tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post71783056670158076..comments2023-09-08T12:08:39.523-04:00Comments on WBAI: The two sides of R. Paul...Chris Albertsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12056345320709233401noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-36704654973778445482014-09-29T11:20:56.034-04:002014-09-29T11:20:56.034-04:00You'll get no argument from me on the radical ...You'll get no argument from me on the radical overhaul being necessary! Nor on what a completely overwhelming prospect that presents. The bylaws and established practice are a Gordian knot begging for a sword.Kate Gowennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-75990480043854279492014-09-28T21:23:40.668-04:002014-09-28T21:23:40.668-04:00Any way you look at it, Kate, the line is very thi...Any way you look at it, Kate, the line is very thin and the animosity devastating. I don't think we are talking about saints vs. sinners, for one has but to read these exchanges to conclude that there are no winners.<br /><br />That said, even from here, it is clear that the West Coast is farther from the edge than WBAI. Some of the better programs we get in NY come from the Coast, but I still think the whole thing needs to be revamped and those Boards given a thorough cleanup.Chris Albertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056345320709233401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-86713813428251329222014-09-28T21:01:40.947-04:002014-09-28T21:01:40.947-04:00I am not a member of the Pollyanna Brigade, either...I am not a member of the Pollyanna Brigade, either, Chris. I take the problems very seriously, and especially the political struggle for control of an institution that I value very highly. Given how dire the situation is, making "my side wins, your side loses" the focus is pretty unforgivable. I don't know if all is lost yet, but my lens is not WBAI; it is KPFA, where we have dynamic staff, a robust speakers' series of many years' standing, and strong listener support-- because we have a lot of excellent programming, in many sectors.<br /><br />Of course, if you rely on the PiE bulletins for information, you wouldn't know there was any strength to draw on. For me, it raises questions: one side is trying to get what is necessary done; and the other side does nothing but denigrate their efforts, the stations individually, the Foundation collectively-- since that side lost the majority. To me, that looks like a distinct difference.Kate Gowennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-61625512166133091082014-09-28T18:39:17.831-04:002014-09-28T18:39:17.831-04:00Kate, you have a mixture of current and former Boa...Kate, you have a mixture of current and former Board members who have alliance to one of the factions. These factions seem to be represented either by "SaveKPFA" or "Pacifica in Exile," at least I see some sort of tug of war going on between the two. I also see people who seem to lack a clear direction, so there is a great deal of confusion, shifting alliances, etc. nothing appears to be clearcut in this mess, which is probably why it will never be resolved. The personal animosity and sandbox behavior of certain people (on both sides) is contributing to what I see as Pacifica's inevitable demise. That is very sad and it could have been avoided if petty dabblers had been kept out. Like the majority of listeners, I have lost all hope.<br /><br />Some will say that my stance is an unhealthy negative one, but I think it reflects sad reality... an ingredient that has been missing at Pacifica for several decades.Chris Albertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056345320709233401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-70072664013338809322014-09-28T18:20:31.546-04:002014-09-28T18:20:31.546-04:00It's a mistake to ask such a softball question...It's a mistake to ask such a softball question of someone pernicketty with language, Chris. I'd say, both sides claim to be speaking for/from the Mission Statement, but the Board members refer to themselves, on the one side, as Board members; or, in the case of PDGG and its supporters, as "Pacifica in Exile," while those who disagree with them are referred to as "the rogue majority," or "the rogue Board."Kate Gowennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-37205962518916380652014-09-28T15:44:38.628-04:002014-09-28T15:44:38.628-04:00True, but both sides claim to speak for Pacifica, ...True, but both sides claim to speak for Pacifica, don't they?Chris Albertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056345320709233401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-29668900983891954602014-09-28T14:04:08.410-04:002014-09-28T14:04:08.410-04:00Thank you for your disclosure, Chris. Although the...Thank you for your disclosure, Chris. Although the group makes a more grandiose claim than mere "KPFA in Exile." It claims to represent "PACIFICA in Exile." In the interests of accuracy. Some of us view the group as being willing to destroy the organization if it can't run it.Kate Gowennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-63921674245011509652014-09-28T07:53:06.195-04:002014-09-28T07:53:06.195-04:00FYI, the submitted link takes you to the latest &q...FYI, the submitted link takes you to the latest "KPFA in Exile" press release. Interesting, but you should know that it only gives one faction's side of this issue—that of the Reese supporters.Chris Albertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056345320709233401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-72578656085171552392014-09-27T19:49:22.419-04:002014-09-27T19:49:22.419-04:00Thank you, SDL. I guess it goes with the territory...Thank you, SDL. I guess it goes with the territory.Chris Albertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056345320709233401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-66782510100699559642014-09-27T19:46:08.657-04:002014-09-27T19:46:08.657-04:00@who: Can you show me one instance of Chris censor...@who: Can you show me one instance of Chris censoring something or someone? You forget that censorship happens moreso after the fact than before.<br /><br />@Chris: It's funny how every time I see you accused of something, I never see any evidence to back-up said accusation(s). I am not taking any sides here, just stating the obvious.<br /><br />SDLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-70518191402078451532014-09-27T19:14:24.582-04:002014-09-27T19:14:24.582-04:00I wish I had the time, but I still work for a livi...I wish I had the time, but I still work for a living and, to be perfectly honest, find it just as unbearable (make that, depressing) as you seem to.Chris Albertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056345320709233401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-42881113963566998932014-09-27T19:09:46.971-04:002014-09-27T19:09:46.971-04:00I am happy to say that your assumptions are wrong....I am happy to say that your assumptions are wrong. I have not stopped a single submission because I disagreed with the expressed opinion. I and others cannot post comments to the blue board, but neither R. Paul nor anyone else will ever have a problem posting their opinions here.