Somewhat short of expectations, but every cent counts at this point. Here, in PDF format, is a breakdown of the pledges, as our fly registered it. The names of donors have been removed, to preserve a modicum of privacy, but the zip codes paint an interesting picture—not many responses from the East Coast.
What the fly saw at day's end.
The PNB passed a motion to have a number of one day national fundraisers made by Kathy Davis.
ReplyDeleteI noticed no one seemed particularly interested but after a lame attempt to table, they passed it.
It looks like we'll have more chances to get this national fundraiser right.
Don't change anything on the air, just escalate the begging!
DeleteWBAI's new premium ought to be an empty tin cup with the inscription: "Hit me one more time"
Some people didn't even know what they were voting on.
DeleteEven if, by some chance, they "get it right (switching between stations, laying a diverse cross-section of audio clips)," listeners will still be annoyed by more begging. Will it brong in more money? Probably, but not what they really need.
Sadly, the best course is probably Chapter 11 and a signal swap.
SDL
What this tells me is what I already said - it came off as a California beg-a-thon, and Californians were the main donators. If these are the final numbers, then they didn't reach half the $150,000 they were aiming at, which is even worse than WBAI final beg-a-thon results.
ReplyDeleteThey really should have made it look like a network wide beg-a-thon by switching from one station to another every hour or two. Familiar voices from each market would have probably gotten more people from each market to pledge.
Once again, slamming WBAI live on the air was no way to make WBAItes want to donate.
Dumb fucks...
SDL
You're right. It sounded like a CA fundraiser and it also showed the difference between the way they raise funds and how WBAI raised funds. It may have been out of necessity. The California stations still have staff. WBAI has virtually no staff. I have no idea what's going in at DC and KPFT is in turmoil.
DeleteOn a side note, last night was the WBAI art shindig. I wonder how that went.
ReplyDeleteSDL
R. Paul days may be numbered.... (From the empty Blueboard)
ReplyDelete(btw, I used to listen to you and Pickles, but I can't get up this early!)
Unfortunately we've heard a lot of that, too. I'm of the opinion that Bates moved us to an inappropriate time slot, and cut our time in half, because I said that no one on WBAI could cure cancer. Certainly no one would think that moving us to that early time slot would be a good idea. If you think that time slot is bad for listening I can tell you that it's worse for doing a radio program in. Well, we'll see what happens.
My "Pacifica Has Some New Hope Page" below was updated on October 27, 2017.
WBAI has NO HOPE
Yes, KPFK's Ian Masters especially was awful, repeatedly slamming WBAI on the air. I know of at least one person from the NYC area who told me she was about to make a donation but heard Ian Masters' diatribe and decided not to donate.
ReplyDelete- Mitchel Cohen
Mitchell, I remember a time when speaking the truth on WBAI was not only considered mandatory but commendable. Now you tell me that it is “awful“!
DeleteAs for the listener who made a U-turn, her decision is laudable. Ian exercized his right to free speech (as I did on WBAI back in the Sixties) and what he said was obviously a reality check. It may offend some to hear the station critiqued on its own air, but I am among the many who are more disturbed by the false self-praise and lies heard regularly from incompetent people who dominate at 99.5. It is comforting to hear that the severely reduced listenership includes independent thinkers.
Ian Masters is often criticized for breaking that convenient "gag rule" - gag the truth and tell the faked 'news' or no word about what is actually happening to KPFK -and other stations. I like to hear some reality leak thru to then inquire further. No hints and the facade, LIES, pretenses, and fragile structure will break sooner than later.
ReplyDeleteHow easy we all can criticize but not do enough to make any difference, or help sufficiently. Donate 1x or even 2x/ yr and think it is 'done' and all stations should use our earnings paid-up wisely and practically - tho they do NOT, now we know. Before we were in the fools-category, naive, not knowing anything about OUR local Radio Station [who pays for it ? we do ! ]
While Ian was daring to utter even a few words, not enough to intrude on his informative program, he was under threat by management & loyal staff [it seems ] because no one else had courage to follow his example.
Hide the truth/ realities from the shareholders = investors and the company can go keplunkt all on it's own and be sued later ? How does that investment/ donation work anyhow ?
WBAI cannot be shut down too soon. Gary Byrd devoted most of his show tonight to approvingly playing a recording of the hateful, rambling, barely coherent ravings of Louis Farrakan.
