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September 2011
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Berthold Reimers
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Dear WBAI supporters,
I am pleased to report that despite both an earthquake and a hurricane instigated mandatory evacuation of our premises, the station was kept up and running by a highly dedicated and professional staff- on both the east and west coasts.
I would like to thank those at our sister station KPFK in California for providing live coverage during the worst of the hurricane waiting period. Broadcaster Cary Harrison fielded calls from our listeners here in NYC, listened to their concerns, calmed their anxieties and passed along first hand experiences from around the city and outlying areas. Live interviews with meteorologists, scientists, nuclear experts and updates from the Mayor's office were all made possible by KPFK General Manager Bernard Duncan, Operations Director Zuberi Fields, Pacifica Technical Director Jon Almeleh, and Board Operator Tamika Miller.
As soon as access to the building on Wall Street was made possible, a team of WBAI producers and operations staff quickly volunteered and appeared by bicycle and foot, taxi and high boots. They put together an entertaining, intelligent, and funny program of listener call-ins, up to the minute road and travel updates, and news from around all of the boroughs, Long island, and Connecticut.
Our thanks go out to engineer Graecon Challenger who manned the board for over 24 hours with no food or sleep; M.Saidia McLaughlin who road her bicycle from the far reaches of Brooklyn in gale winds to do her show; Janet Coleman who spearheaded the 2 hour live talk-fest with her astute and droll commentary; Sally O'brien who searched out breaking weather alerts and news from somewhat distracted and uninformed city agencies; Stephen "Road Warrior" Howard who put together a concise report on all the major driving arteries and river crossings; Dave Kenney who wouldn't let a hurricane stand in the way of fulfilling the air time promised to a member who had pledged for it; Max Schmid who came in to edit Al Jazeera English and engineer Tony Ryan who was rescued from his under water location by angel Volunteer Co-ordinator Crystal Richardson.
We also want to send our sincerest thanks to you, the WBAI listeners , for your service through your active on-air participation and relevant commentary.
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3-6am- Jouvert Morning Carnival Celebration broadcast
6am-6pm- In- studio and live coverage of the Brooklyn West Indian
Labor Day Parade, Eastern Parkway
- September 2, Friday, 7pm - How Venezuela & Cuba Are Changing the World's Conception of Health Care - a talk by Steve Brouwer author of Revolutionary Doctors joined by the Honorable Jorge Valero Brice�o,
Permanent Representative of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United Nations. The Graduate Center City University of New York, Elebash Recital Hall, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York.
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R Paul Martin and Pickles
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Back of the Book Celebrates 25th Anniversary!
When it airs on Saturday morning, September 3, 2011, "Back of the Book", the radio program that's hard to describe, will be celebrating twenty five years on the air at New York City community radio station WBAI.
The program, adhering closely to the format known as "free form live radio," is about whatever its hosts, R. Paul Martin and Pickles of the North, decide it will be about that week. An eclectic mix of science discussions, current events, politics, personal anecdotes and events affecting cyberspace, the program has lasted through 15 WBAI General Managers, six WBAI Program Directors and five U.S. Presidential Administrations to bring radio listeners in the wee hours a personal type of radio program that can be heard nowhere else.
The Twenty Fifth Anniversary program will feature a look back at the beginnings of "Back of the Book" and some of the topics it has dealt with over the last two decades, as well as new material dealing with the latest issues of the day.
"Back of the Book" airs Saturday mornings at 5:00 AM. A schedule can be found at: 25th Anniversary Schedule . Previous shows can be found on the WBAI Archives here.
- September 9, Friday 7-10pm, "Attica Is All Of Us"- Live broadcast from Riverside Church. An evening of music, performances and conversation to mark the 40th anniversary of the Attica Rebellion and Massacre and address current prison struggles. Free and open to the public. Doors open 6:30pm. Information here.
