fasstrack Posted May 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 This blog post from former BAI on-air personality Mike Feder was about racism and mismanagement at the station. http://www.federfiles.com/archives/000063.html I never listened much to Feder, but my friend Jeff, who was a radio junkie was a big fan of his storytelling. So when I found his memoir at a used book store I bought it, I found it to be very revealing and well written He was great. His show was called Hard Work. He took over the Sunday morning time slot of Larry Josephson. He's a manic, ceaseless talker and it could be a bit much sometimes, but I loved his storytelling too. Did you read what he had to say about BAI? His written insights are worth perusing. That blog piece was from '05 and things have only gotten worse. I spoke to a friend who has two shows on and asked him what the hell is going on there, it sounds awful. His reply: 'We're on the verge of either a huge breakthrough or a huge fall'.... I remember seeing Archie Shepp's Attica Blues band at the Free Music Store. Don Cherry also did Relativity Suite there, and I recorded it from the radio to reel to reel. What year did Shepp play there? I heard him there, not sure if it was that band. Must've been between '71-'73. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utevsky Posted June 8, 2013 Report Share Posted June 8, 2013 I'm very sorry to hear about this. The Pacifica stations were trail-blazers for community-oriented, volunteer-powered radio. But any "public" radio station is bound to experience controversy among its volunteers and supporters, just like other grass-roots organizations. Rivalries, jealousies and disputes over money and programming can rip a station apart. It's a terrible shame, because we need WBAI and a lot more stations of its ilk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted June 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2013 I'm very sorry to hear about this. The Pacifica stations were trail-blazers for community-oriented, volunteer-powered radio. But any "public" radio station is bound to experience controversy among its volunteers and supporters, just like other grass-roots organizations. Rivalries, jealousies and disputes over money and programming can rip a station apart. It's a terrible shame, because we need WBAI and a lot more stations of its ilk. Looks lke they pulled through the recent funsraiser. Long way to go, though...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Garrett Posted August 11, 2013 Report Share Posted August 11, 2013 75% of staff, including entire news department and most of the on-air talent, laid off effective Monday: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2013/08/wbai_pacifica_r.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted August 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2013 75% of staff, including entire news department and most of the on-air talent, laid off effective Monday: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2013/08/wbai_pacifica_r.php What happens now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Garrett Posted August 13, 2013 Report Share Posted August 13, 2013 75% of staff, including entire news department and most of the on-air talent, laid off effective Monday: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2013/08/wbai_pacifica_r.php What happens now? Some history and further speculation here, although from the general tone I'd say the author has an ax to grind: http://observer.com/2013/08/the-excruciating-demise-of-wbai/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILLYQ Posted August 14, 2013 Report Share Posted August 14, 2013 Looks to me that the next step is a sale of WBAI, they have a slot on the dial that is worth a lot of moolah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted August 14, 2013 Report Share Posted August 14, 2013 75% of staff, including entire news department and most of the on-air talent, laid off effective Monday: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2013/08/wbai_pacifica_r.php What happens now? Some history and further speculation here, although from the general tone I'd say the author has an ax to grind: http://observer.com/2013/08/the-excruciating-demise-of-wbai/ The NY Observer was founded by a wealthy Wall St. person, as a rag for fellow Wall Streeters. To say that they are overjoyed by the recent events at BAI would be the understatement of the millenium. The fact that one of their own has been running NYC for the last 12 years has made them happy beyond belief. Ex-Organissimo member Christern was station manager at BAI in the 60s, and posts a lot on their Listeners' Forum recently. Here's a list of people that were laid off: The two hosts of "Wake Up Call, Felipe Luciano and Esther Alma Hugh Hamilton Earl Caldwell Robert Knight Linda Perry Sharan Louise Harper Jose Santiago rebecca Miles Cathy Davis Sidney Smith Ken Gale Jenniffer Sindow Yvonne Singh Andrea Sears Gracen Challenger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted August 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2013 Does anyone know who the on-air replacements will be? I haven't been listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted September 5, 2013 Report Share Posted September 5, 2013 http://www.villagevoice.com/2013-09-04/news/wbai-death-by-democracy?utm_source=Newsletters&utm_medium=email Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILLYQ Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 http://www.villagevoice.com/2013-09-04/news/wbai-death-by-democracy?utm_source=Newsletters&utm_medium=email