Tuesday, December 5, 2017

In defense of Credico's tantrums


Tuesday is here and, as far as I know, the big Credico threat has gone past its shelf time. But here's an email note that was sent about a month ago to Tony Bates and Berthold Reimers by John Pilger.

Mr. Pilger, an accomplished, highly lauded journalist and film maker, is someone WBAI should be happy to have on its air. It is to Randy Credico's credit that he managed to arrange that, but it apparently did not sit well with Tony Bates, who has disgraced even the existing remnant of WBAI with his fund raising scams and disrespect for the listener-sponsors. Whatever we think of Credico—who has done some good work on his show—it is clear that his vengeance binge has gotten the best of him. Still, I am beginning to understand why he is so embittered—he may be out to elbow a path for himself, but I'll take his on air approach over any of the crap Bates delivers with a nod from Reimers. 

Bates has made many enemies inside WBAI, but they put up with it because they don't want to be shown the door. Now we see that the utter and deserved disrespect Bates gets also comes from outside people whom the station can ill afford to alienate. Read about Pilger here and check out the note he sent to WBAI's destructive "management":


38 comments:

  1. Wow! I mean, just... WOW!

    ~ 'indigopirate'

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  2. While I respect a lot of the work he's done, in this case Pilger's making himself look silly. Why? Prior to this, how many times has he appeared on Pacifica stations? Did he ever complain to station or network management about the factions bitching and fighting for control? Apparently not because he kept appearing. This tells me that since he's essentially blaclisted here by corporate media, he'll take any coverage anywhere he can get. And NOW he's suddenly so concerned about shabby BAI management and covering his ass to protect his reputation? You can't have it both ways.

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    1. Pilger’s email note is obviously rooted in a suggestion/request from Credico—he has a history of soliciting letters, but I am sure that Mr. Pilger expressed his own genuine feelings/disgust.

      When you suggest that Pilger ought to have complained over the internicine faction squabble, you are, I think, assuming that he was aware of internal Pacifica battles. Perhaps he was, perhaps not.

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  3. And like anyone cares...

    SDL

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  4. I was just thinking that maybe Credico is trying to do the Gary Null thing and make threats against WBAI to get them to give him back his show, like Null had his spats with Reimers and got his Friday slot put back on the air. Maybe Credico saw Null rewarded and thinks he can get the same sort of concessions.

    SDL

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  5. wonder if they will fix the world's racism problem before they go off the air? haha

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  6. Margaret Prescod is on with black historian John Bracey again talking about all the former U.S. presidents who owned slaves. But they won't deal with issues such as this, which still exists globally on one level or another: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Johnson_(colonist). Slavery was a "peculiar institution" and it involved more than just "white people" who upheld it.

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    1. The story of Anthony Johnson is interesting. It shows that slavery was far more complex than is generally thought.

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  7. Chris,

    Read the nonsense written by Mitchel Cohen, who believes that he is a financial genius and must be one of the derivative geniuses on the WBAI Local Station Board. At one time Mitchel was Chair of the WBAI Local Station Board.

    Please note that WBAI currently owes ESRT approximately $250,000 and the interest is accruing at the rate of $18,000, which is compounded monthly.
    ---------.

    Nonsense, Jim &
    Carole,

    How the loan is
    repaid depends on the terms of the loan. Instead of having
    to pay ESB 2.4 million dollars today, we pay back a loan for
    that amount over years, even decades, and budget for it. I
    don't know why that's so hard for people in
    governance to understand, it's how corporations
    renegotiate their debts and take out loans to do so every
    day.

    Mitchel
    _________________.

    And please note that this inability to comprehend compound interest is not being expressed by Cerene.

    Thank you.

    Ed Manfredonia

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    1. Mitchel is still looking for the way out of Delusionland.

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  8. So with the Television repack (moving of television stations to 1WTC / 4TS, along with other antenna changes), how much is WBAI on the hook for in relation to the project described by Scott Fybush?

    http://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/0004/under-a-cocoon-esb-plans-for-new-fm-era/337099

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  9. Prescod back with some more africa crap now.
    Really pushing the blackness hard on this one .
    Sad they can't figure it out .

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  10. Chris,

    The ignorance of Mitchel Cohen cannot be comprehended. Aside from Cohen's financial ignorance,Cohen believes that the ESRT will renegotiate the lease. While initially ignorant of financial matters, stupidity has now taken over. The ESRT will never renegotiate the lease- that is the reason the ESRT sued Pacifica.

    Please read below:
    _______________________________________.

    To my old comrade Carole Travis:

    CAROLE sez: Last I heard it was a 2 year interest only loan at 9%.

    I'm sure we can get slightly better terms than that, although even that is not sooooo terrible compared with ESB reaching into KPFA's bank account and grabbing it, wouldn't you say? But I think we can probably get it down to 7.5 to 8 percent interest, maybe even lower, and can achieve an agreement from ESB to hold off the dogs and renegotiate the rest of the lease. That would be worth it, no?

    WBAI has not paid the tower rent since April, doesn’t pay central services. Are you going to pay the interest, and the rent and back rent and central services fees? I don’t think so. I wish you could.

    Well, yes, I'd hope that WBAI can kick in much more to central, but as important as that is, it's a different issue. I'll say it again -- a loan stops the ESB from grabbing your bank account for now, and opens the possibility for negotiations to get WBAI out of the onerous Lease.
    _______________________________________________.

    The individuals, who think like Cohen, are the ones, who controlled WBAI. These individuals are responsible for the financial implosion of WBAI. Not Cerene.

    And what is this "comrade" nonsense? Cohen believes that working people should give money to support him.

    Thank you.

    Ed Manfredonia

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    1. Yeah, and the mouse can ask the cat not to kill it.

