By Vinette K. Pryce
Listeners to New York’s listener
supported WBAI-FM,
community radio station were
shocked Monday when programming
switched from local
morning broadcasts to feature
west coast California features.
For the very first time since
going on air in 1955, local programming
was abruptly preempted,
station manager and
program director along with
full-time staffers were given
pink slips.
“We realize this news will
come as a deep and painful
shock, but we can no longer
jeopardize the survival of
the entire network,” Pacifica
Network, the parent company
that also owns stations in Houston,
Berkeley, Los Angeles and
Washington D.C. said.
Reportedly debts in the
millions with little promise
of a bailout attributed to the
demise.
“I was listening and heard
the program but didn’t think
anything of it because I
assumed it was part of the fundraising
lineup scheduled since
the beginning of the month,”
Habte Selassie, host of the longrunning
“Labbrish” aired there
said.
Selassie, a 40-year volunteer
of the liberal station said soon
afterwards his phone buzzed
with breaking news about the
change in programming there.
Engineer and program host
Reggie Johnson had already
reported to work at 388 Atlantic
Ave. in Brooklyn when he was
told his service was no longer
needed.
Along with paid colleagues
who regularly show up, he was
informed that the station had
switched formats.
“Due to serious and persistent
financial losses” all paid
staff were fired.
According to reports from
the parent company “Pacifica
Across America Network” will
replace the local New York
shows.
Pacifica Foundation claims
that the sudden change was
Caribbean L 14 ife, Oct. 11-17, 2019 BQ
forced due to the recurring
drain on four other sister stations
that have regularly funded
salaries and other expenses.
Local producers maintain
that despite relentless and consistent
pleas to supporters to
help defray burgeoning costs
— which have been reported
to exceed $4 million — the station
has continued to operate at
a deficit.
Located at the middle of the
radio dial at 99.5 FM, throughout
the years WBAI boasted an
alternative format partly enabled
by generous contributors
who regularly donated to pay for
an expensive transmitter at the
Empire State Building as well
as Manhattan addresses at Wall
St., 34th St. and Eighth Ave.
Although a majority of the
producers donate their time
to feature programming representing
“the 99 percent” it
seemed as if there was never
enough money to sustain the
station.
The non-commercial, progressive
medium also described
Lister Hewan Lowe. Photo by Vinette K. Pryce
to be a “free speech radio” aimed
at a diverse ethnic listenership
that accommodated Caribbean,
Irish, hip-hop, music, film, science,
science fiction, politics,
theater, poetry and a myriad of
interests.
“Any Saturday” hosted by
David Rothenburg introduced
a plethora of topical news.
Reportedly, one of the all-time
favorites the two-hour program
delves into a potpourri presentation
with the host opining
on topics relevant to television,
radio, film, books, television,
commentary, interviews as well
as reliably offering choice seats
to Off-Broadway and Broadway
shows.
The former publicist to Elizabeth
Taylor, Mel Torme, Bette
Davis, Rosemary Clooney and
numerous celebrated Hollywood
names, the veteran public
relations specialist is also
founder of the Fortune Society,
an organization that provides
half-way house accommodations
to exonerated prisoners.
Each Saturday he is also
known to entreat listeners with
summaries of tweets by President
Donald Trump and other
White House and City Hall
insiders.
NY free-speech WBAI radio
ceases local broadcasts