[lbo-talk] WBAI in action

[Joseph Wanzala]

KPFA's original goal was $1m and the fund drive had to be extended for two 
days. If KPFA continues down the same path, it will end up like WBAI. That 
is to say, the main problem at WBAI is not that they are fond of using 
anti-official-story-of-9-11 material during pledge drives, but that the 
station management is corrupt. Likewise, the trend at KPFA to set ever 
higher fund-drive goals to sustain a bloated budget is foolish. I am 
disappointed to see that Doug would seek to conflate these issues when he 
knows the nature of the problem as well as I do. Rather than have people 
understand the nature of the crisis at WBAI, it seems Doug would rather use 
it as a premise for yet another round of gratuitous conspiracy bashing on 
this list.

In fact, anti-official-story-of-9-11 material is also a fund drive staple at 
KPFK and KPFA - and this has been increasingly the case since the event. 
Gun's & Butter, the only KPFA program that deals with that material on a 
regular basis, raised $20,000 in one hour! during the fund drive.  The 
show's host, Bonnie Faulkner, was specially asked by the development and 
public affairs directors to do an extra day of fund raising - not because 
they care for the material, indeed they are as allergic to it, as most 
lbo-listers - this however did not dull their sense of enlightened 
self-interest when they decided to run more 'conspiracy stuff' in order to 
raise money - because they know the audience 'laps it up'.

which is really the main problem - the *need* to raise more money: it is a 
problem at KPFA and at WBAI, and it is a dangerous trend. Both stations, and 
the Pacifica National Office need to reign in their budgets and reduce the 
overhead. Such statements are disingenously dismissed by key KPFA staff as 
'union-busting'.

During the KPFA fund drive many program hosts stooped to new lows in terms 
of the battery of alarmist and downright mendacious exhortations that were 
brought to bear upon the listeners (paraphrasing) : "if you don't send in 
money we won't be able to pay the mortgage on the building" (note: in fact 
the mortgage is paid off), or, "our electric bill will be cut off tomorrow 
and we'll be off the air" etc. These have been commented upon widely by 
listeners who happen to know what is actually going on at the station.

I'd just prefer that we are clear what we are talking about.

Joe W.
(incidentally, a member of the KPFA Local Station Board)

p.s. apart from WBAI, it would also seem that the readers of In These Times 
are also losing their minds:- 
http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/discuss/2444/

We must speak the truth about terror. Let us never tolerate outrageous 
conspiracy theories concerning the attacks of September the 11th; malicious 
lies that attempt to shift the blame away from the terrorists, themselves, 
away from the guilty. To inflame ethnic hatred is to advance the cause of 
terror.  - George Bush speaking at the United Nations on November 10, 2001.


>From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
>Reply-To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
>To: lbo-talk <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org>
>Subject: [lbo-talk] WBAI in action
>Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2006 12:57:53 -0500
>
>Watch WBAI program director Bernard White and some colleagues flog a 9/11 
>conspiracy video in the final hours of the winter fund drive: 
><http://www.regionalroundup.org/video/BAI030406.rm>.
>
>The drive, originally scheduled for 21 days, was extended by 4 days, 
>because it was about 25% short of its $950,000 goal at the original 
>concluding date. KPFA raised $975,000 in 18 days, and WFMU is in the midst 
>of a 14-day fundraiser that will probably raise about $800,000.
>
>Doug
>___________________________________
>http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk