To the Listeners:
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Berthold Reimers
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Dear WBAI Family,
February 14th is Valentine's Day and time to "share the love". February is also our Winter Fund Drive, and your opportunity to share your love for the station that you care the most about. This fund drive marks the piloting of two new initiatives by Interim Development Director, Andrea Katz. When not searching out grants, Andrea researches best practices for both decreasing our on-air fund drive days, as well as ways of making donating to WBAI easier and more efficient. We will be piloting "Text to Voice", which enables you to text in your pledge and a professional from our call center will call you back to take your pledge. No more busy signals! Secondly, we have launched an "Online Donation Site" ( www.give2wbai.org) where just about every thank you gift that is offered during the fund drive is posted for you to pledge for at your convenience! After the fund drive there will be items posted for immediate shipping - for when a love rush hits - and you wish to show your appreciation for a show, a host, or the station in general, by your donation.
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Events  |
 - CAll FOR ENTRIES: Second Annual WBAI Artsy Fartsy Show Battle of the Bands Fundraiser: April 22, 5-8pm, at Arlene's Grocery, 95 Stanton St. Tickets will be available for purchase in March.
Last year seven amazing bands competed for prizes and everyone was entertained by artsy acts such as Jon Braman the father of ukele hip-hop, comedians, burlesque dancers, and Amazing Amy the techno-yoga contortionist. To see last years show visit HERE.
Details:
Bands of all genres and styles are encouraged to enter the competition. Prizes include but not limited to: A Friday or Saturday night concert at Arlene's Grocery, live-performance spots and songs from your album played on WBAI, gift certificates to music stores.
Deadline to enter is March 20, 2012 11:59pm.
Application Processing Fee: $25 tax-deductible. Entrance fee if selected: $25 tax-deductible (Deadline to pay entrance fee is April 1, 2012 at 11:59pm).
Interested in being an artsy act?
Last year our artsy acts included a comedian, dancers, and a contortionist. If you have a unique talent, are a performance artist, etc. Please email a video of your act HERE.
Love Music? Volunteer for this event!!
Email HERE to volunteer. Please state if you would like to help out in planning for this event or be a volunteer at the event.
 Feb 1- March 2 - 2012 Winter Fund Drive
- February 4, Saturday, 1-4pm Saturday Salon- Hosted by WBAI Local Station Board Chairperson Mitchel Cohen, the Salon is quickly becoming Saturday afternoon's downtown go-to destination. The Salon features up and coming as well as seasoned musical talent and speakers on contemporary issues. This month singer-songwriter Rorie Kelly, Big Road Blues Band, opera singer Katie Katand, R&B
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Gary Null
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&funk guitarist extraordinaire Ahmad Ali, and singer-songwriter, jokester Marcy Gordon will perform.
The featured speaker will be Gary Null, who will explain "Who's poisoning the planet and what we can do about it." Excellent Mediterranean food and drink will be available. Free hors d'oeuvres for early-birds(hummous, baba ganouj, etc.). Entrance is $5 to benefit WBAI. Lafayette Grill, 54 Franklin St. (Between Broadway and Lafayette)
For fans of Wake Up Call's Esther Armah, February is a busy month:
- February 14th, Tuesday, 12:30 - 1:30 pm, Making It In Media: Global Social Media: Esther Armah will be featured in a panel discussion exploring global social media due to her award winning international journalism background. Wasserman Presentation Room B, New York University, 60 Washington Square South, Manhattan.
- February 21, Tuesday, 7pm: Esther Armah has been invited to be part of a
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Esther Armah
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line up of speakers honoring Malcolm X at the Schomburg by doing a short reading from his amazing work. Included in the line up are Salman Rushdie, Kathleen Cleaver, Darryl Pinckney. The Schomburg Library for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York
- February 21, Tuesday, 7.30pm: Pacifica Radio Archives presents its first book project: Re-Defining Black Power: Reflections on the State of Black America in the Age of Obama. The book features interviews with Dr Julianne Malveaux, Van Jones, Ramona Africa, Professor Michelle Alexander and Wake Up Call host Esther Armah. A panel at Manhattan's Brecht Forum will explore power, black women, media in the age of Obama featuring: Michaela angela Davis, Akiba Solomon, Esther Armah. Moderated by the book's editor: Joanne Griffith. The Brecht Forum, Manhattan, 451 West Street bet Bank & Bethune, New York
- February 23rd, Thursday, 6pm to 8pm: Pacifica Radio Archives presents the second New York panel on its first book project: Re-defining Black Power: Reflections on the State of Black America. This second panel explores the state of African American men in the age of Obama featuring award winning film-maker Byron Hurt and academic and author Professor Mark Anthony Neal. Moderated by Joanne Griffith. Hue-man Bookstore, 2319 Frederick Douglass Boulevard, Manhattan.
