As Indigopirate heard it...
Pacifica travels at neither the speed of light nor the speed of night.
Rather, the speed of oblivion, sans music, sans sense or sensibility.
This evening, after previous weeks when the iED was to have spoken a word or two were postponed and postponed and postponed yet again…
Mirabile Dictu! The man, himself, was to have spoken, presenting a report, taking questions, for thirty minutes.
Never happened.
Discussion and discussion of trivial mechanics of the reporting of particulars of membership on various committees and subcommittees merrily engaged all present.
Yet time moved on, the inexorable fucker that it is, and…
Surprise!
Let’s discuss adjourning, and… Let’s Adjourn!
Executive Session!
One item was mentioned, briefly, in passing: The iED had rejected the notion of a first report on strategic planning options to save Pacifica. That was to have a deadline of thirty days.
The iED dismissed this as unrealistic: Two or three months for a first, tentative report as to how to save themselves from themselves… maybe… perhaps… possibly.
What’s the rush?
Let’s study the issue…
~ ‘indigopirate’
For the sake of completeness, here is the entire meeting.
Here is a link to a lengthy, detailed comment submitted by Jara Handala Sunday night, March 4, 2018. I hope the author does not mind that I have also given it a front seat in downloadable PDF form. I recommend that you read it.
Here is a link to a lengthy, detailed comment submitted by Jara Handala Sunday night, March 4, 2018. I hope the author does not mind that I have also given it a front seat in downloadable PDF form. I recommend that you read it.
I'm going to suggest that that Mr. Livingston isn't real. Just an excuse so that Crossier could run away fast, and say the place is in even better hands.
ReplyDeleteAny better explanations??
So the voice we heard briefly at the meeting was Credico imitating something none of us have heard?
DeleteMakes nonsense, I guess.
TL is studying Berthold's retorts to the listener. Ra dio silence, appropriate for a station that gives voice.to the voiceless.
ReplyDeleteBoy, that was so exciting and useful.
ReplyDeleteSDL
It sadly verifies that the palm od Pacifica has a painted lifeline.
DeleteIt reminded me of a guy I used to know, who was a wannabe hippie and pot head. At one point in his life he got really down and just sat on a couch smoking pot and listening to music all day long. His wife got fed up and decided to divorce him. Her comment was, "I can't even get a fight out of him anymore." Well, kind of reminded me of the PNB - they don't even fight anymore, which was the reason to listen to them in the first place. I guess they are so finished even that energy is gone.
DeleteSDL
Its hard to say without knowing what is going in the closed session. It looks like they have just given up on trying to do anything to improve the network other than deal with the immediate financial issues. Its a toxic environment where even the concept of compromise is absent. It is literally my way or the highway. Meanwhile the managers openly criticize the boards to whom they are supposed to be accountable while continuing the same failed programming and lack of administration. The network appears to be completely paralyzed and the clock is ticking.
DeleteI am reminded of a line from "Seinfeld". Kramer and Newman are playing the old board game "Risk", and Jerry says: " It's a game of world domination being played by two guys who can barely run their own lives."
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid that's an apt description. Anybody know what's going on?
Delete1/2
ReplyDeleteBy normal standards it's astonishing when the principal administrator is unable to publicly deliver their report. But with Pacifica that's the least of it. No Board member expressed disgust. Nor even the slightest regret. No-one will apologise. No Pacifica listener will expect the report to be published on the website. And soon no-one will remember. It'll be as if it never happened. A non-event, ghosting by again, just like all the others to come.
Instead of the dutiful parliamentarian what PNB needs is the listener-who-cares, someone with the good sense to ensure that each meeting continually addresses Pacifica's general interest ... hang on a sec ... isn't that the job of the Board members? (bylaw Article 5, Section 1(E)(1) & (4).) Anyway, a few thoughts.
1) The meeting started at 9pm ET, 30 mins late. The chair, Nancy Sorden (WPFW), explained that the serious delay was down to "the streamer" & Maestro system (I kid you not). https://kpftx.org/archives/pnb/pnb180301/pnb180301a.mp3 (Indigo's appreciated recording missed the first few mins.)
2) Agreeing the agenda turned out to prove crucial. Nancy said, "Tom cannot join us until 9.30" (6:00), so items had to be switched, the iED report to come after "Cttee Business". No-one thought to ask the obvious question, even out of politeness to the listening public: what's Tom's problem, why's he late? Indeed, during roll-call someone asked if a fellow director had excused their absence; but for Tom, schtum. Priorities, priorities. Also no-one thought his first public PNB report was important enough to require him having the floor once he joined the call, especially because the upcoming closed session would start at 10pm time-certain.
2/2
ReplyDelete3) But fair's fair, we did hear some words from the iED: "[y]es, I believe [indistinct], thank you. Yes, madam Chair" (59:17). That was it. Even so, it contends with his Th22Feb PNB contribution to his annual performance evaluation. As Chair Nancy related on that memorable evening:
"[d]uring the past week I've completed a site visit to KPFK. I had a variety of meetings with Los Angeles staff, paid & volunteer, & LSB members. We also made progress on a variety of HR & operations issues, including the ESRT judgement, & evaluating & making a plan for a property in New Jersey that was left to Pacifica. (Plane door closing.)" (59:57). Well, that put a seal on that. https://kpftx.org/archives/pnb/pnb180222/pnb180222a.mp3
No-one asked why his report to the Board that hired him was written on the back of his flight ticket. No-one asked why he disrespected the Board & the paying public. And no surprise that his written-up report has not been published on pacifica.org.
4) Meanwhile, back at the 1Mar PNB ... someone had the bright idea to extend the public session to hear Tom's report. So how did the vote go? An amendment to extend by 15mins fell because it failed to secure the 2/3rds (10 for, 6 against, 3 abstentions), & the motion for 30mins also fell for the same reason (11 for, 7 against, 1 abstention). How was the latter vote split? In favour: both KPFA (Chris Cory absent); all four KPFT; Benito Diaz & Maskeelah Washington of WPFW (Tony Leon absent); William Heerwagen of WBAI; & both affiliates. Against: all four KPFK; & the other three of WBAI. Chair Nancy abstained. So a minority of seven blocked, stopping the public hearing Tom's report. Nice.
5) And the next delightful PNB? Who knows. On pacifica.org, the calendar list gives one PNB meeting, 8.30pm Th5Apr, whereas the calendar grid shows three: 9pm Th8Mar, 8.30pm Th15Mar, & 8.30pm Th5Apr. Do any of these have open session?
The conclusion to all this is obvious: there seems to be a certain contempt for the Pacifica public, a contempt delivered quite effortlessly.