Saturday, July 16, 2016

End of the road up ahead?


They Figure They Better Pay For The Audit

Berkeley-After a literal slew of "special meetings on finances", the Pacifica National Board finally came to the conclusion they had to pay the fiscal year 2014 audit fee - 22 months after the end of that fiscal year. At a few minutes to midnight, in a bit of a hysterical rush, they agreed to snatch money from anywhere in the network they could find it, starting with a $50,000 bequest gift to KPFK that reportedly came in just a few days ago. The motion was amended repeatedly, most significantly to authorize another grab for a $38,000 payment to the contractor for the board elections. The total amount will range from $68,000 to $117,000, depending on what portion of the $67,000 remaining balance due on the audit fee will be enough to pry the audit from the unpaid audit firm. The motion may have been motivated by the looming August 11 deadline on the third extension of board liability insurance that protects the assets of board members from litigation directed at Pacifica. 


The premise of the motion is that prying the audit report free of the auditor would allow Pacifica to take out a mortgage on the network's squat little national office which is attached to a long-abandoned Thai restaurant beside the large two-story KPFA facillity. The building is in some state of disrepair with structural problems and at least a few years ago, a vermin infestation in the abandoned portion. The board optimistically concluded the intended mortgage would pay for any remaining balance due on the 2014 audit, the 2015 tax preparation fee, the 2015 audit fee, repay the stations from which the funds are taken, pay for the rest of the 2016 board election, pay off the $50K or so balance on the company credit card, finance a direct mail appeal, and upgrade the national accounting servers before they fail. The motion then goes on to suggest the property should be sold as quickly as possible afterwards. Both the proposed mortgage and the proposed sale would have to come back to the board for approval prior to execution. 

The interim executive director when the 2014 audit should have been prepared, Margy Wilkinson (March of 2014 - June of 2015) reversed previous declarations the audit delay was no big deal and described it as a "top priority". Both she and KPFA staff rep Brian Edwards-Tiekert objected to including election contractor expenses in the money snatch from the stations. What the board did not discuss was the recent loss in union arbitration to the SAG-AFTRA bargaining unit, which will impose financial compensation for two dozen employees subjected to involuntary pay cuts at KPFK in the fall of 2015.

The burst of activity began when minority directors Grace Aaron, Jan Goodman and Bill Crosier called for an urgent discussion of the looming financial emergency on June 26th. Their call was ignored by the entire 14-person board majority, but they were joined by CFO Sam Agarwal and invited the long-excluded WBAI directors to join them. The full audio of that meeting can be heard here, a summary version here, and a list of recommendations that came out of the meeting can be seen here. The effort drew the wrath of the board majority who called the unsupervised talking "a breach", and threatened dire consequences, an intent that seemed to fizzle after board majority members admitted they had all received calls at the time of the meeting and declined to take them.

Not to be outdone, a series of official special meetings on finances followed including a session of the national finance committee on July 6th, which was derailed by Houston listener rep Adriana Casenave, who confused the term "underwriter" when applied to radio program sponsorship, and objected to public service announcements, which she characterized as "secret underwriting". You can hear a clip from that meeting here. The next day the full national board met for more than three hours in open session, where they primarily engaged in an undignified scrum for the projected receipts from the network's national coverage of the Republican, Democratic and Green Party political conventions. They finally concluded the national office should bear all the production costs and the receipts should go to the five stations. You can listen to a clip from that meeting here.

Finally they met again on July 14th and at 11:30pm Eastern time decided to pay for the FY 2014 audit.


In a rare moment of sanity, a bylaws amendment proposal which sought to limit directors inspections (and violated the California Corporations Code) has been voted down by local station board members in Texas and Berkeley, ensuring the amendment won't pass. Houston board vice chair Ted Weisgal described the amendment as "stupid" during KPFT deliberations on Wednesday night. The amendment was put forward by six directors: KPFT's Wesley Bethune and Adriana Casenave, WPFW's Jim Brown and Tony Norman, KPFA's Margy Wilkinson and Janet Kobren and KPFK's Michael Novick.

