William Heerwagen – Candidate Statement and Questionnaire

william@justiceunity.org

I’m running for the Local Station Board with the Justice & Unity Campaign (www.justiceunity.org).

Here is the under-reported story of Pacifica’s financial and moral crisis. Four-plus years of the “ACE/Independents”-affiliated LSB majority and their national allies have meant:

firing and hiring staff in defiance of personnel and union rules
not honoring unpaid staff contract, violating paid staff agreement
banning dissenting staff and listeners without explanation
hiring WBAI manager (friend of ACE majority) with no media experience
hiring national Chief Financial Officer (ACE ally) who cannot produce timely or accurate financial statements, “managing” us into two audits reporting Pacifica “may not be able to continue as a going concern”
evading, for three years, mandated twice-annual town hall meetings

Partial chronology:

March 2008: ACEists win LSB control after being sanctioned for deceptive election tactics.

May 2009: Pacifica’s top manager replaces station manager Tony Riddle with Pacifica CFO LaVarn Williams, who fires Program Director Bernard White without process, replacing him with Tony Bates of Los Angeles.

June 2009: Williams and Bates slash “Wake Up Call” by an hour, abbreviating coverage of important community issues, and import programming from California.

Sept. 2009: At LSB meeting, ACE LSB member Seth Goldberg pulls chair from under a listener. The late Kamau Khalfani protests; he and all associated with his show “Under the Learning Tree” are banned. (Goldberg received no reprimand, ran unsuccessfully in 2010, and as runner-up was recently re-seated on LSB.)

Summer 2010: The late Louis Reyes Rivera and I run for LSB as staff reps. My candidacy is not allowed because I had been “suspended” for rebroadcasting some of this history. Despite severe censorship of his candidate statement, Louis is first runner-up. Months later, his show “Perspective” is cancelled.

Nov. 2010: Bates guts programming grid without consulting Program Council. Many valuable shows are marginalized, reduced, or forced out. 55 producers sign protest petition.

These changes have not worked the promised magic. The chronic deficit, seriously under-reported by excluding unpaid fees to Pacifica, continues apace. At this rate, one or two Pacifica stations may end up in the hands of wealthy LSB members and radio hosts.

I am a father of two, grandfather of two, lover of jazz, and supporter of movements against racism and war. I have accounting, auditing, and computer-programming knowledge to address the current lack of financial understanding and reporting. I’ve served on the LSB Finance Committee for six years, correcting budget errors and challenging unrealistic assumptions. I’ll work for clear policies and procedures, prudent financial planning, and a return to honoring staff contracts, and will hold WBAI and Pacifica accountable to Pacifica Mission.

Let’s keep WBAI from the circling vultures.

Please vote for the Justice & Unity slate (endorsed by People’s Organization for Progress and ACT UP, among others) in this order:

1. Father Luis Barrios
2. Cerene Roberts
3. William Heerwagen
4. Sharonne Salaam
5. Russell Dale
6. Carlos Canales
7. Diana Crowder
8. Shahid Comrade
9. Ebon Charles
10. Eugene Hamond

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Answers to Candidate Questionnaire

1.    In what ways is your station moving in a positive direction, that you would want to continue or perhaps improve?

Programming: I am happy that after Bernard White had economist Richard Wolff on the radio in 2008, Mr. Wolff was apparently able to follow through on the offer to become a program host once Mr. Wolff’s work and schedule permitted. “Economic Update” on Saturdays is certainly a far cry from the pabulum heard elsewhere. Informed potential producers are out there. It just takes creative people to find them.

When the Unpaid Staff Organizing Committee Contract is again recognized (current management has unilaterally abrogated it), WBAI will again have its mandated Program Council. This Council will at least have a chance to return some producers’ input to program changes/development. None of the program changes in the last three years have followed any process.

2.    In what ways is your station moving in a negative direction, that you would want to stop or
change? What changes would you work for?

Finances: Management states that finances are on a good trend. This summer, the GM actually said on the air, “WBAI is alive and well.” Yet WBAI is in serious debt, and not only for rent and other things: the station has not been able to make its full contribution to the National Office and the Pacifica National Archives for several years. Per an 8/11/12 Income Statement, for this fiscal year ending 9/30/12 WBAI will have a Net Loss of $264,125 not including $262,692 not contributed, but owed, to Pacifica. Add up those two figures and WBAI’s real Operating Loss this year is projected to be $526,817. Last year WBAI’s audited Net Loss was $731,670 and Pacifica’s was $517,357. Clearly WBAI is the problem. To fix it we must be honest with ourselves. Of course we need more revenue, but we need to cut expenses. Moving from Wall Street must and can be done. We can find temporary quarters for less than the $380,400 budgeted as rent for next year.

3.    What key experience, connections, skills or traits would you bring to the Local Station Board to advance the station’s mission?

My accounting, auditing, and computer experience will help clarify the station’s financial condition. I’ve served on the LSB Finance Committee for six years. My knowledge of the Pacifica Bylaws and Robert’s Rules of Order equip me to try to eliminate some of the unfair rulings and processes that I’ve observed as an audience member at meetings of the Pacifica National Board, the WBAI Local Station Board, and their committees.

Honesty. Integrity. If we leveled with and listened to the listener/supporters and others, I suspect WBAI could raise a couple of hundred thousand dollars or more for a temporary move, with any leftover put toward a capital campaign. The million-plus amount floated by others is for a move to permanent, full-scale facilities. WBAI could move to smaller quarters temporarily pending a serious capital campaign and search for a new (state-of-the-art equipped) home owned by the station – possibly in collaboration with other progressive organizations.

4.    What ideas do you have for helping the station and the Pacifica Foundation meet the financial challenges currently being faced?

The program changes made over the last three years were not the solution. Funding has not increased such that WBAI can pay its huge debts. Moving away from community-oriented radio has not helped. Program changes must follow established rules. Look for/develop community-oriented shows and restore time cut from many shows. Create the kinds of shows that should be WBAI’s bread and butter: local community, live radio. Better programs, more listeners, more members, voila — more funding.

The key is “What is “better”? Know the audience. Encourage producers to look for meaningful, ethical thank-you gifts for listener donations. Ignore/minimize Arbitron ratings. The newer Arbitron People Meter is known to ignore communities of color. The use of Arbitrons can become an enabler of racist practices in programming changes. The driving force for such decisions needs to be the Pacifica mission and the needs of communities for accurate, uncensored information and analysis.