<html><body><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000"><div><br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000"><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000"><div>To the Editor:</div><div><br></div><div>In <em>The Ukiah Daily Journal</em> on Sunday, February 15, I was the subject of an ad hominem, personal attack by former KZYX Board President, Bob Page. Yesterday, I was the subject of an ad hominem, personal attack, on the air, by KZYX General Manager and Executive Director, John Coate.</div><div><br></div><div>Following yesterday's on-air incident, I sent the following letter to the FCC.</div><div><br></div><div>John Sakowicz</div><div><br></div><div>Ukiah</div><div><br></div><div>******************</div><div><br></div><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000"><div style="color:#000;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;"><div><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">February 20, 2015</span></div><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">Peter H. Doyle</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">Chief, Audio Division</span><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">Media Bureau, Federal
Communications Commission</span><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">Washington, D.C. 20554</span><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><i><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">In Reply Refer to:</span></i><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><i><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">Facility ID No. 41157</span></i><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><i><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">File No. BRED-20130724AAG</span></i><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">Dear Mr. Doyle:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">Mendocino County Public
Broadcasting (MCPB) holds two FCC licenses, KZYX and KZYZ, and it is currently
seeking renewal of the same. The FCC has held up the station’s license renewal
for almost a year due to the fact that five members of the public submitted
objections to the renewal.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">I am one of the five people who
wrote to the FCC serving as a member of the Board of Directors of MCPB and
elected by the majority of MCPB's 2,300 members for the term 2013-2016.</span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">I was appointed by the Board to
serve as Board Treasurer for 2014. I also hosted a popular public affairs show,
"All About Money", from 2008 until June of this year, when I was
suspended for filing the FCC complaint.</span><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">As host and producer of the show, I
was a finalist last year at the Norman Mailer Society for a fellowship, and I
am currently under consideration in the final round for another major
fellowship. The basis of my application includes archives of my program and the
recommendations of several past guests on my show, who, incidentally, have
included two former FCC commissioners.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">I have not been permitted to appeal
my suspension by MCPB management, against whom I filed my FCC complaint, by an
objective, third-party who is external to MCPB.<span style="">
</span>Therefore, I shall appeal my suspension once there is a change in
management at MCPB and no such obvious conflict of interest exists. </span><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">At this time, I am writing to
complain of an abuse of airwaves that occurred today, Friday, February 20,
2015, by MCPB host, Gordon Black, an on-air volunteer, Ana Lucas, and MCPB
General Manager and Executive Director, John Coate. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">Today, just after 11 a.m., during
the "World of Music" program, Mr. Black and Ms. Lucas broke into
programming to pitch for listeners to pledge to KZYX. The station is in
the middle of its winter fund drive with a goal of $70,000. It was
announced that the station had raised about $25,000 by Friday, February 20th,
11 a.m. This is four days into a six-day fundraising drive.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">Ms. Lucas began to read comments by
donors who had just pledged. Ms. Lucas stated: " A listener from
Ukiah said she was put over the top by Sakowicz's recent newspaper comments and
that she decided to pledge." Mr. Black chimed in that he had
"tussled on the op-ed pages with Mr. Sakowicz recently, and that a letter
was printed in response to Mr. Black's letter in the Ukiah Daily Journal from
Mr. Sakowicz, but that Mr. Black hadn't read it, and couldn't find it." </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">Shortly after this exchange,
General Manager and Executive Director, John Coate, entered the studio, sat
down in front of a microphone, and began to talk. He stated that five (5)
individuals had written to the FCC asking that the station's license not be
renewed. Mr. Coate said the five individuals made "erroneous
statements" in their complaints to the FCC. He further stated:
"The station had proved several of these statements as being untrue."
He continued and said, "unfortunately, $13,500 had been spent on
legal fees thus far to rebut these written comments to the FCC." Mr.
