Pay Close Attention

A Critique of Justice & Unity's Election Strategy

2010-09-24T17:11:00.007-04:00

A few days ago, Eddie Ellis, whom I respect deeply, posted to the Take Back WBAI Facebook page comments laying out what he thinks is wrong with this year's Justice and Unity strategy in the WBAI Local Station Board Elections.

"Can we use the candidate forums and other venues to also talk about the future vision of this powerful community empowerment vehicle. We are so sick and tired of hearing the same lament over and over and over. Will someone please present ideas about fund raising, rent, programming and management. Will someone please present a plan for HOW we get out of this mess. Does anyone have any new or fresh ideas beyond the relentless recounting of firings, bannings, and blah, blah, blah?"

Eddie Ellis

In the piece below I respond to Eddie Ellis's thoughts on this subject.

I know that a couple of days have passed since Eddie Ellis made a post on the TakeBackWBAI.org Facebook site laying out what he considers to be the Justice & Unity's (J&U) flawed election strategy. Several people have asked me about the post and I took some time out to explain to them J&U’s election strategy. Now I’ll try and do it here. First, let me say that Eddie’s advice is welcomed and it is something that he has been saying to me for quite awhile. I applaud him for finally standing up and making this statement in a public forum. It would be good if other “progressive” producers would also weigh in on these important issues: after all, many of them will be gone if this regime maintains a majority after the election. His post shows that he is one of the producers who loves the station and strongly suggests that he wants to see some positive change come out of this upcoming election. Although I believe his post is an honest and sincere appraisal I also think that it is flawed.

Eddie’s basic premise is predicated on what I believe to be incorrect assumptions. He has often told me, and now he has told you, that all of the J&U candidates have only focused on the injustices of the past and have not put forth a detailed plan for the future that would rally the troops behind us. He further states that this is the same strategy that was used for the last election and believes it is the reason why J&U lost the election to its ACE rivals in 2009. First of all, J&U did not lose the election. The election was stolen. His belief is that if J&U can overwhelm the ballot count with numbers it would be hard to steal this election, similar to the Obama victory. Last election over seven hundred votes disappeared from the final count. I know for a fact that some of those votes that went uncounted were the legitimate ballots of folks who voted for J&U candidates. I, on the other hand, feel that the awful sound and imposed content of the new WBAI is a prime motivator for a large response against the ACE regime. Just a little something to think about.

Although there may be others who feel the same as Eddie does, so far, he is the only producer that I have heard put forth an analysis. It is because I have such a profound respect for Eddie’s thinking that I feel compelled to offer this response to place this election in perspective and give it an additional context in which to view J&U’s strategy. It will take some time to tell you why I disagree with his assertion. Hopefully at the end of this submission we will all have a better understanding of this process and some of the hurdles we’ve had to negotiate in order to get the word out. I hope that I’m interesting enough for you to read this entire narrative.

Since these comments follow on the heels of the latest on-air forums I assume that J&U’s participation in the forums comprises the material base for Eddie's analysis. The on-air forums are the only place where Eddie has heard the candidates talk about their candidacy. What I would expect is that folks who usually pay close attention to details would recognize how highly restrictive and controlled the on-air format is. Even though we only had 60 seconds to respond to each question, in a strongly policed setting, to the degree that J&U candidates could talk about the future they did. Could they elaborate or go into details...not with this format. And, of course, that was the goal of instituting such a coercive structure? Operating within these narrow parameters, efforts were consistently made by J&U candidates to lay out a vision for the future direction of WBAI. If you notice all of our candidates talked about J&U having a comprehensive recovery plan and listeners were repeatedly directed to the J&U website where they could see the details. In addition a mailer was sent to 16,000 subscribers clearly delineating J&U’s ideas for the future.

Eddie believes that we should not talk about the past injustices carried out by this board’s majority. I think that to avoid mentioning the recent actions of the new board majority is tantamount to saying, don’t give an historical analysis and avoid placing this moment in context.

Eddie speaks about this election as if all conditions are exactly the same as the last election. There are qualitative and quantitative differences between the last election and this one. Listeners and supporters are not in the same frame of mind and have acquired shared experiences that were not available in the summer of '09. Listeners have been bombarded for seventeen months with slanderous lies of nuclear proportion without any substantive opposition. Folks who would normally automatically reject these lies, because they have not heard any refutation over the airwaves, particularly from people they respect, have questions that they want answered. For the last seventeen months the opposition has been repeating their narrative over and over and over. It is a false notion to assume that this has had no impact or that people on the outside know as much as people behind the wall about what is actually happening at WBAI and Pacifica...because they don’t. Some have a part of the story but most are at best confused. Believe it or not many of BAI’s producers share their confusion, some conveniently so. The first question I get from listeners is, “What happened?” From the queries I get while attending community forums around the city, where WBAI often becomes the subject, it is absolutely clear that many listeners don’t know what’s going on and want an explanation about the things that they have been told for the last year and a half. These are our listeners and supporters for the most part and they have been misled. Any message that we give must take this reality into consideration if it is going to be successful. In Eddie’s perception, to do this is going backwards and taking the same “losing strategy” as in the last election. I am shocked that there is a denial of the role that reviewing history plays in brining clarity to this struggle or to any subject that warrants an explanation. I am shocked because he clearly recognizes the role that sharing history plays in discussing other struggles.

Over the past two Saturdays, “while sipping my second cup of coffee” I heard two wonderful On The Count programs. One show talked about the Criminal Justice Program that Eddie is a part of at Medgar Evers College and how it is under attack by the present administration. I had heard the story before on previous On The Count programs and I also read about it in local newspapers. Each time I heard the story, Eddie spent time debunking the prevailing myths that were being put forth by the college’s administration...(history). In order to insure understanding we listeners and readers were presented the rationale for such a program and we were told why the program was important. The following Saturday was the anniversary of Attica and once again an excellent program. In order to get listeners to understand the significance of the Attica rebellion of September 9, 1971, time was spent debunking the myths that were spread about what happened at Attica, detailing the conditions that gave rise to the rebellion… (history). Then there was talk about the programs that came out of this tragedy after the history was discussed. You can’t talk about the future unless there is some commonality of understanding about the past. What made these programs so fascinating and important was the total package: the past, the present and the future. If J&U were to talk about the future without at least mentioning the history (the bannings and the firings and the lies) projections of the future would make no sense. You have to establish the need for a plan, a program or a rebellion if the recipients of the information are going to understand what you are talking about. The way that you establish the need for a plan is to present the conditions that your plan would address. The reasons that the opposition have given for changes they have imposed are not based on the true history. These myths, as in the case of the destruction of the much needed Criminal Justice Program at Medgar Evers and the Attica rebellion, had to be soundly crushed and replaced by the truth.

This past Monday I went to hear Tim Wise at St. Paul’s Church as part of the MAAFA celebration. There were about two hundred people in attendance. A question was raised about Wise being banned from WBAI’s airwaves and he spent some time talking about the racism at Pacifica and WBAI (history) and then talked about the future of Pacifica if it continued on its present path. At least six people came up to me after the lecture to ask me “what’s going on at WBAI?” They were listeners who were totally confused. One woman whom I know fairly well asked me about a rumor she heard that I had stolen money. She wanted to know, what’s up with that? This is an important issue about something that is supposed to have happened (but didn't!) in the past...(history). A full explanation of that accusation as to why it is not only a lie but malicious slander is, according to Eddie’s analysis, placing my response in the “blah,blah,blah” category. Two people asked me if I was still on the air because they haven’t heard me in a while. They thought that I was still out on sick leave. I’m saying all of this to point out that our audience is a mixture of various levels of comprehension on the issues. The people that we want to reach and whom we want to energize don’t all fall into one level of understanding, therefore our message must take that into consideration. The knowledge that history brings is a great equalizer and we attempt to use it judiciously.

