Greetings Economists,
On Sep 8, 2008, at 10:17 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
How do KPFA and WBAI keep going?
Doyle;
KPFA is financially sound, just riven with dissension. Overall I
don't know much about WBAI, except what I've read elsewhere, so I
won't comment. The series of new manager hirings in recent years to
get management working and doing something has been wrung out by the
opposing interests created to make the community part of the station
mission function.
Currently management at KPFA acts just like any other corporate entity
including draconian security systems that don't in effect work for
security purposes. Roughly there are four groups vying for a piece of
the pie at KPFA. Management, paid staff, unpaid staff (volunteers who
work at the station) and station listeners. By law management has
many power levers. They decertified the unpaid staff organization for
example. There are various boards that have quasi over lapping powers
that represent these interests.
Since cooperation is uneven overall between each entity there is a
kind of paralysis that erupts into intense conflict when something
really goes wrong.
Station management operates by fiat and phony meeting consensus. Call
a meeting to discuss the problems but do what they want and talk to
who they want, and usurp power for their clique wherever possible. In
turn they are isolated from the station staff and an unknown to
listeners.
The overall financial crisis in Pacifica promotes a cheap minded cost
consciousness. Nothing is done easily because of financial strains
coming from debt ridden stations bleeding Pacifica bank accounts.
Hence, an inability to cooperate between various groups has for the
time being prevented much that might happen in a more congenial
atmosphere.
Why do they hang on? Because all these people are tenacious and
sometimes, or most of the time cooperative or speak to each other. I
personally think it is a good place to be schooled in complex
community processes that gives experiences one can't get elsewhere.
The idea of community and how it works takes real strong efforts and
know how.
thanks,
Doyle Saylor
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