For the past year, WBAI Radio, 99.5 FM, one of the five Pacifica Network stations, has been under attack by the Pacifica National Board majority and the WBAI Local Station Board majority. In May 2009, without any due process, Pacifica summarily fired WBAI’s Program Director (and longtime Black community activist) Bernard White, and removed its General Manager, Tony Riddle. Exploiting the station’s financial crisis, Pacifica began implementing a long-term plan to impose its own brand of programming – removing community self-determination programs, particularly those by and for the Black community.
The National Board majority wants to change programming to fashion a “wider” (read “whiter”) appeal to those with more money. Local programming is being replaced by imported programs (some of it with backward, pro-war politics), and the network is eroding its longstanding commitment to airing hard-hitting voices of truth and resistance.
Since January 2009, Pacifica has terminated or forced out 8 managers and senior staff – all of them Black or Latino – throughout the network. Meanwhile, although the stated reason for removing WBAI management was the station’s large deficit, a year later that deficit is worse, and early claims of big revenue gains have proven false. In fact, earlier this year the station was three months behind in its studio rent and two months behind in its transmitter rent.
Last year, as courageous programmers began airing and speaking out against these actions, Pacifica imposed a gag rule. Dissenting on-air voices have been censored, suspended, removed, forced out, and in some cases barred from the airwaves and the studio without any due process. In 2009, producers Ayo Harrington, Kamau Khalfani, Cerene Roberts, and Sheila Hamanaka were banned and Don DeBar was removed. This year, William Heerwagen has been suspended, Bill diFazio has been censored, and the entire Community Bulletin Board collective resigned rather than submit to censorship (after they included a forum on Black media at which Bernard White was a speaker). Pacifica’s Executive Director since last December, Arlene Englehardt, has proposed tightening the gag rule. Meanwhile, WBAI’s ever-changing Interim General Managers have continued union-busting tactics, refusing to recognize the union contract with the Unpaid Staff Organizing Committee and refusing to respond to the numerous grievances filed.
With your help, the WBAI Justice and Unity Campaign, a diverse coalition of activist listeners and staff, can return the station to its rightful role as a listener-sponsored, truly independent media outlet that serves vital progressive communities across all race, class, and color lines.
WE NEED YOUR HELP! * FIGHT BACK!
In order to reverse these destructive changes, we must take back
the Local Station Board majority for the Justice & Unity Campaign.
If you became a WBAI member (or renewed) between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, you should get a ballot mailed to you in late August. Sign up for the Justice & Unity email list so we can give information on our slate of candidates for the board: send an email to info@justiceunity.org.
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Stay updated with:
WBAI JUSTICE AND UNITY CAMPAIGN:
http://www.justiceunity.org * 212-591-2111 * info@justiceunity.org
Coalition To Take Back WBAI
Join weekly organizing meetings * 212-561-7231
www.takebackwbai.org * www.facebook.com/takebackwbai * info@takebackwbai.org
Also check out:
www.WBAIX.org (WBAI in Exile Internet radio)
http://www.bernardwhite.blogspot.com
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