<br><br>---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b>doug mckenty</b> <<a href="mailto:dougmck@gmail.com">dougmck@gmail.com</a>><br>Date: Friday, February 14, 2014<br>Subject: Re: [MCN-Discussion]- [Kzyxtalk] Fwd: Re: David Brooksher<br>
To: "<a href="mailto:discussion@lists.mcn.org">discussion@lists.mcn.org</a>" <<a href="mailto:discussion@lists.mcn.org">discussion@lists.mcn.org</a>><br><br><br>I have tried to join this KZYXtalk thing twice and get no response. <div>
<br></div><div>David Brookshire was not fired. He quit. He only lasted the year because he thought if he quit sooner than that it would look bad on his resume. He told me it was the worst job he ever had. When I asked him why he was able to start a community Jounalism Project at KMUD and not KZYX, he told me it was because KZYx did not have enough "social capital." He also did not get support of staff and management. </div>
<div><br></div><div>If Dave and Christina are so hard to work with. Why do they thrive at KMUD?</div><div><br></div><div>Doug M.</div><div><br></div><div>ps. Both Dave and Christina both public ally support my candidacy for MCPB board of directors.</div>
<div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><br>On Friday, February 14, 2014, Cindy Swan <<a>cswan@willitsonline.com</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
Mr. Steffen:<br>
<br>
Thank you for<br>
Can you also clear up<br>
just why Dave Brooksher was fired?<br>
<br>
From a distance,<br>
he appeared to be doing a<br>
level headed and<br>
very professional job.<br>
IMO, as a long-time<br>
community print-media journalist,<br>
and one well-aware of the challenges<br>
associated with truly providing<br>
objective information<br>
in the face of an emotionally-charged<br>
bandwagoneer political climate.<br>
<br>
Of note: his very objective coverage<br>
of weekly Board of Supervisors' meetings. . .<br>
and development, in association with<br>
Terri Klemetson, KMUD News Director,<br>
of Community Journalism<br>
training workshops -<br>
held in Philo, Willits, and Round Valley.<br>
<br>
He was quite kind and helpful<br>
to our fledgling<br>
all-volunteer run station<br>
<br>
and even came, at my invitation,<br>
all the way<br>
to Round Valley . . .<br>
along with Terri Klemetson, KMUD News Director<br>
and Joseph Orozco, KIDE (Hoopa Tribal Radio)<br>
<br>
to spend a weekend - his "days off"<br>
to work with/train<br>
30 of our local volunteers here<br>
in how to do a professional interview<br>
+ recording/editing techniques.<br>
<br>
We were humbled by his youth, yet<br>
his ability to work with people<br>
of all ages and backgrounds,<br>
his passion for community radio,<br>
amazing radio voice, strong sense of ethics<br>
and his technical/teaching skills.<br>
<br>
Many of us looked forward to<br>
participating in future workshops<br>
and developing our own skills . . .<br>
to the point where we could<br>
reciprocate, in kind, by producing<br>
professional-quality news, worthy of<br>
inclusion in his daily, 30-minute KZYX Newscast.<br>
(Just as a few of us have done for KMUD News,<br>
as a result of Terri continuing<br>
the Community Journalism Project,<br>
—with the enthusiastic support of her Board.)<br>
<br>
He also assisted in developing an agreement<br>
between KZYX and KYBU<br>
to re-broadcast KZYX News on our station<br>
as a "teaching tool" - so our listeners<br>
and volunteer programmers could get a clearer picture<br>
of what "local, community radio news" was all about.<br>
<br>
His approach was hardly radical, single-issue oriented<br>
or "hand-wavy"; but strictly<br>
"just-the-facts" and stressing the need to<br>
do the necessary research and keep<br>
one's objectivity and integrity intact.<br>
A real pro, trained at HSU's<br>
excellent radio journalism program<br>
and even interned w/NPR ?<br>
<br>
Then, suddenly, he was<br>
"laid off" due to "budget cuts".<br>
And KZYX News became<br>
5 minutes of Paul Lambert reading press releases.<br>
<br>
Looking at the budget posted on KZYX's website<br>
I could not help but notice that, while<br>
the $30,000/year News Director position<br>
had been cut "due to budget constraints"<br>
(out of a $500,000/annum budget)<br>
—yet $20,000 had been added under a new line item<br>
called "News Consulting".<br>
<br>
When I asked John Sakowitz<br>
just who the "consultant" was<br>
all I got was . . . <crickets><br>
<br>
Perhaps, as KZYX Business Developer,<br>
you can answer this question?<br>
<br>
Sincerely,<br>
C. Swan<br>
37 year resident of Mendocino County,<br>
(Covelo, as well as Mendocino, Caspar, Albion "back in the day")<br>
KZYX listener, since its inception in 1990 . . .<br>
15 years Owner/Editor "The Round Valley News" (retired)<br>
Founding Member, KYBU • "Round Valley Community Radio"<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On Feb 14, 2014, at 12:40 PM, David wrote:<br>
<br>
> Once again we have revisionist history at work here.<br>
><br>
> I will resist any invitation to go into the quality of any<br>
> newsperson’s writing and reading skills or personal agendas. I will<br>
> however set the record straight on other issues.<br>
><br>
> No-one had a plan to raise the $40-50,000 needed to bring on an<br>
> additional full-time newsperson. Raising $4000 is laudable but what<br>
> if there is no additional money? The person is laid off again 6<br>
> weeks later? Secondly, the financial health of the station did not<br>
> improve the moment lay-offs occurred. The debts were still there.<br>
><br>
> To my knowledge there was never any harassment claimed by her<br>
> toward me. To the contrary, I informed the General Manager that I<br>
> refused to have any more one-on-one meetings with the newsperson<br>
> due to her harassment of me. I would meet with her ONLY if there<br>
> was a third party in the meeting to observe. In addition, I have<br>
> never spoken with anyone outside of KZYX about any issues<br>
> associated with</blockquote></div><br>