Ronda Hauben on 27 Dec 2000 03:31:26 -0000 |
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[Nettime-bold] Pacifica lockout of WBAI staffers |
I received this notice about a lockout of senior staffers at WBAI from another mailing list I am on and thought those on nettime would be interested in knowing of these developments. Ronda ------------------------------- >Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 01:06:59 -0000 >Reply-To: J4Team@egroups.com >Subject: [J4Team] Pacifica's hypocrisy against Democracy Now! >ACT NOW. _________ Lockout at WBAI: Pacifica management fires senior s taff, changes=20 locks at New York station LOCKOUT AT WBAI: Pacifica management fires senior staff, changes locks at New York=20 station December 26, 2000 The national management of Pacifica Radio has fired several long-time staffers at WBAI, the New York City community radio station that is=20 home to the award-winning show "Democracy Now!": program director=20 Bernard White, producer Sharan Harper, and station manager Valerie Van Isler (see "Pacifica Management Move to Undermine WBAI's=20 Independence," http://www.fair.org/press-releases/van-isler.html ). Accompanied by security guards, Pacifica executive director Bessie=20 Wash arrived at WBAI late at night on Friday, December 23, and changed=20 the locks both to the station and to individual offices. WBAI staff--=20 including "Democracy Now!"'s Amy Goodman--=A0 are now being admitted to=20 the building only on a "controlled entry" basis until further notice.=20 White and Harper have been threatened with arrest should they attempt=20 to enter the building. Pacifica has appointed WBAI afternoon talk show host Utrice Leid as=20 acting station manager. Last week, WBAI news director Jose Santiago=20 turned down the job, saying he had been falsely assured by management=20 that Van Isler was resigning voluntarily. Since the lockout, Leid has=20 asserted on air that the crisis is simply an internal personnel=20 dispute. Given Pacifica management's recent embrace of arbitrary=20 firings and other autocratic management techniques, this is at best=20 hard to believe. The current crisis is reminiscent of last year's lockout at KPFA in Berkeley, which also came on the heels of a number of politically=20 motivated firings. That lockout brought thousands of Berkeley=20 listeners out into the streets to protest Pacifica management's=20 actions and demand greater accountability to the community, in keeping=20 with the progressive core values laid out by Pacifica founder Lew=20 Hill. Over the last year and a half, Pacifica's management has increasingly orchestrated censorship-- including of FAIR's own radio show,=20 CounterSpin--retaliatory personnel moves and the disenfranchisement of=20 listeners and local advisory boards in order to impose its often=20 regressive decisions on the network. FAIR had feared that Pacifica's=20 recent moves against "Democracy Now!" (see=20 http://www.fair.org/activism/democracy-now.html ) were an indication that the network was preparing an attempt to break the independence of WBAI, one of the cornerstones of the progressive=20 community. The holiday firings and lockout have more than confirmed=20 those fears. When FAIR asked for help in supporting "Democracy Now!" against=20 harassment from Pacifica management this October, members of our email=20 list responded passionately and swiftly, writing over 1,300 letters to=20 Pacifica in just over four days, and organizing demonstrations across=20 the country. Since then, listener meetings and demonstrations have been ongoing,=20 and early signs are that listeners are responding to this latest=20 crisis with just as much energy. Despite the organizing difficulties=20 presented by the holiday season and below-freezing temperatures,=20 listeners have already begun to take action in New York City. Several=20 dozen people held a vigil outside WBAI's Manhattan studios on the=20 night of the lockout, and hundreds attended a demonstration outside=20 the building on Saturday the 23rd. Daily protests are planned outside=20 the station from four to six pm, beginning Tuesday, December 26. ACTION: 1. The group Concerned Friends of WBAI is urging New York City=20 listeners to attend a community planning meeting this Wednesday,=20 December 27, 6:30 pm at SEIU Local 32 B-J, 101 Sixth Avenue. For more=20 information, see: http://www.wbai.net . Concerned listeners in other cities should check the Save Pacifica=20 website for updates and for links to local listener groups that may be=20 organizing in their area: http://www.savepacifica.net . 2. Please call or write to Pacifica and let them know that you support the locked out WBAI staffers. Urge the network to reinstate=20 Valerie Van Isler, Bernard White and Sharan Harper, and to cease=20 harassment of WBAI employees. CONTACT: Bessie Wash, Pacifica executive director mailto:FALCON1591@aol.com Phone: 888-770-4944 x348 (toll free) Post: The Pacifica Foundation 2390 Champlain St. WA -30- _______________________________________________ Nettime-bold mailing list Nettime-bold@nettime.org http://www.nettime.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nettime-bold