We got 60 seconds to make our case; they had seventeen months to present their narrative. Even though I was restrained by the time limit, I spoke about increasing WBAI’s footprint in cyberspace. I pointed out how we could do radio with a visual component very inexpensively. (This is new technology that has quadrupled in use over the last twelve months.) I mentioned how it would give us access to a larger audience as well as a younger audience and of course an international audience. I did not have time to tell them that it is already being done with a camera and a lap top at WBAIX where I am the Program Director. My time was up before I could tell them that two years ago I had gotten WBAI a $10,000 grant and bought the equipment necessary for WBAI to start doing that kind of programming, inside the community…tomorrow…today…..in the morning…on a regular basis. This of course is an excellent plan for building listenership and increasing revenue, however too long for 60 seconds.

In addition, certain arguments are so odious and misleading that they have to be debunked and deconstructed because they are not real issues...(history). It is hard to debunk an issue without mentioning what the issue is. I did not have time to tell the listeners, in detail, that we were not losing listeners. In fact, before Riddle and I were terminated our listenership was on an annual incline. Yes we have lost "subscribers", but so has every listener sponsored radio in the United States of America under this economic climate. Even the New York Times is crying big tears about their loss in readership, their subscriber base is dwindling. The primary reason why WBAI is in this “mess” is because of the location of the station on Wall Street and the world-wide economic crisis which has had its most devastating effect on a significant segment of our listener base. We must move. But as I said, I did not get an opportunity to talk about this extremely important issue in any detail.

Lastly but not finally, revenue has not gone down because of (allegedly) poor programming put in place while I was Program Director. WBAI’s program grid is not the cause its economic problems. Do you think I could explain the "why" of that in 30 seconds after first answering the inane question that I was asked and without giving the history of the firings, bannings and removals without due process? What would be the context for my proposal?

Eddie has ended several email exchanges that we’ve had with the axiom, “If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you got.” I think that he is partially correct. I believe that, "If the silent producers keep doing what they are doing we’ll keep getting what we’ve got." Somehow outraged producers need to figure out a way to help get information to the listeners that all is not well. I believe that their silence is consent. I understand that it is difficult to speak up but it is not impossible. Progressive producers should be creative enough and dedicated enough to inform themselves about the issues and then respond appropriately in the interest of the listeners when they see Pacifica’s mission as well as the rights of their co-workers being trampled on. Where is the outrage?

"Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph." Haile Selassie

I have nothing but admiration and love for brother Eddie Ellis, he his one of the most sincere, intelligent persons that I’ve met. I hope that those of you who’ve struggled through to the end of this document also notice the level of discussion that we engage in and the very low level exchanges of our opposition.

By the way, my admiration for Eddie would increase geometrically if he could say the following and give details in 60 seconds.

Okay you're On The Count: -Begin NOW:

Ten Point Plan to Save WBAI

1. Safeguard the historic local autonomy of WBAI’s transmitter & programming.
2. Hire multi-skilled, broadcast-savvy, community-minded managers; protect all producers’ self-expression; reinstate removed dissenters.
3. Pursue a capital campaign to purchase a WBAI facility; develop vigorous off-air fundraising programs.
4. Actively build listenership among a new generation of activists.
5. Reforge connections with grassroots groups and community media; expand outreach events.
6. Protect locally-based programming for peace with justice.
7. Restrict campaign spending for local board elections.
8. Hold a national convention to improve Pacifica bylaws, including mandating diversity.
9. Honor the labor contracts with the unpaid and paid staff unions.
10. Demand transparency for local & national board meetings; expand public participation; return to open membership on local board committees.

WBAI: Financial Stability and Growth are Possible

With help from the Local Station Board, staff, WBAI members and listeners, together we can:

* Mount a capital campaign and pursue city building grants/loans to buy our own studio, thus reducing huge rent bills.
* Resume search for compatible tenants to sublet part of WBAI’s studios.
* Build a dedicated team to address the problem of ordering and shipping premiums.
* Hire a full-time development director to lead robust off-air fundraising—awards dinners, concerts, planned giving, and more.
* Through revitalized committee work, recruit listeners of all ages and ethnicities via grassroots multi-media—Internet, Facebook, Twitter,“Town Hall” events, WBAI palm-cards, and more.
* Expand online distribution and archiving of WBAI programs.
* Create long-term, multi-channel expansion of WBAI programming via sideband, hybrid-digital radio, and cable TV.
* Create a Pacifica record label to raise money, and showcase the work of progressive cultural workers.

Until next time Stay Strong and Pay Close Attention.

Emergency Report To The Listener

2010-08-23T00:47:00.001-04:00

Dear Comrades,

We are at an important juncture in the WBAI LSB election process. The ballots have been mailed and are due back by September 30th. We need your help in getting the word out regarding the Justice and Unity slate. We are having an important "Report to the Listener" on Thursday, Sept. 2 featuring a film of Tim Wise and live speakers (details pasted below.)

Please help us to circulate this and our other materials. We don't have nearly as much money as our opposition and that puts us at a distinct disadvantage. Therefore, we have to rely on you. In the tradition of a true grassroots effort, we also want you to help spread the word, so please tell your friends. Please send copies of our material to your listservs.

Thank you very much for your support.

"Stay Strong and Pay Close Attention"

Bernard

The Coalition to Take Back WBAI

EMERGENCY**EMERGENCY**EMERGENCY

Why is nationally-renowned anti-racist author and lecturer Tim Wise banned from the air?

Come to this important “Report to the Listener” and find out:
     • Why you must vote in the upcoming election
     • Why WBAI cannot survive pursuing its present path of development
     • Why Bernard White is not allowed to be on the air
     • Why WBAI’s finances are in worse shape than ever before
     • Why the fund drives are longer and less productive
     • The role that racism plays in the destruction of WBAI and Pacifica
     • Why WBAI programming has shifted
     • Why WBAI management has destroyed the unpaid staff union
     • Why you’ve been lied to
     • And the way forward

THE FUTURE OF WBAI IS AT STAKE!

Speakers include:
- Tim Wise via film who discusses the future of WBAI and Pacifica
- Bernard White, Former WBAI Program Director
- Banned and fired WBAI producers and listeners
- YOU, THE LISTENER: Open Mic

Thurs., September 2, 2010
7:00 P.M. – 10:00 PM

District Council 37 125 Barclay Street (corner of West St.)
New York, NY 10007
Info: (212) 561-7231 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (212) 561-7231 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Web: Takebackwbai.org

Transportation: Trains A,C,E to Chambers/World Trade Center; R, #4,5,6 to City
Hall/Brooklyn Bridge; #1,2,3 to Chambers Street. Venue is disabled accessible.

WBAI: FOOL’S GOAL

2010-07-24T23:04:00.006-04:00

It was over one year ago on May 19, 2009 that I received a letter from WBAI’s newly imposed management, terminating me from my position as Program Director. On May 8, 2009, four days after returning from sick leave due to major surgery, without warning I was told that I had to leave the building immediately, turn over all of my keys, computer passwords, leave all of my personal belongings and that I could not enter the building or be on WBAI’s airwaves ever again. I was basically told to get the hell out and don’t come back. This was an inglorious ending to my twenty-nine year association with WBAI and the Pacifica Foundation (The Pacifica Foundation is WBAI’s parent body located in Berkeley, California).

I have dedicated a considerable amount of time over the past 12 months attempting to inform listeners and producers about what the real issues are and what I believed to be the future of Pacifica and WBAI. In fact, if you check my blog at (http://bernardwhite.blogspot.com/), you will see that I accurately predicted what was going to be done, how it was going to be done and who would be the major beneficiaries of this take-over. This struggle was never about me or Anthony Riddle, WBAI’s former station manager, who was relocated from his position and then terminated while nobody was paying attention.