At New York's WBAI, the station is entering its fourth week without a telephone, a situation that violates FCC regulations for FM radio stations. The station's license has still not been renewed by the agency, more than two years after it expired in June of 2014. WBAI is going back into fund drive in a few days. It is experiencing a steady decline in daily receipts from the on-air fund drives, which now average less than $10,000 a day. The station has historically relied on alternative health host Gary Null to raise a substantial amount of the operating funds, but has been unable to come to an agreement with him about the station's backlog of 5,000 undelivered premium gifts. Null filed a lawsuit earlier in the year about the undelivered premiums and allegations of unauthorized duplicating and piracy, but withdrew it without prejudice. In yet another letter to WBAI GM Berthold Reimers, Null commented:

"I had hoped that you would communicate with me on the upcoming fund drive. To highlight my earlier suggestions: I am more than willing to help the station raise funds . However there is the matter of the outstanding premiums. We guestimate these are more than a thousand for my audience. You stated in our conversation more than seven months ago that the station had more than 5,000 unfulfilled premiums. This past Saturday I was lecturing to about 500 people. I asked how many people in the audience had not received a premium from WBAI. Nearly three quarters raised their hands. Many told me they stopped listening  or supporting the station. One woman stated that she was owed five different premiums over the past three years. She also stated that calling, writing and emailing to get some feedback or answers was fruitless. I would recommend that you send each listener who has not received their premium a legally mandated FTC compliance letter. Let them know why they have not received their premiums.  I would welcome you onto my program to explain the stations predicament, apologize, and offer them some insights as to what you and the hosts are doing to make the station more financially stable and get them their premiums. I know of no one in the WBAI family who wants to see the station put into bankruptcy . If the summer drive is no more successful than the spring I fear that members of the national board will take the station into bankruptcy"

At Houston's KPFT, the local Siegel/Brazonites have been attempting to get rid of long-time manager Duane Bradley, whose almost 15 year tenure as GM at KPFT is twice as long as any Pacifica management figure has lasted in the past few decades.  KPFT local station board chair Dewayne Lark helpfully offered to personally replace Bradley as a new "volunteer" general manager for KPFT last fall, but has taken umbrage at the suggestion he should recuse himself from the personnel committee, whose job is to do a performance evaluation on the current GM and select a replacement if a change is made. The local station board in Houston has been an exercise in retaliation with the July 13th agenda featuring only 4 pieces of new business: all 4 of them consisting of investigations, censures and suspensions. Nothing much came of the rumbles at the Wednesday night meeting, but you can listen to a meeting clip here.

At LA's KPFK, the second of three summer fund drives to be held between May 3 and August 30, has just been extended a week due to low receipts. The station is averaging $18,000 a day, about 60% of the daily average a few years ago, as listeners revolt against unpopular program changes and a large amount of undelivered premiums. The two program changes that have been most controversial with the station's listeners: the reduction of Rising Up to only twice a week broadcast and the ejection of Something's Happening from the weekday midnight to 3am slot, continue to wreak financial havoc on the station with the replacement programs far less productive than those they replaced. Something's Happening booked 5 times as much per hour as replacement program Safe Harbor and Rising Up with Sonali booked 2.7 times as much per hour as replacement program Uprising. This spreadsheet contains the detail for the first 10 days of the current fund drive, by day and by amount.

In Berkeley, the local station board met on July 9th with the general manager in absentia. You can listen to a brief highlights reel here. The financial discussion centered on the station's budgetary snafu, with management projecting  income based on exaggerated pledge fulfillment figures which have led to cash flow shortages and a 30-day notice for layoffs. The board also discussed the outsourcing of the station craft fair to the private company of a former employee.

