The WBAI LSB treasurer, R. Paul Martin has two sides to him. One is RPM the censoring, despotic administrator of the notorious BlueBoard, the other is a guy whose frustrations compel him to speak his mind at PNB meetings and on his own Saturday morning program, "Back of the Book." RPM's bad microphone manners and habit of sharing trivial matters with the listener makes it almost a challenge to listen to the program, which he shares (albeit, sparingly) with his wife, "Pickles of the North", but one listens in hopes of catching unofficial insider information. This morning we learned something about the pathetic WBAI "studio" and the upcoming elections. Here, for your edification, are the few drops of cream that floated to the top—the essence of this morning's program.
I'm trying to understand how this election works. They pay people to administer an election who then get all kinds of grief and open hostility from station staff when they ask for voter lists including staff lists (think about that for a second. They don't have updated staff lists). When they finally get it, its hopelessly out of date. They then do the jobs of the GMs and actually update the list as best they can considering they have no idea who is actually a member. They then pay an outside company to actually do the count. You know the company has not received instructions because in the case of KPFA, they actually counted votes for Dan Siegel, Mumia, Tim Lincecum (SF Giants pitcher), Curious George, etc. Wow! Even the late Samori Marksman would say that's probably not the best way to run an election. Imagine being one of the elections supervisors after all this silliness then getting criticized by board members (the very people who hired you in the first place) saying they're worried we won't make quorum because even they didn't get their ballots.
ReplyDeleteOK I...wait did RPM just admit they're illegally copying stuff?
I didn't hear RPM admit that intellectual property was being copied without license, but that has clearly been going on for a long time.
DeleteThey are currently asking people to pay $100 to be eligible in a drawing that will send one of them to Gary Null's Texas retreat, airfare included. Whether there were too few takers or greed overcame them, the deal was extended. If someone plunked down a Benjamin before the extension was announced, is he/she not being cheated? Remember, these are the same crooks who announced a drawing and collected money for a for an iPad that hadn't been bought, because the station didn't have the money! These are the same crooks who collect money and add shipping and handling charges for products that are never delivered... these are people who have no moral scruples. Nobody is forcing Null to continue his association with them—think about that.
A few years back, when stations were required to keep a record of the copyrighted material they aired, there was lot of grumbling. Management finally told them that they needn't continue that practice, but management was wrong and a government agency must have gone after them, so now the record-keeping requirement is back, and so is the grumbling. RPM pissed and moaned over that—is that what you are referring to?
My bad. I didn't understand what copyright confessor was. I found a manual for it on the KPFA website. Honestly, my focus was on the election mess. They're spending time and money on a pretty simple process. Its so simple I could run the whole process myself using a laptop assuming I had valid voter lists which is the real scandal. Is it all deliberate somehow to rig the elections. I suppose but I just don't think they're that smart. This is how conspiracies start because no one truly believes the guy in charge is really that dumb.
DeleteThe fact that you, I and others are discussing this indicates that they, indeed, are "not that smart." What continually amazes me is that—transparent as their ineptitude makes them—these people get away with just about everything they do.
DeleteIn my years at WBAI, we had a Pacifica Board that would never have allowed things to get this far out of hand. Granted, that was back in the Sixties, but I don't think election rigging has been declared legal in the interim.
Such underhanded manipulations as obviously are taking place may not, in the end, prove to be Pacifica's nemesis, but inferior programs, lost listenership and rapidly accumulating debt will do it. I predict that WBAI will be gone by the end of this year.
The election is a compendium of convoluted corruption and stupidy. Most listeners to Pacifica stations don't give a crap about it, so the politicos shall remain. Even with such a laughable turnout, they seem to still need to pull hijinks.
ReplyDeleteOn a related note, have you noticed how many callers are phoning in to talk about the elections and WBAI's current situation? I mean, when they can even get calls.
SDL
The question is: How long can the convoluted corruption and stupidity go on after the well has run dry?
DeleteThe answer seems to be: As long as there is a dangling carrot and sleeping regulatory agencies. If they succeed in selling WBAI, they will probably be able to keep the West Coast stations on the air, but how long before the ongoing greed and stupidity brings them back to square one. Well, it won't really be square one, because so much has been irretrievably lost. Bandaids are not forever.
