[Kzyxtalk] Fwd: from Christina Aanestad: [MCN-Discussion]-r

Thu Mar 6 15:19:17 PST 2014

I am recommending that we revisit the mission statement tonight.  It is too
long.  We should have a public discussion about what is meant by
"membership control" and "access to all points of view."

Doug

On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 1:43 PM, <sako4 at comcast.net> wrote:

> And -- I forgot to add -- I have no control over operations at the
> station. Coate has total control. The  whole business of control was set up
> that way by Coate. Coate insisted on being "Executive Director", along with
> being the "General Manager", when he was hired. It was written into his
> contract.
>
>
> ------------------------------
> *From: *"Paul Lambert" <paul.lambert55 at yahoo.com>
> *To: *kzyxtalk at lists.mcn.org
> *Sent: *Thursday, March 6, 2014 1:07:18 PM
> *Subject: *Re: [Kzyxtalk] Fwd:  from Christina Aanestad:
>  [MCN-Discussion]-r
>
> John:
>
> I must say that your description of John Coate (Fought as if it were life
> and death. Fought so there could only be a winner and a loser. No
> compromise. No letting up.) resembles you more than him.
>
> Paul
>
>
>   On Thursday, March 6, 2014 12:52 PM, "sako4 at comcast.net" <
> sako4 at comcast.net> wrote:
>  I am so sorry I didn't take sides with Christina, and fight with her, at
> the time Steffen harassed her and Coate fired her. I knew nothing. I didn't
> want to know anything. I feared Coate. His absolute [power at the station.
> Like most programmers, I just did my show and got the hell out of the Philo
> studio.
>
> Since that time, I've come to know what a fine reporter -- and woman --
> Christina really is. Also since that time, I've come to know who Coate
> really is -- a "tough guy with thin skin", much like Vladimir Putin.
>
> As with Putin, Coate sets things up so you're either all for him, or
> you're against him. Total loyalty. Total control. No dissent. No
> independent thinking. Every attempt to wrest some iota of control from him
> is fought. Bitterly fought. Fought hard. Fought as if it were life and
> death. Fought so there could only be a winner and a loser. No compromise.
> No letting up. And everything -- every damn attempt to do things
> differently from the boss -- is seen as a political dispute or a
> territorial (turf) dispute.
>
> It's nuts.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From:
> "Christina Aanestad" <mschristinamarie at netzero.net>
>
> To:
> nsi at mcn.org
> Cc:
>
> Sent:
> Wed, 5 Mar 2014 14:27:26 -0800
> Subject:
> Re: [Kzyxtalk] [MCN-Discussion]- David Brooksher
> Hi Beth,
> Feel free to pass this on.
>
> I made a verbal complaint against David Steffen for calling me a "bitch"
> and "uncivilized."  His main concern was that I didn't smile at him in the
> mornings when he came in.
>
> I called John Coate and told him that David called me a bitch.  John's
> first response to ask me what I did.  I said I called David a sexist pig
> and told him he couldn't talk to me like that at work-it created a hostile
> work environment.  David went on to complain that I was uncivilized, I
> didn't smile in the mornings...etc.  I told John that David said I didn't
> smile.  And John Coate then asked me why I didn't smile.  I was shocked.  I
> then agreed with John that yes, it's nice to smile.  But also noted no one
> complains when the men don't smile, and also noted that the guys will sit
> around and BS cussing at each other jokingly, yet I somehow am considered
> uncivilized?  Their double standards and overall patronizing tone are
> examples of the kind of treatment I endured while there.
>
> As tensions wore on there, I later filed a formal complaint against Paul
> Hanson, for yelling and being difficult to work with.  He yelled at both
> Sheila Dawn and myself, but never once raised his voice at the male
> reporters like Louis Bigfoot or his trusted economic source John Sakowicz.
>  It was the good ol' boys club.
>
> All I can say is that I am far happier and better off working elsewhere,
> like at KMUD.  The generation gap there is entirely diverse, I'm not the
> only young adult there, and I believe therefore, am treated with more
> professional respect. It is a workplace where I can shine with the
> professional skills I possess and as the unique talented person I am,
> rather than a workplace that seeks to conform me into some box of what
