Free Speech Peril!- A Group On The West Coast Is Declaring War on Pacifica And WBAI . . And On Democracy
To All Library Defenders-
Here is something that’s still in draft because we are still working on it, but it will inform you about urgent matters nonetheless. One reason it's in draft is because the WBAI Local Station Board still needs to pass the included resolution.
If you believe in free speech and want to be able to continue to access narratives that are alternative to the propaganda the corporately owned mainstream press pumps out, we hope this will encourage you to take action, including that you and others become WBAI members (a mere $25) by April 7th.
We think you'll find the scenario reported on below familiar. Powerful interests are working to shrink our libraries, where we get our information, and to eliminate the books; Let's not let them succeed in this parallel effort to take away free speech radio and the information and insight it provides.
Should the Pacifica Free Speech Radio network be at war with itself? It’s a self-destructive course when it is. But that’s exactly what seems to have happened. The union of five free speech stations through the Pacifica network was meant to be a strengthening measure providing cross support between the stations . .
. . . But now it seems that there is a faction at the Pacifica stations on the West Coast that wants to declare war on the Pacifica stations on the East Coast and particularly New York City’s WBAI. (WBAI is New York’s only true listener supported public radios station.) Especially considering the history of some of the actors involved in this attack, the so-called “New Day Pacifica,” proposals to strip democracy and listener accountability out of Pacifica’s bylaws, it does not seem as if that faction has the best interest of Pacifica at heart.
Do the attackers want to dismantle the Pacifica network and WBAI because they want to see free speech radio, radio for the 99.5% (WBAI is 99.5 FM on the dial in NYC) dismantled entirely?. . . .
. . . Or, do the attackers want to dismantle the Pacifica network and WBAI because they want to refashion it, do a make over so that all the stations broadcast content that falls in line with dominant, power-serving narratives pumped out by the corporate mainstream press, be it the divisive corporate “Red Broadcasting” by Fox, or the divisive corporate “Blue Broadcasting” by the likes of MSNBC.
In either case, such dismantling and destruction of Pacifica and WBAI would neutralize the threat that free speech and listener accountability pose to establishment power structures.
WBAI just aired a two-hour program to inform its listeners of the nefarious “New Day Pacifica" plans afoot. You can find it to listen to here: “The Democracy Project,” March 6, 2021. . . (Because of the rules applicable when proposed Pacifica bylaw changes are to be voted on, WBAI is now in a period where WBAI has to be silent, neutral and unable to inform its listeners about the bylaws, but this program, predating the election period, can still be listened to on WBAI’s archive.)
Very worth listening to for understanding the overall context of obvious
concerns is the stage-setting introduction for the program Johanna
Fernandez, host of WBAI’s morning program, “A New Day.”
(Did “New Day Pacifica” intend to be stealing the name of Johanna’s
morning show for “good will” confusion purposes?: Some people think
so.) Her introduction starts at 5:10 in the recording.
In her opening Johanna Fernandez makes a very good case that the “New Day Pacifica” proposals should be seen in an overall context of neoliberal privatizing takeover and shutdown of the free press.
Perhaps most important to listen to in that broadcast is former Pacifica
board Chair Grace Aaron’s exceptionally clear technical description of
the proposals that the New Day Pacifica proponents are trying to foist
on the listener members of WBAI and Pacifica. Grace Aaron names names
in saying who the New Day Pacifica are and why all their actions, past
and present, ensure these people and their motives are to be suspected.
(Her statement starts at 16:05 in the recording.)
As Grace makes clear, the proposals are designed to be an undemocratic and racially skewing dictatorial power grab by an elite minority with conflicts of interest that would shut out from representation the blacker, browner, more progressive East Coast Stations (WBAI and WPFW). If these bylaw changes are approved they would establish locked-in leadership over Pacifica for three years by four self-appointed officers, including a Chair, Sharon Kyle, who may have a direct conflict of interest as she is the owner of the LA Progressive, an online, for-profit newspaper. Although there would be one representative on the new board from WBAI and one from WPFW (our Washington, D.C. station). stations would be locked out of the 4 officer positions and would have fewer board members overall than the West Coast stations for 3 years. WBAI and WPFW are Pacifica’s blacker, browner and more progressive stations. Also, none of the 4 board officers would be from the staff or Pacifica’s affiliate stations. The locked in structure would ensure minority opinion would have very little representation or voice.