It was never really about finances. Our terminations were part of a network-wide “racist and ideological purge.” The new local and national board majority has been able to get away with their blatant acts of treachery and racism through the effective use of a gag-rule and the willingness of the majority of WBAI producers to maintain a self-serving silence. I believe the words of Martin Luther King appropriately describe this behavior. In his speech, Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam he said “there comes a time when silence is betrayal.” WBAI’s listeners and supporters are being betrayed. Things have not gotten better financially or programmatically they have gotten worse while listeners are being told that everything is cool. The dishonorable fear tactic that was used just prior to a fund drive caused a surge in subscriptions and donations. Listeners moved decisively to save their favorite radio station from what they were falsely led to believe was imminent disaster. To get a more complete understanding of how this fear was skillfully manipulated read Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Kline.

What is in fact happening to WBAI and Pacifica? What is the true state of WBAI’s financial condition? Has the new regime made things better as they’ve claimed?

Let’s look at some of the available empirical data:

1. As of March 2010, WBAI was three months behind in its rent for the offices at 120 Wall St. and two months in arrears on its rent for the transmitter at the Empire State Building. The same group that removed the previous management chose to cover-up the fact that the station was in worse condition than it was in May of 2009 when lesser circumstances were used as a justification for regime change. Instead of informing the listeners of the “imminent disaster” the board quietly got a loan from Pacifica to pay off the debt.

2. According to an independent auditor’s report that is available on the web, WBAI has had a $1,406,178.00 decrease in revenue since the takeover of April 2009. That same report also reflected that for the same period Pacifica has experienced a $4,197,781.00 decrease in revenue. To date there has been no official challenge or refutation of the auditor’s findings.

3. According to the primary corporate audience measuring device of choice, Abitron/PPM, for the fall and winter of 2009 and the spring of 2010 listenership has been on a steady decline. For the new management, this should be a clear indication that the program changes that have been imposed are not working. The new management is programming for fast money and not for people.

4. It is ironic that the most visible area of failure is where the greatest success is being claimed. WBAI fund drives used to be an exciting, creative period for listeners and producers. Drives were a time when you would hear a variety of important voices, ideas and creative audio productions. The spring 2010 drive was the longest scheduled drive in the history of WBAI and they claim to have made their goal. This was a “Fool’s Goal” and nothing to be proud of. The $855,000.00 that was allegedly raised is not enough to pay the bills or to catch up on past debts. Publicly stated goals have been arbitrarily reduced to give the false impression of success. The cover-up and betrayal continues.

5. The search committee of listeners and producers that previous management established to find a new location for the station was aborted and the search for a new location was abruptly stopped. The graphic below vividly illustrates the essential problem at WBAI. Our rent is outrageously high for a non-profit community radio station. We pay more than seven times what the rest of Pacifica is paying in rental costs.

This renegade regime is not saving the network and they certainly aren’t saving WBAI, they are indeed destroying it. WBAI can and should be a powerful weapon in the arsenal of those who fight for peace, justice and understanding in a multi-cultural world. This present majority has plans and is moving in a direction that excludes these ideas. In the past the majority of people who subscribed to WBAI were supporters of these concepts. The new audience that is being sought will not have an allegiance to these noble ideals. They will be drawn in by offering them miracle medical cures and baseless Larouche-esque conspiracy theories.

There is something that you can do to put WBAI back in a mission satisfying direction under local community control. A WBAI Local Station Board Election is taking place in August 2010. This election provides us with an opportunity to make positive change. With a different board composition, with a non-racist slate of directors who recognize the true value of WBAI, we can return to being a voice for the voiceless and the builders of bridges of understanding amongst and between people.

As you can tell I’m still interested in the health and welfare of WBAI/Pacifica and its ability to play a meaningful role in the positive transformation of society. That is why I have chosen to run as a candidate in the August election on the Justice and Unity slate. I believe that the Justice and Unity Coalition is electable and provides the only viable opposition to the reactionary ACE/Independent board majority.

For all of you who are members of WBAI you have the opportunity to vote for The Justice & Unity Coalition which includes folks like: the people’s attorney Lynne Stewart, Betty Dopson, Camille Yarborough, Sharonne Salaam, Vajra Kilghour, Gene Hammond, Omowale Clay, Fr. Lawrence Lucas, Bob Lederer and others who are organically linked to WBAI’s listener communities. These honorable individuals have a rich history of struggle and recognize that until WBAI moves from its Wall St. location it will be unable to pay its bills. The Justice and Unity Coalition further recognizes that as the station falls deeper and deeper into debt it becomes vulnerable to the desires of unscrupulous capitalists and marketers who will grasp this opportunity to reap personal profits.This may already be underway.

Some of the people who have endorsed the Justice and Unity slate are:
Pam Africa
City Councilmember Charles Barron and State Assemblymember Inez Barron
Sandy Bernabei, Antiracist Alliance
Fredrica Bey, WISOMMM (Women in Support of the Million Man March)
Joy DeGruy (Leary)
Larry Hamm, Chair, People's Organization for Progress
Fred Ho, composer-band leader-writer-producer
Rashidah Ismaili AbuBakr, former member, WBAI Local Advisory Board
Dr. Leonard Jeffries, Professor of Africana Studies and Social Science, City College of New York
Dr. Rosalind Jeffries
Esperanza Martell
Dr. Suzanne Ross
Tim Wise, anti-racist educator
Don’t forget to vote. The future of the station is in your hands.

Until Next Time, Stay Strong and Pay Close Attention

Bernard White, The Peoples Program Director

For additional information:
http://www.takebackwbai.org/
http://www.justiceandunity.org/
www.wbaix.org
http://bernardwhite.blogspot.com/

"You Been Duped, You Been Tricked, You Been Bamboozled!"

2010-02-08T21:51:00.026-05:00

This was a phrase uttered by Malcolm X during one of his many attempts to get the African American community to realize the enormity of the lies that were being propagated by the rulers and historians of his time. Malcolm was explaining how popularly accepted negative myths were designed to confuse and immobilize Black people. Unfortunately deception is a tool that is still being used by those in power to paralyze and disorient the people. Those who are presently controlling WBAI and Pacifica are quite adept at creating myths to either justify or obfuscate their racist behavior leaving in their wake a confused and paralyzed community. What they don’t understand however is that their deception is not sustainable. As Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King often said, “Truth crushed to earth will rise again.”

We are now witnessing the beginning of the resurrection. Over the past ten months we have been fed a robust diet of lies about the financial health of WBAI. We were told that former station manager, Anthony Riddle concealed from the board that WBAI was behind in its rental payments and that the former Program Director, Bernard White, was terminated because he was unable to organize fund drives that raised enough money to pay the bills. This was a calculated distortion of reality used to illegally remove management. We now know why LaVarn Williams, the previous interim station manager and current CFO, withheld the budget from public scrutiny for several months. Information that has just been made public clearly shows the dishonesty of those assertions and the absurdity of the remedy that was taken. If those charges were a rational and legitimate reason to remove previous management then present management should be removed immediately.

We have been told repeatedly that the new management is doing a “wonderful job” and that WBAI's income has dramatically increased; that bills are now being paid and that listenership is on the incline. All of the “happy news’ we have been told by the new board majority, Williams and Grace Aaron, the former Interim Executive Director of the Pacifica foundation is a lie. After making public statements on January 29th leading people to believe that WBAI was all caught up on its rent, the chair of WBAI’s Local Station Board, Mitchel Cohen, a strong supporter of Williams and the coup, was forced to publicly acknowledge several days later that as of the beginning of March 2010 WBAI was three months behind in its rent at 120 Wall St., two months behind in its rent for the transmitter space at the Empire State Building. (In fact, the new station manager, Muriel Tillinghast, who strted her position as of February 1st, has made catching up on the rent her #1 priority.)Listenership is down and there is an unprecedented decrease in the fulfillment rate on pledges made during each fund drive since they took control. The chickens are slowly returning to the hen house.

