01-10-2010, 06:23 AM
(This post was last modified: 01-10-2010, 07:15 AM by Peter Lemkin.)
a very similar battle is going on now at WBAI in NY - a sister station and to a lesser degree at KPFK, where the less-progressive forces seem to have taken over for now. As a LONG TIME Pacifica listener....started to listen to WBAI faithfully over 50 years ago and still do via the internet [with my favorite shows on the others], I know there have been several such battles and even coups. [The Houston station has been bombed twice!!] This one seems to be the most protracted and dangerous, given the times we live in and the fact that Pacifica is one of the last voices for progressives left. It always pains me to see these battles. Some of it comes from real differences within the left progressive community; sadly, some of it comes from the enemies of the left fomenting trouble with divide and conquer techniques...... The corporate media have long been trying to take the licenses away from the Pacifica stations. The Pacifica stations are hated by the PTB, as they have long disseminated news that can't be heard elsewhere and did long before of internet based alternatives; partly because they are accredited with having played a seminal role in the end of the Vietnam War....and other such. Take a listen if unfamiliar. Not every show is a 'winner', but there are some gems. Guns and Butter on KPFA is one of my personal favorites, but I could list many others and may shortly..... On different stations, at different times the 'battle lines' change. One big one right now is 9-11, which has a bit less trouble at the New York Station - but still has its opponents there too. There are many other fault lines. I don't know how interested the crowd is here on the ins and outs of the internecine battles within Pacifica....but all should be interested in the attempts from 'outside' to destroy and destabilize it!!!! For one group at WBAI on the outs trying to get back in see http://www.takebackwbai.org [the issues are complex and hard to fully understand if one has not been a longtime listener and know the history and the personalities - as well as their political and personal viewpoints.] Pacifica Radio Archives is one of the audio and historical treasures on the internet. It can be found here.
WBAI can be found here, and the whole of Pacifica here.
About the Pacifica Network - in brief
The Pacifica Foundation was founded in 1949 as a visionary alternative to commercialy-driven media. We pioneered listener-sponsored, community radio and have been a beacon for noncommercial, free media.
Pacifica's mission is to promote peace and justice through communication between all races, nationalities and cultures. We strive to contribute to the democratic process through public discourse and promotion of culture. Unbeholden to commercial or governmental interests, we recognize that use of the airwaves is a public trust.
Pacifica's tradition of unhampered access to the airwaves has allowed our network to play a uniquely pivotal role in American media. We have broken pivotal news stories and brought issues and artists to the spotlight that may have been overlooked.
The Pacifica Network includes five sister stations in New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Berkeley, and Houston along with many affiliated independent radio stations throughout the United States.
We broadcast via satellite and Internet and have one of the most extensive and important sound archives in the world. We are energizing independent community radio through collaboration, interactivity and program exchange throughout the network.
WBAI can be found here, and the whole of Pacifica here.
About the Pacifica Network - in brief
The Pacifica Foundation was founded in 1949 as a visionary alternative to commercialy-driven media. We pioneered listener-sponsored, community radio and have been a beacon for noncommercial, free media.
Pacifica's mission is to promote peace and justice through communication between all races, nationalities and cultures. We strive to contribute to the democratic process through public discourse and promotion of culture. Unbeholden to commercial or governmental interests, we recognize that use of the airwaves is a public trust.
Pacifica's tradition of unhampered access to the airwaves has allowed our network to play a uniquely pivotal role in American media. We have broken pivotal news stories and brought issues and artists to the spotlight that may have been overlooked.
The Pacifica Network includes five sister stations in New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Berkeley, and Houston along with many affiliated independent radio stations throughout the United States.
We broadcast via satellite and Internet and have one of the most extensive and important sound archives in the world. We are energizing independent community radio through collaboration, interactivity and program exchange throughout the network.
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass