Posted on 08/09/2013 4:23:49 PM PDT by Drango
Summer Reese, interim executive director of the Pacifica Radio Network, choked up as she announced this afternoon that legendary New York radio station WBAI was laying off its entire news department, and the majority of on-air talent, effective Monday.
WBAI, the station where Pacifica's flagship program, Democracy NOW!, was founded, has broadcast on 99.5 since 1960.
Andrew Phillips, former general manager of KPFA, Pacifica's Berkeley, California, station, has been appointed interim program director. The station's general manager, Berthold Reimers, and interim development director, Andrea Katz, will also stay on board.
"Today I have concluded union negotiations with SAG-AFTRA, regarding proposed layoffs here at WBAI, and with a very heavy heart, and very great difficulty, we will laying off virtually everyone whose voice you recognize on the air," Reese said.
Approximately 75 percent of staff will be laid off. "We are only retaining those staff critically necessary to operational functions at this station," she said.
"We have barely made our transmitter payments," Reese explained. WBAI's transmitter, located at the top of the Empire State building, is leased to the station at a cost of about $50,000 a month. In March, WBAI raised $500,000 to protect the transmitter, after the station was threatened with eviction for non-payment of rent.
"Most of the producers whose shows you value will not even have the chance to say goodbye to you, for which I am deeply sorry," Reese told the listeners.
SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents WBAI's paid producers, declined to comment on the layoffs.
Did you shower after going over to the DUmp? ~ Nasty.
You would think they would be doing great in this 0bama era with socialism on the ascendant.
__________________________________________________________
You would think. But the failure of “Air America”, Current TV and now Pacifica the rise of socialism seems more like an illusion.
Combined with the miserable ratings of CNN, MSNBC and the collapse of left learning print media and you would think some executives would begin to re-think their business model.
I suppose they are holding on to the idea that it is only news if they say it is news.
All of this was predicted many years ago with the advent of the Internet and the free flow of information, but it is taking a really long time.
It’s about time.
It says they have swollen their payroll with new staff they could not afford and so missed their payment for the rented transmitter. Their fundraising dropped by 43% more than $340,000.
In 2011 the five Pacifica stations received CPB grants ranging from almost $79,000 down to $47,000.
So instead of fixing the outrageous budget they squabble over the CPB money which would never be enough to save the station.
lol
typical leftists
Remember this is just one of the 5 Pacifica stations. Still it brings tears of joy to my eyes and whiskey to my lips.
“Reese said that payments due to WBAI’s $50k-a-month transmitter will be used instead just to make the next payroll.”
The rest of the announcement focused on Pacifica’s financial troubles. “I currently have four out of seven units which do not have payroll for next week,” Reese disclosed. “I’m looking to find $100,000 by Monday . . . that is where we are at.”
How do they expect to stay around with no transmitter? Lib money fairies aren't as plentiful as they used to be. They can always steal some government money as it's worked in the past for many leftist causes like this.
see #20
Even the DUmmies gave up on WBAI?
lolz
They hired too much staff for real money. The crying over the public funds is stupid, its not even enough to cover 2 months of a rented transmitter.
“...the probe involved charges of racism at the Berkeley signal.”
I need double popcorn.
They don’t need radio. The reds have the army in their pocket now.
Very interesting, and thanks for the links. Clearly what we need here is a federal bailout.
rumor?
is this an OWS site?
lolz
They overstaffed, ran up a bill, begged listeners to cover it and failed. All the begging and selling of crap turned off the listeners and got their federal funding yanked.
Cry us a river.
It’s true: Sooner or later you run out of other peoples money.
SO whoever decided to expand staff and budget like that should be fired, maybe they were. It was just stupid, its like expanding government bigger than we can pay for.
Oh right.
I thought BAI was financed by a filthy rich Left Coast Bel Air Bolshevik who finally just ran dry.
I have been writing here for some time about a huge shift, or the demise of the liberal media.
There are a number of factors, one of course is their ability/inability to generate a profit and the other is a much broader cultural cynicism that has become much more prevalent in the past ten years.
The liberal media complex, radio, cable and print have a demographic that looks like a barbell. Young people with no money on one end and dying hippie academics on the other. Not the ideal place to advertise.
It’s funny.
I just read a piece about how Republicans have no clue how businesses work.
Entrepreneurs need demand for their product and a suitable safety net if they fail. Which party stands for those?
http://www.salon.com/2013/08/09/republicans_have_no_clue_how_businesses_work/
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3052921/posts
lol.
Nowadays maybe both
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