There are specific immutable realities that the present management has chosen to ignore in pursuit of their goal of ethnic cleansing and appealing to a whiter, broader audience. If they continue to ignore these factors it will surely lead to the demise of WBAI and Pacifica.

    1. It’s the economy Stupid: All terrestrial media outlets - both commercial and not-for-profits - are experiencing economic difficulties in these harsh economic times. Air America is no more. Clear Channel is selling off its assets to recoup its losses. Dozens of other media outlets are folding or selling off their assets to offset their losses.

    2. It’s the rent Dummy: WBAI pays over $60,000 per month for its tower, rental and utility costs. Prior management has been removed but the new management still has to generate enough revenue to pay seven times what the rest of Pacifica is paying for its rental costs. We are still being told that the lease can't be renegotiated or broken. In fact, it can, as real property legal experts have told us. Still there is a refusal to discuss the possibility of moving. Strange behavior? (See the bar graph at the upper right corner of the front page comparing WBAI’s expenses to the rest of Pacifica. The purple bar is WBAI. You do the math.)

    3. Increased competition and changing listening habits: Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, Blogs, Youtube, etc. have provided formidable competition for the leisure time of real and potential listeners to terrestrial radio. Pacifica needs to conduct an objective analysis on how new technology impacts our present and potential listener base. If warranted Pacifica must allocate the resources necessary to increase its cyber presence.

    4. Inordinate influence of a racist propagandist who is intent on benefiting monetarily from his relationship with the station, possibly buying or leasing it if it goes under:
Check out: (http://justiceunity.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69:-wbai-lsb-disassociates-itself-from-public-comments-of-lsb-member-steve-brown&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=56)
(http://whoisstevebrown.info/)

These are the realities that must be acknowledged and successfully negotiated if WBAI and Pacifica are to survive in this period. If the powers that be continue to ignore these factors both WBAI and Pacifica will have a short, grim future. It is up to the listeners and supporters to stand up and demand that the new management cease and desist with the lies and the violations of the rights of its workers both paid and unpaid. They must also take seriously the actual factors that have negatively impacted the station and that threaten its survival.

Throughout the network listeners and producers are organizing to fight back against the destruction of the network. If you are interested in finding out what you can do please visit:
http://www.takebackwbai.org
http://www.facebook.com/pages/takebackwbaiorg/89438391508
http://www.bernardwhite.blogspot.com/
http://www.livestream.com/wbaix

If you accept the false construct being fed to us by the new board majority it’s a clear indication that “Ya Been Tricked, Ya Been Duped, Ya Been Bamboozled.”

“Stay Strong and Pay Close Attention”

Bernard White, Former Program Director-WBAI, 99.5FM

Ignoring Haiti

2010-01-27T01:33:00.005-05:00

Dear Comrades,

Over the past several months I have attempted to present a rational dissection of the hype and hysteria created by Pacifica’s National Board Chairperson, Grace Aaron, WBAI’s Interim Station Manager, LaVarn Williams and Steve “Big Money” Brown, former WBAI Local Station Board member and a small cabal of dishonest local staff members. I’ve been trying to explain what is in fact happening at WBAI and throughout the Pacifica Network. There have been many incidences that support my assertions but none so graphic as the manner in which WBAI is ignoring the tragic crisis in Haiti.

I am a creature of habit so it was not surprising to me that Wednesday morning after I heard there was a devastating earthquake in Haiti, I found myself turning to WBAI to find out what was really going on. Even though I am no longer with the institution I believed that those who are presently in charge would behave in WBAI's unique, journalistically responsible manner in addressing this crisis. Historically WBAI was the only place to be in times of crisis. However under the new management at WBAI it is obvious that adherence to that tradition is no longer the case. Even corporate networks have been doing more comprehensive coverage on Haiti than WBAI. In the past given an incident of this magnitude previous management would have suspended regular programming and gone into crisis mode. All available resources would have been amassed to get the word out.

This earthquake would be viewed from several perspectives:
1.    This is a teachable moment. We would bring together scholars, activist, historians, cultural workers, journalists, people on the ground in Haiti as well as Haitians in our listening area to provide an on air teach-in.
2.    This is an optimum learning period. Since people are focusing their media eyes and ears on Haiti it provides an ideal opportunity for the absorption of history and information.
3.    This is what Pacifica is all about. Historically the suspension of regular programming was done for Three Mile Island, Iran Contra Hearings, Invasion of Grenada, attack on Panama, Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, Invasion of Iraq etc., etc., etc. During our coverage our listenership would increase geometrically. This is the type of broadcast for which awards are given.
4.    An incident like this provided us the opportunity to bring out the best that non-corporate, listener-sponsored radio has to offer. In comparison to corporate media our coverage was more comprehensive and non-corporate which allowed us to get closer to the truth. We could explore every aspect of a given phenomenon and tell exactly what we saw without filtering it through government censors and without regard for corporate sensitivities.
5.    We owe it to the Haitian people to debunk negative myths about them, their history and their culture. We would have launched a direct attack on the racism and destabilization that has been constantly directed at the Haitian population.
6.    Builds audience. Given our ability to tell the truth and talk directly to the people and have them talk directly back to us we would have become the center of information for this castrophe throughout our listening area. New York has the largest Haitian population outside of Haiti. Sooner or later word would get around about the immediacy, sensitivity and accuracy of our coverage and our listenership would increase.

After finding very little coverage on WBAI on Wednesday I tuned in again on Thursday January, 14th, mid-morning. I was dismayed once again when I heard the imposed California producer, Terrance McNally having an energetic discussion about “Hooked on Phonics.” I kid you not.

As I have been saying over the past several months, this is precisely what the new management is all about. They have no connection nor do they want a connection with certain communities particularly communities of color. I applaud the producers who independently have made attempts to get information out about what is happening in Haiti. However I don’t expect the producers at WBAI, in any significant way, to locate the courage to stand up and challenge the negative policies of the new management. They have proven that preserving their personal air space is more important than the theft of WBAI and Pacifica. It is up to the listeners to challenge these interlopers who are violating all of the established rules of governance and redirecting Pacifica away from the poor the marginalized and peoples of color. WBAI has missed a perfect opportunity to build audience, increase future revenue and tell the story of a people. But then again, this isn't the audience they are looking for.

If we pay close attention to what’s going on listeners can take back control of the station from the new renegade majority. Their policies and lack of sensitivity will eventually destroy Pacifica and WBAI.

Written: January 18, 2010

Bernard White, Former WBAI Program Director
www.takebackwbai.org, www.wbaix.org,   www.wbix.org

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T00:50:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends,

I want to wish you the very best for the New Year. Unfortunately a New Year doesn’t provide us with a new slate. All of the problems that we faced in 2009 are still with us as we start 2010. This year must be one of more intense struggle if we are to overcome the public lethargy and the setbacks that we have faced.

As a media worker my area of particular concern has to do with telling the stories of poor, oppressed and marginalized peoples who are routinely ignored by mainstream media and increasingly neglected by listener-sponsored, non-commercial media. My efforts and energies will be devoted to addressing these inequities and exposing the government/corporate efforts to reduce our rights, squander our resources and make war against people around the world. I hope that you will join me in fighting these powerful entities.

However, intense struggle doesn’t mean that we can’t take time out to have some fun. Toward that end I am asking you to attend the People’s Solidarity Concert. The concert was conceptualized by the “Take Back WBAI Coalition" and endorsed by dozens of supporters.

