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Houston Racist KPFT Coupster Bill Crosier & Supporters at KPFA & Pacifica
Former Pacifica interim executive director Bill Crosier called the police on the Black staff at KPFT and now wants to institute corporate bylaws. He has opposed community Black and Brown programming at Houston and supported racist programmers. He and his corporate racist agenda is being supported by KPFA programmers and other programmers in Pacifica as well as "liberals" like Code Pink leader Jodie Evans. While these people complain about the corporatization of the state, they are supporting the corporatization of the Pacific bylaws and ending democratic governance to a hand picked corporate team that supported the shutdown of WBAI and supported racist Bill Crozier's role in Houston in calling the cops on the Black programmers and management.
Houston Racist And Wrecker of KPFT Bill Crosier Uncovered Record
KPFT Ted Weisgal Letter To PNB On Bill Crozier
Dear Members of the Pacifica National Board,
My name is Ted Weisgal and in addition to being a member of the KPFT LSB, I am a member of the Pacifica National Governance Committee. In that role, I tried to address matters pertaining to former Pacifica interim Executive Director, Bill Crosier. Due to time limits, other business matters, as well as the belief from some members of the Governance Committee that establishing an investigative committee to consider charges against Mr. Crosier should be in the domain of the PNB, not ours, I am sharing the following, in red. On July 25, I sent this to our committee chair, Lawrence Reyes and committee member, DeWayne Lark because they are pivotal players regarding this matter (continued below).
On Sat, Jul 25, 2020, 12:03 AM Ted Weisgal wrote:
Gentlemen,
I'm slowly recovering from our Governance Committee meeting this week and think I've come to the realization that this matter of BC violating the bylaws is in your court.
I think what Crosier did was unconscionable and his continued participation in this organization is not only wrong but compromises everything we're supposed to stand for.
One of the things that galls me is an email we received from Sandra Rawline where she says "let it go, Obidike has moved on with his life. We should do the same." What Crosier did will forever besmirch this organization and should not go unpunished. And he compounded his dastardly deed with his attempt to amend bylaws he does not respect.
I may be sending you additional emails to provide you with more information but right now, I'd like to know if you are going to use your positions on the PNB to push for a vote to establish an investigative committee which is what I tried to do the other night and is the proper step leading to removal.
I don't have to look deeply into your records to know that you agree with me that what Crosier did: firing an iGM without consulting the LSB in question, is a violation that justifies permanent removal, especially considering the chaos that stemmed from it.
I probably should have sought your advice from the beginning, and I'm sorry I didn't. What BC did will be a permanent stain on Pacifica. Nevertheless, his removal will assuage some of the damage.
Can I be of service? Where do we go from here?
To reiterate, my email is dated July 25. I have not received any response from Messers. Reyes or Lark. Since that time, Mr. Crosier has taken on the task of serving as secretary of the KPFT Management Selection and Review Committee. Considering the chaos he’s contributed to in the past two years: the hiring and firing of five interim General Managers at KPFT and my belief that he should not be on this committee, raises the urgency of what I hope will be this action.
That committee was scheduled to meet last week. I pointed out to that body that our meeting was not posted at kpftx.org. The committee chair, Sandra Rawline, assumed responsibility for this but the minutes for the last two meetings were not posted by Mr. Crosier until after 1am on the day of the meeting, thus giving committee members little time to read and digest them. I am not making a definitive statement that either Rawline or Crosier were responsible for the failure to post this critical meeting on kpftx.org or that if this was Crosier's responsibility that in and of itself is grounds for any action against him. What I am saying is that it is part of a pattern and should be explored by a committee that should have the power to recommend a Crosier trial.
I believe his abrogation of Article Seven, Local Station Boards, Section 3: Specific Powers and Duties: D.
“Both the Executive Director and/or an LSB may initiate the process to fire a station General Manager. However, to effectuate it, both the Executive Director and the LSB must agree to fire said General Manager. If the Executive Director and the LSB cannot agree the decision to terminate or retain said General Manager shall be made by the Board of Directors” is enough to justify the creation of an investigative committee (and the recommendation of a trial and conviction).
The protocols for an investigation at trial are spelled out in Chapter XX of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised. That document should provide guidance here. It is a process that is akin to a Grand Jury but “hearsay evidence has to be admissible.”
For the sake of any organization that undertakes this process, Robert’s urges discretion. I was chair of the KPFT LSB when Dr. Kamau was fired and can speak directly to that matter and Crosier’s unilateral decision to hire and pay the terminated GM Duane Bradley as Dr. Kamau’s advisor when no funds were approved by the KPFT LSB for that purpose. I can’t speak directly to Crosier’s unilateral termination of other GMs or the chaos he has foisted on this organization.
