The state of the artlessness is gloomy.
Here is R. Paul Martin's WBAI Treasurer's Report.
An unvarnished blog that dips into the past and comments on the present of WBAI-FM, a once significant, intelligent New York radio station that for years has suffered chronic abuse from within and now nears extinction. Your comments are welcomed and will not be censored.
Pitifully clinging to life like every cowardly delusional soul on the planet.
ReplyDeleteTime though a laggard will take them in the end.
~ ‘indigo’
(JustAListener)
ReplyDeleteI think this sums it up:
“The NFC recommends that the PNB direct
the interim Executive Director to compile organizational charts from all units"
We recommend that you direct her to ask them...
To which "you", "her" or "them" (the GMs) will respond "We'll get back to you later" or will simply ignore the directive (Reimers' M.O.).
"The CFO said that he’s in the process of moving the accounting for WBAI and WPFW
to the National Office".
The last managers that tried to do that to Reimers' found themselves shown the door.
RPM again mentioned the "KPFA foundation". Sounds like he sees rats at work, but no Pied Pipers.
If there is a conspiracy at work, at least it shows there is someone capable of coherent thought in power at Pacifica!
BTW who will give real money to underwrite insane programs with no listeners?
To put it in song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrpmv_zOa0k
The shark association is also apropos. :)
DeleteLately, even when I've listened to the programs that are still good, I've had the feeling of witnessing a trainwreck.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Justine, even the better programs are subjected to lopsided audio balance, dead air, etc., all of which are inexcusable with today's technology. Isn't it ironic that WBAI sounded much healthier back in the day when equipment was, by comparison, "primitive. The trainwreck feeling comes in good part from the incompetence and lack of motivation that surrounds those good programs.
DeleteSeems the WBAI archives are broken. When I try to go to previously aired programs I get no programs and this message: "Error connecting to remote mysql:"
ReplyDeleteSDL
I have the same problem--could they be sparing us repeat cringes? I so much want to punish myself with Mimi and Pammie on demand. :)
DeleteI went to download OTH and TPCS from last night because i wasn't around to make an off air recording, as I do now if I want to listen to something on delay.
DeleteSDL
You probably are aware of the sad fact that these two programs are among the increasing number of live (i.e. original) reruns. There is something about Reimers' BAI that severely shortens a show's expiry date.
DeleteThat said, the host of TPCS did make a bulls eye remark about that see-thru manager.
The archive will pop into place again.
By their own estimates, they have been averaging $8,000 a day so you could argue that the fundraiser met expectations but the projected numbers are completely unrealistic.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the report, they average $150K in expenses a month. If you deduct the transmitter rent, that's still $100K. That seems like a lot for a station with no staff and a makeshift studio.
BTW Thanks for posting the report Chris. I submitted excerpts thinking you would not bother because its pretty dry stuff with the same old complaints.
Thank you for the excerpts, they served us all well.
DeleteThere are hidden expenses and, I strongly suspect, hidden short-changes. No hidden talent, however. Anyone at WBAI who doesn't realize how close to extinction the station has come must be comatose.
Could it be that bai has found it's fourth person to complete their black Mount Rushmore of Martin , Malcolm and Medgar, in Muhammad Ali?
ReplyDeleteHis name does start with M , He's dead now, and didn't seem like a hugh fan of the white man .
I guess we will find out when January 17th rolls around , if they devote the entire day , if not the week , to worship him.
Ali was not a racist, so I think he's out. My bet is on the bozos choosing Mumia—a convicted murderer, he is just the right guy for their fantasies.... and we know they worship him.
DeleteAli was not a racist, so I think he's out. My bet is on the bozos choosing Mumia—a convicted murderer, he is just the right guy for their fantasies.... and we know they worship him.
Delete(JustAListener)
ReplyDeleteChris, I'm curious about your opinion of Ali.
A man of his time and sometimes beyond.
But I do believe he was poisoned by "Nation of Islam" nonsense and hate.
Did he recover? And he spoke of violence but as far as I know never committed it outside the ring.
Here's a commentary on Ali's negative side:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2016/06/07/civil-rights-champion-muhammad-ali-was-anything-but/En45jgnZU2ukPf7GA0IgrL/story.html
I have a high opinion of Muhammad Ali, who was Cassius Clay when I first became aware of him. Our paths crossed only twice and both encounters were brief, but I did not sense any racism on his part.
DeleteBlack people in this country are regularly subjected to racism that is often so subtle that we who are not black don't sense it. The Ali focused upon in Jacoby's article is a black man in his late teens who grew up in segregated Kentucky, discovered that racism exists even in New York City and that winning an Olympic gold medal is but a bandaid. It is the early Sixties and Black Pride has become the slogan de jour; I recall how that period saw an awakening of sorts. A man named Tony Brown, who lived in my building and hosted a talk show on PBS, suddenly stopped acknowledging my presence on the elevator unless we were the only passengers. A Nigerian-born book publisher, Joe Okpaku, lived and had his offices in my building when he launched his company, Third Press. To celebrate that occasion and thank those who had helped him establish his company, Joe threw a party. You can imagine how embarrassed he felt when he found out that two of his younger guests had taken it upon themselves to tell arriving white people that they were not welcomed. Joe told me that he spent a good part of the following day making apologies to those who had been turned away.
BTW, the book being launched was "How to Get Along with White People."!
I mention these two instances to tell you why I understand Ali's early stance. Remember, he was also recruited by the Chicago group that he is pictured with in the article you attached. I'm just saying that he was vulnerable for understandable reasons and I credit his subsequent independence to intelligence.
So, I agree that Ali was to some extent "poisoned" by the Elijah Muhammad group, which had its own game going. Like Malcolm, Ali recovered. In my opinion, Jacoby's article is shamelessly slanted.
You have undoubtedly noticed that Ali has in recent years taken a back seat to the WBAI bozos' worship of idiots like John Henrik Clarke, Mumia, "Dr Ben" and Malcolm. Ali was simply not their cup of tea because he wasn't a hateful racist. Notice that they fluff over Malcolm's later years, that brief time after he returned from the Middle East with a new perspective on whites. Now, of course, they are all Ali and I suspect that's with future fundraising exploitation in mind.
What's sad about this is , the only reason bai is playing Ali's funeral , is because he is black. Period!
ReplyDeleteAnd this isn't a knock on Ali , I liked Ali, was obviously a awesome boxer and athlete, a man who stood for what he believed in and a decent human being.
This is more about how bai is using him and i think will be using him for their own benefit.
I think you are right on point Chris, about bai setting up Ali for future use.
Especially now that he is gone . That's perfect for them . SAD