- 9/11 Special Programming - September 11, 6am -12 midnight, Local programming with Pacifica national broadcast 12pm-8pm
When terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001 precious lives were lost forever and the sense of security Americans enjoyed in their homeland - was completely shattered. A decade later Pacifica Radio and Democracy Now ! will examine "911's Footprint on America: Ten years later"; who have we become because of it - as individuals and as a society. Through the words of the people who lost their loved ones, who fought the flames at ground zero, who sustained life altering injuries and who suffered the consequences of being a Muslim American, we'll hear firsthand how America and her people have evolved in spite of the terror inflicted upon them. The memorial broadcast will begin, the way Sept. 11, 2001 began for WBAI listeners, with Democracy Now! broadcasting `live' from New York, only a few blocks away from where the planes hit the towers. Amy Goodman will take us back to that ill fated day with actual sound gathered on the scene as well as her own personal recollections. Throughout the day WBAI reporters will speak to us from locations throughout New York including Ground Zero, the site for the controversial Islamic educational and cultural center and other major events around the city as they occur. Voices of the thinkers and the intellectuals who have navigated us through this crisis over the last decade like Gore Vidal, Dr. Cornel West, the late Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky and Tariq Ali will be provided by Pacifica Archives Director Brian DeShazer. Most importantly this commemorative broadcast will include the perspectives of the artists, the poets, the grassroots activists and average citizens. You will hear in a WBAI roundtable discussion, led by Attorney Michael Ratner Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, the abuses of power post 9/11 such as domestic surveillance, FBI guidelines, criminalizing dissent, illegal wars, Islamophobia and targeting Muslims. Iraqi Feminist Yanar Mohammd will join KPFK host Sonali Kolhatkar to discuss how the abuse of women's rights has been used in the post 911 era as a pretext to justify U.S. invasions in the middle east. Here at home, 911 has given rise to a burgeoning right wing movement. KPFT's hosts will examine the rise of the religious right in America against the backdrop of 911. Guest Peter Montgomery of People for the American Way will provide insight. In depth, balanced debate hosted from KPFA will address lingering questions raised about the Commission Report, and the debate over the science of the Twin Towers' collapse. Listener call-ins from around the country moderated by KPFA's Veronica Faisant will bring the broadcast back to the `man/woman - on - the street' by the end of the day. Coverage from Pacifica's five stations, the Pacifica Radio Archives and DN!, will last for 9 hours and air simultaneously in their respective cities. Many of Pacifica's 165 affiliates will participate in airing this broadcast. Join this station on this memorial journey, starting at 6am. Additional guests throughout the day's broadcast include, among many many more: -Peter Philips, Director of Project Censored (guest moderator) -Mickey Huff, Associate Professor of History at Diablo Valley College (guest moderator) -Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Origins and History of the Passions of War (overview on post 9/11 culture of fear). -Michael Smith, Center for Constitutional Rights and National Lawyers Guild -Heidi Boghosian, Exec. Director of National Lawyers Guild
- October 1, Saturday, 10:30 am to 2:00 pm- The Women in the Making Career and Leadership Summit - a personal and professional development event for women in the making ages 11-19 and their families. The summit will take place at the WBAI studios at 120 Wall Street. This summit will highlight women in unconventional careers in the areas of health, science and finance. The WIM "Shero" panel will address pursuing career paths, navigating the workplace as a woman, being mindful of industry standards like fair pay in the workplace and empowering the young ladies with key tips for success. There'll be breakfast, lunch, raffles, fun mock interviews and goodie swag bags! The best investment on Wall Street! Tickets can be purchased here.
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We are proud to announce that Mimi Rosenberg and Ken Nash of "Building Bridges" have just received an International Labor Communication Association's (ILCA) outstanding Media Competition Award for their production, "Municipal Workers Fightback," based on three-hours of live coverage of the Mass Rally of NYC Public Workers Against Cutbacks on June 16, 2010. The program can be accessed on their web site.
This award is the most recent of those they previously received from the ILCA and the Metro New York Labor Communications Council, including Metro's prestigious Matt Doherty/GwenWells Award in Broadcast Media and Communications for their one-hour documentary " Domestic Workers Uniting - Your Home, My Work" - listen here.
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:: Take Charge of Your Health, with Corinne Furnari CCN,PA ::
Fridays 1-2pm
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Linda P. Segal (L) +
Corinne Furnari(R)
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Every week the producers Corinne Furnari and Linda P. Segal present you with new and creative ways to help you make sense of health information and bring it home to you and your family. With years of clinical experience and research into traditional and cutting edge technologies, Corinne gives you practical information to help you Take Charge of Your Health. The mainstay of the show is audience participation including call-ins to both the host and guests, with occasional surprise giveaways.
Ms. Furnari has been practicing Integrative Medicine for approximately 25 years. She is a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, part of the first group of clinicians to be certified in New York State. A licensed Physicians Assistant, she is a graduate of USC Physicians Assistant Program, qualifying with national board honors in general medicine and surgery. She is also qualified and Board Certified by the International Society of Cosmetologynecology for in-office Medical Aesthetic Procedures. Corinne's philosophy through the years has been: "There is no drug stronger then the food we eat and our day-to-day lifestyle. Taking a drug without changing your lifestyle and expecting health, is a myth with life-threatening consequences." Corinne has been on the air promoting health causes for the past 11 years.
