Yesterday afternoon, March 13, WBAI aired a 2-hour Local Station Board Report live from its Brooklyn closet. Here is the two parts, which were broadcast consecutively.
I have not made any changes in the statements, discussions or incoming phone calls, but I did remove the music, station promos, and Reggie's reiterations. I also balanced the volume, which would not have been necessary if the station hired more proficient board operators or, at least trained the one who are in place.
I was delighted to hear the LSB's Vice Chair, Michael Ochoa, address a core problem that most insiders skirt around. Here's what he said regarding that:
"Some people associate the word 'community' with ethnic communities, and that's not what I am talking about. I'm talking about geographical communities, people of different political persuasions, people of different artistic backgrounds.
There are 20 million people in this area and the programming needs to reach out to a greater share of those people in the tri-state area......Pacifica's mission is to educate and provide outlets for all communities in this area and to contribute to understanding between all members of the community—therefore, we need a grid that truly reflects this mission."
We are promised that this LSB Report will become a regular monthly feature of the station's schedule—let's hope so. Let's also hope that the two hours be well advertised and devoted to the designated topic, without time wasted on music and commercial-like promos.
The first part.
With WBAI LSB Officers Bob Young, Michael Ochoa, Rebecca A. Naegele, and R. Paul Martin — moderator: Reggie Johnson.
The second part..
With WBAI LSB Directors Alex Steinberg, Ken Laufer, and Cerene Roberts (Kathy Davis was scheduled but could not make it) — moderator: Reggie Johnson.
The overwhelming tenor of the conversation, at least in the first hour, continues to be the assumption, the mission statement notwithstanding, that WBAI/Pacifica’s purpose is leftist political advocacy.
ReplyDeleteFifth-rate political advocacy from fifth-rate talent.
How desperately needed.
How very compelling.
~ ‘indigopirate’
Listen to the second (shorter) part. For Cerene, the music has stopped, but she keeps on dancing (stumbling?)
DeleteI thought Alex Steinberg's opening statement in the 2nd hour was very honest, straightforward, and informative. And Ken Laufer's portrayal of some differences between WBAI and NPR were on target. Cerene Roberts had absolutely nothing to say to their future-focus overviews, and so she had to resort to lies and misrepresentations, a sinking ship trying to rationalize how it was not racist for her faction to illegally seat a white staff member from a 5-year-old election list on the board instead of the person of color who was duly elected in the current election. Such twistory by Cerene Roberts is typical of the disruptive game she's playing, to lease out the station. Alex and Ken missed an important point: ALL the Indy representatives -- the majority of the Board -- are opposing the leasing out of the station, and every single JUC apparatchik, including Cerene Roberts, refused to sign a petition I've been circulating opposing the leasing. Why? Because they want their gravy train back, and they think they'll wear people down until they throw up their hands and say "Okay, go ahead and lease the station." It ain't gonna happen, and those who want to destroy WBAI in that way, like Cerene Roberts, can go to hell. We'll resist their attempts every step of the way.
ReplyDeleteMitchel Cohen
I agree, Mitchel. Did you hear what Michael said about the pervading narrow definition of "community"? (quoted in green, above).
DeleteIt is a more articulate way to bring up the concerns I have been voicing for some time: the mis-fired morph that made a massive dent in the listenership. I recall being poo-poo'ed by you a few years back when I saw the problem looming on the horizon. My concern was not measured in ethnicity but rather in unheakthy mindset.
Hour Two:
ReplyDeleteAh, the True Believers…
In this instance the leftist/progressive variety…
May they eternally and insistently argue for their various truths…
They need only the sound of their own voices, echoing…
As no one listens…
Echoing…
~ ‘indigopirate’
(JustAListener)
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, Cerene did a surpisingly masterful job.
If I were unaware of JUC's shenanigans and just listened to this report, I'd think Steinberg and company were a bunch of old white guys desperately clinging to the '60's and resorting to every trick to block anyone else from having a say about the station.
She trapped Steinberg (with help from Steinberg who seems to have expected Cerene to be her usual raving self) into sounding like he was flaunting the rules and could only respond with personal attacks on a woman of color.
And Steinberg etc were so weak that JUC deflected blame for the financial situation and (with the help of callers) painted Bernard White as the savior.
Of course it doesn't matter much (can't imagine many objective people were listening) but clearly JUC isn't going away and is capable of effective opposition.
The three ruffians (Tony Ryan, Tony Bates and Berthold Reimers) plus one (Kathryn Davis) are presently on giving a "Report To The Few Listeners". I hope Mr. Crosier is listening to the BS.
ReplyDeleteI'm listening now via the archive. I only learned about it from this blog. The timing of this report is interesting. Its the day after the LSB report and while Bill Crosier is in town.
DeleteFirst I heard of it, too. Downloaded and will listen in a bit.
DeleteSDL
Chris,
ReplyDeleteWhy do I not hear any words about Andrea Katz, who was praised by both Berthold Reimers and Steve Brown.
When Mitchel Cohen was Chair of the WBAI LSB, Cohen developed a unique strategy, with the permission of Steve Brown, to counter Cerene Roberts et al.
Mitchel Cohen simply did not have meetings of the WBAI LSB. Cohen did not arrange for a venue.
Cohen is as much to blame for the plight of WBAI as anyone else.
Ed Manfredonia
Their praising Andrea Katz sounded to me like an afterthought. I don't detect any evidence of her contributing work to the station—she certainly does not appear to be engaged in developing any PR project.
DeleteI am often told—sometimes by anonymous sources—that the atmosphere at the station is toxic. I think it is fairly obvious that staff and volunteer loyalties are in a constant state of flux. Mitchel's love-disrespect switch regarding Berthold Reimers indicates a personal agenda, which is all too common at 388 Atlantic.
The demise of WBAI will translate into job lost rather than love lost. Money is clearly not the motive, but (although it may be a small-scale factor for some) ineptness, vanity and the overgrown ego that feeds it is pretty much the bottom line.
My 2¢ view.
Has anyone ever heard of someone/some people trying to do a KPFA Foundation (whatever it's called) thing with WBAI to capture the license? It would make more profitable sense to try and grab a 50,000 watt transmitter in the middle of the FM dial in the NY market than anywhere else in the country, when you think about it.
ReplyDeleteSDL