Former ED Wilkinson expressed concern about the use of restricted funds to pay operating expenses, apparently forgetting she had presided over that kind of transaction as ED in June of 2014, when a grant from the Material World Foundation to renovate KPFK's music studio was redirected to Pacifica's National Office to pay for health benefits. The Material World Foundation has requested the return of grant funds from KPFK as a result of Wilkinson's action. No repayment has yet been made. 
The board then moved on to a discussion of the state of Pacifica and a motion from KPFA employees Joy Moore and Frank Sterling to dissolve the "KPFA Foundation" incorporated by Wilkinson in 2013 and headquartered at the office of Siegel and Yee. You can hear some of the discussion on the meeting clip. The Siegel/Brazon majority on the board did not agree to dissolve the corporation, and said they might want to use the KPFA Foundation as a conduit for donations. Somewhat defensively, Wilkinson and co-conspirator board chair Carole Travis said sequentially that they had "forgotten about the KPFA Foundation",  the filing was not a secret, they just didn't tell anybody about it just like they might not tell anyone if they went to buy a sandwich, and that they didn't talk about the secret filing because "it would have been the only thing anyone wanted to talk about". 

All 5 Pacifica stations are in the midst of another election cycle. Many feel this election is the last chance for Pacifica. Please vote beginning on August 15th. You can visit elections.pacifica.org for more information. For any ballot related question at any station, you can contact King Reilly, a KPFK member, for assistance at kingreilly@roadrunner.com

58 comments:

  1. There are so many issues with this plan that its hard to keep track. The plan makes sense only if it leads to CPB funding eligibility quickly and a plan on what to do with the property. Mortgaging property is one of the last tools left in the toolkit.
    Whether they sell or not, it sounds like the place needs work. A proposed sale is another question. I assume PNO would be housed at KPFA. That would need to be worked out. At the meeting, they talked about repaying stations or crediting the money towards their central services fees. That also brings up the question of upgrading the accounting software. As Agarwal said, its not just a matter of getting hardware. They need to get support from the vendor including product upgrades. They may be better off worrying about the audit costs and other immediate costs first and then do some planning before taking such a drastic step.

    The KPFK situation is a perfect example of why people from across Pacifica should be paying attention and why there is a strong need for a system to properly evaluate programming. There is overwhelming opposition to the changes and yet the GM there
    insists incorrectly that the LSB has no role to play. The replacement programs are awful, don't promote the mission and don't raise money or listeners. This inevitable result is less money and listeners for KPFK and less money to the network.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Michael, I see that you are among the candidates running for WBAI LSB Listener Rep. I still believe the station is beyond rescue at this point, but you have obviously done some good digging into the past and you sound like a breath of fresh air, so I hope you are elected and can do something to at least make others aware of the gravity.

      Should you wish to express your thought in the situation more prominently, just send your text as a comment, adding that it is not for publication. I will get back to you with an e-mail address.

      Delete
  2. "One woman stated that she was owed five different premiums over the past three years" There's a word for that - idiot! No wonder she's at a Null meeting.

    SDL

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    Replies
    1. Oh, lecture, sorry. See the Null quote paragraph.

      SDL

      Delete
  3. Ron Daniels is an opportunistic fool whose one-track mind contributes mightily to the steady decline of WBAI and the black image. Here he is with Michael Haskins, who probably is the most ignorant racist on the payroll.

    Let them ramble on, stagnant and stuck in time—the more they expose their personal agendas, the sooner NYC's air will be cleansed of the pollution they generate.

    The last fundraiser brought in only $8,000 of the $12,000 Reimers aimed for. This one will probably bring in less—it is indisputable evidence of their monumental idiocy that they think re-running the same crap in larger doses is going to produce $12,000 or more a day.

    This morning, they re-ran Tony Bates' glorification of John Henrik Clark and "Dr. Ben," two recently deceased hustlers who lied their asses off to revise history. Their audience is small, but just as gullible and ignorant as Trump's followers.

    Sorry to say this, but there is no positive restoration—the misguided idiots and their predecessors have destroyed a great station. There is nothing to save and much to be gained by showing these blockheads the door to total obscurity. The sooner, the better.

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  4. BAI has been on air for 2 years WITHOUT a license? How is that possible? Is there some new FCC regulaltion that I've missed that would allow this?

