'A Victory for Free Speech': WBAI is back on the air

[KSNY]

Source: Brooklyn Daily Eagle

WBAI is back.

One month to the day since operations at the decades-old, listener-supported radio station were suspended by its parent organization, the Pacifica Foundation, 99.5 WBAI FM has regained local control of its airwaves.

Pacifica, which owns a slate of other local radio stations, came under fire on Oct. 7 for abruptly halting WBAI operations, dismantling the station’s Atlantic Avenue studio and replacing its local broadcasting with syndicated content. At the time, the nonprofit organization cited millions of dollars of debt and a new vision for the Brooklyn-based station.

The sudden shutdown prompted back-and-forths in court, as advocates claimed that Pacifica violated its own bylaws by not first bringing the decision to its board. On Oct. 15, just hours after WBAI supporters protested Pacifica’s “rogue” actions on the steps of City Hall, a judge upheld a temporary restraining order against the nonprofit, barring Pacifica from impeding on local broadcasting and mandating it continue to pay WBAI staffers until the parties’ next bout in court.

Read more: https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2019/11/07/wbai-back-on-air/?fbclid=IwAR0x16-kah_tOsYF9-bMmQ6h8owoK_mn0fJau63TtqxuaAtus4G-61LMk2M

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During the takeover of the airwaves, WBAI's Twitter account was one of the only ways to get accurate updates about what was going on.
I just made a monthly donation at WBAI's website. New Yorkers are fortunate to have locally-based progressive programming again.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. One rumor going around was that Pacifica wanted to sell the commercial FM frequency that

WBAI currently has, in order to help its fiscal challenges.

Seems credible to me. Good strong signal. Could net a profit. And the immoral "land grab" has worked in the past: The Jewish Forward sold WEVD in 2001, one of the last local and liberal radio stations, in order to feather its nest.

[SeattleVet]

2. It's also in the center of the FM dial

and that is a prime frequency... They could have sold it for a ton of cash.

[KSNY]

3. Yes, possibly...

The way the "coup" occurred was bizarre (at the beginning of a fund drive, without any warning, destroying equipment and redirecting the broadcast signal from the station's studio in Brooklyn, replacing local programming with "Pacifica Across America" programming from other Pacifica stations) and does not indicate that those behind the takeover were interested in stabilizing the station's finances.
WBAI is an important resource for progressive New Yorkers and is much needed nowadays. As a listener-sponsor, I am thrilled that local programming is back.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. WBAI is the last proressive, liberal radio station in NYC, AM and FM.

[sandensea]

4. Reminds me of when they had KPFK-Pacifica drowned out by a mystery Tijuana station from '98 to '04.

That station was obviously staged for that purpose (and, I might add, with a very interesting timing).

They played nothing but classical music. They didn't even have announcers - just this periodic recording of a Mexican lady ceremoniously stating "Radio Excelencia."

It was 'excellent' alright: it drowned out KPFK completely all the way to Long Beach. The FCC finally stepped in after the Shrub was re-elected.

By mutual agreement with Mexico (which forbids intra-border interference between radio stations), they should have from day one.

[regnaD kciN]

9. Didn't know about that, but...

...I remember there was a Tijuana all-sports station that regularly drowned out KPFK at night in 1980-82.

[sandensea]

11. Is that right?

I'm surprised they don't try that more often, given KPFK's type of reporting.

I moved to West L.A. shortly after the Iraq invasion, and you could still get it in clear in that area. They brought up everything one could possible want to know about 9/11. The whos, whats, whys, and, above all, how muches.

You couldn't help but feel an appreciation for the sheer richness of free speech in this country - even in the dark Dubya years.

[AllaN01Bear]

6. cool. this selling of the airwaves isnt right, the airwaves belong to us the people

[Igel]

10. It's the government that sells the rights to portions of the spectrum.

Otherwise, the only limit on who could broadcast how far would be who could afford a transmitter.

If 10,000 people in NYC wanted to broadcast in the FM and all 10k set up transmitters, then the airwaves would belong "to us the people," but 10,000 FM channels would have them stomping all over each other. Currently the Internet tells me that FM stations assume a 200 MHz bandwidth, so only about 100 stations can fit on the FM spectrum.

Stations could bundle and go digital to allow signals to be multiplexed, but that means all the analog radios out there would be SOL. Don't know if they could handle 100 stations per frequency. But if that could, 25k would-be broadcasters would certainly collapse the system.

BTW, it's easy for non-profits/educational organizations to set up 100 W broadcasting in the FM. It's good for up to a very spotty 15 miles. In NYC, with all the buildings, 2 miles is probably hit or miss.

Strictly speaking, the only reason that the airwaves "belong to us the people" is because the government said so and asserted its right over what amounted to a free space that was there for the taking. If nobody owns it, then anybody can stake a claim but would have no basis for defending it in court. That would get ugly. So the Big Dog claimed it, regulated it, licensed its use, and from time to time decides to repurpose it when some lobbyist or politicians decides s/he has a Better Use. The original impetus wasn't, "Oh, gee, there's new space, lets get in early and regulate it" but because big boys wanted legal protection. Note that selling off what's free apparently brings in a fair chunk of change. Far more than it costs to actually regulate the industry.

[RobertDevereaux]

7. Wondrous news!

[Miigwech]

8. I always listened to WBAI while in NYC

the best music!