We didn't spend all that much time “correcting” and accepting the minutes at this meeting. Could this be progress?

Ah, but the setting of the agenda provided plenty of opportunity for motions and maneuvering to get items placed in just the right order. Between approving the minutes and setting the agenda we took up about an hour of meeting time — again.

One of the reasons why all of this seemingly petty stuff takes up so much time is that we're required to do everything in public view, we can't set the agenda via the E-mail list owing to the bylaws and California corporation law.

The LSB decided that it would hold its first “Town Hall Meeting” on June 20. We're required to hold at least two of these per year as per Article 7, § 3.H of the bylaws. A committee is to work out the details. A regular LSB meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 7.

WBAI GM Don Rojas gave a report. He announced the hiring of a new Development Director, who had to leave before we could get to this report. He said that WBAI had $262,357 in the bank and that a draft budget for FY05 would be given to the Treasurer on May 24. As of 6:00 PM the marathon had raised $326,472 in pledges, but he said that the pace was picking up as $67,715 had been raised that day alone.

The GM said that LSB member Steve Brown had gotten an ad for WBAI into The Nation which had raised $13,000 and gotten 450 new members for WBAI.

WBAI Program Director Bernard White had been unable to attend the meeting but sent a written report which the GM read. National programming and phone problems were cited as having set back the marathon.

An inventory of WBAI property is ongoing and should give an indication of what's still around — and what's not. Ops will be moving its office soon.

The News Department is transitioning from 50

Shawn Rhodes reported on “the LSB Show.” This was a 2¼ page written report. Two LSB Shows have been aired so far.

The LSB voted to continue these programs through the end of 2004. Eventually all 24 LSB members will have been on one of these monthly programs designed to inform the listeners and Staff about what the LSB has been doing.

The Programming Committee reported that it had agreed to a request by GM Don Rojas to examine the effect of Air America, and “other progressive radio stations” on WBAI. This committee's last meeting had been disrupted by people trying to bully their way into voting on the committee without having attended enough meetings to qualify for voting status.

The Ad Hoc Elections Review Committee made a long report with many recommendations, some of which would violate the law and others of which seemed designed to thwart the campaigns of rival slates in the next election. But the report used up a lot of time.

The only motion this committee was able to bring to the floor was one to extend it's May 30^th, expiration date. The meeting adjourned at 10:16 without voting on that motion.

The next meeting of the WBAI LSB will be on Thursday, June 10, 2004, somewhere in New Jersey. LSB members are still trying to decide on the location for this meeting. I've delayed this newsletter long enough waiting for this, the information should be on the wbai.org Web site by June 10^th. Reminder: Staff may speak during the public comment sessions.

All labor donated by and printing paid for by R. Paul Martin.