Dear WBAI Family,

Yes, you did it, AGAIN! 

93% of voting WBAI listeners and 99% of staff said “No” to the proposed bylaw changes along with 80% of WPFW listeners and 90% of staff, thereby saving Pacifica’s member-democracy.

Bylaw revisions are needed and we want you involved. But know too that the thinking reflected in the October 2019 lockout and bad referenda of 2020 and 2021 is not gone. We need quick operational improvement and a strong community-connected Local Station Board. We are counting on you who hit the streets and raise your voice against racism and other injustices to make this a reality because WBAI must remain a place where speaking truth to power is the norm!

The WBAI Justice and Unity Campaign is a multicultural coalition of activists in the tri-state area. We fight to keep radical community focused programs from and by oppressed communities on the air, and we raise funds and build listenership and membership for the station.

We will advocate for anti-racist and sexual harassment training for all Pacifica board members and all Paid and Unpaid staff. J & U also supports board training for all of Pacifica so that differences can be addressed productively.

Justice and Unity candidates bring their knowledge and experience with different populations to the fulfillment of the Pacifica mission of increasing understanding. Please vote for us in the following order to maximize your vote and increase our chances of joining the Board:

• Errol Maitland: former “Wake Up Call” producer & “Democracy Now!” engineer – 1

• Hazel Pinder: retired teacher, member of CEMOTAP & UNIA – 2

• Geoff Munroe (Bounubti Kamenthou): Westchester community & media activist – 3

• John Brinkley: Plainfield, NJ activist, Frontiers Int’l, People’s Org. for Progress – 4

• Harriet Hines: Brooklyn-based disability rights activist, African Graves Matter – 5

• Sarah Klepner: NJ organizer re. environment & human rights; adult educator – 6

• Cerene Roberts: WBAI enthusiast, organizer – 7

• Kim Ives: filmmaker and journalist, English-language editor Haiti Liberté – 8

Your referendum votes preserved governing local boards. With teeth and oversight.

Justice & Unity is committed to helping actualize WBAI’s potential through respect for the listeners who love and support the station, support for the staff who work hard, firm demands for management accountability and transparency, and insistence on establishment of clear operational policies and procedures so time is not wasted on constantly reinventing the wheel.

WBAI should open up to different ways of operating, including, for example:

• Partnering: Community access TV (BCAT, BronxNet, MNN, QPTV, SICTV) is in every home with cable. “Our Time Press” and other community publications

• Really use social media: Public college technology and communications classes can adopt our Music & Arts, Public Affairs and Live programs as projects

• Vary delivery platforms: Topical segments, podcasts, graphics and videos can promote programming and link us to those working in various fields

• Work with students of all ages in public schools and colleges: Plan for longevity by bringing in the next generation of Pacifica thinkers and workers. Learn from them.

• Invest in NYCHA…this city-within-a-city: Increased density by infill. Holding empty units? How does the city take away children because of conditions in city-owned housing?

• Virtual neighborhood listening groups can strengthen connections. List our programs as “FREE” everywhere…utility bill inserts, public access, event publications, sidewalk kiosks

• Engage with listeners: Use surveys. Take calls. Get instant feedback: Bob Fass would say call if you can hear me, but there’s also Twitter, texts, Facebook, Instagram, and more

You don’t have to be wealthy to leave a legacy. WBAI should be a marketplace of ideas, not a supermarket. Relentless pitching is exhausting for staff and listeners. Management should:

• Encourage adding the station as a beneficiary on life insurance policies

• Solicit gifts and bequests both for general purposes and for special projects

• Rethink the Shopping Network: The programs, not the goodies, are the “product”.
  Premiums that are not promotional – hats, cups, etc. – or not related to our programming should be sharply reduced.

• Give programs target dollar goals and the opportunity to raise those amounts between on-air pitching and approved off-air events. Such amounts raised would offset the current weekly and monthly preemptions that alienate the audience.

We do not want the station to remain a well-kept secret. We want everybody and their momma to know what we do and to join in. As usual in these elections, we are outspent by deep pockets. The way we’ll win a majority on the board is for you to vote for our candidates instead of sitting out the election.

In Loving Struggle,
Ralph Poynter & Sharonne Salaam