<br /><br />Your conclusions have no basis in fact.Chris Albertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056345320709233401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-68972457982896659952014-09-27T18:47:07.276-04:002014-09-27T18:47:07.276-04:00Also, I think you should change your policy so tha...Also, I think you should change your policy so that comments are added automatically, but you reserve the right to remove anything that you consider inappropriate. Then at least there wouldn't be this gauntlet of approval (which is the opposite of free). <br /><br />To be frank, this board seems even less "free speech"-ey than the blue board, since you only publish the comments you approve of. That's your prerogative, of course, but I don't think this blog is any better than Martin's when it comes to free speech.whonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-73641012429618912292014-09-27T18:43:15.821-04:002014-09-27T18:43:15.821-04:00Can you give us a summary of or even a few quotes ...Can you give us a summary of or even a few quotes from the exchanges on PR about the "substantial amount of money" missing? I can't bear to read all the insanity on that list, but I am curious about the missing funds. <br /><br />I've long suspected that the utter accounting chaos was a smokescreen for embezzlement of some sort. It's just too tempting, with these impoverished producers handling hundreds of thousands of dollars without any oversight. whonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-957894641596328622014-09-27T17:25:13.888-04:002014-09-27T17:25:13.888-04:00Kathy may be receiving some form of regular pay,; ...Kathy may be receiving some form of regular pay,; she might also very well be making something from the sessions she conducts off the air.<br /><br />Yeah, that transmitter "move" is very fishy—everything these people announce in the way of round-the-corner progress comes to nought. Null has been rather quiet lately, or have I missed something? I wonder if he will attend the upcoming pitching workshop.<br /><br />In the meantime, I gather from the exchanges now taking place at Pacifica Radiowaves that substantial amount of money is missing. Both factions seem to agree on that, but each blames the other.Chris Albertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056345320709233401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-31921104162478607992014-09-27T14:47:11.076-04:002014-09-27T14:47:11.076-04:00That's a lot of unmailed premiums. I wonder ho...That's a lot of unmailed premiums. I wonder how many of the older unpurchased premiums are no longer even available for WBAI to purchase. If/when they get to those invoices, they will have to offer a replacement or refund. I still wonder how many are health powders that have not been kept in proper temperature and/or may have expired.<br /><br />I wonder if the new transmitter site deal has collapsed. WBAI has a bad history of late payments, so maybe the landlord didn't want them. I sure wouldn't. Just not worth the hassle. Of course, WBAI could have over-estimated how far negotiations had come and thought it was a done deal when it was really just still an idea. At this point, I don't see a move.<br /><br />The Robert Knight rebroadcast thing is simply obnoxious at this point. They really can't give the slot to a living person? Or, alternatively, play tapes of people from throughout the history of WBAI? The latter could be interesting. We could hear a good old broadcast of Radio Unnameable from pre-dementia days.<br /><br />Not to be morbid, but as the WBAI audience ages, you have to wonder if some of those premiums are owed to people who are "away on assignment."<br /><br />As for Kathy "I don't listen to the news" Davis. I really wonder if she has some good blackmail material on people at WBAI. There is simply no - NO - reason for her to be at the station. She's a loon and belongs at a cult compound, not a radio station.She spends too much time there not to pull a salary. I wonder what she makes.<br /><br />Anyway, I wonder what the next beg-a-thon will be like. I still like my idea of running one infomercial in the afternoon (during non-pledge times) every day to try to pull in $1,000 or so. During weekdays you have dead air from 6:00PM-7:00PM, so why not use it to make some money?<br /><br />SDL<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-16109185326259365942014-09-27T13:44:34.249-04:002014-09-27T13:44:34.249-04:00From what I understand, not everybody is getting w...From what I understand, not everybody is getting what they paid for. Not too long ago, someone in that group mentioned that there were 5 thousand items unmailed, someone else noted that many of these products were not even on hand, because the money to purchase them wasn't there, and didn't we just hear that these things are taking up much of the room at Atlantic Ave.?<br /><br />We know that hundreds of un-processed/unsold? books were "remaindered" for $1. It's still a mess and we still cannot rely on these tales from the crypt that was supposed to have become studios a long time ago. <br /><br />Michael of East Harlem (certainly not the Haskins guy) brought up the transmitter site issue. Remember that one? Remember how it pushed people's optimism button? Now, like most other glimmers of hope from the Reimers/Cohen corner, it has faded to black. They keep rewriting the script in order to stall the building disgust.<br /><br />I wonder if Kathy is the one Martin is talking about as he finishes the message from Michael and gets tongue-tied? She is embarrassing as he reruns programs by a dead host, featuring calls from dead callers, talking about dead issues. I guess people who used to be described as having "transitioned" are now "away on assignment."<br /><br />BTW, the question of bulk mail rates came up a couple of years ago and the answer from WBAI was that the premiums shipments do not qualify for that discount.Chris Albertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12056345320709233401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486287910626602438.post-13925362446093685242014-09-27T13:12:58.831-04:002014-09-27T13:12:58.831-04:00If people are finally getting their premiums, that...If people are finally getting their premiums, that's good for them. The sad part is CAB and not WBAI sending them out. It's WBAI's responsibility. <br /><br />WBAI gets one of those non-profit postage rates, I would imagine. <br /><br />Anyway, I don't want to talk about Martin beyond I'm not a fan of his.<br /><br />SDLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com