Linda P. Segal is a former business owner and consultant who has collaborated with Corinne for the past 3 years to develop and expand "Take Charge Of Your Health".
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  Ocularpation: Wall Street
Seconds after 7 a.m. for 5 minutes, on Monday August 1, trousers were dropping and skirts were lifting all along Wall Street. The mass dishabille was part of a site-specific work of performance art, "Ocularpation: Wall Street," by artist, Zefrey Throwell. It was intended as a commentary on work and the economy, though that seemed to be lost on the police stationed near the New York Stock Exchange. There, three people - two men and a woman dressed (briefly) as a stock trader, a janitor and a dog-walker - were arrested and taken to a nearby precinct, where they were given summons for disorderly conduct and later released. By 7:05 a.m., the remaining 46 men and women who were part of the project had simply put their clothes back on and gone about their day.
Mr. Throwell, who also participated - he was dressed, then undressed, as a hot dog vendor - said the idea came to him while talking to his mother. She was a public school counselor for thirty years and was forced to come out of retirement to look for a job in her mid-sixties because she lost almost all of her retirement savings in the crash of 2008. At first she was depressed and then she became furious that the entire financial structure of Wall Street is almost totally opaque and inaccessible to many of the people it affects the most.
The project was aimed at creating a sense of transparency for one of the most mysterious streets in history. "The project was in two parts. First, I canvassed the entire street and took a survey of what professions people actually worked in on Wall Street. Next, I assigned the fifty performers proportional roles based on this data. To further this aim, in the spirit of a Freudian nightmare and to draw attention to the absurdity of the modern economic model, I had all of the performers appear naked, Wall Street exposed! "
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Remember the WBAI Crafts Fair?
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TIRED OF PLEDGE DRIVES? MISSING THE CRAFTS FAIR? LET'S JUMP INTO THE 21ST CENTURY WITH:
:: The First Annual WBAI Holiday Online Auction ::
In the spirit of the popularity and uniqueness of the beloved Annual WBAI Craft's Fair, we are launching a new holiday tradition that we hope will win as much favor. We invite you to donate services and opportunities, and maybe some "goods", to an online auction that will run from Thanksgiving through the first week of December. This annual tradition in the making will once more put BAI and its community at the center of NYC's holiday shopping and gifting.
 Who do you know, what do you know; what do you have, what can you get? Your donation can come from your vocation or avocation, or from your connections to unique people and places. Professional services of all kinds. That includes jugglers, magicians, clowns, as well as lawyers, interior designers, and financial consultants. Arts, crafts, song, performance, culinary delights, backstage access, unique opportunities, local merchants, teaching, guiding, sharing, leading, mentoring, training, amazing! Professionals from lawyers to massage therapists can donate a block of their services. Craftsmen and women can share their time or their product. Cooks can create meals and chefs can have guests at their establishments. Concert tickets are highly prized, and if it comes with VIP access and the chance to meet the performers- so much the better, the same for sporting events and sports personalities. Travel, by boat or plane or car to unusual places with you as the host. Public figures can meet their public over lunch. Politicos can share front line experiences and organizing tactics. Artists: Photography, Painting, Drawing, Sculpture; studio visits and art tours, professional critiques, auditions, reviews, edits, entr�e. Local merchants that you are friendly with can donate certificates for their services, whether dry-cleaning or groceries. Writers: signed first editions! We are open to the donation of "Goods" (like signed first editions!), with the understanding that they must be in new, or pristine condition. (Rare and/or collectible will be considered on a case by base basis). Let us know what you have in mind and we can confirm the appropriateness. Donors will be responsible for arranging delivery with the buyer. As this is the first auction event, we want to minimize logistics. The emphasis will be on items that can be conveyed via certificate. Our goal is a collection of auction items that will show off the talents and accomplishments of our listeners, station staff, and their near and dear, and which speak to the values and interests of the WBAI community. Let's strut our stuff. The rest of NYC will be watching! Contact: [email protected] with your contribution! |
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"Save our Sounds !" Campaign
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The latest update on the progress of the archives is that 25 crates have been shipped via climate controlled trucks to Pacifica Archives in California. The remaining 30 crates will be shipped as the weather cools, the most important reels having been made a priority for restoration and preservation.