Coate concluded by saying: "Our lawyers in Washington DC are doing a good
job, but that the money could have been used, say, for equipment." </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">I am writing at this time to add to
my original complaint. Today, Mr. Black and Mr. Coate, and Ms. Lucas, have
abused their on-air positions at KZYX and KZYZ. </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">Specifically, they have used the airwaves to
do the following: to publicly discuss matters currently pending before the FCC;
engage in a personal attack on me, a current Board Member and on-air
programmer; engage in a personal attack on all five members of the public who
were within their right to offer written objections to the renewal of the
station's licenses per the FCC's own policy; and; use the yet-to-be resolved
issues before the FCC as a way to blame those of us who made these objections
to the FCC for both the failure of the station's current fundraising drive and
the failure of the station's broadcasting equipment.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">The renewal of the station's
licenses is a matter of the greatest public importance, and station management
should not be allowed to voice a one-sided opinion on unresolved matters
currently under review by the FCC. This is a blatant abuse of power under the
color of authority.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">Finally, the FCC may be interested
in the matter of the regular, frequent, and predictable failure of broadcasting
equipment at MCPB.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">Here in Mendocino County, the
listeners of KYX and KZYZ get a signal that's often down. We're used to it. We
get dead air. Or we get an irritating scratchy signal. Why dead air and a
scratchy signals? It’s because the station uses Korean War-era equipment. The
equipment is old and held together by used replacement parts. Consequently, the
signal has been down for as many as three days at a time in late-March, 2014.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">Three days of dead air! That's
shocking for a public radio station.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">Then, there's this year, 2015. Let's
look at the problems during just the first two months of 2015. The
following are all admissions. I quote from General Manager and Executive
Director John Coate's own blog on the KYX website.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Arial"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">On February 12, Coate wrote: "
Use 91.5 if you can tune it in. There is an intermittent noise problem with the
90.7 transmitter that we are trying to get repaired."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13pt"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">On February 9, Coate writes on his
blog: "The web stream is down during this power outage." He
continues, "...generator up and down, fuses blown, UPS systems keeping us
on at times, and more than one of them also gave out."</span><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">On January 29, Coate writes:
"The signal is back on the air. Our Napa-based engineer configured a
loaner unit for us." Coate continues, "Our backup STL transmitter
unit, that we put in place because the regular ones were misbehaving, has
failed completely. We will send our broken STL in for rebuild."</span><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">On January 27, Coate writes:
"As we have had to report many times over the years, KZYX/KZYX has chronic
problems with its set of STL radios. " He continues, " We have tried
various adjustments which have helped, but we have not yet succeeded in
eliminating an irritating scratchiness in the audio."</span><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">On January 12, Coate writes,
"STL (Studio Transmitter Link) radios send the signal from Philo up to the
main transmitter up on Cold Springs Peak. We tend to have fairly chronic issues
with these radios."</span><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">To summarize, with respect to
technical problems, the above five incidents are only the technical problems to
which Mr. Coate admits -- and incidents only in the first two months of 2015. <span style=""> </span>Mr. Coate makes other admissions about dead
air in his reports to the MCPB Board of Directors, which are part of the
minutes for Board meetings. He can erase his blog posts, but the Board minutes
are a permanent record.</span><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Arial"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">How does this involve the FCC?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">It seems to me that it is the
highest priority for any radio station is keeping the signal up. MCPB has
failed miserably in this area, and those failures are well documented. On this
basis alone, the FCC should withhold the renewal of the station's licenses
until there is a change in management. There are also other issues, i.e. the station's lack of compliance with both the spirit and the letter of affirmative action and equal opportunity laws, the station's inability to staff station premises at all times during business hours, the station's refusal to investigate two incidents of battery on women that occurred on station premises, the station's failure to account for missing monies stipulated to open a studio in Ukiah (the county seat of Mendocino County), and the station's refusal to disclose staff salaries.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Arial"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">Finally, of course, there is
today's matter of the abuse of the airwaves to make personal attacks on the
five FCC complainants. Three separate persons, including the station’s general
manager and executive director, should not blame the complainants on-air, for
the failure of equipment.<span style=""> </span>It's
a blatant case of abuse of the authority that the FCC has vested in
MCPB. Those personal attacks showed poor judgment, and they caused reputational
harm to five members of the public.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">For the above reasons, I reaffirm
my objection to the renewal of MCPB's licenses at this time. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:16pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Arial"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">Yours very truly,</span><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13pt"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"> </span><span style="color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16pt;">John Sakowicz</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13pt"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)">MCPB Board of Directors
(2013-2016), Board Treasurer (2014); host and producer of "All About
Money" (2008-present)</span><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:13pt"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Calibri;color:rgb(52,52,52)"></span></p>
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