may may have embarrassed Reggie, but—having expressed his interest in WBAI's past—he should welcome hearing the truth.
Let me remind you of my last sentence:
"As WBAI attitude goes, Reggie is one of the good guys, but these are stressful days at the station."
As for Malachy, he is an intelligent, witty friend of WBAI whom I have admired greatly since the mid-Sixties, when he began his association with the station and we first met. I did not suggest that he was an angry Leftist, nor do I think there is anything wrong with being that.
I find it suspicious that someone is putting words into Reggie's mouth. I have also said that Reggie is cool, so if "Anonymous" really knows him, be fair and pass my words on to him.
DeleteListening to the audio, I sort of figured he was trying to do a show while trying to figure out how to keep things working. I wrote the seeming confusion off to distraction listeners couldn't see.
If Reggie chooses to post his views here, I, for one, will certainly be cordial and respectful to him.
SDL
So will I. In fact, Reggie and I have touched base and I think he knows that I am on his side.
Delete