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    Replies
    1. So I hear. I does not make any sense. There was a time, hen the station was vital, that the Gov. would have used any excuse to revoke our license, but when the hate groups and individuals who monitored us logged a complaint, we let the truth set us free, as it were.

      I guess WBAI has become too insignificant for them to bother with it. If the illegal activity comes to their attention, I suppose the FCC will have to act. They'll be gone soon.

      Delete
  5. I've had some dealings with KPFT. From Bradley on down, the attitude is: cover your ass at all times. Nothing is ever our fault. Blame the National office. I'll trash them on air. But we still want listeners money at the same time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The ultimate trashing of WBAI and, indeed, Pacifica, comes from within. The greatest contribution loyal listeners have made is tuning out.

      Delete
  6. This beg-a-thon is more of the same, as expected. I'm just glad to see Null was interrupted, although it was for Bates. With the kind of money they are making, don't expect the phone lines up and running any time soon. In fact, make sure there is even toilet paper in their restroom before you use it.

    Now Davis is pushing a $350.00 nutrition pack. Look at the fat slob and tell me she has any place pushing a "health" product. The funniest thing is that the morons who send them the $350.00 will never get the crap. Looks like it may be this non-Stuff, btw:

    http://store.foodmatters.com/product/superfood-complete-pack

    WBAI would be better sending White or Keyes out to the local CVS or Walgreens and swiping some first aid kits off the shelves, hawking them for $200.00 and telling listeners how they will heal them up when a racist white cop beats the shit out of them.

    SDL

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  7. The stations are supposed to air the convention coverage starting tonight. Will that happen?

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    1. They are still announcing their "coverage" as starting at 8 PM. Can't afford to pay essential utility bills, buy "thank you gifts", honor fundraising deals... hell, WBAI can't even build a studio.

      Their announced "coverage" is not likely to contribute original thought nor new info on the farce in Cleveland, but I'm sure they see it as a fund raising occasion. That's all overpaid token manager Berthold Reimers has ever cared about: the money.

      Delete
    2. WARNING WARNING ... THIS PROGRAM HAS A STRONG POTENTIAL OF GOING BLACK AT ANY MOMENT, WITHOUT NOTICE ! PLEASE BE ADVISED. WARNING WARNING ...

      Delete
  8. My good deed for the day. While on the Food Matters website, I got hit up by a support agent. I decided to warn her about WBAI. Below is the exact copy & paste of our conversation, except for making one edit, censoring out my email address. I wonder if Food Matters even knew their product is being hawked. Fuck you WBAI and Kathy Davis!

    Marinette Support Agent

    Marinette Hi there, welcome back!
    If you need help, just let me know.

    Hi there :)

    SDL Can you tell me if the Superfood Complete Pack is the same thing being sold on WBAI FM radio for $350?

    Hi

    Marinette Unfortunately, I cannot confirm it to you.

    SDL Well, better talk to your boss. WBAI rips off its listeners and doesn't send the stuff people pay for. You'll get a bad reputation if it is your product

    Marinette Thank you for sharing that with me. We appreciate it.

    SDL OK

    Marinette I'd be happy to pass this on to the team to further check on that.

    SDL Good idea.

    Yake care

    Take

    Marinette If it is fine with you, we can get back to you via email?

    {I censored my email here}

    SDL I prefer not to go deeper. I recommend reading this blog for more info: http://wbai-nowthen.blogspot.com/
    WBAI

    Also, Gary Null claims that WBAI hasn't sent out thousands of his prducts they have sold to listeners

    Just letting you know what WBAI is like

    Marinette I really appreciate the fact that you are sharing that with us.

    However, about the Superfood, you may want to place an order to our website to make sure that you will get your a genuine product.

    SDL I'm just trying to stop listeners from being robbed and companies from getting a bad reputation through no fault of thier own

    Marinette I understand.

    Can I help you with anything else?

    SDL No. Just wanted to pass this on. Take care and good day. Read

    Marinette It was nice talking to you. Hope you have a great day! Goodbye.

