WBAI is the New York City outlet of Pacifica Radio, a far left political movement founded by pacifists following World War Two. Their stations have become a magnet for every fringe group that hates the United States.
The last few years, there has been infighting over who gets what part of the money coming in (the local stations or the Mother Ship producing the network programs).
Super storm Sandy may be the last straw. WBAI had its studios on Wall Street to be close to the enemy, and the flooding of the area affected them. Their insurance company turned down their claim of loss of income and the station management was counting on insurance money to keep them from drowning in red ink.
Be sure to catch Amy Goodman as she covers this story.
I have a KPFT coffee mug for donating to that Pacifica station in Houston. That station had spend most of its day playing great music and I felt obligated to show my support despite not agreeing with much on their political shows. WBAI doen’t play much music, but Al Lewis had a great show playing hip hop there in the late 90s… yes, that Al Lewis – Grandpa was a hip hopper. Interesting station. And of course there were the George Carlin words that it broadcast leading to a decision by the US Supreme Court.
KPFT has the distinction of being the only station in the USA that has had been bombed. In fact, its transmitters were bombed twice in the 1970s.
After Al Lexis died, his widow kept trying to live off his “legacy”.
http://streamingradioguide.com/radio-show.php?showid=1026
Al Lewis was much more than a TV actor and his politics were right in line with Pacifica’s, maybe even more extreme.
If their stations are a magnet for every fringe group that hates the United States then why aren’t they flush with money? If POTUS would just put them in the next stimulus bill their financial problems should disappear.
I haven’t listened to their political shows for years but had heard them when the music shows were over and I didn’t bother to change the dial in time.
I would not say they are a magnet for every fringe group that hates the United States. I would say they were old hippies that kept their pacifist/socialist ideals and were true believers that those ideals would lead to a utopian society. In Bush speak, they thought of themselves as “Good doers”.
OK – makes sense. So, wonder if those folks like the current POTUS?
They stream, check them out. I expect they are openly disappointed by the size of the defense budget, the drone war, and the presence of troops overseas. All they are saying is “give peace a chance!” 😉