[Kzyxtalk] Dead List

Thu Apr 3 17:46:03 PDT 2014

The 283 members who voted for Doug McKenty, out of the 783 total members who voted, should be a good start in trying to get a handle on the number of people disaffected with the status quo at KZYX. Doing the math, that's 36.5 percent of our members -- 36.5 percent who voted for change. Adding King Collins's 25 votes to Doug McKenty's 283 votes, that's 301 votes, or 38.4 percent.. 

This estimate of disaffected members does not count members who voted for Tom Metcher. Melcher was the deciding factor, whoever he is. He split the vote and helped elect KZYX's company man, Paul Lambert. 

Telling this 38 percent of the membership "it's our way or the highway" just won't happen 

----- Original Message -----
From: "she-la" <sheila.dawn50 at yahoo.com> 
To: kzyxtalk at lists.mcn.org 
Sent: Thursday, April 3, 2014 2:23:07 PM 
Subject: Re: [Kzyxtalk] Dead List 

It is curious that the term 'our way or the highway' keeps resurfacing by management & staff who are now using it to refer to the people who are seeking transparency and inclusion in the decision making process of our community radio station. 
It was originally used in an article I wrote, " Fear & Loathing at KZYX's Philo Fortress," to demonstrate the management & staff's intolerance of anyone who doesn't agree with whatever information is being put forth by the same people. 
I find it ironic that in accusing others of this philosophy, both you & Bob Page go on to ask members to leave the station. Isn't that exactly what is meant by 'our way or the highway'? Is this a good philosophy to grow station membership? 
I have been careful in my work to try to stick to the issue of how and by whom important decisions for the station's resources and direction are made. Your response seems a bit over the top of what an accurate portrayal of the situation might be. 
I am sorry that you have been personally attacked but please don't resort to a shotgun approach and include others who are not responsible for another person's lack of tact. 
The election should be able to help discern whether the issues raised are supported by the majority of the membership. Let's leave it there. 
Sheila Dawn 

David <uw at kzyx.org> wrote: 

So some on this list serve wish to keep it going, as in “We need to encourage the Board & Mgmt to Listen to the membership”. 

Which members? This list is a very small collection (certainly not a verifiable sample or cross-section, and not all are members) of listeners, of people who advocate for “their way or the highway”. There are many other members not on this list serve who don’t agree with them. That’s been plain as day to anyone who’s attended recent board meetings and heard rational, thoughtful people express support for what is being done here, countering the emotional dribble coming from the “change at all costs” few. Thankfully some rational people also offer their perspective on this list from time to time. But it’s become obvious that the majority of the usual suspects on this list are a group existing in a bubble of their own creation. 

They’ve insisted that we must change. Let me state unequivocally: it is they who must change. Let me be more direct. If you don’t like the successful turn-around this business known as KZYX has made during the past 5 years, feel free to advocate for chaos but don’t tell us that we must return to the mismanagement of the past. Better yet leave us. Maybe it’s time for you to go away and support only the stations you hold up as paragons of virtuous public radio and let us spend time growing this station instead of responding to scurrilous remarks. 

Where were these geniuses when the station was digging itself into debt? Where were their voices when maintenance was deferred? Where were they when the roof began leaking? Where were these true-believers when sound verifiable bookkeeping, audits, and sound business practices were ignored? Some of the loudest voices now were board members, employees, or programmers back then. But they’ve forgotten the past. They’ve forgotten their contribution to the chaos, chaos that was not a creation of the current GM or others here right now. 

The sinking ship we have been righting for the past 5-6 years was a creation of the sheer neglect by many of the same people calling for change now. Some of those people have made accusations, repeated on this list-serve and sometimes published in local print publications without ever responding directly when called out about their name-calling, lies, innuendos, and mischaracterizations. I’ve been the subject of some of this name-calling and even when refuted by me personally or by others who know the truth, the name calling continues. 

When Norman asks whether the list should continue, I feel obliged to ask, “why the question now” Norman? Where was the question when vitriol and spurious remarks were offered by Sakowicz or McKenty or Christina, etc., as part of regular attacks on John Coate, or Mary, or me, or others? Those attacks didn’t seem to raise an eyebrow then, but when anyone counters the apparent dishonest nature of Mr. Sakowicz we suddenly need to rethink the continuation of this list-serve? Perhaps that wasn’t Norman’s intention when he raised the question but the timing is curious. 

Keep this listserve or get rid of it. I really don’t care. But while it exists I will not sit idly by and allow people to attack any one of us. And I expect that at some point, others who read so much of this garbage will call the authors out as well. 

David 

David Steffen 

KZYX Business Development 

(707) 895-2324 office 

(707) 322-9895 cell 

(707) 895-2451 fax 

From: kzyxtalk-bounces at lists.mcn.org [mailto:kzyxtalk-bounces at lists.mcn.org] On Behalf Of rusert at mcn.org 
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2014 10:12 AM 
To: Kzyxtalk at lists.mcn.org 
Subject: [Kzyxtalk] Dead List 

Norman - this is the time when the KZYX list will be the MOST important. We need to encourage the Board & Mgmt to Listen to the membership. 

Thanks, Brent Rusert 

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