      It's funny how these lefties run to the capitalists to save them. I still laugh when Cuba blames the big bad capitalist USA and the embargo for their problems. In other words, Cuba needs the capitalist USA so they can do their absurd social experiment.

      SDL

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    2. They redefined "community" to suit their narrow vision, so why not also redefine "victim"?

      Delete
    3. WBAI-ESRT Talks:

      WBAI: We want to renegotiate this unconscionable contract and ask for forgiveness of the debt.
      ESRT: Did you really call us evil greedy capitalists working with Trump to silence the voice of the people?
      WBAI: Don't try to change the subject. This contract is blatantly unfair.
      ESRT: It took you twelve years after signing to reach this conclusion?
      WBAI: The person who signed that contract did so without authorization.
      ESRT: Yeah.. That's a YP Your Problem not an MP.
      WBAI: Look. If you'll just forgive the debt and let us out of the contract, we'll be on our way.
      ESRT: I don't think you understand the art of negotiating.
      WBAI: Alright. We need time to get a loan.
      ESRT: Of course. Let me check the calendar. Next week, we have the meeting with Sinclair to buy 50 TV stations. Then we have to dictate terms to Cumulus. How about two weeks from today?
      WBAI: We're still trying to get decent loan terms.
      ESRT: Yeah..That a YP. Not an MP.

      Delete
  11. As a brief respite from "All African, All the Time", Faulkner, Haskins and Bates were hawking some JFK conspiracy nonsense this morning. It appeared to be live; and, from the desperation in their voices, the junk was not selling well.

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    1. I was left with the same impression. They must know that they have a losing approach to fundraising, so they stick with it! Amazing disgrace.

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    2. That guy with the umbrella looks familiar. Ever been to Dallas Chris?

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  12. There's just no end to the Robeson crap, is there? Like anyone gives a shit for the Stalinist apologist.

    SDL

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    1. Frankly, SDL, I disagree with your minimizing assessment of Robeson—I think he was a remarkable man and remember my mother taking me to hear him perform in postwar Copenhagen.

      That said, I find WBAI/Pacifica's ongoing efforts to cash in on his achievements as offensive as I think he himself would have. Prescod is a shameless, unprincipled huckster whose poor judgement and problem with the truth would not have admitted her past Pacifica's threshold back in the days when the mission statement was adhered to rather than loosely waved about for self-promotional purposes.

      Delete
  13. Leonard Lopate was on WBAI for years, so I thought I'd post this:

    https://nypost.com/2017/12/06/wnyc-yanks-two-more-hosts-over-inappropriate-conduct/

    SDL

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    1. (JustAListener)
      Lenny Lopate? and Jonathan Schwartz?
      Yeah there were stories that Schwartz "dated" quite a bit but was there abuse?
      Jonathan and Lenny were my favorite programs on WNYC, I'll miss them.
      WBAI should offer Lenny and Jonathan a show - no danger of them violating Pacifica's standards.

      Delete
    2. (JustAListener)
      A bit more info here (didn't know Schwartz was on WBAI)

      https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/business/media/wnyc-leonard-lopate-jonathan-schwartz.html?_r=0

      Delete
    3. (JustAListener)
      Hmm, Schwartz must have been on WBAI before it was Pacifica:

      " first appeared on New York City radio in 1958, when he played a Frank Sinatra song on WBAI."

      Or it could just be typical NYT reporting...

      Delete
    4. I was a fairly frequent Lopate listener, but Schwartz's Sinatra overindulgence turned me off (I like Sinatra).

      These days, I would barely bat an eye if they told be that dear departed Betty Boop was a murderous pedophile.

      Delete
    5. I liked Lopate in his WBAI days better because he had more time to interview the weekly guest and take calls. However, I still listened to him after his WBAI days semi-regularly.

      All these accusations are starting to feel like the Phoenix Program during The Vietnam War, aren't they?

      SDL

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  14. Chris,

    Another delusion from Mitchel Cohen. Perhaps he can have another all expense paid vacation in Cuba. The CIA doesn't care one fecal bolus about Cohen and WBAI,
    ___________________________________________.


    Yea, let's do exactly what the CIA would love. Good idea!
    __________________________________________________________.

    Like the FBI and CIA are truly afraid of WBAI, Mitchel Cohen, and Jim Dngeman, professional hit man.

    Thank you.

    Ed Manfredonia

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    1. Mitchel is in denial and part of that manifests itself in gross exaggeration of one's/WBAI's importance and reach.

      Of course this Mitchel statement is absurd—today and in large measure due to such thinking as handicaps Mitchel, WBAI is a gnat not worth going after.

      It takes super naïveté to believe that either of these agencies could not have squashed Pacifica/WBAI a long time ago, if they thought it necessary.

      Delete
  15. Amy Goodman . looks like a no show again on this drive. Only one of the most popular shows on bai.
    So it makes perfect sense to not to have her pitch. If you follow bai's logic.

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    1. If Amy's absence is voluntary, I can't blame her. No honest, dedicated person would solicit money from WBAI's victims.

      Did anybody hear Reggie Johnson scream his lungs out to sell a James Brown "documentary" this morning? That approach will repel, not sell.

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  16. This is a sorry bunch of people, from the "mumia" crime boosters to the con artists and idiots choking on their inflated egos.

    A clean air move is, indeed, an absolute, long overdue necessity, but look what we have on the Foundation level.

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  17. Don't worry, Randy Credico has the goods on them and will come flying in like Mighty Mouse, singing "Here I come to save the day..."

    SDL

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  18. Heard some of that , Reggie sounded nuts!

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  19. WBAI...The walking dead; they just don't know it yet!

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