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WBAI LAB minutes
9-3-02


[ From: http://www.wbailab.org/archives/090302.html - posted here 10-10-02 ]

Minutes of the WBAI Local Advisory Board Meeting

Tuesday September 3, 2002, at 75 Varick St., 14th Fl., Manhattan.

Present: Marian Borenstein, Connie Hogarth, Lee Kronick, Ray Laforest, Miguel Maldonado (Chair), Andrew Norris, Mimi Rosenberg

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM by the Chair.

Miguel Maldonado explained the confusion caused by the announcement on the radio earlier that day that the LAB meeting was being postponed. His reason was that he wanted the LAB to have enough time to discuss the bylaws in detail. However, the LAB meeting would go ahead as planned, as a joint meeting with the Bylaws Subcommittee. The first part of the meeting would be LAB business.

The minutes of August 6, 2002, were adopted.

LAB Show: Miguel Maldonado announced that the first LAB Report or Show would air Thursday September 5 at 8:20AM for 30 minutes. Ray Laforest explained how the show resulted from a suggestion by the iPNB that each station LAB have a monthly report. He considered half an hour per month as minimal and an hour was more realistic. Discussion ensued about the format and content of the coming show. It was agreed that Miguel and Ray would appear, along with Ann Emerman who could give some perspective on the role of the LAB. Connie Hogarth said it was important to use the program to present the vision of the lab. Susan Lee suggested that the people involved in the show sit down together beforehand to prepare.

General Manager Search Committee: Marian Borenstein, the co-chair of the committee with Anthony Mackall, said the committee would be interviewing the 4th and last candidate tomorrow. A final decision could be expected within a month, hopefully. There was some discussion about the possibility of. Susan Lee urged the LAB to request a candidates’ night, where the 3 or 4 candidates would be available for all staff to obtain information about them. She said the staff is being outvoted on the committee, with the effect that the workplace is being controlled by people not in the workplace. A. Norris asked her how many staff had taken advantage of the opportunity to meet with the candidates individually when they came to the station for interviews. Susan Lee said that the average staff turnout was approximately 15. Miguel Maldonado noted that the cost of a candidates’ night had to be a factor, since money was a real concern. No decision was taken.

LAB Report for iPNB: Marian Borenstein noted that the LAB needs to prepare a short report for presentation at the upcoming iPNB meeting in Houston in September. Miguel Maldonado suggested that a one page document would be enough as the LAB Chair would only have about 5 minutes to make a report. After some discussion it was decided that Andy Norris would prepare a draft report which would be circulated among the LAB members by email for comment and revision in advance of the iPNB meeting.

Bylaws Revision: Ray Laforest said that the iPNB had met by conference call the previous Sunday to discuss bylaws. There was a desire to look at what the various draft bylaws have in common. With this in mind the iPNB adopted as a template a KPFT draft bylaws document. He noted that most iPNB members had not seen then and have still not seen this KPFT document but it is considered to be an effort to combine the others. The next step is to come up with something that can be adopted by the iPNB and the LABs. A lawyer will review the final document. He mentioned the LAB bylaws listserve, but said there had not been much interaction between the LABs on this issue. He noted that there will be time set aside on the Friday of the Houston iPNB meeting for bylaws discussion.

Mimi Rosenberg pointed out that each station already had their own bylaws. She urged that there be more discussion in Houston, with longer deliberations on bylaws. She then urged that the LAB support the efforts of the Unity Caucus which has engaged in intense debate and proposed in the form of a motion that the outcome of the Unity Caucus - the Constituency Model or Model of Inclusion - be submitted for discussion in Houston. A. Norris noted that the Bylaws Subcommittee was the vehicle through which proposals should be submitted, that this was the correct procedure. Ray Laforest said that the iPNB would accept ideas not submitted formally as part of official proposals.

Jamie Ross urged Ray to submit the document summarizing the straw polls from the Bylaws Subcomittee meetings. Ray replied that Janice K. Bryant had not yet had a chance to look at it. He had hoped to meet her at the Carribean parade but had not found her, but that regardless he would send it asap.

Discussion followed, sometimes acrimonious, about the role of the Bylaws Subcommittee, the need for the Unity Caucus/Constituency Model/Model of Inclusion proposal to be presented and debated at the Bylaws Subcommittee, that no single group represents all listeners, that the iPNB should not adopt documents they have not read, etc.

The meeting ended at approximately 10PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Andrew Norris

September 3, 2002

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