I do not want to prejudice such an investigation, but I do believe that Mr. Crosier has done irreparable harm. I believe that an unbiased committee will come to the same conclusion. I implore you: let the process begin.
Bill Crosier via FYI
To: HPJC Announcements
Sent: Sun, Oct 18, 2020 3:47 pm
Subject: [FYI-HPJC] Please sign New Day Pacifica petition TODAY to help save KPFT
KPFT, and the Pacifica Foundation of which KPFT is a part, continues to suffer from declining listenership, declining donations, and warring factions on KPFT's Local Station Board (LSB) and the Pacifica National Board (PNB), that results in paralysis and inability (or unwillingness) to solve Pacifica's many underlying problems. A glaring example is the $3.2 million loan, that uses KPFT's building and other Pacifica's buildings at collateral, and for which the PNB has made absolutely NO progress in developing a repayment plan and struggles just to pay the interest. The board paralysis, in turn, prevents Pacifica from fulfilling its mission. As our auditors and financial advisors have been telling us, it's growing more and more unlikely that Pacifica will even be able to survive, with their repeated "going concern" alerts. Yes, we're talking about whether KPFT and Pacifica can survive. The decline has been going on for some time - it's not just from Covid-19, although that certainly has not helped, and the failure of our governance to address KPFT's and Pacifica's problems may mean that we'll lose this bastion of free speech that is needed more than ever.
But there's hope. A new group, New Day Pacifica (NDP) advocating for governance reform has developed new Bylaws for Pacifica
I'm asking you to sign their petition today to have a membership referendum so that KPFT and other Pacifica members can vote (in a few months) on new Bylaws.
I know the people behind NDP, I trust them, and I am glad they have addressed criticisms of the earlier Bylaws effort from last winter, with which I was very involved.
Good intentions on the part of many people on our boards are not enough, though, when our basic structure (defined by our Bylaws) make it so easy for a few people to disrupt meetings and to encourage infighting rather than cooperation. Opponents of Bylaws reform have stooped to other Trump-style tactics of spreading false information about reform, even saying an election for the new Bylaws will cost too much money even though the new Bylaws will actually save Pacifica much more money than a referendum will cost.
Please sign the New Day Pacifica petition today, forward this e-mail to others you know, and share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
If that petition link does not work, go to https://newdaypacifica.org/petition
For more information (including real facts in response to misinformation you may have heard), see the list of Frequently Asked Questions at newdaypacifica.org/faq
Endorsements
Below are some of the many hosts of shows you hear on KPFT, and KPFT and other Pacifica staff and volunteers, who have endorsed the New Day Pacifica bylaws. More endorsements are coming in each week. Others are also supporting them but have not said that New Day Pacifica can use their names publicly.
Larry Winters, KPFT Host of Spare Change: “Our governance needs major reform if our stations and Pacifica are to survive. Please support the New Day Pacifica Bylaws.”
Roark Smith, KPFT Host of Wide Open Spaces
Wally James, Host, Progressive Forum, KPFT, also member of the Pacifica National Board:
Nuri Nuri, KPFT Host of Blues Branch
Nancy McAfee, KPFT Co-host of Blues on the Move
Duane Bradley, KPFT Host of Open Journal, Former General Manager KPFT
James and Colleen Nagel, KPFT Co-hosts of Howlin' the Blues
Michael Honig, KPFT Host of Thinkwing Radio
Mr. and Mrs. V, KPFT Co-hosts of Blues on the Move
Hank Lamb, KPFT Host of The Prison Show and ElectroLuv Radio
David Collingsworth and Elizabeth Stein, KPFT Co-hosts of The Prison Show
Bill Galbraith, KPFT Host of Irish Aires
Dalton Harris and Joanna Jetton, KPFT Co-hosts of Bluegrass Depot
Tom Tranchilla, KPFT Host of Songwriters Studio
David Impastato, KPFT Host of Roots Radio
David Britton, KPFT Volunteer
Sonali Kolhatkar, Host of Rising Up with Sonali, heard on KPFK, KPFT, and KPFA:
Jodie Evans, Co-founder of Code Pink*, Board of Rainforest Action Network*
