September 14 2015
For Immediate Release
Coup Redux
Berkeley - Pacifica In Exile is still waiting on firm verification, but it has been reported from multiple sources that Pacifica executive director John Proffitt has resigned less than a week after returning from a three week vacation.
Proffitt held the position for four months.
ADDENDUM:
It is quite possible that the Proffitt resignation didn't take place or was leaked prematurely. Here is tonight's meeting of the PNB's Audit Committee, with an interesting focus on Berthold Reimers whose veneer is stripped further. This clip indicates that Proffitt is still onboard and that Reimers is doing a voodoo number with WBAI's money. The end is, indeed near.
THIS JUST IN! Courtesy of Tracy Rosenberg
ADDENDUM:
It is quite possible that the Proffitt resignation didn't take place or was leaked prematurely. Here is tonight's meeting of the PNB's Audit Committee, with an interesting focus on Berthold Reimers whose veneer is stripped further. This clip indicates that Proffitt is still onboard and that Reimers is doing a voodoo number with WBAI's money. The end is, indeed near.
THIS JUST IN! Courtesy of Tracy Rosenberg
From: John Proffitt
Sent: Sep 14, 2015 1:09 PM
To: Pacifica National Board , Janet Kobren , Quincy McCoy , Berthold Reimers , Duane Bradley , Leslie Radford , Jerry Paris
Subject: My departure
Sent: Sep 14, 2015 1:09 PM
To: Pacifica National Board , Janet Kobren , Quincy McCoy , Berthold Reimers , Duane Bradley , Leslie Radford , Jerry Paris
Subject: My departure
To the Pacifica National Board
To the Pacifica General Managers
Today I have submitted my letter of resignation as Executive Director to the PNB Chair, Lydia Brazon. My last day will be on or before October 14th.
I am deeply appreciative of the opportunity — the privilege — I’ve had to work with you as your Executive Director. I’ve come to know and appreciate many for your professionalism and dedication to Pacifica, and I want to thank in particular my National Office colleagues Lydia Brazon, Margy Wilkinson, Jon Almeleh, Efren Llarinas and LaSchele Moseley.
I wish the very best for Pacifica, its staff, volunteers and supporters!
John
John Gladney Proffitt
Executive Director
Pacifica Foundation Radio
You can subscribe to Tracy Rosenberg's Pacifica in Exile newsletter by going to www.pacificainexile.org
You can subscribe to Tracy Rosenberg's Pacifica in Exile newsletter by going to www.pacificainexile.org
Did he also resign as CEO of the "KPFA Foundation"?
ReplyDeleteLOL! Enter into Pacifica and abandon all hope. Smart man!! Too bad he could not have taken R. Paul Martin with him!!!
ReplyDeleteMaybe the Motrin and/or Aleve were costing him too much of his pay...
ReplyDeleteSDL
(JustaListener)
ReplyDeleteThe resignation is evidence that Proffitt was competent and knew what needed to be done to save Pacifica.
(And he realized the board would never let him do it)
O course it's possible that while in Europe he found out his paychecks bounced and he got fed up!
In any case Reimers survives another EDwho likely wanted to get rid of him.
John Proffitt should be given credit for having accepted this impossible challenge, and for having approached it with enormous grace as well as a determined if gentle persistence – the man is a class act, as well as enormously capable.
DeleteI, for one, wish him well.
~ ‘indigo’
Ditto.
DeleteWhat did I tell you? I said he wouldn't last 2015.
ReplyDeleteYou know what I thought of? People like the Pacificans are what cause Hitlers. People get so tired of the bullshit that they just want someone - anyone - to come in with a strong hand and put an end to the incessant fighting.
I bet Reimers has a big smile on his face tonight...
SDL
(JustAListener)
ReplyDeleteThat audit committee clip was interesting.
Did Reimers cast a spell on Birden and Brown? How come I, a mere listener, knows Reimers has said he doesn't know Great Plains and refuses to learn it yet Birden and Brown claim he's one of the most able accountants and has worked with Great Plains?
I know because I heard publicly posted recordings of him saying so!
Nice to hear Proffitt put the kabosh on such claims, notice how quickly they shifted away from the topic.
Hearing such political truth twisting underlines why Proffitt decided to get out.