ReplyDeleteYou know what they say , Byrd's of a feather, flock together .
ReplyDeleteBabbling Bob needs to take a lesson from David Rothenberg and do his final show.
ReplyDeleteAs for WBAI, they truly just don't learn: "Every $25,000 raised before the next major fund drive in February 2018 will reduce the drive by one day." The funny thing is I was up early and listened to RPM, who said they were going to ask for money in December.
SDL
David’s narcissism peaked several years ago, but he just kept feeding it. His commercials for that book should not have been sanctioned, except when used to raise money.for the station. This morning it was strictly for him.
DeleteI was manager when David came to WBAI and I liked him back then, buthis good side was somewhat obscured in recent years.
I, too, noted the ludicrouus thermometer graph on the station’s ridiculous, near-petrified web site. If they cared about the stat, they could have fond a volunteer to maintain tat site—it’s embarrassing.
I never listened to Rothenberg much, so I don't really know much about him. he just bored me the few times a year i'd hear him.
DeleteThe thing that makes the WBAI pre-beg-a-thon thing so funny is the $25,000 figure. If they asked for $9,000 or $10,000 per day, that would be more in line with what they average per day of begging. Also, since the beg-a-thons always get extended, how do you know they cut a day?
SDL
It gets back to their inability to accept reality. They think they are pulling the wool over the eyes of prospecive contributors and don’t seem to realize that they are actually fooling themselves—probably mereso than the listeners. Time and again, they underestimate the intelligence of those who tune in.
DeleteIt is a great disappointment to me that Bill Crosier allows the charade to continue.
You know things are bad when even Tom from the Bronx becomes a stranger, a member of the silent majority.
Tom from the Bronx is a regular caller on George Noory these days.
DeleteSDL
(JustAListener)
DeleteI occasionally listened to Rothenberg, enjoyed some of his stories about the old show-biz greats and his enthusiasm for Broadway in general.
I'm not a big Broadway fan (went to one B'way play in my life) but sometimes a passionate, knowledgeable person can kindle an interest in a subject that is otherwise not exciting. I feel similarly about Dave Kenney - cabaret music is definitely not my thing but his passion and smooth delivery (it's a well produced show IMO) make me tune in occasionally.
Rothenberg's prison advocacy may be admirable but personally my recollections of liberal leaders taking sides with criminals at the expense of innocent members of society left me feeling wary.
And these days of sexual harassment scandals makes me wary of anyone getting close to groups/individuals they may have more than a platonic interest in.
Hopefully it's just my curmudgeonly paranoia and Rothenberg's work had been helpful and pure.
But as Rothenberg is white, gay and I assume Jewish, his days at the new WBAI were probably numbered. I suppose doing the show early Saturday protected him from direct encounters with management.
BTW I heard Tom from The Bronx call into Michael Savage.
Tom now has way more listeners than WBAI!
Good post, JAL, not just because I am in full agreement, but also because it contains thought-feeding observations that state more distinctly some vaguely harbored feelings regarding David's underlying incentive.
DeleteHas he been an asset? Absolutely, in my opinion, but that ego can muddy the clearest of waters.
Believe it or not, I am going to say too bad Munro isn't alive because he'd have been a blast these days. Imagine him being the only caller to keep getting through on their one phone line? Frightening...
DeleteSDL
Monroe came to my mind earlier today, when Tom from the Bronx came up in this exchange. Let me quickly add that I see Tom in a very different light. Monroe was a certifiable, vindictive nutcase. He emailed me a few times—in hindsight, I think we really should have ignored his constant attempts to crawl into the spotlight.
DeleteTom is just a far left wing caller, as far as I know. Nothing against him beyond disagreeing with his views.
DeleteMonroe was a nut who, in my opinion, went totally psychotic over time. He was already a regular caller when I started listening to WBAI back in 1978. He was more annoying than anything else because he'd keep calling back to the same show, however, he'd sort of stay on topic.
As time went by, Monroe became ever more belligerent as people started taking him to task for monopolizing time. Eventually, he became an expert at getting the host into an argument about his being censored and such crap in order to stay on the phone when the host wanted to cut him off.
One time when I was up there, he called in. I looked at Fred, pointed at the phone lights and pulled my finger quickly across my throat as a sign to cut him off. Fred immediately complied with a thanks for calling bit.
Anyway, I just thought his being such a psycho would be funny these days, particularly during a Report to the Listener show.