PEOPLE'S SOLIDARITY CONCERT

PARTY HEARTY TO BEGIN THE NEW YEAR

Friday, January 8, 2010 – 7 pm till Midnight

at Local 32-BJ

101 Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave.)

between Watts and Grand St, in lower Manhattan

Sick and tired of government transferring wealth from the workers to the bankers - well, you wouldn't know it from the mass and liberal media who ignore or distort our voices. So no matter what your issue is, the question is how do we get our stories heard and who tells them in 2010? Begin the new year with a solidarity concert and eat, drink, and meet those who'll work to get the voices of the people heard.

PERFORMERS:

Sonia Sanchez, nationally recognized poet

Heritage OP, percussion sensations

Fred Ho, jazz baritone saxophonist

Kinshasa and Friends, jazz & vocalist

Louis Reyes Rivera, poet, WBAI radio host “Perspective”

The Doo Wop Classics

Sponsored by the People's Organization for Progress and The Alliance for Progressive Media

Donation $15 (no one turned away)

Travel: #1, A, C, E trains to Canal Street, Manhattan

Information:646-506-9422

Current List of Endorsers:

Pam Africa

Stanley Aronowitz

Father Luis Barrios

City Councilmember Charles Barron

Esperanza Martell

Our Common Ground with Janice Graham

Ralph Poynter

Operation P.O.W.E.R. (People Organizing
Working for Empowerment & Respect)

Lynne Stewart Support Committee

Valerie Van Isler

Tim Wise

ACT UP/NY (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power/New York)
Afrikan Poetry Theatre

Alberto Lovero Bolivarian Circle of NY

Anti-Racist Alliance

Asia Pacific Action
CEMOTAP (Committee to Eliminate Media Offensive to African People)

December 12th Movement

DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving)

Family & Friends of Dr. Mutulu Shakur

FIST - Fight Imperialism Stand Together

Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition

Iglesia San Romero de las Americas

International Action Center

International Support Haiti Network

Marvelous Light Crusade World Outreach Ministries

Masjid Al-Taqwah

Million Worker March Movement

National Association of Kawaida Organizations (NAKO)

New York Coalition for Neighborhood School Control

New York Solidarity with Katrina & Rita Survivors

Northeast Region Survivors Assembly

Pakistan USA Freedom Forum

Peace Health Center

People's Institute for Survival and Beyond

People's Organization for Progress (NJ)

ProLibertad (Freedom Campaign for Puerto Rican Political Prisoners)

Puerto Rican Alliance of Los Angeles

Queers for Peace and Justice

Resistance in Brooklyn

Rockland County Immigration Coalition

Roots Revisited

S.E.E.D.S., Inc.

Sisa Pakari Labor Center - Queens

Working People's Voice Publication

Okay I was wrong: KPFA is the latest victim and WBAI is next.

2009-11-07T22:23:00.005-05:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In all of my recent writings I have attempted to give an accurate representation of what is planned and what is currently happening to WBAI and the rest of the Pacifica network at the hands of the new Pacifica Board majority supported by the ACE/Inependents led by Steve (Big Money) Brown. Through the use of lies, half-truths and fear they have the network embarking on a path that is going to destroy the very reason why Pacifica came into being. I don’t believe Lew Hill, Louis Schwietzer or Samori Marksman would be happy with Pacifica’s new direction. This long-time coveted, newly adopted and enacted direction is being shaped and guided by a commercial, race negating and class based audience measuring tool…the Arbitrons and more recently the Personal People Meter (PPM). These measuring tools are notorious for their unwillingness to include people of color and poor people as a significant presence in their assessment process. These devices do not measure the listening habits of the aforementioned groups because they are designed to measure people who have discretionary income. The primary function of the Arbitron and now the PPM”s is to ultimately determine the amount of money radio stations can charge advertisers for their ads. The stations that reflect large numbers of people listening can of course charge the most for their ads. Under this new board majority the conclusions of the Arbitron and PPM ratings are now supplying the logic for program changes at Pacifica.

Both KPFK’s and KPFA’s managers are telling us this new direction is temporary. However, the managers who are fronting for this form of change are not being honest in their illogical attempts to make us believe that once they increase audience then they will revert back to listener-sponsored, non-commercial, community radio. Since they have gone along with having these changes imposed by fiat from the top they have eliminated the protective wall that kept programming from being fashioned primarily by economic concerns.

These changes are not temporary and they will not work. You can’t make program decisions for community radio based on the findings of a commercial audience-measuring device without making your programs more commercial. The logic of this course of action means that you must begin to eliminate programs that focus on the concerns of poor and marginalized communities and replace them with programs that have a broader (whiter) appeal and will attract listeners that have greater incomes.

I have stated from the beginning of the coup at WBAI that this was not about my termination or Anthony Riddle’s removal or about the finances of the station. Although falsities about finances and claims of bad management have been placed in the fore ground the real target is our programming. The goal of the racist firings without providing due process, the bannings, the gag rule, the numerous reports to the listener and the mendacious upbeat attitudes of those staff who are collaborating with the interlopers are the main ingredients in the smokescreen that obfuscates the real target of their desire…WBAI’s programming.
If this cabal was really interested in increasing revenue one place they might look is the escalating amount of money that the PNB spends each year to conduct its business. This year it cost about a million dollars of subscriber’s money to hold national meetings and conference calls. That’s more than WBAI wastes on maintaining its Wall St. address.

The management at KPFA in San Francisco is the latest to have capitulated to the PNB majority’s misguided vision for the network. They have adopted both the form and the language of the Arbitron/PPM. Pay close attention to the email sent to the staff at KPFA and visit the State of the Station posted at kpfa.org. You will find it very revealing.

Here they come.

Bernard White

---- Forwarded Message -----
From: "KPFA Staff Announcements"
To: kpfa-staff@mailinglists.kpfa. org
Sent: Tuesday, November 3, 2009 4:50:48 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: KPFA Staff: Changes at KPFA

Dear Staff,

The current economic conditions are having a significant impact on all
organizations, including KPFA and the wider Pacifica Network. As you
can see in our State of the Station posted at kpfa.org, the trends we
are experiencing as a station and, specifically the decline in
listener donations and overall listenership is significant. Our
current share of bay area audience, especially in some parts of the
day, is too small for a station with a signal of KPFA’s size. At the
same time, our current pace of spending and expenses versus revenue
(listener support levels and donations) is unsustainable and adds up
to a budget deficit. In spring 2009, the Pacifica National Board and
the Interim Executive Director directed KPFA and all sister stations
to improve audience share and fundraising immediately.

In order to implement this directive and stay true to the Pacifica
mission, we are working on a plan to expand and grow KPFA's audience,
in particular loyal audience, because if we want to have an impact on
social change and nurture cultural expression, we need to reach a
significant number of people. We have gathered and analyzed audience
feedback for the past two years, and have conducted extensive analyses
of our audience data. In addition, we have sent out more than 15,000
surveys to our members and listeners to learn more about them, their
interests, and their needs. Please see KPFA State of the Station
posted at: www.kpfa.org for details.

We have the responsibility of identifying short term solutions as well
as long term strategies that will set KPFA on a successful track.
Within the next several months KPFA will implement organizational
changes to ensure the station remains competitive and relevant both
terestrially and on the Internet.

For the past two years, we have prioritized expanding KPFA's
technical, administrative and development capacities. Thanks to the
entire staff and managers in all those departments for their
diligence, excellent work ethic, and care for KPFA. Growth and
development is a long term process, and I am very grateful there is a
lot of energy, talent, and skill within KPFA, and to have worked
alongside many fantastic people---both unpaid and paid--- to build the
necessary foundations for KPFA to grow as a very special radio and
media institution.

As you may know, management and staff have completed several important
projects: digitizing and upgrading equipment, redesigning our website
technically and aesthetically, tightening up on compliance so KPFA is
not at risk of loss of license, addressing legal risks to end hundreds
of thousands of dollars in legal spending (see last page of State of
the Station), getting long time KPFA supporters to include KPFA in
their wills and thus, securing KPFA's future operations.