Listings of events for not- for- profit organizations must be submitted by the 15th of the month prior to publication of the e-Newsletter for the next month. Email information here.
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From The Public Affairs Director
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 | | Kathy Davis |
Greetings to each of you, and Happy New Year!
I am starting the year by lighting a candle for all of our family and friends that have transitioned. WBAI lost a very special friend on Christmas Eve with the passing of Monroe Litman, a dedicated listener, supporter and persistent on-air caller of WBAI. We also lost former WBAI talk show host Lynn Samuels on that same day. I would also pay tribute to one of my spiritual teachers Elena Avila, Curandera and author of "Woman who Glows in the Dark" who passed away in March of last year. The WBAI Family has done a lot of growing and shared many experiences. See pics below.
Please tune in for the February Membership Drive beginning on Wednesday, February 1st. Our producers are planning new programs just for the drive and we will offer many specials that honor the theme of Black History month. In March we will have a two-day broadcast for International Working Women's Day on March 8th and 9th. And, we are looking toward doing some special poetry/spoken word events in April. Also look for our big clearance "Book Fair" in April.
Anyone interested in working on the International Working Women's Day broadcast or the April Poetry month specials please contact me Kathy Davis at kdaviswbai@gmail.com. I will update you on the dates of the planning meetings and of the wonderful opportunities to get involved both on the air and behind the scenes.
Stay tuned for special announcements over the air. We are re-constituting the Public Affairs Volunteer Corp. The truth be told, WBAI could not function without the support and sustenance of our listeners and volunteers. We feel that strengthening these ties will ultimately lead to a much stronger radio station. You each have precious gifts of service that are welcomed and deeply appreciated by the WBAI family.
Speaking of volunteers, we need your support during the February membership drive. Please carve out time for WBAI. Starting with this drive we will bring back the premium incentive program for our phone volunteers. Any one who can donate 15 hours or more to answer phones during the drive will choose a gift from a list of available premiums. And to sweeten this incentive a little more, the top ten volunteers, in accumulated time, for the duration of the drive, will choose a gift from a small list of our top premiums. These include the DVD's, "Natural Medicine, a Survivors Guide" and "Race - The Power of Illusion."
Our long-term goal is to move beyond our dependence on on-air fund raising drives. We need to build memberships and expand the dimensions of WBAI's listening audience. One way to get started is by inviting all of our lost members to come home. Please act proactively by renewing your membership. It is only a donation of $25. You can do so on our website: wbai.org. You can donate in support of your favorite show HERE
My expectation is that 2012 will be a transformative year. There may be some challenges, but the opportunities far outshine the challenges. People seem to be coming together all across the globe. This is an indication of the potential available to WBAI and Pacifica as we learn to live, grow, and progress as one coherent progressive community. I look forward to meeting many of you at the events that will take place this year. Please contact me by email at kdaviswbai@gmail.com to get more involved in the WBAI community.
Best regards,
Kathy Davis
Public Affairs Director
 | Monroe Litman +
Kathy Davis |
 | | End of summer volunteer party |
 | | Live broadcast of Anthony Sloan's "Peace of the Worlds" radio drama |
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Special Report: Occupy Wall St.
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The Sweet "Smell" of Success?
