Urgent: Don’t Secretly Rush to Lease Away WBAI’s Broadcast Signal

1. Decision on Leasing Away WBAI May Be Imminent
2. Open Letter to Pacifica Community on Leasing of WBAI's Broadcast Signal
3. Director/Morning Host on Reported WBAI Bidder WFMU Features Consistent Pro-Israeli-Government Programming

Please sign the petition if you have not done so, and urge your friends and colleagues to do the same:
Pacifica National Board: Don't Secretly Rush to Lease Away WBAI's Broadcast Signal – go to http://www.change.org/petitions/pacifica-national-board-don-t-secretly-rush-to-lease-away-wbai-s-broadcast-signal
(Note: The words "Secretly Rush to" have been added to the petition title for clarity. There are no changes in the rest of the petition.)

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1. Decision on Leasing Away WBAI May Be Imminent

To solve WBAI's financial crisis, the Pacifica National Board is reportedly considering leasing WBAI to another organization, and making the decision in a secret meeting. Interim Program Director Andrew Phillips has confirmed that a Local Management Agreement (LMA) is under consideration for WBAI. According to an official report-out from the Board's Sept. 25 executive session, "The PNB met in closed session…and discussed structural management and programming options for WBAI." The Pacifica calendar shows that another closed meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 3.

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2. Open Letter to Pacifica Community on Leasing of WBAI's Broadcast Signal

With our petition – Pacifica National Board: Don't Secretly Rush to Lease Away WBAI's Broadcast Signal – we are insisting that they should not take such drastic action – which would mean losing WBAI's input into program decision-making, and depending on the lessee chosen, could be devastating to serving Pacifica's mission – rather than first fully trying effective fundraising methods. And the National Board absolutely must not make any such decision in a secretive manner without input from listeners and staff. This is also the position taken by the WBAI Local Station Board's Finance Committee on September 25.

We believe that the fundraising methods proposed by the WBAI Finance Committee should be applied quickly, since the station is so drastically short of cash. A national on-air fundraiser and a local mailer/e-mailer to WBAI's entire database can and should be done within a couple of weeks.

If after exhausting these fundraising possibilities, there is no alternative to a lease, the Pacifica National Board must publicly consult with the WBAI LSB to develop a set of principles/criteria by which any lease proposal would be evaluated. These should include compliance with Pacifica’s mission, maintenance of significant amount of current WBAI local public-affairs programming, ample opportunities for audience participation, financial viability, and multi-media potential, among others. Also, a key requirement should be that any lease term must return control of WBAI in the shortest possible time.

We also want to make clear that we are firmly opposed to any possible signal swap. We cannot support any arrangement that would reduce the range and potential listenership of WBAI’s signal. Furthermore, if that is under consideration, under the Pacifica bylaws, such a decision must first be put to a vote by the WBAI membership.

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3. Director/Morning Host on Reported WBAI Bidder WFMU Features Consistent Pro-Israeli-Government Programming

Based on an Internet search, there is very alarming information about a Director of Auricle Communications, one of the entities reportedly being recommended by Pacifica’s Interim Executive Director, Summer Reese, to be granted a Local Management Agreement for WBAI. WFMU-FM (http://www.wfmu.org), a Jersey City station owned by Auricle, mostly plays music and offers no regular news broadcast. That Director, Nachum Segel, who (according to Auricle’s IRS 990 form) receives a salary, hosts a daily drive-time show called “JM [Jewish Moments] in the AM” (http://jmintheam.org). According to archived programs, Segel has repeatedly aired uncritical interviews with Israeli government officials and supporters, justifying the policies of occupation, war and repression. Such programming is clearly contrary to the Pacifica mission of promoting peace and justice.