    SDL

    ReplyDelete
  9. I agree that WBAI "news" all too often isn't, but Linda Perry's resources are severely limited by Reimers' mismanagement.

    I just heard her recite Pence's anti-social voting record. The details were useful.

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  10. Figures, bai getting comments from black lives matter members. What a bunch of doucebags. Why are my not surprised ? Taking every opportunity to talk about blackness.

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    1. Unfortunately, the Trump candidacy is based on the further fomenting of racial, ethnic and religious divides. You should not be surprised. considering the departure from original mission that Pacifica and WBAI have taken to accommodate its crew of stagnant opportunists. Bear in mind that Pacifica itself has shrunk into a third-rate organization that embraces black racism of its lowest.

      All in all—and given the handicap generated by neglect and inept governance—I think Pacifica handled it better than Ione might have expected. The resident racists will soon have to stick a pin in their egos and disappear.

      Delete
  11. Perry can buy a daily newspaper or go online and read some news. She may have done an OK talk show while WBAI had phones, but her news reporting abilities are more about her trying to fit the vibe of WBAI than any real news.

    Hey, if she's still a Ronald McWiccan, maybe she can read tarot cards and tell us what news will happen tomorrow?

    SDL

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  12. Eventually, most of them toe the line and comply with the etched mindset of shameless con artists like Daniels. Linda tries to avoid the party line, I think. People like Haskins are simply empty vessels.

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  13. I find it interesting how Cornell West was all for Bernie Sanders and now is for Jill Stein.
    Why not support Jill Stein from the get go . Kind of insulting to Jill Stein. Just sayin..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Add Hillary to the equation and it will make sense to you.

      Delete
  14. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we may be saying the phrase" President Trump ,"
    That's almost on par with "Professor Ron Daniels" scary on both counts .

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    1. Yes, it's right in there with, "WBAI, free speech radio" and "Historian John Henrik Clarke".

      We live in a world of lies... And that's the truth!

      Delete
  15. West is to blame for a lot of his bad image. Keep in mind that today's politics involve hyping a politician (brand). When Obama ran in 2008, West said he would campaign for him ONLY if the DNC paid for everything. First class airfare, 5 star hotels, etc. Then there's the ongoing ego battle between West and other black "names" (Sharpton, Tom Joyner, Melissa Harris Perry, Tavis Smiley). One minute you hear a lot of yon know I love ya, and there ain't nothing you can do about it. Then, who the f**k do you think you are? You're not gonna trash me on national TV!

    ReplyDelete
  16. While it's still a free country (just barely) and people have the right to change their mind, West just comes off as a hack who latches onto the hot thing of the moment. He's done a lot with Smiley (books, tours and more). But while they say they're fighting to end poverty, Smiley's been taking millions from Wall Mart to bankroll his PBS show. Most would say that's massive hypocracy. Instead, Smiley says sometimes you have to do something that you really hate (appear on Fox, take Wall Mart's money). Meanwhile you've got others like Phil Donahue who come on his show and say you know, you're making quite a name for yourself, young man.

    Like Howard Stern says, it's all part of how you play the game.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. West has slithered over to the same side as Sharpton and the not-so-reverend Jackson. It's all about money and ego.

      Delete
  17. The only reason Jill Stein is getting national coverage is because there's no ratings hype left in Trump's racism. So what do we do now? I know. Let's put this Stein woman on. Many don't know who the hell she is. But at least it's a break from Hillary 24/7.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Politics is a dirty, self-serving game. I am convinced that there is no immunity from corruption, just degrees. The real problem is, I believe, that the game cannot be played without some form of devious personal motive. Ultimately. the enablers can be tracked to the voters, whether they know it, or not.

      Delete
  18. One positive for Stein. At least she didn't give in and let Sanders take the top spot as a Green. Considering he's hated 3rd parties for years, why she ever thought he'd agree to it is weird. Either she's desperate for the instant coverage that would come from it. Or, she's willing to throw away all of her beliefs and be one hypocrite running with another.