An "olfactory artist" has transported one element from Occupy Wall Street from Zuccotti Park to a Staten Island art gallery. The show, at Doorways on Van Duzer Street, features 99 T-shirts that protesters wore for a week straight, without washing them. Artist Gayil Nalls distributed new white tees to OWSers and on Jan. 12 then collected the body-odor-drenched shirts to capture the revolution's essence. Each participant decorated the shirt before returning it. The park's smell became a "major health concern", i.e. excuse for police to raid the encampment in November. The show has its roots in a collection effort by the Smithsonian in October, which dispatched emissaries to haul in "signs and ephemera from Occupy Wall Street and Occupy D.C. for potential exhibitions about the movement. Academic "artspeak" describes this exhibition as being concerned with the conjunctions where art, olfaction and politics intertwine. With this work, Gayil Nalls argues that the sense of collective experience has distinct olfactory aesthetics. While predominately imperceptible, the sense of smell allows for a binding power contributing to the sensus communis, or the power of the people, demonstrating that the sociocultural Zeitgeist or mood of this movement has an olfactory truth. Visitors will experience chemosensory messages of Occupy Wall Street protestors from tee shirts worn by 99 participants: physical Occupiers, working group members and solidarity marchers. The conjunction between a questionable olfaction and politics, emanating daily from Wall St. banking and securities offices, was not mentioned and from our 120 Wall St location we can attest that the odor is not Clive Christian No.1 (a men's pure perfume selling for $2,350 an ounce). |
Donate, Donate, Donate! 3 New Options
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Yes! now during a fund drive you don't have to keep calling back because of busy signals, or... have to pull over to the side of the road, or... miss the show you are listening to in order to make your pledge.
Now you can donate and choose your thank you gift online at your convenience. Beginning with the February fund drive you can pledge online during fund drives. In between fund drives you also have access to support the station through ordering a variety of thank you gifts. Visit THE WBAI ONLINE DONATION SITE at www.give2wbai.org HERE. 
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Rather Text in Your Donation?During fund drives you can now text 27138 and a "keycode" (announced by the on-air host that you are listening to) and our call center will call YOU back to take your pledge charged to your debit or credit card.
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New Pledge Option: Donate Your Stock to Wbai
By donating stock, its full value becomes a tax deductable donation to your benefit, and with no value lost when cashed out by WBAI. Contact Interim Development Director Andrea Katz for further details. 212.209.2828
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Host Highlight
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Reggie Johnson
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Reggie Johnson:
Host, Producer, Engineer
Reggie came to WBAI in 1997 as a volunteer. As sometimes occurs, he was in the right place at the right time. A chance meeting with host Jeannie Hopper in 1999, while volunteering in the WBAI Tally Room, resulted in a co-producer/co-host relationship on Liquid Sound Lounge(LSL). The show itself will be in its 19th year in July. Airing Saturday's from 7-9pm, LSL is a showcase for independent artists and labels to promote new music works in Afrobeat, electronic dance, down tempo, and Latin based genres.
Reggie went on to produce and host his own show, "From the Soundboard" (alternate Wednesdays from 3-5am) where he searches for live recorded concerts, regardless of genre, in which there is a "call and response" relationship between performer and their audience. He focuses on one artist per show, from Dina Washington to Black Sabbath to Dhafer Youssef. If you aren't up counting sheep from 3-5am you can listen to his show on our archives Here.
As Continuity Sound Engineer, Reggie has been responsible for editing Al Jazeera, English. He also puts together all promotional announcements and is responsible for all the public personalities who do station ID's for us. Reggie is one of the "bedrock" staff members at Wbai contributing his ideas and expertise on a daily basis and most recently is the technical producer for Occupy Wall Street Radio.
When not at Wbai Reggie has his own event planning business perpetuating the Pacifica mission outside the airwaves into communities from the Bronx to Brooklyn to all over the city.
If you have an interest in radio and a love for WBAI like Reggie's and would like to volunteer, please contact us here....You never know what it might lead to!
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Volunteers | Internships
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Leah Kohl
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Volunteer of the Month: Leah Kohl
Leah has been living and working in New York City for over 7 years. She is a self-employed yoga and Pilates instructor, with a BA in Communications, from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Last year, her passion for fitness landed her on Sirius Radio where she discussed all things yoga. After that experience she was reminded of her love for radio and hasn't looked back. She is excited to have the opportunity to volunteer to work at and be part of the WBAI family. Leah has been working in the Development Office and will be also
assisting with creating and editing on-air event announcements.
If you have well developed skills and talents like Leah's and would like to volunteer, please contact us here.
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I n t e r n s h i p s
Applications are now being accepted for Winter + Spring (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, days/hours of availability, and areas of interest to: internship@wbai.org
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Arts
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The Object Ehtnography Project
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I've got a story...