SDL
re prison advocacy programs on liberal leftist radio stations- or anywhere else :
Deletewritten here : ”prison advocacy" may be admirable but personally my recollections of liberal leaders taking sides with criminals at the expense of innocent members of society left me feeling wary….”
- - - -
There is a place for checking up on how prisons operate and what happens with management & staff of prisons as well as [tho the part not often mentioned] how prisoners make life painful, dangerous, brutal and criminals towards EACH other.
It is not just the top employed authorities that need to be noticed and criticized and exposed.... but equally, if not more, how those there incarcerated act towards each other: with all the games/ maneuvers / manipulations and thievery, sexual abuse and much gang life-styled criminals act, in or when they get out.
[ Those locked in prisons 99.98% have committed ‘crimes’ , thus are identified as “criminals” ]
The “I am making the world a better place” people are needed, but more when they not personally motivated or prejudiced - or want retribution from or revenge at anyone else. That's like just attacking those who have more position/ power or authority than they do and wanting some too.
So any criminal’s family, or their dedicated attorneys [Mostly are paid from anywhere ] - and all those people hired into special non-profited projects [as these people still take good salaries, have long-lasting jobs, and have other Advantages, too, that not advertised.
And lots of people are in the prisoner saving business for more than altruistic motives.... tho never stated, of course.]
Ask a convicted person [maybe already incarcerated: if they committed that crime ? Most often there is a hard, angry look and answer is “no !”.
…but then ask if they had committed 1 or many other acts of crime ? - for which they had Not been arrested, convicted, nor found out ? And a sheepish sly grin and silence ensues.
Hardly ever is that daring question asked - because it is easier to all together look as if ‘ohhhh sooo innocent’ momentarily - and then deliberately deny all else that is involved .... But when the context and history of that crime or criminal is included, expanded and dis-covered, more often emerges to be known. Try it. You may not like what you learn.
Some of us have done so. Then we found the same general response repeatedly, surprisingly, and tho it is never explained. Why is so much ‘else’ most frequently ignored or avoided or denied ?
Laws are intended to protect the truly innocent – but not just those caught & convicted of that “ 1 crime” that’s then dis-covered, that they have now been caught at. That is only 1 they are finally being exposed of to be identified as criminal. Surprise !
Innocence is a very frequent position and "Innocent!!" is the identity used as armour and pretense, as long as possible. Any Admission that is done - is most often only in trade for something else. Pretend that isn't so, why don't we? just like sexual abuse & harassment happens similarly, hidden, denied and thus ignored, until......
welcome to reality in prisons and when criminals [served their time or less of what was stated at trial ] return and then 'correct' their stories too. hmmmm
The total silence about the art auction suggests that it was not a roaring success.
ReplyDeleteDidn't the Da Vinci go for 400 million? :)
DeleteThat said, I think Andrea Katz was in charge—when has she ever done anything to bring money IN?
The real question is what has Andrea Katz ever done at WBAI - period.
DeleteSDL
Collected her salary—I guess that sums it up.
DeleteSome have said that she ghosted for Reimers, but that role has been taken over by Bates.
Reimers, BTW, has a mysterious 3-4 thousand dollar debt that seems to be perpetually delinquent.
I wonder if that is in any way related to the deliberately obscured financial mess at WBAI?
Anyone know?
Chris,
ReplyDeleteAndrea Katz was hired because she is a friend of Steve Brown. Andrea Katz ran away from Project Runway- which qualified her for WBAI.
Why isn't Andrea Katz criticized?
Please note that Jim Dingeman has criticized Cerene and has praised Berthold Reimers and Tony Bates.
Ed Manfredonia
My guess is that few listeners know of Katz's existence. She appears to have run away from her responsibilities much as she did from her Project Runway job, but—after many years of being an "interim", she is still listed as staff (>management") on WBAI's hopelessly out-dated/inaccurate/uninformative web site (WBAI.org). A deceased relative of hers used to mismanage that site.
ReplyDeleteI bet she hasn't stopped collecting a paycheck.
The following is the WBAI site's current list of "Management". I think we can assume that they are all on payroll, along with Tony Bates, Max Schmid, Reggie Johnson and the inept, inarticulate "Chief Announcer and Guide", Michael Haskins.
Tony Ryan, Operations Director
Ian Foster, Webmaster
Andrea Katz, Interim Development Director
Berthold Reimers, Station Manager
News
Linda Perry Barr.