Mimi Kennedy, Co-founder, Progressive Democrats of America*, TV Co-star of Mom, and frequent KPFK guest
Teresa Allen, KPFT listener and volunteer, and former member of the Pacifica National Board:
Kay Edwards, KPFT music librarian
Carol Spooner, KPFA listener and co-author of the present bylaws:
Roy Tuckman (Roy of Hollywood), KPFK host, Something’s Happening:
Aileen Alfandary, KPFA News Director (also heard on KPFK):
Alan Minsky, KPFK Senior Producer, Executive Director, Progressive Democrats of America*:
Ian Masters, KPFK Host of Background Briefing:
Sharon Kyle, Publisher and Co-founder of the LA Progressive:
Jonathan Alexander, KPFK Network Administrator, former Chair of the Pacifica National Board:
Jackie Goldberg, LA Board of Education*, California State Assembly & LA City Council, Retired
Cat Brooks, KPFA Co-host of Upfront
Brian Edwards-Tiekert, KPFA Co-host of Upfront
Mitch Jesserich, Host, Letters and Politics, heard on KPFA and KPFK
Larry Bensky, Pacifica National Affairs Correspondent, Retired
Ismael Parra, Southern California Chair of Writers' Union*
Dr. September Williams, Bioethicist, Author, Filmmaker
Robert Farrell, LA City Councilmember, Retired, former chair Pacifica National Board
Philip Maldari, KPFA Host of Sunday Show
Sheela Gunn-Cushman, KPFA Co-host, Pushing Limits
Barry Smolin, KPFK Host of Head Room
Kris Welch, KPFA Host of Talkies
Steve Clare, affordable housing champion (LA)
Bob Baldock, KPFA Events Producer
Bonnie Simmons, KPFA Host of The Bonnie Simmons Show
Carlos Marroquin, Bernie Organizer, Public Banking & Occupy Organizer
Will Lewis, General Manager of KPFK and KPFA during the 70s golden years
David Baker, KPFT Host of Maverick’s Corner
Miguel Paredes, Creator of KPFK’s Soul Rebel Radio
Cynthia Anderson-Barker & Tim Barker, National Lawyers' Guild*
Bill Gardner, KPFK Host of Rhapsody in Black
Cary Harrison, Former / Periodic Host on KPFK, Air America, and CBS
Charles Fredericks, former KPFK Local Station Board, Independent Filmmaker
Adrienne Lauby, KPFA Co-host of Pushing Limits
Darlene Pagano, KPFA Graduate Apprentice
Teddy Robinson, Host of KPFK's Stairway of Heaven
Dorothy Reik, Bernie activist, President, Progressive Democrats of Santa Monica Mountains*
Evelia Jones, KPFK Local Station Board
Steve Pride, KPFK Host of IMRU
Frances Yasmeen Motiwalla, Bernie organizer & Public Banking organizer
Freddie Rothstein, Rick Norris and Laryssa Lee, KPFT Co-hosts of All Day Music
Genie Mims, KPFT Host of Down Home Blues
Joel Sachs, KPFA Host of Non-Fiction Music
Goetz Wolff, UCLA Professor of Urban Planning
David Emory, KPFK Co-producer of Something’s Happening
Jon Wiener, KPFK Host of Trump Watch
Harvey Wasserman, KPFK Host of California Solartopia
Jolie Mason, KPFK Co-host of Access Unlimited, Retired
Hector Resendez, KPFK Co-host of Canto Tropical
Henry Slucki, 35-Year Co-host of Access Unlimited on KPFK
Mark Humphrey, KPFK Host of Roots Music and Beyond
Howie Klein, political commentator, Down with Tyranny
Ilene Proctor, Publicity maven
Joan Sekler, Film Producer Unprecedented
Judy Alter, Election integrity expert
Kiyana Williams, KPFK Audio Engineer / Editor / Producer
Timothy Lynch, KPFA Host of Dead to the World
Terry Guy, KPFK Membership Director
Tom Lutz, KPFK Host of LA Review of Books
Madelyn Schwab, retired educator, long-time KPFK staff
Mansoor Sabbagh, KPFK Co-producer of Something's Happening
Marcia Zimmer and Michael Tarbet, Santa Monicans for Renters Rights*
Mark Maxwell, Host of Rise, former producer Lila Garrett's Connect the Dots
Pamela Elmore, KPFA Receptionist
Paul Newman, Musician
Reyna Cowan, KPFA Host of Cover to Cover
Sandra Cox, Chair, Coalition of Mental Health Professionals (LA)
Steve Weatherwax, KPFK Front Office Manager
Suzi Weissman, Host of KPFK's Beneath the Surface
Jeff Lebow, KPFA Programmer Change Makers
Terry Paris, KPFA Receptionist
From: SaveKPFA
Date: October 17, 2019 at 10:35:30 AM EDT
Statement of support from general managers
of KPFA, KPFK, KPFT, and WFPW
Dear KPFA/Pacifica listener,
Below we forward a statement issued by four of the general managers of Pacifica radio in support of the recent actions taken by the interim executive director of the Pacifica network to protect the viability of the entire network. Please share widely. We urge you to can add your support by writing to the Pacifica board of directors at pnb [at] pacifica.org.