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  19. I keep hearing so many say it's not the "right time" for Stein to run. Oh really? So when the hell would it be THE RIGHT DAMN TIME for her to run????

    ReplyDelete
  20. Still no word on my "informal" FCC complaint re: BAI having no phone system for over a month. This is illegal, and it violates their "pending frozen license renewal conditions". But they're still on air.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. First of all, you are dealing with bureaucracy, but there is also this, which others here can respond to more authoritatively:

      The phone lines in question are the ones allowing listeners to make on-the-air incoming calls. I believe there are/is still functioning office phone(s) and possibly one that can reach the so-called "studio",although the latter may be Skype.

      You should at least get a note from the FCC acknowledging your complaint.

      Got an answer, Tracy?

      Delete
  21. Maybe WBAI should do what Bob of Bleeker Bob's Golden Oldies did - install a pay phone as your main phone, so the employees couldn't make free calls and stick the store with the bill.

    SDL

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  22. I can somehow imagine Ghosthorse and Kane sending smoke signals from the roof. Better there than on the air!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Mr Unfunny, Randy Credico, scam:

    https://www.amazon.com/William-Kunstler-Disturbing-Universe-Emily/dp/B002ZTQV98

    No idea of the source for Kunstler At Caroline's, but suspect a tape he has or something.

    Yeah, $100 on WBAI...

    Just as I write this he berates Leonard Lopate. Who the fuck does Credico think he is? Lopate was doing top notch shows every Tuesday early morning on WBAI for years. What a scumbag credico is!

    "We have listeners on the board here. You control it." OK, so he finally said something funny for once in his life...

    SDL

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    1. I forgot to add that Credico said there was no postage fee on WBAI premiums. I think he's either ignorant or lying, as I doubt that WBAI changed its policy.

      SDL

      Delete
    2. Either or both. Credico is an outdated "comedian" who at this point ill probably say or do anything to keep the show. Perhaps he was funny a long time ago when popular humor was far less sophisticated, but he now lives on the memories of what might have been.

      Delete
  24. The Great Lies of History - 5-DVD Pack $250.00 via WBAI and $49.00 via amazon. Buy it from amazon and you have $201.00 remaining to spend on a bunch more conspiracy DVDs to frighten the crap out of you.

    https://www.amazon.com/Great-Lies-History-5-DVD-Pack/dp/B0058DM03O/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468970925&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=The+great+ies+of+history+dvd

    SDL

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    1. Reimers or one of the see-no-evil fools are probably grinding out unauthorized copies of "thank you gifts," as hopeless Haskins likes to call these products. Today I heard Margaret Prescod hawks the Robeson package—the same one she tried to sell during the last drive, and the one before.

      Each time she does this, she claims that she worked very hard to get a limited amount of Robesons (15 pieces), so listeners had better hurry up and take advantage of this unique opportunity. Well? Either she can't sell this "gift" or it has the unique property of amoebas.

      As James R. Sagurton writes in his current Candidate Statement:

      "My candidate statement of 2015 warned of impending bankruptcy that could mean the sale of WBAI. That was not popular (and I lost!). Now, we have reached the tipping point.

      Our phones are shut off for nonpayment ($28,000). We owe the fundraising call center tens of thousands. Without phones and someone to answer them we can not raise funds on the air!

      We are behind on our rent. Membership is down. Thousands of premiums remain undelivered.

      The General Manager is despondent and told me, 'WBAI is finished, it's over.'

      Well, I say we fight on until they lock the doors! " — James R. Sagurton

      Delete
    2. "The General Manager is despondent and told me, 'WBAI is finished, it's over.'" If Reimers said this, I am amazed.

      "Well, I say we fight on until they lock the doors!" Sorry, but this isn't fighting but a slow slide to oblivion.

      WBAI will be sold, somehow or other. Pacifica doesn't want it, as it is just an ever increasing debt around its neck, and Pacifica isn't willing to do anything to change that.

