Seattle on Pacifica

[John Halle]

> 
> 
> On Fri, 10 Dec 1999, Doug Henwood wrote:
> 
> > Max Sawicky wrote:
> > 
> > >. . .
> > >My local affiliate (WBAI) did not acquit itself well in its Seattle
> > >coverage. The nadir was reached on Tuesday afternoon:  As demonstrators
> > >were being gassed and beaten, the drive-time call in show featured a two
> > >hour interview with an executive of an internet firm holding forth on the
> > >new vistas for minorities in the hi-tech economy. . . .
> > >
> > >I tuned into our own Pacifica affiliate Tuesday, WPFW,
> > >as well during afternoon drive time.  They had their
> > >regular non-political programming, w/no mention of
> > >Seattle.
> > 
> > Because of internal Pacifica nonsense, the other 4 stations 
> > apparently refused to pick up the RadioNation coverage, which ran in 
> > Marc Cooper's regular 4-5 PM KPFK timeslot. That would have been 7-8 
> > PM in the east, but still well worth it. Much of it will soon be up 
> > on the Nation's website in RealAudio format.
> > 
> 
> 
> Well the only Pacifica station more pathetic than WPFW is
> Houston's KPFT.  I'm sure there was never any question that KPFT
> was going to run the series as they have decided to become the
> yuppie music service.  The same damn music, by the same damn
> artists 20 hrs/day.
> 
> WPFW has now dropped CounterSpin completely, rather than just
> censoring it when Pacifica is mentioned.  I'll look forward to
> hearing Doug and John's coverage on the 'net, but I find in
> increasing difficult to listen to Marc Cooper at all (not that I
> have an option to -- KPFT dropped RadioNation some time ago).

So I return to the original question.  If the local stations are dominated
by yuppies and wankers why the howls of protest from Herman, Albert,
Cockburn, Normon Solomon, et. al. when Pacifica tried to impose national
programming such as Democracy Now on the local stations? It seems the
locals are plenty NPRized already.

John Halle
Assistant Professor of Music
Yale University

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