October 14, 2019
To Whom It May Concern:
We, the General Managers of four Pacifica radio outlets, are writing to express our full and unwavering commitment to the recent decisions and actions undertaken by our Interim Executive Director, John Vernile.
Specifically, we believe the decision to lay off the staff at WBAI was responsible given the dire financial situation. We believe this decision was motivated out of economic necessity and if there were alternative options available Mr. Vernile would have taken them.
We back the decision to broadcast Pacifica Across America on 99.5FM as an action that maintains positive control of the airwaves while distributing relevant, educational, and informative content to the city of New York.
We respect and affirm the board's decision to that also agrees with these actions.
We believe that these actions are necessary to secure the ongoing viability of WBAI and the Pacifica Foundation.
We know it is the responsibility of the Executive Director to ensure that Pacifica and our local stations are financially sound, acting with full integrity, and in alignment with our mission. Our listeners, staff as well as local, state, and federal governments necessitate a high degree of professionalism and regulatory compliance. We believe that Mr. Verniles actions were and are
in this spirit.
As General Managers it is our responsibility to lead and continue the unity that Mr. Vernile has developed. We are committed to expanding this momentum into an organized, mission driven, financially stable WBAI.
Sincerely,
Anyel Zuberi Fields, General Manager, KPFK Los Angeles, CA
Quincy McCoy, General Manager, KPFA Berkeley, CA
Jerry Paris, General Manager, WPFW, Washington, DC
Jack Valinski, General Manager, KPFT Houston, TX
Please circulate this information to your friends, and visit the Facebook page, Pacifica Protectors, for additional updates.
Questions? Contact us at votesavekpfa [at] gmail.com.
KPFT Ted Weisgal Letter To PNB On Bill Crozier
Dear Members of the Pacifica National Board,
My name is Ted Weisgal and in addition to being a member of the KPFT LSB, I am a member of the Pacifica National Governance Committee. In that role, I tried to address matters pertaining to former Pacifica interim Executive Director, Bill Crosier. Due to time limits, other business matters, as well as the belief from some members of the Governance Committee that establishing an investigative committee to consider charges against Mr. Crosier should be in the domain of the PNB, not ours, I am sharing the following, in red. On July 25, I sent this to our committee chair, Lawrence Reyes and committee member, DeWayne Lark because they are pivotal players regarding this matter (continued below).
On Sat, Jul 25, 2020, 12:03 AM Ted Weisgal wrote:
Gentlemen,
I'm slowly recovering from our Governance Committee meeting this week and think I've come to the realization that this matter of BC violating the bylaws is in your court.
I think what Crosier did was unconscionable and his continued participation in this organization is not only wrong but compromises everything we're supposed to stand for.
One of the things that galls me is an email we received from Sandra Rawline where she says "let it go, Obidike has moved on with his life. We should do the same." What Crosier did will forever besmirch this organization and should not go unpunished. And he compounded his dastardly deed with his attempt to amend bylaws he does not respect.
I may be sending you additional emails to provide you with more information but right now, I'd like to know if you are going to use your positions on the PNB to push for a vote to establish an investigative committee which is what I tried to do the other night and is the proper step leading to removal.
I don't have to look deeply into your records to know that you agree with me that what Crosier did: firing an iGM without consulting the LSB in question, is a violation that justifies permanent removal, especially considering the chaos that stemmed from it.
I probably should have sought your advice from the beginning, and I'm sorry I didn't. What BC did will be a permanent stain on Pacifica. Nevertheless, his removal will assuage some of the damage.
Can I be of service? Where do we go from here?
To reiterate, my email is dated July 25. I have not received any response from Messers. Reyes or Lark. Since that time, Mr. Crosier has taken on the task of serving as secretary of the KPFT Management Selection and Review Committee. Considering the chaos he’s contributed to in the past two years: the hiring and firing of five interim General Managers at KPFT and my belief that he should not be on this committee, raises the urgency of what I hope will be this action.
That committee was scheduled to meet last week. I pointed out to that body that our meeting was not posted at kpftx.org. The committee chair, Sandra Rawline, assumed responsibility for this but the minutes for the last two meetings were not posted by Mr. Crosier until after 1am on the day of the meeting, thus giving committee members little time to read and digest them. I am not making a definitive statement that either Rawline or Crosier were responsible for the failure to post this critical meeting on kpftx.org or that if this was Crosier's responsibility that in and of itself is grounds for any action against him. What I am saying is that it is part of a pattern and should be explored by a committee that should have the power to recommend a Crosier trial.
I believe his abrogation of Article Seven, Local Station Boards, Section 3: Specific Powers and Duties: D.