The changes would also eliminate local control and influence over local station broadcasting by taking away the LSB oversight over station general managers. Thus programing in New York City and Washington D.C. would be effectively determined top-down by those seizing power on the West Coast. What could/would result?: During the October 2019 shutdown of WBAI these same people pumped into NYC programming from California that was innocuously bland, dull. It was unthreatening to power and devoid of any sense of locality.
There is other insidious stuff tucked into the proposals like rejiggering staff representation rules to further lock in this West Coast Pacifica faction dominance.
The proposals would do absolutely nothing to improve Pacifica’s financial condition. Instead, having to deal with proposals like these worsen it. These now recurring launches by the same people to make different kinds of overhauling changes to the bylaws are probably intended as attempt to drain Pacifica’s preciously spare resources (including possible forcing a bankruptcy of Pacifica) and foment perpetual debilitating distraction, as much as they are actually in hope of successfully making any such changes.
How do we fend off this attack?: By April 7th, WBAI needs to make sure that it has as many listener members ready and qualified to vote on on the upcoming bylaw referendum as possible. That means that listeners should have contributed at least $25 or more within the year to the station. One way to do that immediately (if someone is not currently up-to-date as a listener member) is to immediately become a member of WBAI as a BAI Buddy supporting the station or a show for $10 a month or more and then make up the extra with a one time donation (of $15 more more extra dollars?).
Another way to help win this fight is for WBAI supporters to make sure that two of their friends become WBAI members eligible to vote by April 7th. If ever WBAI member got two friends to do that by April 7th WBAI member would more than double. (plus it means a lot for people to be listening to WBAI and telling others about the cool and fascinating stuff they heard the there.)
And another quick stop for anyone, is to also sign (and pass along) the petition opposing the proposed bylaw changes up at The Democracy Project.
Here is the resolution that WBAI’s Local Station Board passed unanimously at its last meeting condemning the New Day Pacifica proposals:
Resolution of WBAI’s Local Station Board Finding That Proposed “New Day Pacifica” Bylaw Changes Will Be Extremely Destructive and Adverse To The Interests of Pacifica
Whereas, whenever proposals are made to fundamentally alter the structure of the Pacifica Foundation (“Pacifica”) it is essential to examine those proposals with care to determine whether such proposed changes would truly be helpful to Pacifica or would, instead, be detrimental and destructive;
Whereas, while it would be nice to assume that proposals to make fundamental changes to Pacifica are always made with good faith intentions to improve Pacifica, that is something that should never be assumed;
Whereas, Pacifica, as currently structured, stands ready to be a provider of truth, facts, factual corrections, and alternative narratives that pose a significant threat to the dominating narratives of the monopolistic, corporate, mainstream press that serve power structures that seek to quash and censor opposition, and, as such, we must be on guard against those entering the Pacifica environment that, whatever their pretenses, choose to be destructive and disruptive to Pacifica;
Whereas, we have to be aware that Pacifica and its terrestrial radio stations are an even more obvious target for attack by these powerful interests, because unlike the internet sources of news, information and communication, terrestrial radio cannot be as easily shut down, censored, silenced, manipulated, monitored and surveiled as is becoming increasingly evident as a problem with respect to the internet;
Whereas, we, as WBAI’s Local Station Board (“LSB”) do not want to see Pacifica destroyed by being driven into bankruptcy or by being dismantled and reconstructed as another arm of the corporate owned and corporately captured press and media conglomerates (for instance becoming a corporate Democrat “blue broadcaster” such as some of the corporately-owned cable channels);
Whereas, our LSB believes that WBAI is one of Pacifica’s most progressive stations, successful in steering away from the traps of corporately captured and promulgated narratives and that its independence, voice, and ability to continue to be this way should be protected and preserved;
Whereas, the best way to ensure that Pacifica fends off destruction and/or neutering of its ability to be a strong, free-speech source of alternative narratives that serve the public interest and intellectual freedoms is for Pacifica and its stations to remain democratically accountable to its listeners;
Whereas, the LSB has reviewed, and is alarmed in the extreme by, the “New Day Pacifica” proposals to change the bylaws seeing that they will be detrimental and disruptive to the essential purposes of Pacifica for all of the above reasons; and
Whereas, the LSB therefore wishes to set forth its condemnation of the “New Day Pacifica” proposals for reasons that include all of what we set forth below; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, by LSB as follows:
Section 1. The LSB condemns the “New Day Pacifica” proposals because:
A. The LSB emphatically notes that many of the people behind the push for the “New Day Pacifica” proposals are the very same people who were behind and involved in: i) the surreptitious, unauthorized, illegal, and costly shutdown of WBAI of October 2019, ii) the simultaneous secretly launched and roundly defeated (by a 2/3rds margin) last set of disruptively proposed, antidemocratic bylaw changes of that time that destructively drained Pacifica of $150,000 of its resources, and iii) advocating for shutting down WBAI.