In programming, we have implemented several programs and projects.
One of these, piloted as a series twice, Letters to Washington, will
be airing daily 10am to 11am.

Music of the World, which is an excellent program with outstanding
hosts and programmers, and which has a huge competitive advantage for
KPFA because great world music is hard to find on the FM dial, has
unfortunately been sandwiched between news and public affairs
programming. As a result of this scheduling issue, the audience tunes
out in significant numbers at 10am, and those listeners go to other
public broadcasters with public affairs and talk programming.

We have identified one of the key weaknesses we need to address in our
programming department is flow of our content, so it is crucial we
adjust our scheduling to ensure flow. While we have excellent and
unique content, we need to improve the flow in our schedule, promoting
our programs, and in some cases, we need to improve our content.

As you can see in the State of the Station, we have a strong morning
block and many problems with flow starting at 10am. We are beginning
to implement a plan to address the audience loss that occurs at 10am
to noon, as well as afternoon drive time, improve average listening
time, and increase loyalty.

At this point, we would like to gather input from music of the world
programmers to identify a successful schedule for our wonderful music
of the world programming. Once we are able to work through the
scheduling logistics, we will phase music of the world out of the 10am
to noon slot and move it to another time slot.

We have a lot more work to do in to improve our audience share for
music as well as public affairs programming. One of our long-term
goals is to cultivate listeners ages 20-40, and some of the most
effective strategies available to us to galvanize this generation of
listeners are our music programming as well as our presence on the
Internet.

We are on our way towards improving our audience share on the radio
and the Internet and believe we can achieve this goal working
together. We would love to get your feedback, so please email us your
thoughts. You can reach me at gm@kpfa.org and Amelia Gonzalez at
iagm@kpfa.org

Best,

Lemlem

--
Lemlem Rijio
general manager
KPFA 94.1 FM www.kpfa.org
1929 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 848-6767 (ext. 203)
(510) 644-1699 Fax
gm@kpfa.org
_________________________________

_______________________________________________
Kpfa-Staff mailing list
Kpfa-Staff@mailingl ists.kpfa. org
http://two.pairlist .net/mailman/ listinfo/ kpfa-staff
__._,_.___
.

First They Came For KPFK… Is WBAI Next?

2009-10-30T00:28:00.004-04:00

KPFK, located in Los Angeles, is one of the five radio stations that make up the Pacifica network. KPFK’S Interim Program Director, Alan Minsky, has been given an order to change programming in an effort to increase revenue. (Attached is a copy of his semi-apologetic rationale) The program changes Minsky has proposed further reveals the long range intentions and direction of the new Pacifica National Board (PNB) majority. I am not adverse to change. Change is necessary if Pacifica is going to survive. However this proposal is based on an enormously flawed premise.

Over the years I also have been approached by dozens of untutored media watchers who make pronouncements about what Pacifica, more specifically what WBAI, should do to increase audience and revenue. Their claims were made without any real investigation, study or experience in organizing a creative and diverse program grid that actively pursues the Pacifica mandate. To these prognosticators their proposals appear to be a perfectly logical and obvious solution. But without the benefit of study and research, what they are actually expressing are their personal feelings. Although personal feelings cannot be totally disregarded in formulating a schedule, they can neither be the sole nor the primary consideration in evaluating or changing a program grid. Among other things, a radio station’s program schedule reflects its identity, ideals, direction and how it perceives its role in society. To organize a compelling program grid for a listener-sponsored radio station is an extremely important task. To be successful requires a deeper analysis and a more comprehensive discussion. However, these are activities that for this writing will have to wait.

It is very important that we understand what this seemingly innocent action portends for the future of the Pacifica Foundation. There is an indisputable way to characterize the changes: the renegade PNB majority is “imposing” a corporate commercial model on the network and the first victim is KPFK. And next in line will be occupied WBAI.

If they are successful with their plan, it will surely mean certain death for the nation’s only listener-sponsored community radio network. The corporate commercial model is not neutral; it has predictable consequences. You cannot impose a right-wing commercial media model and maintain left credentials.

The corporate model is based on profit - not people, community issues or community struggles. It is intrinsically racist and exclusionary in its construction, and this is certainly true for its outcomes. The goal of this model is to fashion a broadcast schedule that targets a white middle class listenership with the goal of capturing a portion of their discretionary capital.

Pursuing this course of action represents the adoption and projection of the philosophical change that the new leadership has brought to Pacifica. The new leadership is led by Scientologist, Grace Aaron on the West coast and multimillionaire junk mail marketer Steve Brown on the east coast. This top-down corporate monetarist model is incapable of supporting genuine people’s concerns and movements. One of the more odious aspects of this format is the incentive to severely restrain giving voice to the voiceless, the marginalized and people of color as a fundamental part of its on-air product. The primary focus for this model is the accumulation of capital, not the amplification of marginalized voices residing in our community and in other countries. The adoption of this path necessitates the abandonment of Pacifica’s historical mission and the decimation of local autonomy.

The corporate model is based on the belief that poor people don’t have any money and therefore they can’t monetarily support the stations; thus, it follows, broadcasting to them is a waste of precious airtime. Of course, that is not true. Poor people in the aggregate are by far the major donors to Pacifica and comprise the largest percentage of listeners to the Pacifica network. Pacifica has no way of accurately measuring their presence. Poor people are routinely ignored by audience measuring devices like Arbitron and its latest incarnation, the Personal People Meter (PPM) because the system isn’t designed to track their listening habits. This under-monitored group comprises a major portion of the listenership who relies on Pacifica stations for news, information and entertainment. However they will not be a part of discussions about changes, and their presence will not be factored into the new strip programming time slots. The audience rating system has become the new bible, providing an unchallengeable rationale to selectively eliminate progressive programmers and hosts with close ties to community struggles. The schedule will of necessity have a “whiter” presence as it reshapes itself to appeal to a richer, wider, whiter audience. Alan Minsky is already using the language of Arbitron and PPM as he refers to KPFK’s potential listeners as the “Southern California Metro Radio Market.”

All of this is being done under the rubric of increasing audience and revenue. The twin questions of “what kind of audience is being sought?” and “how much is Pacifica willing to dilute its programming to acquire audience and increase revenue?” will soon be revealed.

I am speculating that this action kicks open the door wider for further impositions. Will we soon see the imposition of multimillionaire Steve Brown’s multimillionaire business partner Gary Null on the entire network so that jointly they can make multimillions of dollars from our listeners? When the broom gets to WBAI, will Robert Knight be one of the strippers imposed on New York’s program grid? Is that why he has been hanging around the station lately?

Anyone can see clearly that Minsky’s announcement marks a dangerous shift in Pacifica policy and that in order to sell this plan he has begun to make promises that the Interim Program Director knows he can’t insure will be kept. After all, this entire action isn’t even his idea. It came down to him by fiat from on high. It is the Pacifica National Board majority and their ACE allies who are the architects of this major step away from Pacifica’s history and its mission.

You must join in the effort to stop them. If not they will surely destroy the network.

For additional information check out the following websites: www.takebackwbai.org,
http://www.facebook.com/pages/takebackwbaiorg, http://www.livestream.com/wbix,

http://bernardwhite.blogspot.com/

First they came for KPFK, but I lived on the east coast…

Please read Minsky’s email several times and pay close attention to what he says and how he frames it.

Bernard
-------- Original Message --------
Subject:
About KPFK's Programming Changes
Date:
Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:24:35 -0700
From:
Alan Minsky Error! Bookmark not defined.
To:
Error! Bookmark not defined., "staff" Error! Bookmark not defined.

Dear KPFK Programmers, Staff, and LSB Members,

I will be releasing the new KPFK Programming Grid tomorrow. I am writing in advance of announcing these changes, which commence on Monday, to explain some of my thinking that has informed the moves being made.