“Both the Executive Director and/or an LSB may initiate the process to fire a station General Manager. However, to effectuate it, both the Executive Director and the LSB must agree to fire said General Manager. If the Executive Director and the LSB cannot agree the decision to terminate or retain said General Manager shall be made by the Board of Directors” is enough to justify the creation of an investigative committee (and the recommendation of a trial and conviction).
The protocols for an investigation at trial are spelled out in Chapter XX of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised. That document should provide guidance here. It is a process that is akin to a Grand Jury but “hearsay evidence has to be admissible.”
For the sake of any organization that undertakes this process, Robert’s urges discretion. I was chair of the KPFT LSB when Dr. Kamau was fired and can speak directly to that matter and Crosier’s unilateral decision to hire and pay the terminated GM Duane Bradley as Dr. Kamau’s advisor when no funds were approved by the KPFT LSB for that purpose. I can’t speak directly to Crosier’s unilateral termination of other GMs or the chaos he has foisted on this organization.
I do not want to prejudice such an investigation, but I do believe that Mr. Crosier has done irreparable harm. I believe that an unbiased committee will come to the same conclusion. I implore you: let the process begin.
Bill Crosier via FYI
To: HPJC Announcements
Sent: Sun, Oct 18, 2020 3:47 pm
Subject: [FYI-HPJC] Please sign New Day Pacifica petition TODAY to help save KPFT
KPFT, and the Pacifica Foundation of which KPFT is a part, continues to suffer from declining listenership, declining donations, and warring factions on KPFT's Local Station Board (LSB) and the Pacifica National Board (PNB), that results in paralysis and inability (or unwillingness) to solve Pacifica's many underlying problems. A glaring example is the $3.2 million loan, that uses KPFT's building and other Pacifica's buildings at collateral, and for which the PNB has made absolutely NO progress in developing a repayment plan and struggles just to pay the interest. The board paralysis, in turn, prevents Pacifica from fulfilling its mission. As our auditors and financial advisors have been telling us, it's growing more and more unlikely that Pacifica will even be able to survive, with their repeated "going concern" alerts. Yes, we're talking about whether KPFT and Pacifica can survive. The decline has been going on for some time - it's not just from Covid-19, although that certainly has not helped, and the failure of our governance to address KPFT's and Pacifica's problems may mean that we'll lose this bastion of free speech that is needed more than ever.
But there's hope. A new group, New Day Pacifica (NDP) advocating for governance reform has developed new Bylaws for Pacifica
I'm asking you to sign their petition today to have a membership referendum so that KPFT and other Pacifica members can vote (in a few months) on new Bylaws.
I know the people behind NDP, I trust them, and I am glad they have addressed criticisms of the earlier Bylaws effort from last winter, with which I was very involved.
Good intentions on the part of many people on our boards are not enough, though, when our basic structure (defined by our Bylaws) make it so easy for a few people to disrupt meetings and to encourage infighting rather than cooperation. Opponents of Bylaws reform have stooped to other Trump-style tactics of spreading false information about reform, even saying an election for the new Bylaws will cost too much money even though the new Bylaws will actually save Pacifica much more money than a referendum will cost.
Please sign the New Day Pacifica petition today, forward this e-mail to others you know, and share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
If that petition link does not work, go to https://newdaypacifica.org/petition
For more information (including real facts in response to misinformation you may have heard), see the list of Frequently Asked Questions at newdaypacifica.org/faq
Endorsements
Below are some of the many hosts of shows you hear on KPFT, and KPFT and other Pacifica staff and volunteers, who have endorsed the New Day Pacifica bylaws. More endorsements are coming in each week. Others are also supporting them but have not said that New Day Pacifica can use their names publicly.
Larry Winters, KPFT Host of Spare Change: “Our governance needs major reform if our stations and Pacifica are to survive. Please support the New Day Pacifica Bylaws.”