For those unfamiliar with the project, WBAI is in great need of having our archives of invaluable reel to reel interviews and live music shows going back 40 years saved. In their current storage location at the station they have been in jeopardy of serious decomposition and threat of loss beyond retrieval.
Reels containing historic interviews and performances by people such as: Bob Dylan, Abbie Hoffman, Jimi Hendrix, Woody Allen, Harry Belafonte, The Black Panthers, Allen Ginsberg, Jessie Jackson, Assata Shakur, Fela Kuti, Adam Clayton Powel, W.E.B. Dubois, Studs Terkel and many more are being saved and restored.
The collection will ultimately be available online for researchers, academics, and listeners to access. Pacifica Archives has just released 150 hours of newly restored audio funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and you, our listeners, which can be accessed here.
Help us save these important historic voices here: Save our Sounds
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The Black History of the White House
You can now join hundreds of WBAI listeners who became members by purchasing the 2 CD set of Hugh Hamilton's interview with Clarence Lusane about his new book "The Black History of the White House" and you will also receive a copy of the book by pledging $125 (including shipping) purchase here. Lusane (author of works on Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice) returns to the nation's highest office in his latest work, tracing the seldom-revealed contributions of black men and women in the White House, from the days of its construction to the present. He meticulously threads personal stories of slaves, builders, chefs, jazz performers, policymakers, and other historic figures (accompanied by photos) with sharp analysis of leaders facing the criticism and challenges of their times. Whether considering slave-owning presidents who publicly skirted their participation in the practice, exploring Emancipation, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights movement and its aftermath, or discussing contemporary instances, like the Beer Summit, and questioning whether the Obama presidency signals a post-racial era, Lusane offers a vital addition to American history. You will find an intelligent account of one the most controversial and revered seats of power. Lusane's effort is much more than a catchy title or revisionist tome: it's an eye-opening tribute and a provocative reminder of the many narratives that have gone untold.
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New! Premium Customer Care
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Have a question about a premium that you pledged for?
The Premiums Department sends out anywhere from 6-12,000 premium gifts after a fund drive - staffed almost entirely by volunteers. We have been working hard at clearing up premium issues from past fund drives.
There is now a quicker and easier way to get assistance using our online reporting system located on the website, www.wbai.org: About WBAI > Premium Customer Care. Also, the new Premiums Customer Care Hotline number is: 212.209.2845
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Volunteers are always needed in all areas. If you have a specific area of expertise; graphics, audio, word processing, web design, office work, etc. please call to arrange hours at your convenience.(Did we mention how much fun + how satisfying volunteering is?!)
To volunteer, call: 212.209.2826 or email: [email protected]
:: Volunteer Highlight :: Matt Mazza ::
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Volunteer Matt Mazza
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Matt Mazza has been a volunteer at Wbai for 2 years. Matt is a stronghold of our premiums department and because of his astute knowledge and good humor he makes a difficult and overwhelming process an easier one for all.
Matt has been a piano tuner for over 40 years and he plays the...guitar. When not at Wbai Matt, well...Matt is mostly here! Matt states that "volunteering at WBAI allows you the opportunity to make an unseen but important social and political impact". He had heard our on air invitation to volunteer and came to the station by what he calls "divine connection".
:: INTERNSHIPS ::
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Ellen Thomas, age 18 of Kansas City.
The youngest female to be granted a 1st Class Operator's License by the FCC, year?
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Applications are now being accepted for Fall (credit and non-credit) internships in audio engineering, marketing, accounting, graphic design, social media networking, event planning, general station support, and business organization . Please email resumes and days/hours of availability, and areas of interest to [email protected].
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I just received the newsletter and I think this is fabulous. How better to reach your audience realtime? Out of all my email this is the one I am most excited about, because of the quality and timely information WBAI provides daily. Thank you!
