WBAI-Pacifica must learn: Democracy begins at home!

Anti-democratic trends at WBAI, listener-supported radio, threaten to destroy this institution from within. Much of the trouble stems from its parent company, Pacifica's, attempts at centralizing control of what was meant to be a federation of independent radio stations run by and for the community. This will destroy station independence.

Trends Include:

• TOO MUCH SECRECY ?
  • A pattern of secret meetings which the CPB has already determined to be against broadcasting regulations. During these meetings, important decisions affecting program quality and station policy were made with no listener input.
  • A gag rule has been instituted, which forbids programmers from broadcasting news of abuses at the station. Donors are entitled to know how their money is used.

• WHERE IS LISTENER MONEY GOING ?
  • A costly and ill-advised move to Wall Street has been decreed. WBAI cannot afford this without laying off staff. Issues such as mass transit difficulties, stores that close early, and deserted evening streets make this move a hardship for volunteers and programmers. And listeners have expressed concern that a Wall Street address will make WBAI, community radio, vulnerable to undue corporate influence.

• TOO CORPORATE FRIENDLY ?
  • Various corporations have presented WBAI with offers in excess of $80,000 to buy the station. Listeners have suggested that the attacks on shows such as "Radio Ban Dung" (sic) and Helen Caldicott's "Faer Dinkum" suggest a trend toward corporate radio. This has become much more than a trend in the nation-wide Pacifica network, where some stations have gone from covering community issues to a pure country-western music format.
  • Such trends cannot be allowed to overtake WBAI. The station is accountable to us, the listeners. We control the purse-strings and can even withdraw the institution's legal mandate.

The listeners demand democratic community radio and an end to WBAI's corporatization and will support nothing less.

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