With the wolves getting rather restless and the vultures circling impatiently above, The PNB Audit Committee had a meeting. It wasn't their first regarding the present situation, nor would it be their last.
Ask anyone who was a part of Tuesday's telephone circle jerk to tell you what the result was and you will probably get a blank stare. As the amendments piled up on such simple decisions as determining an agenda, the clock—which has not been on the side of Pacifica lately—ticked ominously. This was not the usual factional war—although there was some of that below the surface—but rather a case of the blind leading the blind, memories failing, and utter frustration. Should the auditor be invited to the net meeting? Some thought not, because the bill has not been paid and such visits can run into the thousands. Others felt that the auditor's presence would not make any sense, because the Committee has nothing to lay on the table. Still others realized that nothing makes sense anymore, if it ever did.
The following excerpt will give you a good idea of how farcical all this has become, and if you for some very odd reason feel up to it, I have also include the entire stream, which comes in two parts and almost takes up as many hours.
How can you be a member of a group for years and not understand or care to understand how it works? No one was prepared at all and no one seemed to care to try. Can you imagine anything like this happening in the real world? Apparently the game plan is to come in and try to dictate an outcome and then blast your own rules when you don't get your way. Don't think this is unique. All the LSBs and committees work the same way. If dissolution is not an incentive maybe legal liability might motivate them to get serious.
ReplyDeleteEven legal liability didn't cause these dopes to change their ways. It just caused them to settle lawsuits or fight one (Bernie White) and win but fuck up and cost themselves more money than it should have.
DeleteThese people are beyond stupid.
SDL
How long will it take for these people to realize that even operating a non-commercial radio station requires at the very least basic knowledge of business—not to mention creativity and managerial skills. I still say that every bit of incompetence can be blamed on the governing board and station management. A vessel without rudder is not going to stay on course—this one has been going in a very small circle for years.
DeleteThese fools don't even seem aware of the fact that the monetary value of Pacifica diminishes with every dumb decision they make.
I often wonder what Lou Schweitzer would have thought had he still been around—except for the occasional no-string-attached donation, he stayed out of WBAI's business, which I always thought was commendable. In a way, it is a good thing that he did not live to see hi beloved station vandalized by these opportunistic bozos.
These goofs are wannabe political activists and not radio people. They know nothing about the radio business on any level. The one person that did lasted four or five months (John Proffitt), and is now rewarded with a lawsuit. Do you think they will ever be able to get an even moderately experienced radio person to take a job with Pacifica again? Yeah, right! Pacifica's name is now poison.
DeleteThey won't learn anything because they don't even understand the simple concept that they are in the radio business. They think that radio is a tool of their personal revolutionary ideas, like carrying a sign at a demonstration. They're not even an inept radio management because they don't even "do" radio. They are fighting a losing revolution.
I'm listening to Fass make a fool of himself (bedeep) with fellow geriactivists, sounding like (beep) old drunks at a (bedoop) bar reminiscing about the past. He is just so pathetic and sad now, looking for some company from his few listeners.
SDL
Bob sounds like his batteries have run out. He is painful to listen to and I have heard better engineering by people with two day's experience. Bob has been doing this for a good lifetime. Some caller just told him that he sounds better than ever!
DeleteSure.
Yeah, but the caller failed to mention that he finally got a hearing aid...
DeleteSDL
Bob sounds like this because it's Purim and he has been busy celebrating.
DeleteKGT
He must be a year-long celebrant. I should add that he did not have Flora on his playlist.
Deletewbai ... commercial free and now almost listener free radio .
ReplyDeleteAnd when it's all over , no doubt they will
blame it on the white man . be sure of that!
JORDAN JOURNAL
ReplyDeleteFri, Mar 25, 2016 - 3:00 PM
The Future of Whiteness As Whites Become a Minority?...
White libs- you asked for this- He's YOUR Frankenstein Monster
KGT
brotha gary byrd , herb boyd , charles barron , alton maddox,and sista gloria j brown .
ReplyDeleteWow , could you fit any more racist's on one show then this ?
All bitchin and moanin, blah blah blah ....
They would all say, "We can't be racist because the white man has all the power".
DeleteKGT
looks like i spoke to soon.
ReplyDeleteRace to the finish (of WBAI).
