If you don't believe they're sinking...look what a hole they're in.

PLEASE NOTE ADDED AUDIO AND TEXT

Treasurer R. Paul Martin has announced that WBAI's Local Station Board (LSB) will be reporting live on the air from 3 to 5 PM today, Monday, November 2. How will they fit into the station's "studio" closet, one wonders.

From 3 to 4 PM The four Directors, WBAI members of the Pacifica National Board, will be on during the first hour, followed for the second hour by officers who are not currently running as listeners.

Originally scheduled for October, this "report" was delayed by what Martin describes as "some shenanigans." He adds that—this marathon still running—the report will include pitches.

The current fund drive is a disaster, raising a daily average of $7,535. That should not come as a surprise to anyone who has spot-checked during the past month: its a lot of Corinne Funari with health advice of dubious merit (Null is out of favor this time around) and even more of Kathy Davis' gentle-voiced nonsense. They are even running the late Gwen Scott again (those nuts and grains apparently didn't work for her) and a recent Ivan Hametz's 3-hour opera program pops up at all hours—it's a good program, but why not have him do new ones? Then, too, there are the usual racist rants and historic distortions, starting with the morning dunce, Haskins, who wants to reclaim history (whatever that means) and vows to stay put at WBAI. The racist ignorance continues with opportunists like Ron Daniels, whose ability to do the Reparations dance while manipulating his selfie stick is more interesting that anything he has to say, and it flourishes on weekends and in the early morning hours when the likes of Rebel Diaz, Lister Hewan-Lowe, Gary Byrd bring out full-strength as well as diluted venom. Mimi Rosenberg (of the Kiwi™ tribe) is also wheelbarrowed front and center where she attempts to prove that it ain't just shoe polish. If you tuned in this Monday morning, you would have heard her proclaim this as Wednesday, with heavy rain expected—no mention of it being a re-run. Mimi's aria is in a DVD package of historical inaccuracies called Truth Be Told, a title that for the most part belies the veracity of its content. On the absurd side, we have Geoff Brady and his reptilian aura collectors, and John Kane, who bemoans paleface pollution, but wants you to smoke reservation-made cigarettes. This, and other insults to your intelligence is what these fossils, grabbers and mission creepers want you to support.

During the live "Report" (a misnomer for this show), there was mention of the poor quality and unbalanced nature of WBAI's program schedule. Someone—Steve Brown, I think—pointed out that programs tend to be designed, and hosts hired to satisfy the needs of management rather than the listenership. The sharp drop in audience and donations must, in large measure, be attributed to narrowcasting. This is a radio station that strived for wide appeal without sacrificing quality. Intellect was the common denominator, not race nor ethnic origin.

The station sought to give its listeners more than one side of an issue and to do so without imposing a doctrine  of its own. Monday's report contained some objective criticism from LSB members and callers, but the very real issue of dominant internal racism was skirted. I edited the attached audio clips, but only to remove the preamble, extraneous banter, Cerene's entrance music, plugs and phone numbers—the "reports" and shouting matches are intact.

Here is the first hour of the Report. The participants are Janet Coleman, Carolyn Birden, Steve Brown, and Cerene Robertson.

The second hour has LSB Treasurer R. Paul Martin and Secretary Ken Laufer in the "studio" and several callers from the outside. The moderator (facilitator) is Reggie Johnson. 

UPDATE
The latter was facilitator Reggie Johnson's reaction to a dramatic, management-staged entrance by career troublemaker Cerene Robertson.

Several years ago, following physical altercations spurred by Ms. Robertson at LSB meetings, a GM had her "banned for life" from admission to any WBAI locale. Thus, her participation at this meeting occurred via telephone, but not for long. You will hear her make a dramatic entrance when it becomes her turn to report. Here is the explanation, a dispensation sent via e-mail by Berthold Reimers ten minutes before the program went on the air. Nobody in the "studio" knew of it until Ms. Robertson made her dramatic entrance. Here's Reimers' note:

Date: Monday, November 2, 2015, 2:50 PM

I am giving Cerene permission to participate in the LSB show for this special circumstance. Thanks.

Today, Board member Carolyn Birden responded with an e-mail to Shawn Rhodes, who had posted Reimers' note:

I'm sorry that the GM did this, without consulting the other members of the board who would be at that LSB broadcast and without giving us some warning. 

Cerene Roberts has been banned from WBAI premises by five (that I know of) General Managers, for behaviors that over the years have negatively impacted the station and staff to a great extent.    How did she get back into the station?  One manager died (Samori Marksman), one or two left (Leid and Riddle), one was Interim (LaVarn Williams).  Only Berthold Reimers readmitted her to the station, a telling fact, and that without warning to members and staff in advance. 

 Given that Cerene has been guilty of assaulting three members of the LSB (two of whom filed police reports of her actions),  Reimers' decision was rash and ill thought out. At LSB meetings I take care to keep my distance from Cerene.

     The broadcast studio at 388 Atlantic Avenue is very small, and when Cerene burst into the room without warning and took Steve Brown's seat next to me, I was extremely uncomfortable:  I was sitting closer to her than I cared to be, about the same distance away as Mitchel Cohen was when she struck his arm. There wasn't much room for me to move away, although I tried to do so. As usual, Cerene came to disrupt the meeting, divert us from the purpose of the broadcast, and promote herself as the queen of flimflam.    

Yes, I am sorry she was there, but even more to the point I am angry that the GM has so little concern for the physical safety of the staff and members.  Two of those three assaults occurred at the former station, the third at a PNB meeting; the most recent banning was occasioned at an LSB meeting at the station (Wall Street)  at which she tried to foment even more disruption than was already in process by deliberately encouraging some very rowdy behavior.

  Fortunately for the us (and for WBAI's general manager, who would most likely have been sued otherwise), no further assaults took place yesterday.  I trust that "for this special circumstance" means that people can access the station without fear of more trouble from that particular board member.

Bob Young, who Chairs the LSB also commented:

Berthold 's unilateral decisions countermanding  the LSB radio show are a serious problem. Berthold allowing a banned person on the premises creates another controversy. I am also concerned that allowing the same Board member who was banned to make a statement  using the initials JUC as a contact e-mail, on the air, during election season, is a violation of Pacifica electioneering rules.  It concerns me even more that nothing will happen regarding any of these issues. The Pacifica environment seems to be a lawless one at best.

Steve Brown adds his complaint and a few details. Click here for a PDF file of his letter.