My primary responsibility at this time is to increase KPFK’s audience; and I feel this is an urgent need. KPFK has the most powerful FM signal in Southern California ; and I believe, because of KPFK’s uniquely humane mission, it is the most important media outlet in the region. Yet, all evidence suggests that few people even know about the station, and very few are listening. This has to change.

In order to achieve this, I will be taking what in my mind are some drastic measures. I will be introducing three new “stripped” shows on the week-day grid at prime hours: 7am, 5pm, and Noon (which will be shifting to a new 10am public affairs slot in three weeks). While all three of these stripped shows will actually be partial strips (i.e. not five days a week), I am doing this because every radio professional I’ve consulted with suggests that stripping popular programmers at key (previously un-stripped) hours is the quickest way to reverse the downward trend in listenership.

I want to be clear to the KPFK community that these moves – especially in the form they’re taking – runs counter to the vision of KPFK that I hope can be achieved in the coming years. But, as a measure to draw people to KPFK, I think they are necessary – and, unless KPFK increases its audience, the station is in serious jeopardy of having no future.

What I, personally, hope KPFK can evolve into is something that is both a journalistically responsible media outlet and a vibrant social center, a hub for the expression of the political, social, and cultural needs of the people of Southern California . I recognize that handing key stretches of programming over to a small handful of people will not achieve that. Therefore, I want to explain clearly to you how I plan to proceed.

If these moves prove spectacularly successful (e.g. a doubling of our audience at the stripped hours), at most what I will do is create one more mini-strip in February. If the success is more moderate, I will cut back the days of one of the new strips and try a talk-radio mini-strip in the 3pm hour. If they fail to build audience, it’s back to the drawing board.

If strip programming proves a success for KPFK (building audience, raising funds etc.), then I will work to make sure that the format evolves into a more participatory, community model than our current talk-shows. This will be achieved by having regularly appearing co-hosts and non-host segment producers on the stripped shows. In this manner, KPFK should be able to have many more people regularly producing on-air content, than is the case with the model of “one host for one hour” that is the standard for most of our current talk shows.

I very much believe in expanding the number of people regularly involved in producing content on KPFK, and following this round of programming changes, I will see to it that KPFK’s programming trends in that direction – if it doesn’t, I expect to be held accountable as iPD.

Lastly, I truly want to hear from as many people as possible about the direction they hope the station will take. There are 12 to 15 million people in the Southern California Metro Radio market – and given the strength of our signal, perhaps as many as 20 million people within our range – and that doesn’t even take into account the internet. Given the global significance of Southern California as one of the world’s greatest and most influential population centers – it’s not an overstatement to say that KPFK, which stands apart from every other media enterprise in SoCal, can profoundly influence the course of history. But what it will take, moving forward, is a clear sense and a solid dialogue about how to organize this station so that it truly serves the needs of the people of this region.

KPFK’s current situation requires immediate measures, and bold experimentation. While changes this sweeping understandably evoke apprehension, they also represent an opportunity for us to revitalize our programming and attract new audiences. I ask for your patience, participation, and insight as we proceed.

sincerely,

Alan Minsky
KPFK interim Program Director

WBAI’s new leadership leaves a trail of deception as they turn their back on community radio

2009-10-26T23:12:00.004-04:00

Since the takeover of radio station WBAI’s air waves led by a California-based invasion party from the Pacifica Foundation, WBAI’s parent organization, arbitrary program changes designed to appeal to a wider, whiter audience have been put into place by fiat. Although this newly imposed administration claims that it is going to increase community participation in WBAI’s daily broadcasts, their practice has been the direct opposite. Since the deceitful removal of the station manager, Anthony Riddle, and the callous firing of the program director, Bernard White, in May of this year, the new regime at WBAI has taken away a total of seven hours of locally based programming per week.

“Wakeup Call,” WBAI’s locally produced morning drive program— which is the station’s largest fundraiser and has arguably the largest listener base—has been reduced by an hour each day for a total of five hours per week. Inserted into the evacuated time slot is “Democracy Now,” a program that focuses on national and international issues. A collective of producers from sister station KPFK in California has been placed in the 10 a.m.-11 a.m. hour. All of these interlopers are white, predominantly male and spend their hours bantering with other white “experts,” pundits, politicians and pontificators about their particular view on issues of national and international import. Seldom will you hear the voice of a person of color and you will not hear a discussion about local issues from a local perspective.

“Under the Learning Tree,” hosted by Kamau Khalfani, an African American producer, was suspended by Interim Station Manager LaVarn Williams.I know from personal experience that for these usurpers, suspend and terminate has the same meaning when it comes to African American males. I’m certain that he will not be allowed to return to the airwaves. The reasons for Khalfani’s removal are outrageously unfair, but thus far, fairness has not been a hallmark of this regime. The elimination of his program constitutes the removal of a total of seven hours of locally produced, community-focused programming hours per week.

As a result of this and similar actions taken at KPFK in Los Angeles and WPFW in Washington, D.C., the goals of the new regime have become crystal clear. Over the last eight months, the Pacifica Foundation has terminated or removed eight producers and administrators, and all of them are male, African-Americans or Latinos. Programming produced by, for and about poor people in general, and people of color in particular, are being systematically decreased across the network to appeal to a richer, whiter audience.

The new management is now actively engaged in a pre-election propaganda campaign to make listeners feel that everything is great and to keep the “ACE” faction of the board in power. We have been told ad nauseum that the last two fund drives were an enormous success. This alleged success is being characterized as a positive listener response to recent management changes. However, on September 24 and 25, just two weeks after these two “whopping” successes, an “emergency” fund drive was held. In the days leading up to the drive, the rationale for conducting the drive kept shifting. First, it was going to be a three-day drive. Then it turned out to be a two-day drive. First, it was to raise $120,000.Then it was to get rid of “excess” stock in the premiums department. Then it was an end of year sale. Some of the producers leaked what appears to be the most credible explanation. They’ve said that the reason for going back to the well so soon was due to a lack of listeners fulfilling their recent pledges. I believe that the giggling and the incessant reports of success are merely a part of the pre-election propaganda campaign. In about two weeks, the new management will have to go into a full-fledged fund drive.This effort will last for at least three weeks. Will we be lied to about the outcome of that one too? Stay tuned.

There is, however, is an action subscribers can take to maintain WBAI as a diverse, progressive, community radio station. In this current board election, the Justice and Unity slate provides a departure from the lies, distortions and racism that has become the modus operandi of the new local board majority and the Pacifica Foundation. If listeners and WBAI producers continue to sit on the sidelines and not intervene quickly to put a stop to this race-based takeover with its neo-colonial face, then WBAI and Pacifica will soon be transformed into an entity that closely mirrors commercial media in both structure and content. Decision making will emanate from the top and people of color will have little opportunity for input. The ability of poor and marginalized people to tell their stories in their own voice will be severely diminished, and so will the relevance of Pacifica and WBAI.

Until next time: Stay Strong and Pay Close Attention,

BERNARD WHITE, former WBAI Program Director

For up-to-date information about this ongoing struggle to save community radio, visit: www.takebackwbai.org, www.takebackkpfk.org, www.wbixradio.org and www.bernardwhite.blogspot .com.

Steve Brown and His Propaganda Machine

2009-09-19T14:46:00.000-04:00

I know this might sound Andy Rooneyish but, I’ve always been skeptical about people who are so willing to put their picture on all of their documents. Since this is not a common practice I wonder what their motivation is. Hmmmm.

In past years, weeks before each of our fund drives, Steve Brown’s propaganda machine was geared up to send out emails and letters to his extensive address book of subscribers and listeners strongly suggesting to them that they should not support WBAI with their cash contributions. His methodology was the utilization of negative racial imagery and totally fabricated conversations and encounters designed to undermine listener confidence in WBAI and past Pacifica management. The ACE brochure is a continuation of his effort to manipulate reality and impose his will.