I believe there are other paycheck collectors, but Reimers' WBAI (and he, himself) have many secrets that they need to keep from the listeners and bamboozled donors. The station is a disgrace in almost every respect.
Of course, you already know all this and—were the station not so insignificant—so would the people who innocently continue to send them money and purchase their bogus products.
I barely look at the website. I just click on the link to get the stream or the archives.
DeleteIt needs an overhaul. It looks cluttered and its hard to find anything.
Dare I say it? WBAI's website is out of touch with the reality it was created to represent.
DeleteThe only thing they keep up to date is the opening promotional slide show and a handful of singularly uninformative individual promo ads.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteMitchel Cohen published his recommendations for Pacifica’s solvency in 2013- and then published it again November 15, 2017on Pacifica Radio Waves. Cohen appears to have entered a retrograde time warp as if nothing has changed since 2013.
2) Systematically contacting the artists and wealthy individuals who appear regularly on WBAI’s airwaves, creating a “sustainers fund” for the station;
5) Re-Negotiating WBAI/Pacifica’s $50,000/month (and rising) contract with the Empire State Building (or similarly placed antennas), and bringing political weight, if necessary, to achieve a greatly reduced not-for-profit rate;
7) Re-Negotiating WBAI’s and Pacifica’s current debts (as is done by all for-profit corporations)
Regarding:
2) How can you contact an individual for money when Steve Brown, who bears responsibility for the financial misconduct of Berthold Reimers, has refused to donate pocket change of his millions?
5) Re-negotiating the ESRT lease. Mitchel the Moron should know from the ESRT’s lawsuit that the ESRT wants its money
7) Re-negotiating current debts. Assets exceed liabilities and Mitchel the Fool wants to cheat workers out of their pensions and workers. Mitchel, who quotes Tomsky, advocates cheating workers out of their pension and health care.
While others can quote Hegel, Marx, Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Stalin, etc., I can only quote from Guardians of the Galaxy: “What a bunch of A—holes.”
Thank you.
Ed Manfredonia
Don't mind Mitch. He's a political ideologue, so he has no concept of reality.
ReplyDeleteNever fear Mitch. ESRT will fold like a house of cards once we unleash the blizzard of nonsensical litigation. We will intimidate them with our roster of elected officials waiting for a chance to stick it to the evil corporations. Only then will we present our offer of forgiving all debts and letting us out of the contract. Is there any more of this brain stuff Chris?
ReplyDeleteThe weak of will readily fall prey to the scheming ideologically obsessed and the self-possessed exploiters who see WBAI is a tool for their own advancement.
ReplyDeleteI don't see Mitchel as having deliberate deleterious intent; I believe he is a victim of his own naïveté and thus a prime recruit for the station's fight against reality. In all fairness, Mitchel has seen some of the light and resisted total submission, but he vacillates, which I believe is why he remains a peripheral figure.
New plan to increase listenership to Pacifica's Radio frequencies:
ReplyDelete1>) Effective December 1, all 5 stations will broadcast programming from WBAI 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, restoring WBAI as the flagship station of Pacifica.
2>) Two days a week of plugging produced by WBAI staff- mandatory all stations carry.
3>) Pacifica collapses
4>) Educational Media Foundation buys all 5 stations for pennies on the dollar and puts religious K-LOVE and AirOne on the former Pacifica owned frequencies.
5>) Listenership on all 5 frequencies increases.
I think Pacifica's plan of action should be ignoring the judgement and hoping it all goes away.
DeleteSDL
By all appearance, that seems to be exactly the course of action they are taking.
DeleteWBAI fanboys like Cohen, Dingeman, etc. are a big joke. They've been around for ages doing their nonsense and the station has sunk deeper and deeper into the radio landfill.
ReplyDeleteThe reason they hang about is because they are so meaningless, even among their own milieu.
SDL
I noticed on the Promo for Rumble film that John Kane does, it doesn't mention that the showing they are pushing is in any way a benefit for WBAI.
ReplyDeleteSDL
There's a lot of that these days.
DeleteBegs the question when something becomes an advertisement and no longer a "plug."
DeleteAnyway, I was looking up reviews of the film, as it seems interesting on the surface. However, it seems to ignore lesser known Indian bands, like Blackfoot, Winterhawk, etc. If I find it on youtube, I'll watch it.
SDL