Neer-do-well and the sunrise drama queen...

It is Monday, July 10, 2017 and WBAI's fate, pushed to the brink by Berthold Reimers and his coterie of chumps, rests in the mighty hands of King Kong. As the moment of truth approaches, the dysfunctional Berthold Reimers emerges to pay a rare visit to the make-believe "studio". Here, in case you missed it, is this meeting of the mindless. 

In an act of compassion, the following audio clip does not contain the entire grueling two hours of Haskins' Monday morning mess, but you will hear the grim essence of Reimers' visit. Note the outrageous, inexcusable poor quality of the audio and bear in mind that Haskins is WBAI's "chief engineer". 

Earth Mum's Gypsy

Here's a little aside that illustrates how far off track Berthold's bozos have taken WBAI. Helena Faith Miel, who calls herself "Earth Mum" does odds and ends at the station, including the "Community Bulletin Board" and "Morning Eclectic", a weekly show that appears to be organic, but whose intended nature is a bit blurry. Last week, Micky Vermooch, a British Gypsy psychic, exorcist, master of paranormal palaver, etc., was her phone guest via a transatlantic call. Earth Mum announced that she would be taking calls if anyone wished to speak to him—Maxine did, but is this the sort of thing we should be hearing on WBAI?

Maxine's call.

I'm sure Earth Mom (hate the nickname) is a nice, well-meaning lady, but this sort of thing (remember "Mr. Z"?) is as bogus as anything Tony Bates will throw at you.

It will come out in the end.....

On July 8. 2017, Marilyn Vogt-Downey, a confused Reimers apologist, wrote on the Pacifica Radio Waves list serv:

"...the Finance Committee /did/, finally, pass a resolution on Thursday night, I understand, that DOES call for the LSB to demand from the GM full financial accounting. THAT took a while!!"

(Note that the GM, perhaps with that demand in mind, was a no-show for the second time in a row. —CA)

Aware of Ms. Vogt-Downey's naïveté and scant knowledge of WBAI's past, R. Paul Martin, the WBAI LSB Treasurer, posted the following response:

"That motion was to remind the LSB that we have been complaining about the General Manager not giving us the information we've been asking for for YEARS. The motion is not really bringing a new concern to the LSB, so it's not like we "finally" passed such a motion."

This sort of concern is repeatedly brought up in the written Treasurer's Reports to the WBAI LSB, as well as oral ones....

I have to question whether the General Manager is able, at this time, to account for the radio station's revenue. I've been asking him to give me information on a test case for a couple of months now, and he hasn't bothered to reply.

The General Manager has sent out a draft FY18 budget. It calls for a daily tally of $15,000 a day during 'thons. This is a tally that's about 50% higher than what the reality was in FY17. Inflated, unrealistic 'thon projections are not the way to make a radio station self sufficient again.

Former Reimers apologist Mitch Cohen added his comment, which underscores just how underhanded internal politics stirs the pot. R. Paul Martin wants us to think that he tells it like it is, but he, too is swayed by the nefarious flip-floppers. It should be noted that he has a one-hour show of his own, which he apparently wants to keep although it is of no value to the station. Here's what Mitchel had to say:

Funny how the Finance Committee passed the resolution, which it had passed several times before over the years. .... but that last month when I proposed that the Finance Committee pass the same resolution requesting the documents from management that the committee needs to do its work, it got zero votes, with R Paul Martin abstaining and with the JUC members voting against it.  —Mitchel

R. Paul does not mention the fact that the General Manager (Berthold Reimers)—the only person who knows the real status and disposition of WBAI's income—will not divulge how much the station is making and how it spends that intake. His highly unrealistic, unobtainable goal for the fundraising interruption that begins in a few days raises many questions. For example, why is it that an enormous number of pledges, going back at least a couple of years, have yet to be fulfilled although paid for by the customers (we used to call them "listener sponsors" when the station was legit)? Also which cronies are salaried, how big is their pay-cheque, and are they actually doing any work?

There is a reason why Berthold Reimers arbitrarily broke his promise to appear at the last two WBAI Finance Committee meetings.

The rot you smell isn't coming from Denmark! 

The Null Game?

 PLAYING THE PACIFICA PLINKO

I remember as far back as 1977 the sense that each and every person felt strongly that they owned their air and access to air. Even then listeners were kept in the dark as to what was going on and, frankly, it troubled me. It’s understandable that you can’t keep listeners completely in the loop as to details, but it might be nice to show enough decency and responsibility to provide them with some sense of what’s happening other than to say ‘send money’.