Roark Smith, KPFT Host of Wide Open Spaces
Wally James, Host, Progressive Forum, KPFT, also member of the Pacifica National Board:
Nuri Nuri, KPFT Host of Blues Branch
Nancy McAfee, KPFT Co-host of Blues on the Move
Duane Bradley, KPFT Host of Open Journal, Former General Manager KPFT
James and Colleen Nagel, KPFT Co-hosts of Howlin' the Blues
Michael Honig, KPFT Host of Thinkwing Radio
Mr. and Mrs. V, KPFT Co-hosts of Blues on the Move
Hank Lamb, KPFT Host of The Prison Show and ElectroLuv Radio
David Collingsworth and Elizabeth Stein, KPFT Co-hosts of The Prison Show
Bill Galbraith, KPFT Host of Irish Aires
Dalton Harris and Joanna Jetton, KPFT Co-hosts of Bluegrass Depot
Tom Tranchilla, KPFT Host of Songwriters Studio
David Impastato, KPFT Host of Roots Radio
David Britton, KPFT Volunteer
Sonali Kolhatkar, Host of Rising Up with Sonali, heard on KPFK, KPFT, and KPFA:
Jodie Evans, Co-founder of Code Pink*, Board of Rainforest Action Network*
Mimi Kennedy, Co-founder, Progressive Democrats of America*, TV Co-star of Mom, and frequent KPFK guest
Teresa Allen, KPFT listener and volunteer, and former member of the Pacifica National Board:
Kay Edwards, KPFT music librarian
Carol Spooner, KPFA listener and co-author of the present bylaws:
Roy Tuckman (Roy of Hollywood), KPFK host, Something’s Happening:
Aileen Alfandary, KPFA News Director (also heard on KPFK):
Alan Minsky, KPFK Senior Producer, Executive Director, Progressive Democrats of America*:
Ian Masters, KPFK Host of Background Briefing:
Sharon Kyle, Publisher and Co-founder of the LA Progressive:
Jonathan Alexander, KPFK Network Administrator, former Chair of the Pacifica National Board:
Jackie Goldberg, LA Board of Education*, California State Assembly & LA City Council, Retired
Cat Brooks, KPFA Co-host of Upfront
Brian Edwards-Tiekert, KPFA Co-host of Upfront
Mitch Jesserich, Host, Letters and Politics, heard on KPFA and KPFK
Larry Bensky, Pacifica National Affairs Correspondent, Retired
Ismael Parra, Southern California Chair of Writers' Union*
Dr. September Williams, Bioethicist, Author, Filmmaker
Robert Farrell, LA City Councilmember, Retired, former chair Pacifica National Board
Philip Maldari, KPFA Host of Sunday Show
Sheela Gunn-Cushman, KPFA Co-host, Pushing Limits
Barry Smolin, KPFK Host of Head Room
Kris Welch, KPFA Host of Talkies
Steve Clare, affordable housing champion (LA)
Bob Baldock, KPFA Events Producer
Bonnie Simmons, KPFA Host of The Bonnie Simmons Show
Carlos Marroquin, Bernie Organizer, Public Banking & Occupy Organizer
Will Lewis, General Manager of KPFK and KPFA during the 70s golden years
David Baker, KPFT Host of Maverick’s Corner
Miguel Paredes, Creator of KPFK’s Soul Rebel Radio
Cynthia Anderson-Barker & Tim Barker, National Lawyers' Guild*
Bill Gardner, KPFK Host of Rhapsody in Black
Cary Harrison, Former / Periodic Host on KPFK, Air America, and CBS
Charles Fredericks, former KPFK Local Station Board, Independent Filmmaker
Adrienne Lauby, KPFA Co-host of Pushing Limits
Darlene Pagano, KPFA Graduate Apprentice
Teddy Robinson, Host of KPFK's Stairway of Heaven
Dorothy Reik, Bernie activist, President, Progressive Democrats of Santa Monica Mountains*
Evelia Jones, KPFK Local Station Board
Steve Pride, KPFK Host of IMRU
Frances Yasmeen Motiwalla, Bernie organizer & Public Banking organizer
Freddie Rothstein, Rick Norris and Laryssa Lee, KPFT Co-hosts of All Day Music
Genie Mims, KPFT Host of Down Home Blues
Joel Sachs, KPFA Host of Non-Fiction Music
Goetz Wolff, UCLA Professor of Urban Planning
David Emory, KPFK Co-producer of Something’s Happening
Jon Wiener, KPFK Host of Trump Watch
Harvey Wasserman, KPFK Host of California Solartopia
Jolie Mason, KPFK Co-host of Access Unlimited, Retired
Hector Resendez, KPFK Co-host of Canto Tropical
Henry Slucki, 35-Year Co-host of Access Unlimited on KPFK
Mark Humphrey, KPFK Host of Roots Music and Beyond
Howie Klein, political commentator, Down with Tyranny
Ilene Proctor, Publicity maven
Joan Sekler, Film Producer Unprecedented
Judy Alter, Election integrity expert
Kiyana Williams, KPFK Audio Engineer / Editor / Producer
Timothy Lynch, KPFA Host of Dead to the World
Terry Guy, KPFK Membership Director
Tom Lutz, KPFK Host of LA Review of Books
Madelyn Schwab, retired educator, long-time KPFK staff
Mansoor Sabbagh, KPFK Co-producer of Something's Happening
Marcia Zimmer and Michael Tarbet, Santa Monicans for Renters Rights*
Mark Maxwell, Host of Rise, former producer Lila Garrett's Connect the Dots
Pamela Elmore, KPFA Receptionist
Paul Newman, Musician
Reyna Cowan, KPFA Host of Cover to Cover
Sandra Cox, Chair, Coalition of Mental Health Professionals (LA)
Steve Weatherwax, KPFK Front Office Manager
Suzi Weissman, Host of KPFK's Beneath the Surface
Jeff Lebow, KPFA Programmer Change Makers
Terry Paris, KPFA Receptionist
From: SaveKPFA
Date: October 17, 2019 at 10:35:30 AM EDT
Statement of support from general managers
of KPFA, KPFK, KPFT, and WFPW
Dear KPFA/Pacifica listener,
Below we forward a statement issued by four of the general managers of Pacifica radio in support of the recent actions taken by the interim executive director of the Pacifica network to protect the viability of the entire network. Please share widely. We urge you to can add your support by writing to the Pacifica board of directors at pnb [at] pacifica.org.
