NY Press Conference To Defend NYC WBAI

NY Press Conference To Defend NYC WBAI
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COME TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT:
Tuesday 10/15/19
Press Conference - Noon at City Hall
Public Meeting: 6:30pm

PRESS CONFERENCE INFO

WBAI Radio Staff, Producers and Listeners Coalition
wbai.fightback [at] gmail.com

MEDIA ADVISORY
WBAI Staff, Listeners, Elected Officials, & Community Groups Hold Press Conference on Steps of City Hall - October 15 – 12 NOON

WBAI fights back against a plot by rogue faction of the parent Pacifica National Board and its Interim Executive Director to eliminate the iconic New York station

Contact: Sally O’Brien,.(718) 930-3625

WHO: WBAI ATTORNEY, PRODUCERS, STAFF AND LISTENERS,
JOINED BY ELECTED OFFICIALS AND COMMUNITY/LABOR GROUPS

WHAT: NOON PRESS CONFERENCE

WHERE: STEPS OF CITY HALL

WHEN: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2019

WHY: TO INFORM THE PRESS, PUBLIC AND OFFICIALS OF THE PLOT
BY A ROGUE FACTION OF THE CALIFORNIA-BASED PACIFICA FOUNDATION TO GET RID OF ITS NEW YORK CITY RADIO STATION


PRESS RELEASE:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sunday October 13, 2019
Majority of Pacifica Board Votes to Restore WBAI

Berkeley-On the evening of Sunday October 13th, the majority of the Pacifica Board of Directors voted to restore WBAI-FM to local content and staffing and undo the heist that occurred on October 7th. This vote also occurred on Saturday, October 12th, but on that day the perpetrators decided to "not count" the votes of five members of the national board from three different signal areas and then muted their telephone lines so they could not participate in the board proceedings.

The twelve directors who met on Sunday night, who represent an absolute majority of the Pacifica National Board and include at least one director from each of the five signal areas, also did the following:

1. Removed the vice chair of the board from the vice chair position [Sabrina Jacobs]

2. Removed the secretary of the board from the secretary position [Bill Crosier]

3. Instructed law firm Foster Garvey to withdraw from all litigation on behalf of Pacifica

All 12 board members, who represent a quorum of the nonprofit's board of directors formally waived notice requirements for the special meeting and convened on a conference line that did not permit the involuntary muting of participants.

The perpetrators of the unauthorized shutdown failed to show up for the Sunday night meeting after only mustering nine votes in their Saturday night attempt to retroactively authorize their actions.

Here is the motion that restored community radio to New York:

MOTION to Restore WBAI - from Alex Steinberg, James Sagurton, Shawn Rhodes, Tom Voorhees, Grace Aaron and Lawrence Reyes

Due to the severe financial stress being placed on Pacifica because of loss of revenue from the interruption of the WBAI fall fund drive on the one hand, and the unusual severance, legal, and administrative costs incurred by the closing of the WBAI studios and operations on the other, be it resolved:

1) That WBAI be immediately restored to its fully functional state as it was prior to Oct. 5, 2019;

2) That all funds, equipment, files, computer access, the ENDEC required for emergency broadcasting by the FCC, studio to transmitter link, website and email access, bank accounts and credit card access, and any other actions or materials needed to restore WBAI to its previous condition be restored or returned, as the case may be, immediately.

3) That all actions and plans for WBAI and our other stations be provided by an iED to the full PNB for review and approval, prior to their execution;

4) That financial reports be submitted to the full PNB by the iCFO as soon as possible after the relevant period close. The iCFO should devise a set of reports that includes monthly P&L statements, quarterly balance sheets and cash flow, cash flow projections by quarter if not by month, plus any additional analytical reports that the PNB and management would find helpful for planning purposes; and

5) That a plan be drawn up for reducing expenses by the PNB with the participation of the iCFO and presented to the PNB in writing before the next regular PNB meeting (scheduled for November 7, 2019).

WBAI is expected to return to local control after the federal holiday on Tuesday October 15, 2019.

The board minority continues to insist the meeting was illegal and their takeover of WBAI was sanctioned, but they have never on a single occasion been able to demonstrate authorization of their actions by a majority of the board of the Pacifica Foundation .


EMERGENCY MEETING, ALL WELCOME!

Tuesday, October 15, 2019, 6:30 pm @ The Peoples Forum, 320 W. 37th St. (please circulate to all your lists).

Agenda:

1. Reports:

i. Status of litigation proceduraly and substantively, now before federal Judge Engelmayer, and other initiatives on the legal front

ii. Status of National Board votes, pro or con on condemnation of the coup and significance for legal strategy

iii. Report on support from and activity of Local Station Board

iv. Support from sister stations and or other signal areas

v. Press conference committee report back and progress of “writing committee”