Yesterday, March 5, 2015, Gary Null's legal representative sent a letter to The Siegel/Pacifica people offering a settlement in his current lawsuit against the Foundation and named individuals. His friend and apparent spokesperson, Stephen M. Brown has made that letter public, and written his own cover letter.
Here are both missives.
Now it seems that the Pacifica board and the management of WBAI and other member stations have absolutely no incentive to make the situation right. Agreeing to the conditions outlined in Siegel's letter would probably bankrupt the network, though perhaps not quite as quickly as the Feds swooping in.
ReplyDeleteWBAI and Pacifica really aren't long for this world, are they?
So what happened to Ivan Hametz ? I see today he is no longer the host of his own show (Through the Opera Glass), with the new host not even mentioning him. The host also said last Sunday was his first time, which I missed - was this change explained or even acknowledged then ?
ReplyDeleteHemet sometimes takes the day off, using his alternate host, a lady who is very good, but whose name I do not recall.
DeleteI haven't heard of his leaving, so I suspect that he is just taking a break, and that may well have something to do with this endless fund drive.
They continue to be absolute dilettantes when it comes to fundraising, When WBAI was a real Pacifica station, we announced a goal and suspended all regular programming until it was reached (in pledges). This made the marathons considerably shorter, because the listeners wanted a return to normalcy. No "premiums," no scams, just the facts: give us the support we need and we will give you the programs that attracted you to the station.
We announced the tally at least once per hour, so people knew how well they were doing.
Sounds like the name Monya is who you mean. Today's host is sure talking as if Ivan has vanished. He's spoken of himself and Monya doing alternate Sundays, and has made no mention of Ivan or it being temporary.
DeleteIsn't it Manya or Manja? I can't remember the spelling. If so, she been around for ages. I remember she was involved in a lesbian serial the lesbian department had going circa 1979.
DeleteSDL
#5 probably not possible, as I doubt enough records were kept.
ReplyDelete#s 6, 7 & 8 keep dreaming.
SDL
Even if they did have the records, it would not make sense for them to admit copying the work of third parties. They won't agree to dismissals but they could agree to correct the premiums issues, create separate accounts and have a compliance officer. They would probably have to do that at some point anyway regardless of this lawsuit.
DeleteIf what Brown is saying is true, the directors need to cut Siegel loose or leave themselves. Some people are convinced its a ploy to get the licenses and maybe it is but somebody please explain how you can run a network down and then leave with the licenses. You mean to tell me no one else is interested in licenses in SF, LA, NY, DC & Hou.? Perhaps they think they can reorganize in bankruptcy and emerge as a new entity with a new structure with no liability for prior events. That might make more sense to me because it doesn't require the money involved to bid for licenses.
They could claim to try, but they are so messed up that I can't see it working out. Remember how many times we heard Reimers and Mitch Cohen say the premiums were being shipped and all was well? What it comes down to is WBAI can't afford to offer premiums because they need more money just to exist and pay operating expenses than the beg-a-thons bring in. Forget about actually buying and shipping premiums.
DeleteMaybe Siegel an company think a station license is like a house and can be bought and sold at will to anyone who can pay for it? However, I believe the FCC needs to approve any license transfer or sale, regardless of who it is or how they are/were involved in a station.
SDL