October 14, 2019
To Whom It May Concern:
We, the General Managers of four Pacifica radio outlets, are writing to express our full and unwavering commitment to the recent decisions and actions undertaken by our Interim Executive Director, John Vernile.
Specifically, we believe the decision to lay off the staff at WBAI was responsible given the dire financial situation. We believe this decision was motivated out of economic necessity and if there were alternative options available Mr. Vernile would have taken them.
We back the decision to broadcast Pacifica Across America on 99.5FM as an action that maintains positive control of the airwaves while distributing relevant, educational, and informative content to the city of New York.
We respect and affirm the board's decision to that also agrees with these actions.
We believe that these actions are necessary to secure the ongoing viability of WBAI and the Pacifica Foundation.
We know it is the responsibility of the Executive Director to ensure that Pacifica and our local stations are financially sound, acting with full integrity, and in alignment with our mission. Our listeners, staff as well as local, state, and federal governments necessitate a high degree of professionalism and regulatory compliance. We believe that Mr. Verniles actions were and are
in this spirit.
As General Managers it is our responsibility to lead and continue the unity that Mr. Vernile has developed. We are committed to expanding this momentum into an organized, mission driven, financially stable WBAI.
Sincerely,
Anyel Zuberi Fields, General Manager, KPFK Los Angeles, CA
Quincy McCoy, General Manager, KPFA Berkeley, CA
Jerry Paris, General Manager, WPFW, Washington, DC
Jack Valinski, General Manager, KPFT Houston, TX
Please circulate this information to your friends, and visit the Facebook page, Pacifica Protectors, for additional updates.
Questions? Contact us at votesavekpfa [at] gmail.com.
For more information:
https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=1629363677...
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IMC Network
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TfzEr3V2YMg
[5:20-5:42]
I have a friend who teaches at Temple University's College of Business, but he teaches Business Law.
And I asked him, "If the word 'interim' is in front of the word 'General Manager' what does that mean?"
And he said, "Unless you have some clarifying statement you don't pay attention to the word 'interim', they are the 'General Manager'."
(Note: YouTube have changed to a Private Video)
---
However, there are two separate issues to consider:
1. Powers and duties exercised by GM vs iGM.
2. Hiring and firing of GM vs iGM
---
1. There is no difference in the powers and duties exercised by GM vs iGM.
2. But, there is a difference between hiring and firing of GM vs iGM
--
1. Hiring and firing of GM are proscribed in the Bylaws.
2. Hiring and firing of iGM are at the discretion of the ED or the iED.
---
'interim': 1. temporary and intended to be used or accepted until something permanent exists.
If hiring and firing of iGM have to follow the procedures proscribed in the Bylaws for hiring and firing of GM, then the term 'interim' is void of meaning.
Former Pacifica IED Bill Crosier's Action To Call Police On KPFA Manager
https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=1629363677086067&_rdr
Tanaka's support for the use of the police in KPFT has been carefully hidden by the same people who illegally shutdown WBAI.
Grace Aaron has recently written a letter Tanaka's crony Bill Crosier.
Tanaka and the majority of the KPFA board who supported voluntary bankruptcy lost only months ago on a bylaw proposal to eliminate elected local station boards and also end representation by the paid staff. This cost $150,000 and like corporate legal raiders they want to spend another $150,000 on a new bylaw proposal only months before regular elections which will take place this coming June.
These tactics are used by corporate raiders who want to weaken and bust up their opposition in a corporate take-over. Their illegal shutdown of WBAI led by their operative Vernile backed by KPFA manager Quincy McCoy and supported by KPFA programmer Sabrina Jacobs is still defended by Tanaka and company.
From Grace Aaron To Bill Crosier
Dear Bill,
Your sweeping accusations and generalized prescriptives are not helpful. Especially as you were the iED for at least a year and failed utterly to rectify many of the problems you so blithely condemn others for failing to fix.
