The station is crumbling around them, at least 3000 paid-for "thank you gifts" are yet to be mailed to the purchaser, some backlogged for as long as five years. Add to this that forces in California are pushing to sell WBAI. Got the picture? Now wonder why they picked "Oh, Happy Day", as the "report's" musical theme. The first 45 minutes, and several thereafter, were taken up by self-praise—truth was finally introduced by callers.
Note that there was no mention of WBAI's ongoing conversion to an amateur pseudo activist black station, nor was there talk of the decidedly inappropriate nonsense that takes up much of the weekly schedule.
I will post excerpts later, but here is the entire "Report".
How does Berthold Reimers, a Haitian-American, have a German name? I'm suspicious.
ReplyDeleteKGT
Germans sometimes visit Haiti and bring their urges with them. Just a thought. :)
DeleteActually, in the 19th Century, some Germans set up shop in Haiti as bankers, businessmen and plantation owners. Though they never numbered more than a few thousand, by the early 2oth Century Germans controlled much of the banking and much of the commerce on the island, and Berlin was considering the construction of a coaling station at Mole St Nicolas to serve German warships, which would be sent to protect German interests. That was one of the rationales for the US invasion of Haiti in 1915: After war broke out in Europe, it was feared that the Germans would use the island to stage attacks against the US.
ReplyDeleteBy then, many of the Germans had indeed intermarried (or, at least, interbred) with blacks and other Haitian natives.
Thank you, Justine. That's very interesting and not something WBAI's current Haiti hucksters talk about.
DeleteJawohl, Mein Berthold.
DeleteKGT
Justine: You are the Alan Dershowitz of http://wbai-nowthen.blogspot.com/
DeleteKGT
KGT: What do you mean? I was just pointing out an historical fact. I wasn't defending anything Berthold Reimers or his cronies have done at WBAI.
DeleteIf it means anything, Justine, I don't understand KGT's post either. Did he misunderstand your informative post or is he being funny?
DeleteWhat DO you mean, KGT?
It means: You got all the answers. If the yarmulke doesn't fit, you must acquit.
DeleteKGT
Still don't get your point.
DeleteThere ain't none. But don't tell anybody.
DeleteKGT
KGT--If I had all the answers....
DeleteWait a minute. Bates is responsible for Richard Wolff, Bonnie Faulkner and Gary Null?
ReplyDeleteSo he says, but I don't consider him a reliable source.
DeleteGary Null sometimes uses Edwin Hawkins' "Oh Happy Day" and Shades of Blue "Oh How Happy" as the musical openings to his high noon health show.
ReplyDeleteIf the mission is defined as (according to Bates) the broad voice of the left perspective and you are blindsided by Trump's victory, are you really fulfilling the Pacifica mission and trying to grow the audience or are you just another niche station trying to get by with the same audience?
ReplyDeleteIs this the report to the listener or WBAI customer service?
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, it was mostly a plug for the station, a fundraiser. When a caller expressed the need for an accounting for money received and disbursement, Bates and Reimers ignored the request.
DeleteIn the announcements for this "Report", we were told that Berthold Reimers would talk about the state of the station, the current situation, and future plans. We heard no such thing.
BTW, Tony Bates, who was not mentioned in the announcements, slipped up a couple of times, referring to himself as Program Director. Reimers is not authorized to hire staff at this time, but he ignores that—Bates was given the title "Program Manager", as if that made it OK. The soon to be cleaned up PNB is perfectly happy with Reimers in place, because they want WBAI to fail.
A dirty web of collusion, greed and criminality has reduced Pacifica to an organization I barely recognize.
(JustAListener)
ReplyDeleteI should listen to the Double Helix water infomercial instead.
At least they were honest enough to tell people "it's just water".
The CPB just "took away" the funding? (nothing to do with Quick Books Reimers helping to gum up the audits...).
The bills are paid, the station is "cash flow positive", and they are making payments to Pacifica??!!! Yeah, and Jill Stein won the election.
I like how they brag that almost all of the premiums from the previous regime have been sent out... So they're only about 5 years behind?
Notice when they want to beg for money (why the desperation if they are "cash flow positive"?) they suddenly discover white programmers such as Dave Kenney, Gary Null and Richard Wolff.
But I expected nothing more.
Wow. I listened to Report to the (one) Listener (who's left). To take them at their words, WBAI is in great shape for the coming future. I'm so relieved.