B. The proposals are designed to be an undemocratic and racially skewing power grab by an elite minority with conflicts of interest that would shut out from representation the blacker, browner, more progressive East Coast Stations (WBAI and WPFW). To wit, the virtually complete erosions of democracy include:
• The bylaw changes would establish locked-in rule over Pacifica for three years by four unelected, self-appointed officers, including with conflict of interest connections to for-profit media. These individuals would have no professional radio experience. The lock-in would include officers hostile to and connected with the shutdown of WBAI. The individuals being picked for this lock-in of power do not include proper representation for WBAI or WPFW, the other East Coast station. None are from the staff or affiliate stations.
• Pacifica’s proportional voting representation ensuring a voice for minority opinion would be eliminated be reducing to one the number of representatives sent to Pacifica’s National Board from each station, thus ensuring that only the majority would have any representation or voice.
• To extend this elimination of elected voices the majority-representing national board members would get to appoint additional board members suitable to their more limited, undemocratic mind-set.
• The changes would eliminate local control and influence over local station broadcasting by taking away the LSB oversight over station general managers. Thus programing in New York City and Washington D.C. would be effectively determined top-down by those seizing power on the West Coast. As the example of the October 2019 shutdown of WBAI demonstrated, what these kinds of people chose to do the last time they had the opportunity to do this was to run programming that was innocuously bland, dull and unthreatening to power and devoid of any sense of locality.
• The changes would rejigger the staff representation rules in order to assure that the results of staff elections would always give the West Coast Pacifica stations assured dominance.
C. The proposals are additionally very suspect because they would do absolutely nothing to improve Pacifica’s financial condition, but presenting and having to deal with proposals like these absolutely worsen it. The recurring launches by the same people to make different kinds of overhauling changes to the bylaws are probably intended as attempt to drain Pacifica’s preciously spare resources (including possible forcing a bankruptcy of Pacifica) and foment perpetual debilitating distraction, as much as they are actually in hope of successfully making any such changes.
D. The proposals would make the Pacific bylaws far longer than they are now and far more complicated, a highly undesirable outcome.
Section 2. To defend against and repel this onslaught against listener interest, the LSB encourages WBAI listeners to increase their contributions to WBAI and Pacifica, and if they are not currently, to become current members of WBAI and Pacifica, particularly on or before April 7, 2021 (with a contribution of $25 or more), and to encourage everyone they know to do the same.
Section 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately and the LSB directs the LSB chair to forward this resolution to the Pacific National Board and make every effort to promulgate it widely for public view and to ensure it becomes widely known that the LSB denounces the “New Day Pacifica” proposals by reason of all the harm the proposal of those bylaw changes are apparently designed to inflict on Pacifica in its pursuit of its mission and particularly on WBAI.
If you want to know more history about when a lot of the same ““New Day Pacifica” people were involved in the surreptitious, unauthorized, illegal and costly October 2019 sut down of WBAI, you can find it here along with the resolution that the WBAI LSB unanimously adopted to condemn it then:
Resolution of WBAI’s Local Station Board Responding To Shutdown of WBAI New YorkOnce again- Fend off this attack as follows:
• By April 7th, help make sure WBAI has as many listener members ready and qualified to vote on on the upcoming bylaw referendum as possible. That means that listeners should have contributed at least $25 or more within the year to the station.
• Make sure your friends (at least two?) become WBAI members eligible to vote by April 7th.
• Sign (and pass along) the petition opposing the proposed bylaw changes up at The Democracy Project.