Over the past several months, the Steve Brown propaganda machine has been operating at full toxic speed. It seems that hardly a week goes by that he isn’t sending out an email or a letter with his face splattered on the front page. Even though he is not running in the present board election, his imprint is indelibly etched all over ACE’s literature. Any intelligent reader can clearly see that he is the one who controls this organization. He has brought to their presentation all of the subterfuge and deception that he uses in his business of marketing junk products that people don’t need and that often don’t work. (whoisstevebrown.info)

Stevie’s latest mailing is the ACE election brochure. It is a slick brochure replete with misstatements of facts, the use of images that give the impression of endorsements and also…his picture. Most of the people whose images he has attached to this document are there to give the impression that they endorse his slate of candidates. People like Harry Belafonte, Mumia Abu Jamal, Amy Goodman, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Alice Walker, Gore Vidal, etc were never asked about whether their images could be used in this fashion. Most of them don’t even know what ACE is. This is all being done to mislead the reader into believing that these individuals are all on board with Mr. Brown. An honest candidate with principles would not go along with the type of trickery. But then they wouldn’t be on Stevie’s slate. This slate is packed with individuals who are willing to acquiesce to Brown’s leadership and influence. Obviously, they cannot be trusted to stand up and insure adherence to the Pacifica Mission against reactionaries.

Speaking of reactionaries, Steve Brown and Grace Aaron constitute the present leadership of Pacifica. This is a marriage of East coast millions with West coast millions. They both share a common philosophy. They believe that Pacifica should be reshaped to appeal to a richer, wider, whiter audience. Their recent actions are a testimony to this assertion.

Take Forward WBAI is ACE and ACE is Take Forward WBAI. Take Forward WBAI’s brochure is also an obvious Brown product. It employs the same tactics that the ACE brochure uses. For instance, I knew Al Lewis and if one check’s with his widow, Karen, I am sure that she would tell you that Al and I were friends. I know that Al would not have sanctioned the use of his image on the Take Forward WBAI brochure. I know that his politics and beliefs were the antithesis of Take Forward WBAI. He would firmly denounce the overtly racist statements and associated behaviors that the leaders of this group have made over the years. This is a very nasty bunch.

Readers and voters should be outraged by the ACE group and Brown’s blatant attempt at manipulation. This is not the kind of leadership that WBAI needs or deserves. Whenever reading a document issued by Brown, make sure you read the small print first.

Until next time, Stay Strong and Pay Close Attention,
Bernard White
http://www.takebackwbai.org

Catching You Up

2009-09-19T13:55:00.000-04:00

Dear All,
For many of you, I have not been in any communication with you in quite some time but that doesn’t mean that I and the “Take Back WBAI Coalition” hasn’t been actively organizing in a concerted effort to return the autonomy and retain the community character of WBAI. Without having access to the air waves or a propaganda machine equivalent to that of Steve Brown getting the word out about what is actually happening to WBAI remains an arduous task. This communiqué reflects my perspective and analysis and will provide an update on recent events and activities. When you read this document you will have a good idea about what in fact are the realities that are emerging inside as well as outside the station.

UPDATES:
Take Back KPFK & WBIXradio.org:
On September 12th , I was in Los Angeles, California, the home of Grace Aaron, the chair of the Pacifica National Board and also the Interim Executive Director of Pacifica’s national office. Our sister station KPFK is located in Los Angeles. My reason for being there was to give solidarity and support to the “Take Back KPFK Coalition.” I participated in a public forum that addressed the issues affecting KPFK and WBAI resulting from the actions of the new national board majority led by Grace Aaron and Steve Brown. A group of concerned listeners producers and board members are protesting the redirection of KPFK’s programming away from the Pacifica mission and the heavy-handed, racist actions being taken against staff and producers.

Tim Wise was the keynote speaker at the forum. Thanks to the perseverance of Don Debar the entire program was streamed live over WBIXradio.org. It is very important that you hear what Tim had to say. He absolutely understands what is happening in Pacifica and points out its location in the broader context of what is happening in “progressive left” media. Tim has friends on both sides of this issue yet he has chosen to speak out against what is happening to the network. Either purchase a copy of Tim’s presentation from http://www.takebackwbai.org or visit http://www.wbixradio.org and see a streaming video of the entire forum. Tim Wise shares his profound understanding of the psycho-social dynamics at play in this recent takeover.

Fund Drives:
WBAI has had two fund drives since May of 2009. We are told that both fund drives were successful and that each exceeded their stated goal. I think we can believe that this is true for the first drive but I question the conclusion about the success of the second drive. For the first drive I believe that our listeners were responding to hype and fear that was created by Grace Aaron as she led us to believe that we were about to get evicted from 120 Wall St and that she got there just in time to stop it. Once this lie was told over and over our listeners became frightened and gave donations, many without asking for a premium. Even Michio Kaku just to name one producer went to the air waves without doing much investigation and reiterated Grace’s line in dramatic fashion. Remember after Errol Maitland read Anthony Riddle’s letter questioning Grace Aaron about her attempt to surreptitiously take over our transmitter in the middle of the night, Wakeup Call made $40,000 dollars without offering a single premium. Folks were scared that we were about to be taken over…once again, so they gave generously.

The second fund drive is a different story. First of all it is being posited as a sign of listener approval for the change in management. Many listeners are unaware that changes have been made and the reasons for making those changes. Secondly, I don’t believe that what we were told regarding the monetary success of the drive was totally true. The question that I have is, if the last drive was such an overwhelming success then why in the next few days is WBAI going back to the listeners to get an additional $120,000? This three day micro-drive has been scheduled with the full knowledge that in October there will be another full-fledged drive that will last for at least three weeks. It doesn’t make since given their pronouncements of success. They say it is designed to clear out inventory. If that is the case then why give a goal?

I think that there is a direct relationship to the budget. By this time last year Tony Riddle had already submitted at least five forcibly revised budgets. To date this crew has not submitted a budget for review. It’s hard to lie in the budget. Either the money is there or it’s not.

Program Changes ?
They call them pilots. They say that they are just temporary programs that will not necessarily lead to a permanent location in our schedule. Time will tell.

Over the past few weeks, the community focus of WBAI has been dealt a severe blow. Wakeup Call, whose primary focal point is on local events and issues, has lost 5 hours of air time, and Democracy Now, with its national and international focus has been relocated to the 8am-9am time slot, from 9am -10am. We have experienced the importation of a bevy of white, Californian producers from KPFK, mostly male, who are speaking to other white men and women about their perspectives on the rest of the world. This means that a total of 10 hours that could present issues of local concern have been reprogrammed. Now it can be clearly seen what I mean when I say that their real intention is to take community out of community radio. The new management and their collaborators are gradually removing the tri-state community out of community radio as they search for a richer, wider, whiter audience.

Simultaneously Steve Brown is pursuing his primary goal by paving the way to get Gary Null a Democracy Now type relationship with Pacifica. If that happens, and it will unless we stop it, Mr. Null will be imposed on all five stations. $$$$$$$

In conclusion, you and only you can do something about what is happening to Pacifica. Although there are a few producers with enough understanding and integrity to challenge the authoritarian rule of the new board majority, most of them consider themselves to be safe. It will not be until they are personally affected that they will be willing to stand up and fight. They know that some funky stuff has gone done but they are unwilling to stand up on principle. Therefore it is up to the listeners and a hand full of enlightened producers to fight this struggle. If we do not fight, Pacifica will be lost to a group of extremely narrow-minded individuals who will recreate the institution into their own image. The poor and the marginalized will have lost the last media institution that has as its mission the amplification of their pain and their experience.

Until next time, Stay Strong and Pay Close Attention,

Bernard White

http://www.takebackwbai.org

contact information

2009-09-06T02:17:00.002-04:00

takebackwbai@gmail.com