      SDL

      Delete
  25. Maybe the best thing for BAI is an offer to swap dial spots. The middle dial spot that BAI presently holds is coveted by many and probably worth a lot more than an end of dial spot. The surplus could then be used to create a new WBAI, maybe an AM BAI or some combination of FM and web station?

    The old one simply has to die off. I see no way of emerging out of all the acrimony into a functioning entity. Sometimes you simply have to let go, wipe the slate clean and start over.

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    1. The center position--between WNBC and WCBS--is important, although not at all to the degree it used to be, but there is also added value in the fact that 99.5 is a commercial frequency. When I became aware of the history of mismanagement and the extent of the vandalism, I no longer saw any sense in an attempted resurrection, but I had been advocating a thorough wipe of the slate.

      It just won't work now--WBAI is in a rigor mortis stage--killed by people who professed to be concerned. Yes, they were that, but for their own welfare, not the station's.

      Delete
    2. WNBC FM 97.1? Now that's going back in time...

      SDL

      Delete
    3. I have behind me a lifetime of not being a spring chicken :)

      Delete
    4. I just turned on the bozos and am hearing a Gary Null retreat premium. Wonder what is up with that?

      Delete
    5. I caught a bit of that, too. Either Reimers and Null remarried or the former is pulling a fast one. Who will buy?, who will pay?, who will file another lawsuit?

      Delete
  26. for a long time, I wasn't sure that anybody would ever buy BAI or Pacifica. Who would do it in today's market? Either a company that wants to merge and become a major media player. Or, a giant corporation (Ex. Bain Capital, Clear Channel) that would buy and take on an even bigger debt load.

    If you're a CEO looking at BAI, what do you see? Decades of in-fighting. No office or studio phone system for over a month. A pending license renewal that's in jeopardy due to no phones. Lawsuits all over the place. And the pain of dealing with Gary Null. Having said all of that, why would you buy?

    ReplyDelete
  27. If someone did buy BAI, what would they switch the format to? Sports talk in NYC is saturated. Classic rock? Go against WHTZ? If I had to bet on it, I'd say right wing talk, with no token liberal host. How long did Air America last? They used Al Franken (at $3 million a year) as their morning drive anchor. Then, lousy management destroyed them. Now, nobody will touch that. Literally every single progressive host is self syndicated.

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  28. Another problem is Democracy Now. For a multi million dollar non profit, it's the most boring show on (IMO). the content, format clock, theme music, bumpers, etc. haven't changed since the beginning. What's their election night coverage? Amy Goodman checking her cell phone for updates from their competition. They spend to have a foreign correspondent in Cairo. Yet, they're too cheap to have a national correspondent?

    With the millions Pacifica owes her, why didn't she sue years ago and be done with it? Either she's a lousy businesswoman. Or she knows that without Pacifica running Democracy Now, nobody else would give her the time of day. One minute she's saying the corp. MSM is messed up, you can't trust them. Then, she's a paid "contributor" on CNN.

    Again, if you're a CEO looking at this, who needs the stress?

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  29. One thing I will give Pacifica credit for? Their RNC convention coverage. Listened to the last hour of it last night. Despite being on a shoestring budget, their points were actually better than the corporate MSM names.

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  30. Linda Perry wants people to email her their phone numbers so she can somehow call people. She has no takers and then claims WBAI has half a million listeners. Who dropped something in her drink?

    SDL

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    Replies
    1. Depressing, but that's the way it is. WBAI is not just brain dead. Within the hour, I will post an audio clip from last night that does much to demonstrate why the station is no longer relevant.

      Delete
  31. haskins asking for 15 people to call in for the slave packages .
    Now what are the chances that 100 percent of the listenership will call in, i ask .....

    ReplyDelete
  32. Tried to stick it out to the end. But 2 hours into last's night RNC coverage, I turned it off. Lots of pointless rambling, comedians who think they're funny but they're not. Meanwhile Jeserich was nowhere to be found. Davey D was the only one who was actually worth listening to.

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  33. Still no reply from the FCC re: my BAI complaint.

    ReplyDelete