If Null really has genuine dirt on these people and their handling of Pacifica, I hope he sling it soon. His announced ten day prelude should be over next week. It might all end with such a muddle than none of us will ever know how the end came.
I attribute the sparse calls re the status and elections to a widespread lack of interest. This is the wake and that body ain't gonna rise again.
Pacifica will keep rolling along with those one time financial windfalls, until there are no more and the money runs out. You know how it goes, having to maintain carpets and elevators...
ReplyDeleteMy prediction. In the next week, Null will be all cozy with Reimers, again. The next week, more Null threats, and so shall it go...
SDL
Will the cycle be unbroken? Will Null come up with special "stuff" for bequeathers?
DeleteI guess you're right, this will turn out to be another idle threat.
Chris, I have been involved in lawsuits. I have gone through the EBT questioning process. I can tell you that the questions that a person is subject to by attorneys can be very wide ranging and have little or nothing to do with the actual causes of the lawsuit. Discovery is just that, and they look at anything they can find to hold against you. A judge will be very lenient about allowing questions unless they have absolutely(!) nothing to do with anything/anyone relating to the lawsuit.
DeleteNow, do you really think Null wants to be asked the in depth questions he has never had to answer to before? "Mr. Null, what are the names and addresses of the people you have cured of AIDS?" "Mr. Null what evidence do you have that you have cured cancer?" He can't get out of that because it relates to his show which is on WBAI. You think Null wants that? No fucking way! He isn't suing Pacifica and/or WBAI, unless he is a total idiot that has gone totally mad. Pacifica and WBAI lawyers could easily destroy him in a lawsuit.
Add to that his claim that he has evidence of criminal activity at WBAI. You are required by law to report a crime to the authorities. He could be prosecuted by the state if he has such evidence. He damn well knows it, or at least, his lawyers do.
Null is hot organic air.
SDL
I think that the laws of the economics, copyright protection, listeners' choice and market place might not apply to the BAI and Pacifica, because they are considered an Icon of the Left by too many in the Establishment.
ReplyDeleteBAI folks and their ilk operate on the notion that in the 1960's, the wealthy who donated to BAI did not listen to it, and did nor care whether they got the so-called premium or not, or even if there was a premium.
It is the Miracle of the Left, that BAI got rid of the Old White People, lost their revenue stream, and has not died from the economic consequences of their policy.
Happy New Year, everyone!
What do you mean by "The Left"? "The Left" was vanquished by Woodrow Wilson and later finished off by Joe McCarthy.
ReplyDeleteWho is your source for what "The Establishment" thinks?
Your analysis of WBAI's history is vapid and simplistic. It is also clichéd.
I am not analyzing anything, I am offering an explanation of why the BAI is still in existence despite terminal non-viability and utter absence of listenership. Call it the Left, call it the Liberals, consider it a part of the establishment, which believes in NPR style of cultural journalism, Sarah Koenig and Utne Reader, and considers itself Progressive and or pays homage to what it considers to be Progressive, which is what they consider BAI and Pacifica to be.
DeleteWhat is YOUR explanation for why BAI and Pacifica is still in existence?
Are you catching any of this Dillon guy sitting in for Daniels? He's sure a glib one, full of self-promotion. He sounds so much like a TV pastor that I am waiting for him to ask for donations and offer up prayer blanket in exchange.
ReplyDeleteSDL
I am listening to this guy and almost feeling his LED halo. That said, I would love to see him take the I-am-so-wonderful "professor" by the hand and flap his feathery back extremities for a lift off to some far away sinkhole.
DeleteThat said, he is easier to listen to than "distinguished lecturer" Daniels. The current caller (from Tulsa) would make a far better host than Daniels and his stand-in.
They should have thrown the "Haitian All-Stars" into this mix.
gloria j brown ... we all know where this is going .. predictable and boring !
ReplyDeleteYes,but this has become an educated prediction as WBAI has long since adopted white/police racism as a general theme.
DeleteThis morning, I heard racists Haskins and Brown infuse the Oregon standoff into an racist incident.