-Maira H I have been listening and contributing to WBAI for a very long time. Although I am not used to hearing music on this station from 10 - noon, I was open to seeing what it was like. Although I have not been listening to all the programs in their entirety, here is what I have noticed and here are my comments/suggestions: - When you play songs in another language, it would be helpful if you would give information on what they are singing about and some history of this music. That would help people like me, and I know I am not alone, appreciate it more and not feel like changing the station. You would be helping to develop people's musical education rather than simply entertaining. - Please do not play sexist songs. On Tuesday, August 16th, I listened for a short time and heard one song called "Booty" focused on women's rear ends. Then there was a song where a man was singing about how he was a skinny man who wanted a "Big Fat Blonde." Every now and then I have heard other such songs during this time period. Why play songs like these? This type of music is beneath WBAI. - WBAI is a political station, so I am surprised that you do not seem to play many political songs. Sometimes I hear short excerpts of such songs on programs like Democracy Now!, but they are never complete. There are singers that sing interesting and musical songs that are banned from the mass media, singers like Tom Neilson, Dave Rovics, David Lippman and Emma's Revolution featuring Pat Humphries and her partner. These performers entertain while at the same time exposing governmental corruption, racism, sexism, corporate exploitation, environmental degradation and other society ills but also providing hope through humor and serious lyrics for the need for unity to overcome these evils. -Jane Califf, Bloomfield NJ
My boyfriend and I are supporters and I'm writing to suggest removing this program - Heart of Mind - especially from mid-day! I don't know who today's guest is - but the gentleman is a psychologist - brought on for all the world as though he has the credentials to talk about astro-physics no less! -- talking about his out of body experiences (age 5) and his current connection to the Camelot crew (extraterrestrials), and dreams about Obi Wan Kenobi. Now, I'm not a kid but I do know 30 year olds who have discovered BAI and who are happy to tell me that both science / advanced mathematics and the government and every established thing out there - is stupid, useless and unnecessary. And then they say - 'I listen to BAI' ! I understand the need for dissent and discussion - but we now have a grossly undereducated population- and poor - who are convinced that the study of real science is for the birds - and that scientists are just 'out of the loop' - I'm quoting someone who actually said this. These are the same young folks who went viral on the Internet with the gossip about President Obama being a Muslim, or not being born here. Why in heavens name are you promoting this? Why should anyone feel the need to listen to a scientist about global warming if they've been trashed by the pseudo-science that's spewing forth on some of your programs? It's astonishing to me - Michio Kaku is the only one I can stand to listen to anymore and I never know when he's on! Clearly it's very easy for Ms. Davis to have on a guy who mumbles gibberish - because she herself isn't a scientist and cannot, or doesn't want, to question even one word. And NEVER is there another voice on WITH this guest that might clarify the statements - or challenge them. People think this crap is 'truth'!! Apparently so does Ms. Davis. There is a boatload of serious science out there - even evolution would be fascinating!! Is it impossible to do? I'd prefer to hear old tapes of Vandana Shiva THIS IS SERIOUSLY SHODDY RADIO. I'm ashamed and saddened. It's why I go elsewhere more and more often. I understand supporting the station for programs I like - but when people are truly dumbed down - it's time to voice an opinion... so I am. Thanks. -Barbara, Middle Village NY For the record: Robert Knight on NYC's WBAI-fm, offered a DVD copy of "The War You Don't See" as a "premium" for a donation of $100 to the Pacifica radio station without mentioning that the anti-war film can be watched for free on the Internet That kind of transparency would guarantee that many more citizens would have access to this documentary. -Adam
The producer of "The 5 O'clock Shadow", Robert Knight, responds:
The mutual-benefit fundraising broadcast for WBAI and "The War You Don't See" by John Pilger -- featuring a value-added hour-long exclusive interview with Pilger and myself, was produced at John's personal behest, and with his happy blessings!
Obviously, John's special interview and promotional cooperation was for the explicitly-stated purpose of having listeners voluntarily make significant donations to both:
(1) sustain listener-supported WBAI, and
(2) support Pilger's own expenses in this, and future projects he intends to complete.
Whether the critical writer realizes it or not -- making a movie like "WYDS" involves many production and licensing expenses that may not be apparent to amateurs. Real filmmakers cannot merely "download stuff free from the web" and be properly distributed or legally protected!
This highly-successful fund-drive program explicitly and repeatedly stated that listeners would be supporting both good causes -- above and beyond whatever "pirating" or "anarchistic" and non-remunerative-to the-creator downloads might be available to the digital cognoscenti.
Let's be adults here. Disdain for, or negligence of Pilger's creator rights and maintenance of his awesome work is cavalier at best, naive in essence, and potentially reactionary at worst.
In short, we of WBAI (producer, staff and listeners) actually did something to directly provide John Pilger with real funding resources to help repay this WYDS project -- and subsidize his ongoing great work.
I hope the critical writer's claimed commitment to John Pilger's work will ethically include a direct donation to John -- or a shared contribution (by way of the aforementioned premium) to his collaborative broadcast partner -- WBAI!
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