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Are you interested in game theory, the meaning of material objects, exchange systems, or behavioral economics? The Object Ethnography Project investigates how objects accumulate stories as they move from one life to another. The group is currently collecting objects and their stories for an exchange. Visitors to the exchange will be able to take donated objects if they tell a story about how their adopted object will fit into their life. If you have an item with a story, from a sentimental oven mitt to a first generation iPod, and you would like to donate to this project, please mail it and its story before March 31 to:
Lucrece Project, Att: Object Ethnography Project, NYU English Department, 19 University Place, 5th Floor,New York, NY 10003
If your object is broken, members of the Fixers Collective have generously offered fix-it workshops on February 23, March 8, and March 22, contact Vincent Lai (Vincent@fixerscollective.org). Further information about the project HERE
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Listener Commentary
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I tuned in to Rakim Brooks', "The People." In my estimation, it was a teriffic program focusing on developing a left narrative of poverty in the United States to counter right wing or conservative/arch conservative poverty narratives. He is very articulate and thinks well conceptionally, I would say. The emphasis on poverty in America is quite appropriate, I believe. I have one question for us to ponder: Can we overcome poverty while still within the monopoly-finance capital system?
- Dennis Goldstien
Denville, New Jersey
To Robert Knight, host of "Five O'clock Shadow":
An excellent introduction and presentation for MLK day. I wish that more people could hear Pacifica in real time as the broadcasts are made for the public.
- Lon Ponschock,
Appleton, WI
How wonderful to hear these rediscovered speeches of Dr. King. But I feel it is a huge mistake to muddy their purity and natural spoken rhythm with imposed background music. You cannot improve on Martin Luther King!! The background music masks Dr. King's own personality and needed to go.
-Lenora Paglia
I am writing to communicate my disappointment of your continued disregard for the Positive Mind program at 1PM. First you reduced the number of days the program is aired down to 2 days, and this week (1/23) 1 day - why pick on this program? If you listen to the program yourself (doubtful), you would understand/ hear that this program is needed 5 days per week. With the increased stress and problems in NYC and the world today - he actually helps people. A MUCH Needed Program!Please reconsider extending this program air-time to five days per week - Help!! We/ I need Armand!
-Frank Mediate
"The Great State of Brooklyn,NY"
To: Esther Armah - Wake up Call: I'm listening to you on my computer as I read over my notes for my 8 a.m. class and reflect on the responsibility of African deep thinkers to craft, complicate, challenge, refine and extend the best of our traditions. Your voice is a welcome and signal presence most mornings as I ease into the day, especially on days when I teach. Our young people are eager, energetic and too often overly focused on navigating a narrow path to what they imagine is professional success. As I work to do what little I can to help them expand and extend their focus, I draw on your consistently excellent stream of information, perspective and honesty.
-Greg E. Carr, Ph.D., JD
Chair, Department of Afro-American Studies
Howard University
Washington, DC
Please send your comments, complaints, or compliments related to any program subject matter aired this month to Listenercommentary@wbai.org with "Listener Comment" in the subject line. Submissions should be limited to 400 words and please include your full name and location. We reserve the right to edit where deemed necessary.
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Program Schedule
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Regular programming has been pre-empted for the
month of February due to the Winter Fund Drive.Check the schedule here - watch for special "theme" programming days focusing on environmental issues, current Black political thought, revolutions past and present, economics and more...
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Berthold Reimers - General Station Manager
WBAI Pacifica Radio
120 Wall Street, 10th Floor
(212) 209-2800
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Premium of the Month
WBAI 50th Anniversary Bandanna 
Pledge $35 here
Recently accepted into the permanent collection of The New-York Historical Society !!!
Just as bandannas once commemorated the Declaration of Independence Centennial, they now celebrate the 50th anniversary of WBAI, as designed by the author of THE AMERICAN BANDANNA (and WBAI volunteer), Hillary Weiss.
Souvenir bandannas, highlighting significant moments in time, reflect over 235 years of American life delineating the broad scope of cultural, environmental, technological,
and human rights issues that influence our existence. Current WBAI programs are displayed in a fan like pattern on 100% domestic cotton.
Made and printed in USA. 21.5" square.
The book was included in the NYPD seizure of the Zuccotti Park Library.
A must have for your next Occupy action!
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