perhaps in the 70s wbai did not play music (which a 100 other stations provide) or have shows with a bunch of computer dudes sitting around and discussing the merits of eudora over even more obscure mailreaders or how to get hold of the domain verizonsmommaisfat.com, etc. my [somewhat stretched] claim would be that the dwindling audience of wbai is exactly because of "mainstream"ing or moving away from radical material. for example, they have a science program where scientists with large grants and powerful positions agree with each other (a radical station would question the enormous power wielded by science and scientists in society today, and not just those in the "other camp" - say missile defense). we do hear some radical positions, often incoherent ones, which might justify the call to more rigorous thinking instead of knee-jerk contrarianism. however, that denies that rigorous radicalism is possible and relevant, as if somehow some approximate common ground has already been reached. perhaps the listeners who tune out of wbai do not agree, being repulsed either by mainstream views, incoherent radicalism or music...
--ravi