-Caveat Lector- ----------------------------------------------------------------- This is a Press Release/Statement from the Black Radical Congress ----------------------------------------------------------------- Black Radical Congress For Immediate Release February 26, 2001 Contact: Jean Carey Bond, [EMAIL PROTECTED] STATEMENT ON THE CRISIS AT PACIFICA RADIO AND STATION WBAI Last year, the Black Radical Congress expressed its "dismay and outrage" over the undermining of the progressive mission of radio station KPFA, in the San Francisco Bay area, by the board of the Pacifica Foundation. At the time, the board had perpetrated firings and lockouts of key staff members, which disrupted programming at the station -- the Pacifica Network's flagship of progressive, community-oriented commentary -- but which also sparked a vigorous and sustained defense of the station by the community it serves. Happily, that community was successful in protecting KPFA's principled, alternative mission to provide an outlet for voices rarely heard in "mainstream" venues: voices primarily from the ground and from the left. In the meantime, however, Pacifica's east coast equivalent of KPFA, station WBAI in New York City, has come under a siege that mirrors the KPFA struggle to survive actions of a board bent on destructive change. Again, listeners dependent on the alternative sources of news, information and analyses available on a Pacifica station are alarmed and fearful that they are about to lose it all. Again, programming has been disrupted as beleaguered staff have been subjected to firings, lockouts and even "bannings." The firings, handed down without any semblance of due process so far as we can determine, include general station manager Valerie Van Isler, programming director Bernard White and Sharan Harper, former producer of the popular morning show, "Wake-Up Call." In addition, Amy Goodman and her nationally broadcast, award-winning bastion of uncompromising, incisive progressive commentary and analysis, "Democracy Now!", appear to be especially targeted -- although, as we write, Goodman and her show remain on course. Also ominous is the fact that the destabilization of WBAI is happening just as the FCC has severely restricted the public's ability to establish community programming outlets on the nation's airwaves. These new restrictions facilitate the further privatization of the means of political and cultural expression, consistent with a continuing nationwide assault on all things public. The Black Radical Congress understands, as do all reasonable people, that change is part of life. Undoubtedly, WBAI would benefit from managerial and professional "quality-control" adjustments designed to improve its operations. But any such changes must be made within the context of the station's founding mandate, and with respect for the rights of all staff to be treated fairly. The New York communities served by WBAI will not accept the dilution of the station's progressive voice, which seems to be the subtext of the Pacifica board's stated "audience expansion" objective. Nor can they accept the anti-democratic treatment meted out to union and management personnel alike by the Pacifica board and its agents. The Black Radical Congress demands, as steps toward resolving the current difficulties: (1) that terminated staff be reinstated, and that any issues concerning their job performance be addressed according to accepted due process procedures; (2) that the "bannings" and lockouts of certain staff members be lifted, and (3) that the concerns and expectations of the WBAI listenership be heeded and reflected in the process of settling the crisis. We strongly support the six dissident Pacifica National Board members who are working for a democratic and equitable solution to the crisis. As the Black Radical Congress stated last year during the troubles at KPFA, we must protect our public institutions and services from the rampaging two-headed monster: corporate greed and would-be political tyranny -- a monster no doubt emboldened by the installation of so-called President George W. Bush. Radio station WBAI is yet a new battlefront in the intensifying struggle to build real democracy in this country. -30- Black Radical Congress National Office Columbia University Station P.O. 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