Is this crap for real? No wonder they have so few listeners. Never mind what these people may or may not done to get killed, since that's not important.
DeleteSDL
I assume that you are referring to the theatrics aired by Gloria Brown Marshall—one of several hare-brained racists Murillo infested WBAI with. She and dummy Haskins have, so far, spent an hour shamelessly cashing in on over eleven hundred killings that their own racism contributed to.
DeleteThis is WBAI at its lowest—not seeking solutions, just gloating and squiggling around in a cesspool of their own creation. More and more, it becomes clear to me that these morally corrupt idiots need to take their agendas to a place that is as far removed from a microphone as they are from reality and responsibility.
Haskins can't even read some of the location names, much less those of the the victims. I suppose he will refer to this in the future as a reason why listeners need to purchase WBAI merchandise.
It is all very disgusting.
Maybe they can make a $100 premium flash drive of the list and show? This crap is just silly.
DeleteSDL
Don't be surprised. SDL—they might even add music. You know they won't include 1,100 photos, because the victims are not all black. I could almost see Haskins cringe when she mentioned that. He is a contemptible man with a small brain.
DeleteIt took them around two hours to read that list... it would take them two days to read a list of the listeners they have driven away with their racist crap.
remember, it's not this why nobody is listening , it's because people aren't getting their premiums. lol
ReplyDeleteThe simplest reason there are nearly no listeners can be broken down to the people at WBAI being all about themselves. All the problems are ultimately an outgrowth of their egos.
DeleteBy the way, how many days are left to Null's lawsuit D-Day threat, three or four? Yeah...
SDL
I believe Thursday, Jan. 7th is the tenth day. We're almost there, but is Null?
DeleteStop the presses! I just got hold of Null's battle plan!
Deletehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/bsp/hi/dhtml_slides/09/dday/img/slide02.gif
SDL
Sounds more like this, to me...
Deletehttp://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/74793000/jpg/_74793487_de46.jpg
I want to take a serious look at Null, now (only because the stock market sucks today and I'm not doing any work).
ReplyDeleteFor several months now, Null has been on and off again with tirades against WBAI and Pacifica, claiming to have all sorts of evidence of malfeasance and criminal activity carried out by people involved with both entities. He has made multiple threats of exposing this information, to only back down and seemingly make amends with, in particular, GM Reimers. It's a few days until the ten day window of time runs out on his latest claim that he would absolutely file a lawsuit against WBAI.
So, I ask the question, what if he doesn't file this lawsuit now? I have for the same time period of his recent tirades said he was a fake and blowing hot air, if not altogether sliding into madness. Others have said he speaks some truth and have given him some benefit of the doubt. If he doesn't file this lawsuit now, do we finally all agree he is the boy that cried wolf?
Personally, I don't think his audience even cares or knows what he is talking about in regards to Pacifica and WBAI, so his reputation won't be tarnished among them. However, among those of us that do understand, I think it will be time to stop giving him even a moment of our time.
I think Null is a wannabe bully, who knows he can't carry out his threats. He thinks he's going to come off as a leader of the opposition for his faction, but he really has no faction to rally, because those he imagines are his faction don't even care about his anti Pacifica/WBAI childlike tantrums.
I think I just gave the goof too much attention.
SDL
By Friday, we will know if Null's legal army has struck. I think you're right. It's 52° in SF, so I guess they could use a blast of hot air. :)
Deletehow akward is it gonna be when gary has to give the money over to bai for the retreat in march that he is doing to raise money for them , while at the same time suing them . hmm.
ReplyDeleteWas that a new low today with gloria j brown and haskins reading 11 hundrend names off , taking most of the air time to do it?
I mean these idiots actually think that this is compelling radio.?
What's the thinking behind that , or should I say lack of thinking ?
That was on par with the slave girl nonsense that haskins does.
R. Paul Martin does have two sides. Very smart guy, but biased. That is why the staff kicked him out as Union steward and replaced him and his management union with AFTRA. Staffers were screwed under R. Paul. He is still doing management's work for them, this time for Reimers. The Blueboard is his playpen - censors anyone critical on WBAI or manangement. He is a stooge.
ReplyDelete