Some quotes from Chris Albertson in the article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 For many years, I listened to BAI. Over time, it got crazier and uninteresting and I just gave up. Maybe they should call it Radio Unlistenable and close up shop. If they did, I doubt that many people would care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted September 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 For many years, I listened to BAI. Over time, it got crazier and uninteresting and I just gave up. Maybe they should call it Radio Unlistenable and close up shop. If they did, I doubt that many people would care. Sad but true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted October 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2013 Bump. Anyone been listening lately? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 Pacifica Seeking To Lease WBAI New York Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted October 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 So the signal can only be sold to a non-commercial interest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 Correct, unless the FCC gave a special exemption. WBAI's position on the dial is unusual - nonprofit stations are usually positioned below 92 FM; those stations also tend to be underpowered and in a crowded position on the dial. 99.5 FM could be very valuable; I think they need to bring in some clever lawyers to do some haggling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted October 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 Do you think, given the signal's strength, that the FCC would grant that exemption? 99.5 FM is prime real estate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christiern Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Hi everybody. I'm not really back, but I think I can be a knowledgable source of information when it comes to WBAI and its current demise. If anybody has a question, I'll be glad to answer it as best I can, so I will check in to this thread regularly. WBAI is essentially operating on a commercial license. It was a commercial station when Lou Schweitzer gave it to Pacifica in 1959. Pacifica had to convert it in order to operate as a non-commercial station. There should be no problem reversing that conversion. Pacifica is now allegedly seeking to lease the frequency to someone else for a five-year period. That time limit is as unrealistic as Pacifica's amateur decision-makers have been in the past 3 or 4 decades. I believe this is all a prelude to an outright sale. In the meantime, a lot of people—the opportunists who have made the station stagnant and created this mess—are in denial. WBAI is dead and has, for all intents and purposes, waited a long time for rigor mortis to set in. For more information, historical and current, you can visit my non-jazz, non-profit blog here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted October 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 What did Pacifica have to do to 'convert' it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christiern Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 What did Pacifica have to do to 'convert' it? Apply to the FCC. I doubt if there was any problem. If so, Lou Schweitzer was well and widely connected. BTW, Pacifica's current interim Executive Director, Summer Reese, used to work with Gary Null. I suspect that she still may be, albeit not officially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted October 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Anyone know anything about the building on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn BAI is supposedly moving into? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted October 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 I mean did they purchase the building or will they be renting space? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christiern Posted October 24, 2013 Report Share Posted October 24, 2013 They want to purchase the building, but haven't the money—so they rent a part of it. This is where the offices are now located, but plans are to install studio facilities when the funds allow it. Much of this is the fantasy of Berthold Reimers, the station's GM, who has been there for three years, had no broadcast experience, and made no effort to change that. He has been an absolute disaster (told the Village Voice that he does not pick up the phone, because there are so many crazy people out there). The big mystery is: why has he not been fired? The person who can do that is the interim Executive Director of Pacifica, Summer Reese. She is now in New York to do a live program this evening at 6. The announced purpose is to give a status update, but it will probably not be very illuminating. The WBAI that once was has been dumbed down and reduced to an unprincipled, unethical mess. I share the opinion of those who think it has been dead for some time, and I really don't think its last gasp as a Pacifica station is too far in the future, Very sad result of a succession of incompetent management, greed, inflated egos, and personal agendas. Gone are the hopes I harbored for WBAI's future when I started my second blog in 2011. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted October 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 How long can BAI broadcast from CCNY for? Is there a limit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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