I’m no political philosopher, but it’s my understanding that, in political terms, ‘anarchy’ has at least two principal meanings. One is that people need to be encouraged to cooperate with one another voluntarily and are capable of doing so, particularly if encouraged. The second is the more common pejorative sense of chaos and people at one another’s throats.

WBAI was once, in the early 1970s, referred to by the NYT as an ‘anarchists’ circus’. It became clear in time that it was in the second sense, and that that meant crashing to ground (however slowly, given the intrinsic value of the frequencies inherited).

They’re an ugly nasty little bunch, but hardly a threat to the world, only to themselves. So it goes…

                                                                         'indigo pirate'

The Waiting Game

As those who care one way or another anxiously await a decision from the Empire State Realty Trust legal representatives, people at WBAI—the good, the bad, and the downright ugly—are becoming increasingly frantic. There's halfwit Haskins (how else to describe that one?)—who broadcasts excruciating crap three mornings a week—tells his handful of listeners that he "ain't goin' nowhere", and ludicrously attempts to convince himself that WBAI will solve the problems of the world; Mimi Rosenberg in blackface, throwing up pledge numbers as she figuratively picks her reparations cotton; Sally O'Brien still hunting around for a key to killer "Mumia's" cell; Jeannie Hopper telling us to buy a boat ride ticket and keep her bland in-one-ear-and-out-the-other DJ chat show on the air; Tony "sledgehammer" Ryan grinding out slow-dance music on the air as well as on the station's disc duplicating machine; opportunists like Ron Daniels and the so-called Haitian "all-starz" promoting various entrepreneurial projects. Geoff Brady—crushed because Bill Crosier had his "zapper" scam commercials taken off the air—continues unabated to round up and glorify certifiable nut cases, etc. etc. The weekly schedule is bulging with insignificant amateur fare of which the ones I have mentioned are but a small sample. The tip of the iceberg that is sinking WBAI. 

Apropos Brady and reasons why today's WBAI is not to be taken seriously, he did a special Fourth of July program yesterday morning, re-airing an interview with a nutty old Brit whose "research" proves that this American holiday is really an ancient Egyptian cult ritual in clever disguise—in fact, says he, the American flag is Egyptian—but wait! There's more... even the Statue of Liberty comes into play, as do ferris wheels. I don't know if anyone woke Bob Fass up and warned him, but we should be worrying about the proposed Staten Island tourist attraction. Brady, of course, is in total agreement and obviously cannot come up with a single argument against it. You really have to hear this nonsense, so I have posted a sample at the bottom of this page. Hear some of the crap an ask yourself (again, I hope) why anyone should waste a penny on WBAI support until there has been a thorough decontamination.

Then there's Alan Bates, his lips undoubtedly worn from so much derriere kissing and lying to the WBAI listeners, real and imagined). A new fund drive will start in less than two weeks, so we will again hear his scams, ad nauseam.

Getting back to the present, perhaps no one is more frantic than Jim Dingeman. He means well and generally wants the right things for WBAI, but the energy he spends on calling meetings and digging up pertinent history and fact comes far too late. In fact, all these efforts are last-minute attempts to heal self-inflicted wounds.

I am not a fan of Randy Credico, the comedian, but I now see him as the most positive of the frantics. Like Bill Crosier, he goes beyond the whine and produces positive results. His WBAI show is good, sometimes excellent, and he is contacting people re the ESB mess who at least have some pull around here. I won't delve into the irony of WBAI seeking help from politicians, but what Credico has accomplished, so far, gives me a ray of hope. WBAI's alleged "management" does not deserve to be rescued, but I think it is wise to prioritize saving the station—Reimers and the rest of the dross can and should be kicked out as soon as possible.

Credico's recent trip to Albany (with Reimers tagging along) produced an endorsement from twelve politicians (posted here) and this direct plea to the ESB landlord from Comptroller DiNapoli. It is said that ESRT's attorney called the State Comptroller the following day, suggesting that they sit down and attempt to reach an amicable agreement.

So the wait continues.

In the meantime, here's the Brady babble. It's long, but you can spot-check and get an idea of what they want to save WBAI for. It's an outrageous insult to intelligence.