A slightly blurry picture is coming into focus. Did you also hear someone at the Audit meeting say that Reimers is the only one who knows where WBAI stands, financially?
DeleteI was not sure if he knew, but my bet was that nobody else had but a very vague idea. Pretending to not know or wishing to learn the Great Plains software is obviously a claim he uses to obscure the extent of his knowledge. The fact that something was not right seemed clear to me when one compared Reimers' resumé to his actual performance.
Although it will not rescue the station, I hope that the handling of money is carefully scrutinized and made public. That quick shift from the topic that you point out tells us that certain powers at Pacifica don't wish to have the truth come out.
I can see Berthold Reimers and others doing the perp walk.
Is Reimers ignorant or feigning ignorance?
DeleteI think Reimers is genuinely incompetent.and probably telling the truth when he says he's incapable of learning Great Plains.
Looks like some years ago there was a group (LeFever, Cohen, Brown etc) who were desperate to get rid of Bernard White but knew they needed another "person of color". So they promoted Reimers as the brilliant saviour and feel a need to cling to his fantasy resume lest JUC appoint another of their apparatchiks.
Would be interesting to talk to someone who knew Reimers when he worked at H.I.P. - bet they figured out he was a fraud and eased him out. But Reimers is not a clever fraud, otherwise he'd learn Great Plains and confuse 'em with a blizzard of fuzzy numbers. Refusing a direct order to use G.P. makes his position weak and makes his supporters look foolish.
Perp walk? A prosecutor going after a man of color with an immigrant background because he was unable to reverse the fortunes of a lefty station long in decline? I don't see it.
What's killed Pacifica is insane factionalism combined with incompetence that caused falling listener donations and loss of CPB funds. Sure there have been violations of rules and some petty theft but so far I don't see anyone who became illegally wealthy (Null and others did well over the years but they can't be arrested for it).
Maybe the Cali A.G. will have some do a perp walk to the police station for violations but I doubt anyone's getting jail time.
They'll bury Pacifica, blame it on the white man/Capitalists/Republicans etc and move on to their next victims.
Which is exactly the reason why he didn't last at Pacifica.
ReplyDeleteThis audio is just more talk and no action, as usual. With all the talking their boards and committees do, they could fill a good number of broadcast hours on all five stations by broadcasting it.
ReplyDeleteI would one day love to talk to Proffitt just long enough to ask him one question - "During all your years in radio, have you ever worked with a more incompetent bunch of idiots like Pacifica?" You know it will get around the radio business to stay away from Pacifica. They had their chance at a qualified radio person and blew it.
Anyway, I don't think much matters at WBAI at this point, since destiny has moved to the West Coast. Now WBAI is just along for the ride. The question is no longer if/when WBAI will expire, but when will Pacifica expire, taking WBAI down with them? Along with so much else, WBAI has lost it's power in the Pacifica family.
SDL.
Let's see...Andrew Leslie Philips. Now John Proffitt. Seems that anyone with talent, intelligence, integrity or even simple competence doesn't stand a chance at Pacifica or WBAI.
ReplyDeleteYou read the loose-leaf guideline pamphlet.... that's cheating!
DeleteChris--I'll tell you how I've cheated: I posted anonymously. You see, for the past couple of months, it seems that none of my comments are going through. I'm Justine
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding, Justine? I have not seen any of the lost comments... I thought you'd had enough of us! You are sorely missed!!!
DeleteI'm sorry and I wish I knew how that could happen. Hope all is well.... and don't be a stranger...
I'm having trouble posting the past few weeks on and off, too. Most messages have to be sent multiple times, and some still don't seem to get through. :(
DeleteThe one with the three letter name.
(JustAListener)
ReplyDeleteJust to clarify, the anon post on Tues that started with "Is Reimers ignorant or feigning ignorance?" was me. I forgot to identify it.
Thank you, I added the ID.
DeleteThis is a test of the WBAI urgency destruction system. This is only a test. Do not be alarmed, nobody else is...
ReplyDeleteDo you have a spam folder or some such thing that messages my be going into?
SDL
Yes, I do havre a "Junk" folder, but mail makes a stop in the open, for my approval. Don't know where the problem lies, but I'm looking into it.
Delete