FIRST iPNB MEETING 1/11-13/02, NYC

The meeting started late because of delays getting the enormous turnout seated. The union hall (capacity 588) is full, and there are hundreds more in the street.

Three members are not present. Wendell Johns has resigned via fax, and Dick Gregory rarely goes to meetings of anything, as he is said to be in poor health. The "dissident faction" has an unstoppable majority.

Someone (Barry?) raised a point of order to call the meeting illegal. Chair (Cagan) argued it wasn't. Now we know it's really a Pacifica meeting.

There was no executive director's report, because there was no executive director. Joanne Meredith, interim ED, has also resigned effective immediately. Meredith wants to step aside and give the new people someone they can work with. Now we REALLY know it's a Pacifica meeting.

Chair has a report that the last California lawyer signed the settlement today, and the four lawsuits have finally been formally dismissed.

James Ferguson directed two questions to the Chair and incoming Treasurer right before he started his report. Asked Zakiya if he really called WPFT and said Hankins was history and/or that he would get rid of the music. Ferguson wants to know if, given a witness and/or recording, Zakiya would resign. Chair said this could be discussed after the report, and moved on.

Treasurer: Foundation's 90-day overdue bills are $2.8 - 3 million, in 654 accounts, half of that run up by the national office, which raided the stations' monies to pay PR, lawyers, etc..

[long loss of signal]

Carol Spooner read a letter from attorneys for a donor to remain anonymous, who wishes to grant $20,000 to hire an accounting firm, if a long list of items will be audited. 2 week period to start ASAP and end 1/31. MOVED and SECONDED to accept gift. Discussion ensues. The motion PASSED on a 2/3 vote.

Discussion of finance: long argument over where KPFA's fund drive money went, and whether it should have gone down the same black hole as KPFK's instead of actually doing something useful at the station. The chair tried to move the meeting along at 8:54 Eastern.

Back to Zakiya/Hankins matter: Zakiya admits he said all the things in the accusation and "probably a lot more." (Applause) Ferguson said that's all he wanted to know, and that Zakiya might be hearing from the FCC.

Someone is reading a statement from "listener groups" of "all 5 statiions." These listeners intend to continue the boycott unless: (1) Bring back BAI b/f (huge cheers); (2) Fully implement lifting gag rule; (3) Show meaningful progress toward removing station mgrs who disregard Pacifica's mission; (4) Get going on PNN strike; (5) Full financial accounting made public.

Chair, hearing no objections, declares that it is sense of the board that a comptroller be appointed. Chair moved on to picking a finance committee. A committee was appointed, with the Treasurer as chair. Noted that the insurance company was ready to cough up the $400,000 per terms of the settlement.

Chair asked if board wanted to meet as a committee of the whole on the BAI matter at lunch time Saturday.

Chair asked if WBAI would broadcast the meeting Saturday, due to expected overflow turnout. Bert Lee said Daughtry was willing to take a shot at it.

ADJOURNED at 9:22 Eastern. Public comments are Saturday morning.

Saturday:

Radio Free Willy is awake and has a good stream on BIX/Winamp.

Station reports are apparently running a bit long. OK; they're running a whole lot long!

MOVED and SECONDED to recommend that Houston LAB and iLAB meet, as one big LAB, within one week, to hold elections. The motion PASSES by 2/3 vote. (Applause)

How ya doin' Lou? Hankins is giving his report at PFW; (hissed) Chair says let him speak. Hankins says his book, cume, and Audiographics are so awesome you can't believe it. W's lease is getting close and it should explore new facilities. Biggest problem is co-mingling of funds when the national office in DC swipes from W's money for its own administrative expenses.

Sam Husseini (W LAB chair) is reading recommendations adapted at the last LAB meeting:
Suspend/fire Hankins; stop censoring DN!; LAB forum on-air; LAB allowed to meet at station; real news on W, covering protests; internship; local investigative news department; iPNB create rules to keep executive directors under control.

3 public comments:
1. Ariama Orange (sp?) (LAB) - Hankins is hostile to listener-sponsor community; had to hear S11 DN! on BIX; need to reconstruct true Pacifica spirit.
2. [missed name] - From Harlem, grad student in DC, Heal DC producer at W; she was censored, threatened by Wash; bannings; country is at war and we need to hear DN! uncensored; W plays music during major DC breaking news.
Frank Aigner (LAB) - glad meeting used a union hall; Hankins threw LAB out of station 2 years ago, hasn't returned a call since; Hankins must go. (Applause)

MOVED and SECONDED that each respective station manager/LAB chair pair is requested to meet in the next few hours and report back. PASSES by 2/3 majority.

Lunch will be an hour and a half; KPFK and WBAI wait until after lunch (angry jeers). ADJOURNED at 1 PM until 2:30 Eastern.