Why don't we talk solutions? What are your solutions besides creating a new, oligarchic board composed of failed past Directors and clueless new recruits?
More importantly, what were your past solutions?
1) You spent a year trying to get a signal swap for WBAI which failed utterly. This wasted a lot of your time, the time of our misguided CFO and the time of the PNB.
2) You pushed and pushed and pushed for bankruptcy which would have been a disaster as a very competent bankruptcy attorney explained that our debt could NOT be reduced in bankruptcy as if a nonprofit's assets exceed its debt the debt has to be paid in full - 100 cents on the dollar! Thus, bankruptcy would have added $500,000 to $1 million to our debt, brought absolutely no debt relief and caused untold confusion. The Board you malign prevented you from moving ahead with this ill thought out plan, thank goodness.
3) You allowed the CFO to spend enormous amounts of time preparing for bankruptcy without Board approval. This waste of time and effort caused delays in our subsequent audits, diminished any efforts to rectify structural defects in our financial reporting and set back other financial compliance.
4) You and the CFO delayed and mishandled negotiations with the Empire State Realty Trust that had to be rectified by extraordinary Board efforts taken by Board Members including Nancy Sorden, Grace Aaron and others in the face of opposition and hostility from you as the iED and CFO. Don't forget, you opposed the settlement with ESRT that saved Pacifica $1.9 million dollars, you opposed the loan that enabled that settlement and you continued to push for either bankruptcy or the swap or sale of a station license.
5) You talk about strategic plans but your tenure as iED saw no improvement of overall management of Pacifica, nor of improved management of our stations. The strategic plan you link to gives all sorts of good ideas but no practical method to fund them, no plan to figure out how to find and pay staff to implement them and, therefore, is not a real strategic plan. Did you put out a strategic plan as iED or as a PNB Director?
6) You CONSPIRED WITH iED John Vernile and OTHER PNB DIRECTORS (including Jan Goodman and Sabrina Jacobs) to SECRETLY plan the illegal shutdown of WBAI. This was illegal because it was done without PNB approval. All conspirators were aware that it would not get Board approval or they would not have kept it secret. All you Board conspirators are, therefore, accessories to that illegal action. Is that why there is a very lengthy indemnification clause in the 'New Day Pacifica' proposed bylaws? Is your personal motivation behind this new bylaws amendment to get yourself off the hook or to help Pacifica? This ILLEGAL action to shutdown WBAI puts you in potential legal jeopardy, doesn't it? After all, you traveled to New York personally to dismantle that station. This cost Pacifica somewhere between $200,000 to $400,000!
7) You pushed the bylaws Referendum that failed by a 2/3 vote. You and others took legal action against Board Members on Oct. 7, 2019 without informing them that you were doing so. Do you consider that ethical? Akio Tanaka, Susan daSilva, Donald Goldmacher, Carole Travis, Carol Spooner and Mansoor Sabbagh joined you in this underhanded, unethical action.
8) You are lauding the unauthorized efforts by Jan Goodman to interfere with ongoing negotiations by the Pacifica iED and Pacifica Counsel with the lender of the $3.2 million loan and then, to compound that, publicizing her efforts as a victory for your cabal when talking about an ongoing, not completed, contract negotiation outside of a closed meeting of the PNB is reprehensible.
9) You, Jan and your other cohorts, are actively and brazenly flaunting common decency by publicly disparaging the Pacifica governance system and by fomenting discord and helping to create and exacerbate the dysfunction you rail against.
Grace Aaron, PNB Secretary - but signed as an individual, not in any official capacity
also approved by Alex Steinberg, PNB Chair, signing on as an individual, not in any official capacity
Grace Aaron
Ted might have gotten this notion from a conversation he had with a friend at Temple University.
https://makerobotsnotwar.libsyn.com/ted-weisgal-local-station-board-chair-crisis-at-kpftmp3
[5:20-5:42]
I have a friend who teaches at Temple University's College of Business, but he teaches Business Law.
And I asked him, "If the word 'interim' is in front of the word 'General Manager' what does that mean?"
And he said, "Unless you have some clarifying statement you don't pay attention to the word 'interim', they are the 'General Manager'."
---
However, there are two separate issues to consider:
1. Powers and duties exercised by GM vs iGM.
2. Hiring and firing of GM vs iGM
---
1. There is no difference in the powers and duties exercised by GM vs iGM.
2. But, there is a difference between hiring and firing of GM vs iGM
--
1. Hiring and firing of GM are proscribed in the Bylaws.
2. Hiring and firing of iGM are at the discretion of the ED or the iED.
---
Ted is conflating two separate issues here.