On Nov 24, 2006, at 12:07 PM, Auguste Blanqui wrote:
> Not that a great a piece, but does contain some info on the station
> finances. The author claims to have seen the listenership figures,
> says they're really down, but doesn't get much more precise than
> that. (Do they share that with you, Doug?)
>
> I have to admit I don't listen at all other than for Doug, the FAIR
> show, and Democracy Now. I think the station would do so much
> better with more shows like that. Seems like everything outside of
> them is increasingly on that HIV/AIDS conspiracy-to-9/11 Truth-to
> vulgar nationalism continuum.
It's all true. Listenership is down - according to the Arbitrons by 20-40% over the last few years (depending on what time period you're looking - the figures aren't seasonally adjusted, and there seems to be some seasonality in them). Fundraising is also way down - WBAI pulls in a third less than KPFA per day of pitching, despite the NY metro area being three times as populous as the Bay Area. It would be indiscreet for me to comment on the programming. But the governance structure is a mess, and the faction fights (heavily racialized in embarrassing and stupid ways) are horrible. Things are pretty dire in just about every respect - though the dreaded Justice and Unity Coalition (which is allied with present management, and uses the charge of "racism" to denounce any critics) lost some seats on the local board in the latest election, so there are some semi-hopeful signs.
Doug