Much fun and food was had by many at the large beautifully decorated union hall at 101 6th Avenue in lower Manhattan as the Concerned Friends of WBAI and the Pacifica Campaign commemorated the one year anniversary of the horrible WBAI "Christmas Coup" and celebrated the settlement of the 4 lawsuits against the so-called Pacifica National board.

photo by Frank - www.goodlight.net/wbai/

The event with it's hilarious (to loyal WBAI listeners) lengthy theatrical satire and speeches and ceremonies acknowledging the Fired and Banned and various Free-Pacifica activists was almost completely "New York/WBAI-centric." That is up until the end, when in the wee hours the thinned out crowd heard 3 articulate moving Keynote speeches that more completely addressed the spirit and focus of the Pacifica free speech radio movement.

Juan Gonzalez of the Pacifica Campaign was extremely optimistic and grateful for the efforts of the national movement. Interim PNB member Leslie Cagan clearly reiterated that this whole effort has not been primarily about the fired and banned or even WBAI, but the regaining of the national treasure that is The Pacifica Foundation, a fiercely progressive radio network. Amy Goodman's brief comments reinforced Leslie's statement and in addition clearly supported the upcoming introduction of democratic process to Pacifica.

It was certainly a magical evening. Most everyone was in a great mood. This was particularly evident as some gave into an urge to dance to splendid music the djs were spinning. (We could of used a bit more dance time!) The potluck was a huge success. Pacifica listeners sure know how to cook or at least shop for food. The organizers did an amazing job, especially considering this event was pulled together on relatively short notice. Many thanks to the folks at Local 32BJ of SEIU for their facilitating the use of their lovely space.

Much to do and keep on top of now. Stay tuned to www.wbai.net, all our sister sites and the message boards!

Roger M
wbai.net editor

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[ posted on the message board at: www.goodlight.net/wbai/]

RichieD.
Re:Dec 22nd Coup Anniversary Event
Sun Dec 23 03:16:10 2001

It was a marvelous night of food,fellowship,remembrance, celebration,entertainment,and detailed information concer- ning the post-settlement situation at Pacifica. Some BAI listeners attended the $50 a head event on the 22nd Floor of 101 Ave.of The Americas/6th Ave.SEIU Local 32BJ Union Hall while many more attended the $8-$15 potluck dinner on the ground floor between 5-7 PM. The food at the potluck dinner was varied and plentiful, with white linen tables and dual red/white wine setups at each table along with bottled water. The gathering was cordial and the energy was generally positive and optimistic though many seemed more than a little concerned about the full terms of the settlement. A great number of the fired and banned were present,many of whom participated in the satirical and generally funny "WBAI Bunker" theme material written by Janet Coleman,David Dozier,John McDonagh,and the irrepressible Cannibal of this board,among others.Robert Knight was the MC of the evening and carried on with his usual and delightful acerbic wit. There were also BAI themed Christmas singalongs,audience participation BAI Coup Trivia games with prizes awarded, taped commentaries from Pacifica dissident luminaries like Larry Bensky,and on-stage recognition of the fired and ban- ned both present and in spirit,including a candlelight re- membrance of the struggle both at WBAI and Networkwide. Juan Gonzalez and Leslie Cagan provided the detailed info concerning the Settlement and "The Work That Still Needs To Be Done"---Full Democratization of The Network,Restoration of Fiscal Responsibility,Local Station Autonomy,Revocation of The Gag Rule,The Return of The Banned and Fired,etc. The confab broke up at Midnight.By and Large,a good time appeared to be had by nearly all 1000 strong in attendance.

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Tompkinsville
re: tonights benefit
Sun Dec 23 02:07:11 2001

It was a homerun. At the last ining last team with tie score.All the tables were occupied and there were about three hundred people standing. in the back it was about 5 deep standing room only. our man canibal is a star performer. He did a superb imitation of armand. I will not go into any more details as Im not good a describing the program. The majority of banned and fired participated in the program.I was very impressed.

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Listener Joyce
Event to be aired on wbix.org at 6:00 p.m. tonight!
Sun Dec 23 12:09:48 2001

I hope this announcement doesn't get lost in this thread.

I agree with what most have written about last night's event. Wild "guerilla" Pete K. and the mostly CF folks with the leader-ness of Ursula R. put together a beautiful bash! Chris Z. and "Sirius" are an expert techie team!

David D. and Janet C. are THE BEST. "Dig Rezod" is a funky writer and talented guy of a million voices. "June Jones" is a WONDERFUL director and a super "Jinx." (Folks will find out who "Jinx" is when the performance is aired.)

Cenén and MONROE were over the top as callers! Moogy and Rudy "Cannibal" were on point callers as well. Rudy is really a talented actor. He handled his "callers" very well. That was amazing to watch and hear. Bernard W. gave a delightful contribution as the voice of Utrice Leid. John McD and Miguel M. were a SCREAM as "Paul Pot" and "SanDiego Nieves."

The major surprise was the son of Professor Irwin Corey. Unfortunately, I missed HIS name. He was a perfect contribution to the "dueling" Hugh Hamiltons.

I'm always happy to see Sharan L. Harper. I felt really "warm and fuzzy" having seen Steffie, Sad (and Mrs. Sad), Curly S., Asmile, Dr. Kiel Basy Paul S. and some other "vigliers" whom I can't remember their names (grrrr). It's always funky to see Amy and Bernard in the same space. Even though I see Errol A LOT of the time, I'm always happy when he gets to hang around his longtime buddies/associates. It was nice to see Dave B., and I can't wait until he comes back to "The Personal Computer Show."

The FOOD! The MUSIC! Thanks Earl and Kat! (There could have been MORE dancing space/time, but I made my own.) REV. BILLY!

"Talented" just seems to be an understatement for everyone I had mentioned above and some I might have missed. Since this gathering was to commemorate/acknowledge what took place in NYC at the WBAI Pacifica station, and I could go on about my observations, I'm going to end this post with what some producers have said on "BAI." The WBAI listener is the most intelligent audience! As part of that intelligence, I would add "creative."

Next event coming really soon...THE WBAI "POST COUP" FUNDRAISING PARTY! (Fingers crossed.)