> No, media control was not the key issue, or else Pacifica
> could be calling out mass rallies in New York, LA, New York,
> DC and San Francisco every
> weekend.
I am basically with you on this, except the above. Pacifica cannot have any mass appeal not because of being a mass medium, but because of being run for the most part by a bunch of sectarian loons who wallow in their "alternativeness" and do not care how they are perceived by the mainstream population. The idea of unions buying Pacifica was to turn this valuable medium from narcissistic exaltations in irrelevance into one appealing to broad sections of the population (a la European labor-leaning media e.g. the Guardian). Better yet, buying a regular commercial station and turning it into a labor-friendly medium has the advantage of a name brand not being tainted by the Pacifica-style esoterism.
I was making this point on this listserv time and again but I will reiterate - the conspicuous presence of labor-friendly media that appeal to broad segments of the US population is crucial for stopping the business-run media blitzkrieg that is currently drowning all but the pro-business and right wing perspectives. The Trot- or campus-radical run newsletters simply won't do, won't even make a dent.
Wojtek