ReplyDeleteKGT
What are you smoking, KGT?
ReplyDeleteI don't smoke, drink or do drugs. I do choke the chicken regularly.
ReplyDeleteKGT
Choke the chicken? I am not familiar with that phrase.
ReplyDeleteNotice on Report to the 1 Listener, they never mentioned David Rothenberg who has raised more money than any of those White Knights (Gary Null, Al Angeloro (who hasn't been at WBAI for the past 30 years, Emanuel Goldstein). Home, Home, Homophobia? Not on WBAI. Bite your tongue. Judeophobia? Never on WBAI.
ReplyDeleteKGT
Sally O'Brien plays the "if a white, Irish girl says it, it must be kosher" role for these black white-haters. If there is a hell, she doesn't have to wonder whether she's going there.
ReplyDeleteGess Hu
Not much that needs to be said beside the flow of bullshit is certainly overwhelming. The one thing I noticed is that Bates seems to be the boss now, considering the way he behaves and talks for Butthole.
ReplyDeleteAlso, regardless of opinion, the callers didn't seem very bright, at all. Think about how many complained about premiums undelivered and still give money.
I won't claim that I am right quite yet, but I think my saying for a long time now that WBAI's destiny will be decided in California seems more and more proving to be correct.
SDL
(JustAListener)
ReplyDeleteChris, to answer your question about "choke the chicken" watch this clip about a secret to good health:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk1T9XC3XPc
That had occurred to me--thanks for the confirmation, JAL.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of my first week at Kent College, Canterbury. I was seated in the common room when another student came over an--very matter-of-factly and iin a Noel Cowardly voice--proposed:"Shall we toss off?"
I had no idea what he was talking about.
I think that a new begathon is supposed to start in a few weeks. If so, that puts the lie to what Reimers and Bates said about how the most recent one was a big success. Soon, WBAI will be nothing but continuous, wall-to-wall begathons.
ReplyDeleteAre you referring to the December Fund Drive 12/10-12/20?
DeleteSince I'm just sitting around for a bit...
ReplyDeleteNotice how the terms "program manager" and "program director" were both used as titles for Bates? I still want to know who is paying his salary.
Al Angeloro created the world music format? Did he pre-date those james mason episodes you have mentioned in the past?
A meeting to vote on selling WBAI to Null or DN. You know, I have said Null would love to grab WBAI, but can he gather enough investors for the funds needed to buy it? I know DN is owed money. I think Null or DN would be more likely to get the station leasing type deal.
SDL
He sent emails as the programming manager. He is the de facto interim PD but I think he is officially an consultant.
DeleteI also noted the title confusion re Bates—a liar must have a good memory, they say. I guess that advice is even harder to heed when one is a chronic liar.
DeleteYes, Al Angelora is good, but not a pioneer. As I recall, the BBC had such a program years ago.
Null has Steve Brown, who is probably well connected. Amy has done a fantastic job putting DN! on the map. She, too must have good connection, not to mention the kind of respect WBAI's bozos totally lack.
I agree, a leasing deal sounds more likely.
I know of world music being programmed on both BBC World Service and Voice of America from when I was a kid.
DeleteLeasing WBAI is the better deal, as you inherit a couple of million in debt and have control. If you buy it, you will pay tens of millions.
SDL
Al Angeloro did a talk show at the old WNBC-AM (yes, for money) on Sunday nights in the late 1980s which was very good. Where he got the bug for Afro-Cuban noise beats me.
DeleteKGT
Noise? He plays some wonderful, rarely hear recordings and speaks of the music and its performers with the kind of authority WBAI used to be known for. I think he is excellent—in league with James Irsay and Chris Whent, to give two examples.
DeleteVinette K. Price sitting in for Gary Byrd tonight; interviewing Reggie Johnson and talking about such cogent topics as Steve Harvey. Some real boring audio B.S.. These people have no clue they're minutes away from hitting a giant iceberg.
ReplyDeleteShe interviewed Reggie???? Why?
DeleteI'm not sure whether or not your response is rhetorical, but Vinette simply didn't know what to say when she first came on the air and began asking Reggie personal questions and how he was doing since she had last seen him in addition to other irrelevant questions Reggie did not appear too interested in answering.
DeleteVinette is a good woman - long time newswoman - she was raped by a fellow newsman years ago.
DeleteThere is guy on now who says that first world people are trying to sterilize third world people around the world. I'm glad I never gave a cent to WBAI in the 38 years that I've been listening for free. Those who have should be tried at the Hague for complicity in anti-white ethnic cleansing.
ReplyDeleteKGT
WBAI's management and those who go along with the program in order to keep their air time have no sense of responsibility—you know that. I'm sure. Wait a week, or so, when the fund raising scam continues—the air will be polluted with lies as thick as a London fog.
DeleteThe genocide through sterilization conspiracies are old ones in the 3rd World, particularly Africa. It is part of the reason for the rampant AIDS epidemic there. Various conspiracies include abortion, condoms, etc. it's very silly, but then most conspiracies around the world are. Anyway, I haven't seen 3rd world birth rates dropping.
DeleteSDL
correct me if i'm wrong , but didn't the last fund raiser end about 3 or 4 weeks ago?
ReplyDeleteIf that is true ,i guess they are counting on the same lemmings to buy their crap again this time.
The way Reimers' mismanagement is going, and if WBAI can keep afloat, the time between fund drives will be no more than a dozen Coltrane solos. They might expect those who received nothing more than a debit to think, "Well, it might work this time."
DeleteHere's how it works. Most of the Remnants can't afford to purchase every conspiracy set they want during just one beg-a-thon, so they purchase, maybe, one set every beg-a-thon. That way they hope to eventually get them all. of course, they probably never receive any of them, but they do experience the WBAI deadbeat delivery conspiracy first hand.
DeleteSDL
oh so that's what wbai stands for , we beg at intervals ... and very frequent, at that.. haha
ReplyDelete"Law and Disorder" is continuing the hagiography of Fidel Castro. I could not listen to this posthumous fawning for more than a few minutes.
ReplyDeleteI heard Medea Benjamin on WBAI News talk about Castro. Having lived in Cuba, she could not deny the dictatorship but at the end, it didn't matter for her. All that mattered is that he defied the US.
ReplyDeleteWBAI's principles-on-the-go embrace double standards.
DeleteShould we be changing Ron "reparations" Daniels name, to Ron "state of the black world conference"Daniels now? I think he must have said that about 87 times during his show, along with the word africa, of course.
ReplyDeleteDaniels is one of several WBAI host/producers whose time slot is strictly for use to promote himself and his projects. Actual commercials would be less deceptive, more useful to listeners, and a source of income to the station. That, as I see it, is a sad fact.
DeleteHeard another crank caller on WBAI. I hope this is a harbinger of things to come.
ReplyDeleteSDL
Not surprising. There are many victims of WBAI out there.
DeletePeople should call in playing recordings of Monroe...
DeleteSDL
If they do that during Geoff Brady's show, he will insist that Monroe was/is from Mars.
DeleteThere are some excellent producers still on WBAI, for example, Dequi Kioni-Sadiki.
ReplyDeleteKGT
I agree that there are a few good producers at WBAI, relatively speaking, but I have never heard of Dequi Kioni-Sadiki. Who/what is that?
DeleteShe is the co-hostess with Sally O'Brien on "Where We "Die"".
DeleteKGT
A Mumia-worshiping show I seriously avoid.
DeleteThey're not just Mumia-loving. Sometimes they go to Leonard Peltier, sometimes to the thankfully late Fidel Castro, sometimes to the unfortunately still alive Robert Mugabe.
ReplyDeleteKGT
Their intellectual/educational level seems to be higher than that of the average WBAI denizen, but their minds are closed to certain realities. I happen to have very mixed feelings about Fidel Castro, even though I am fully aware of his darker side, but look at our own politicians... one is hard put to name among them anyone who puts the people's over his/her own.
DeleteMichael G. Haskins constantly exposes his B.S.. Yesterday morning he opened up the phone lines and one of the regular listeners, Charlie [white], called. Haskins would not let him talk, telling Charlie he wanted to give an opportunity for "fresh voices" to call into the station and rudely cut off Charlie. This morning, a woman named Maya [black] who calls in regularly was allowed to speak for well over 5 minutes. After her, another black male listener who has previously called in was allowed to speak for a prolonged period of time. Michael apparently only wants to deal with callers who do not challenge his superficial nonsense. Haskins claims to advocate fairness and free speech, but only on his limited terms.
ReplyDelete