We are called to order at 2:51 Eastern.

Delay for issue of room being over capacity (it holds 600!).

Mark Schubb gives the KPFK report. Schubb can't get his mike to work any better than KPFK's transmitter does. Shlubb says Salniker moved national office to Berkeley, before that it was upstairs from K. (I didn't know that!)

Schubb: very old grievance by staff against LAB must be addressed (will be at some point, says Chair); K at 1/4 effective radiated power on a non-clear channel; transmitter upgrade dead in water; $200k in 90-day past due bills; board looted K's accounts; federal offense not to use NTIA $$ for tx. KPFK's staff is a "third faction" in Pacifica crisis; board is complicit in tactics against Pacifica mission. (Pure Coopertese at end...)

Chair personally agrees stations need to handle their own money.

David Adelson (LAB chair):
On-air statements are misleading; (Schubb interrupts); Adelson reads from the "My Way Or the Highway" memo (excerpted below) that the national board has always made program decisions from top down. Schubb was in fact hired by national to change things. LAB wants access to numbers ("lies, damn lies, statistics") because Schubb cooked them. Most listeners don't believe the on-air cart when told facts; LAB is having meetings; Pacifica mission should be as important as ratings; stations need more local control.

Two public comments: 1. Karen Pomer - 30 year listener; glad DN! is back; Seditious Beats cancelled for internal political reasons; people get fired arbitrarily; Schubb should resign (loud cheers).
2. Farra DaVari (sp?) - Member of P.C. LA; Schubb never returns calls; throws listeners out of station; $700k donation lost; guests are Rand, CIA, or military experts; Schubb/Cooper control air; Schubb must be immediately removed (loud cheers).

Robinson has questions. Schubb: the 150 b/f weren't all his (the old hate speech and malfeasance excuses again). Board wants him to give up drive time [was discussed in December , not passed -Hugh].

Barry has questions. Chair cuts off discussion, tries to move on to BAI. Barry wants to ask a question about K's tx; argument ensues (angry shouts from crowd). Parliamentary debate. Vote on APPEAL from Chair's decision, 6-7, and the motion LOSES. We move on to the BAI matter.

[long break while court reporter goes for paper]

Daughtry: BAI is airing meeting; wastes time in a bizarre you-are-there description of the meeting scene [go to the IMC, Bob -Hugh]; BAI had good fund drive; $200k in 90-150 day unpaid bills; studio needs work, which is being planned; open positions exist; cume is up.

Miguel Maldonado (LAB Chair): WBAI LAB thanks iPNB for meeting in BAI coverage. LAB has written report that station has declined since Coup. iPNB should correct this by: rehiring those b/f on the coup night; remove employees who replaced b/f; immediately replace GM with someone more fair (cheers); let LAB meet at station; remove security system; lift gag rule. LAB trying to be more responsive to the community. (Cheers)

Public comments:
1. Ricardo Prieto - Cuban lower east side artist; has been disheartened by BAI's decline; wishes that high quality would be restored: more latin music and coverage of Lation community.
2. Rachita ? (BAI LAB member) - listener since 60s; misses Rothenberg; hates all the racism; need to get back to Pacifica means Peace; LAB will do what it has to.
3. Aroun Aguiar (LAB?) - bring back b/f; un-ban the audience too; programming declined after coup; journalism is dishonest; Daughtry airs music over iPNB when 'Rome burns;' Reilly called board member a syphilitic whore; why does Daughtry let this go on?
4. Anthony Sloane (?) (DN! engineer) - reading out loud a memo that Reilly should try to control himself and see a shrink; national cabal created one at BAI; banned from station for trying to deliver a cart about DN! return; board needs priorities.
5. (Cancelled producer - Njawi?) - warned Utrice on COINTELPRO type divide-and-conquer; cabal made it worse instead; Djabel cancelled his show; save BAI.
6. Amawali Faye (????) - BAI journalist; struggle is race and class; Samori fired; BAI betrays movement; Utricians aren't of the Black radical community.
7. (????????????) - host of Pacific Forum; station is irrelevant since coup; briefly banned for arguing that East Timor massacre happened; war in Afghanistan but no Asian community coverage; too many b/f; Daughtry should go.

WBAI Committee report:

Anthony McCall (BAI LAB) played two air checks engineered by (banned) Dred Scott Keyes, then read 8 committee recommendations:

1. Bob Daughtry should be immediately removed;
2. All paid/unpaid b/f after Coup return to pre-Coup positions, under committee supervision;
3. All bans are lifted;
4. WBAI LAB performance review for VVI;
5. For interim period, national approves BAI mgmt personnel and union matters;
6. Unpaid staff back in the bargaining unit, UE contract back in effect until new union elections;
7. LAB meetings at the station;
8. Exec dir shall work with Committee to resolve workplace and programming issues at BAI.