Midnight Coup at Pacifica's WBAI: KPFA Report on WBAI takeover

Midnight Coup at Pacifica\'s WBAI:
KPFA Report on WBAI takeover
Transcript of 12/23/00 newscast by KPFA\'s David Landau DAVID LANDAU: Pacifica Radio has struck with full force at
Pacifica station WBAI. At about midnight last night, under
instructions from Pacifica Executive Director Bessie Wash, locksmiths changed the locks at WBAI and security guards began
barring entrance to all except hosts and guests of regularly
scheduled shows. No other staff members were being admitted
into the station, and that includes, Amy Goodman, whose national
show on Pacifica, Democracy Now!, is produced at WBAI.

AMY GOODMAN: Last night, as the locks were being changed on
the doors, I called into the station. I spoke with the operations
director, Sidney Smith. I asked him if I could come into the station.
And Utrice Leid, the new Pacifica-appointed general manager ,
was standing next to him. Sidney asked her if I could come in and
she said no. I saw her today, uh, there was a protest, uh, of more
than 100 people outside the station that was just ad hoc pulled together...I wanted to go up. She wouldn\'t let me go into the station.
It\'s an illegal lockout of union workers, both UE, United
Electrical...I\'m AFTRA...


We were not able to go in. When we attempted to go in, as
workers, as producers, the security prevented us from going up and
they called in police and they pushed us out of the building. And
so, we were outside, as Bessie Wash and Utrice Leid were
upstairs.



LANDAU: Besides hosting Democracy Now! Goodman also co-
hosts WBAI\'s three-hour morning show, Wake Up Call. The crisis
at WBAI has been brewing since October, when Pacifica
management gave Goodman a new set of guidelines for
Democracy Now! and threatened to fire her if she failed to obey.


Then, last month, Pacifica Executive Director Wash, informed
WBAI general manager Valerie van Isler that she would no longer
be serving in that position. Van Isler said she would not observe the
termination date of December 31st and would appeal the decision. WBAI staff announced that they would not cooperate with the
Pacifica -imposed regime at the station. At least one staff member
decided not to accept appointment as van Isler\'s successor.


Then last night, Wash appointed programmer Utrice Leid, whom
van Isler had earlier passed over for the program director;s position,
as interim station manager. Early this morning, Pacifica fired WBAI
Program Director Bernard White who also co-hosts the morning
drive show, Wale Up Call, as well as Sharan Louise Harper, who
produces the morning drive show.


Harper told KPFA about receiving Pacifica\'s notice of dismissal at
her home, early this morning.


SHARAN HARPER: There was a knock at my door. And there was
a messenger who had an envelope with a Pacifica logo on it and
said,\"This is for you. You have to sign for it. I opened the envelope
and inside was a letter that said that effective immediately, I had been...I\'m paraphrasing because I don\'t have the letter...It said that
I had been terminated, that I was being given a check that was
equivalent to two weeks severance...if I thought I was owed further
compensation, then I would have to notify the the signer and
explain why, and the signer was Bessie Wash. It said that my
personal belongings would be sent to me, and that I was no longer
considered staff and if I should enter the premises, that it would be considered trespass.

LANDAU: An identical procedure was also taking place at the
home of program director Bernard White. Neither staff member was
given an explanation for the dismissal. Both refused to sign
Pacifica\'s letter. Both declined to take their severance checks.
Both later found their checks under their door.


White said a key question now is whether the remaining on-air staff
at WBAI will cooperate with Pacifica\'s new regime.


BERNARD WHITE: We have had people on the inside...quislings
on the inside who have collaborated with Pacifica National and it
becomes somewhat confusing to our audience because the person
who has collaborated is very popular a person. I don\'t know how
popular she\'ll be once people find out what she has done to the
station, There is definitely going to be..as she was on the air
saying there would be no changes in programming..everything would go pretty much the same.


LANDAU: In spite of what interim manager Utrice Led said,
however, program changes have already begun. The new interim
manager will reportedly take over the morning show and will give her
afternoon show to someone else. An on-air WBAI tech-in earlier
today included many outspoken comments about the station
situation, while about 150 listeners demonstrated for several hours
in freezing cold outside the station.


Neither WBAI interim manager Leid nor Pacifica Executive Director
Wash could be reached for comment about this situation. Fired
WBAI staffer Sharan Harper:


HARPER: My biggest concern is not for my employment but for
the continuance of free speech radio. I think this issue is far bigger
than my termination or Valerie\'s or Bernard\'s . The biggest
termination we have to be concerned with is the termination of free
speech.


LANDAU: For KPFA news, this is David Landau.

Available in mp3

http://clients.loudeye.com/imc/mayday/landau_on_wbai_ne.mp3
For more background: http://www.radio4all.org/freepacifica/index.html
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