Despite hundreds of petition signatures urging her not to do it, and numerous rejected proposals from staff and listeners for off-air fundraising, on August 9, Pacifica’s Interim Executive Director Summer Reese announced massive layoffs – 75% of the paid staff – and large-scale programming changes. All the programmers and producers involved with WakeUp Call, Talk Back, and Five O’Clock Shadow, as well as the entire WBAI News Department (the most widely-listened-to programs), are among those whose jobs have been eliminated. Most of these shows will be replaced by prerecorded programs originating elsewhere, particularly California.
Also, Andrew Phillips, who, in May was put on leave and replaced as the Pacifica Berkeley station’s Interim General Manager, and who had been WBAI’s Program Director from 1989-93, has been installed as WBAI’s Interim Program Director to lead a wholesale makeover of our program schedule. In dumping most of the paid staff, the team of Reese, Phillips, and others not yet identified, has made changes to more than 30 hours of programming without any consultation with the staff or Local Station Board.
See "Read more" for list of:
WHO AND WHAT IS LEFT AT WBAI?
WHO AND WHAT IS LEFT AT WBAI?
Changes to Locally-Produced Programs
ABANDONED:
- Wake Up Call: Esther Armah, Felipe Luciano, and Sharan Louise Harper
- Talk Back: Hugh Hamilton
- Five O’Clock Shadow: Robert Knight*
- News: Jose Santiago, Andrea Sears, Rebecca Myles*, Sally O’Brien*, Barbara Day, and Linda Perry
* Retains unpaid show at other times.
UNPAID PROGRAMS THAT HAVE BEEN REMOVED/EXTENDED/MOVED and other curiosities on the new schedule:
- All Mixed Up: Peter Bochan – Scheduled for Mondays 10AM and Sundays 3AM (the latter replacing “Sister from Another Planet” with Andrea Clarke)
- As I Please: Simon Loekle – expanded to 2 hours (Sat. 6-8 AM)
- Counterspin: FAIR – moved from Sunday 6:30PM to Friday 6:30PM
- Democracy Now: Democracy Now Productions – rebroadcast at 3PM instead of “Talkback”
- La Voz Latina: Latino Collective – moved from Saturday 6AM to Sunday 6PM
FORMERLY PAID STAFF THAT STILL APPEAR ON THE SCHEDULE:
- Jordan Journal: Howard Jordan (No longer paid)
- Caldwell Chronicle: Earl Caldwell (No longer paid)
LAY-OFFS AMONG NON-PROGRAMMING STAFF:
- Public Affairs Director: Kathy Davis
- Engineers: Sidney Smith, Ken Gale
- Bookkeeper: Shawn Millwood
General Manager Berthold Reimers, Interim Development Director Andrea Katz, and engineers/announcers Ife Dancy and Michael G. Haskins have been retained. Some others’ work hours have been slashed.
(OVER)
California Imports
MULTI-DAY:
(Just like the 2009 imports that in 4 years never fundraised for WBAI, these imports have been placed in drive-time slots where listenership is highest.)
- Sojourner Truth: Margaret Prescod (from L.A. station KPFK)
- Letters and Politics: Mitch Jesserich (from Berkeley station KPFA)
- Background Briefing: Ian Masters – now 5 days instead of 2 (from L.A. station KPFK)
WEEKLY:
- Against The Grain: CS Soong & Sasha Lilley (from Berkeley station KPFA)
- Project Censored: Mickey Huff & Peter Phillips (from Berkeley station KPFA)
HYPOCRISY 101
Pacifica’s Interim Executive Director, Summer Reese:
- Repeatedly refused invitations to talk with listeners, beginning in late June.
- Delayed providing the union with requested information for months and never actually “negotiated” a thing. Would not budge from her position that all (paid) on-air staff had to be cut.
- Abruptly cancelled “negotiations” twice with SAG-AFTRA, waiting until almost the very end of the fund drive to drop the axe.
- Blamed her predecessors for everything, although for 3 years, she has been chair of the board that supervises national executives.
- Doesn’t see / won’t acknowledge the huge conflict of interest that exists in her chairing the board that allegedly supervises her.
- Shows disrespect and contempt for the WBAI staff and listeners by denying them an opportunity to say goodbye to each other, and crying while telling us so. After missing scheduled meetings with the union, she couldn’t allow for payment to each program host for one more day? Don’t the workers and members deserve that much?
JOIN THE FIGHT-BACK!
The Coalition to Save WBAI, composed of WBAI listeners and staff and several community organizations, has been meeting for weeks around the region to plan a fight-back effort. It meets every Tuesday evening. Come to the next organizing meeting:
Tues., Aug. 20, 7 PM at 60 Wall St. (east of William St.) – Atrium (lobby)
Trains: 2,3,4,5 to Wall St.
Please attend and plug in your ideas and energy.
WBAI Justice and Unity Campaign * www.justiceunity.org * (212) 591-2111
Join our low-traffic email list: write to info@justiceunity.org
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