Michael Stewart, Anthony Baez, Abner Louima, Amadou Diallo -- only some of the names of those brutalized by police whose stories have been covered extensively on WBAI. For nearly four decades WBAI 99.5-FM has been breaking the news on illegal police activities, uncovering the coverups and bringing you the voices of those the mainstream media ignore. WBIA brings you the voices of the community.

The Pacifica Foundation, which owns WBAI and four sister stations, changed its bylaws a few weeks ago to make itself into a self selecting “central committee” which is answerable to no one. Previously local communities had input into the governance of the Pacifica Foundation, but no more! The Pacifica Foundation was offered $90 million for WBAI in 1996, the possibility that they could sell WBAI is real.

There is also the possibility that Pacifica Foundation will move to water down News and Public Affairs programming at WBAI, as they’ve done at other Pacifica owned stations. Pacifica originally did not want to cover the Mumia Abu-Jamal story, and only started to do so after pressure was brought to cover this important story. Meanwhile WBAI has covered the Mumia saga from the beginning.

The Pacifica Foundation has been trying to bust the Union at WBAI for over three years, spending tens of thousands of dollars on lawyers and engaging the services of the American Consulting Group, a notorious Union-busting firm. We at WBAI do not think that this is the use listener-sponsors want the money they donate to the stations put to...to oppose the unpaid workers' right to organize.

The WBAI Union, UE Local 404 (United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America), has filed Unfair Labor Practice charges against Pacifica/WBAI Management with the NLRB because of the illegal actions taken by Pacifica, including refusing to abide by the previous NLRB ruling.

At WBAI’s sister station KPFA in Berkeley, CA, a Station Manager who spoke against some of these practices was fired. Programmers who protested this action were disciplined and one was fired over the so called “gag rule.” This is all part of a trend that seems designed to eliminate WBAI and other Pacifica stations as opponents of the status quo, as exposers of government and police wrongdoing.

Please help by contacting Pacifica Executive Director Lynn Chadwick at 510-848-6767 Ext 202 , fax 510-845-0289, lynnchad@aol.com; Chair of the Pacifica Foundation Mary Frances Berry 202-337-0382, fax 202-376-7558, mfberry@sas.upenn.edu and WBAI General Manager Valerie Van Isler at 212-209-2800, fax 212-747-1698 and tell them that you want them to stop trying to destroy WBAI.

For more information:
Unofficial WBAI Union Web site: www.glib.com
Save Our Station hotline: 212-465-7562
Free Pacifica Web site: www.radio4all.org/freepacifica