DeleteAs it were.
Barron couldn't find anybody white to blame the Ken Thompson decision on . ahh
ReplyDeleteGloria Brown wondering why obama won't appoint a black justice. that's too bad
alton maddox worring about mumia and assata .i guess 1 persons murderer is someone else's political prisoner .
the woman guest really worried about who is playing nina simone. now here is a woman with too much time on her hands. geez
I was wondering Chris if you get any feedback online or offline from managers, staff etc at WBAI and Pacifica and affiliates for that matter. I just don't understand their perspective. Is it really some conspiracy or just stalling for time while they try to work something out or are they just winging it? I hear things from Pacifica in Exile but Tracy is a part of all this. RPM is part of the dysfunctional LSB so his blog reflects that.
ReplyDeleteI can tell you that two members of West Coast management have submitted inside information for posting, asking—for understandable reasons—not to be identified. I have also received valuable info from unidentified WBAI staffers/volunteers, passing it on if the source strikes me as trustworthy. I am happy to report that the positive (i.e. plausible and seemingly well-motivated) insights outweigh the inevitable troll-like personal attacks, which I delete un-posted.
DeleteMy general impression is that there are people out there who remain personally associated with Pacifica and are critical for the right reasons. I could not do that—were I still on the inside, I would organizing a protest, because I believe spreading the bad news is essential. As long as it's all kept in-house, the people who are responsible for the vandalism will stay on their destructive path. While they have chased off the majority of WBAI's listeners, which—in an odd way—is a good thing, they have also virtually eliminated interest from the news media, which, ironically is to their benefit.
Tracy and RPM have given us good information, but—as you point out—both are, essentially, insiders—especially RPM, who clearly wants to keep his sorry show and online soap box. Tracy may get a bit carried away, but I think she performs a valuable service as she counteracts the Siegelitic faction.
I'm listening to the two part amateur wannabe governing fiasco (finally) and find it entertaining in how brain dead these people are. I am building a library of these goof meetings and think it's time to start putting together a "Best of Pacifica Mindlessness" CD. These are the kind of people that need an instruction book on how to masturbate but wouldn't be able to read it.
ReplyDeleteAgenda agenda agenda!!!
SDL
I love the amendment to the amended amendment of....
DeleteFifty-five minutes into part one and they finally voted on the amendment to the agenda - finally! "We finally have an agenda item called 'let's vote on this.'" And they have someone on that board named Reason?
DeleteI liked the nitwit that didn't even know what day it is. And this moron is on a radio network board AND voting?
Can this garbage be used in university classes as how NOT to run group meetings?
If these goofs were starving on a restaurant row type street, they would take hours to maybe - maybe! - decide what to eat.
SDL
These audio clips are important, because this is the sort of stuff that defies recounting.
DeleteExtraordinary.
Oh, forgot to mention that I was talking to a friend of mine (an account) earlier tonight and we talked about WBAI a little. He asked how it is that some government authority hasn't just come in and shut them down by now. I gave him my standard reply you've seen about how they are lucky that they are so under the radar with such a low listenership that no authorities even know WBAI exists.
DeletePerson A: "We're voting on the amendment to the amendment to the motion."
Person B: "OK, then after that I'm going to make a substitute motion."
Mind boggling!
SDL
Your friiend's question is logical, hence difficult to answer. Pacifica defies logic.
DeleteI wonder if they will engage Alton Madox to represent them in the matter of Null?
Isn't Maddox's legal license still revoked?
DeleteSDL
I think so, but would they care? Would he tell them?
DeleteIn court it would matter and not be permitted.
DeleteSDL
"De Niro won't show anti-vaccine movie at Tribeca Film Festival".
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Gary got hold of his mind, also
KGT
Wouldn't Null be FOR showing an anti-virus film?
DeleteDeNiro has an autistic son- he blames it on vaccines. But this particular flick is so bad and so panned that he has been forced to pull it from the Tribeca Film Festival due to public and official medical outrage. But he still believes the b.s.
DeleteKGT
Thanks for clarifying that, KGT.
DeleteI had credited DeNIro with more intelligence, but I guess having this so close to home can create blind spots in one's judgement.
DeNiro has always been a bit of a whack job.
DeleteSDL