> others believe a younger adult woman and journalist should be.
>
> John Coate drew down the debt by negotiating the debt and amount owed to
> NPR.  That's it for the most part.  My position cut was absorbed by other
> employee raises and his own over the years.
>
> Anyways, I wouldn't work with he or David Steffen if you paid me.  I have
> no confidence in their leadership or communcation abilities.  John Coate is
> a good administrator he helped lower the debt- at a cost that created
> significant schisms within the listenership and Mendocino County
> community-and those costs were unnecessary had a better leader and
> communicator been in his position.  That being said, I was unhappy there
> before he arrived-the problems with David and Paul were there before.  John
> Coate and I had communication breakdowns too.  He took a very authoritarian
> approach towards me as if I were a liability instead of an asset and I had
> difficulty working with him.  He banned me from covering marijuana stories
> and unfairly judged my work.  I felt his edits to my stories were not in
> his job description and in some cases leaned towards censorship, which he
> did not like to hear.  Instead of seeking a mediation he sought to excuse
> me from KZYX.  But, really, the listeners positive feedback and at times
> constructive feedback kept me at KZYX far longer than I would have stayed
> with the existing staff on my own.
>
> David Steffen is a repeat offender of sexual harassment.  He left his
> position in Point Arena amidst similar allegations-but far worse than
> mine-and avoided looking at his own sexist disposition by jumping ship and
> joining KZYX.  Well, wherever you go there you are.  And so I had to be the
> next recipient of his sexist expectations and harassment.  Now instead of
> looking earnestly at them, he makes bald face lies to the public that I
> harassed him.  That's hilarious and disappointing but not surprising based
> on my experiences with him.
>
> I think KZYX needs new blood and a near entire overhaul of employees.
>
> Sincerely,
> Christina
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Feb 17, 2014, at 3:15 PM, nsi at mcn.org wrote:
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From:
> "David" <uw at kzyx.org>
>
> To:
> <kzyxtalk at lists.mcn.org>
> Cc:
>
> Sent:
> Fri, 14 Feb 2014 12:40:08 -0800
> Subject:
> Re: [Kzyxtalk] Fwd: Re: [MCN-Discussion]- David Brooksher
> Once again we have revisionist history at work here.
>
>
>
> I will resist any invitation to go into the quality of any newsperson's
> writing and reading skills or personal agendas. I will however set the
> record straight on other issues.
>
>
>
> No-one had a plan to raise the $40-50,000 needed to bring on an additional
> full-time newsperson. Raising $4000 is laudable but what if there is no
> additional money? The person is laid off again 6 weeks later? Secondly, the
> financial health of the station did not improve the moment lay-offs
> occurred. The debts were still there.
>
>
>
> To my knowledge there was never any harassment claimed by her toward me.
> To the contrary, I informed the General Manager that I refused to have any
> more one-on-one meetings with the newsperson due to her harassment of me. I
> would meet with her ONLY if there was a third party in the meeting to
> observe. In addition, I have never spoken with anyone outside of KZYX about
> any issues associated with any current or former employee. Anyone claiming
> any other knowledge is clearly lying.
>
>
>
> It's interesting how people who have no knowledge of any of these events
> always have something to offer.
>
>
>
> 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 *nsi at mcn.org
> *Sent:* Thursday, February 13, 2014 3:58 PM
> *To:* kzyxtalk at listsmcn.org
> *Subject:* [Kzyxtalk] Fwd: Re: [MCN-Discussion]- David Brooksher
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
>  From:
>
> ""
>
> @mcn.org>
>
>
> To:
>
> Tim Bray
>
> @wildblue.net>
> Cc:
>
> discussion at lists.mcn.org
>
>  Sent:
>
> Thu, 13 Feb 2014 14:02:28 -0800
>
> Subject:
>
> Re: [MCN-Discussion]- [Kzyxtalk] David Brooksher
>
> Folks: I suggest you all go to the KMUD archives and listen to the 1/2
> hour news coordinated by Christina Aanestad on Wednesday February 12.
> Most especially you Tim.
> It is representative of the possibilities John Coate threw away:
> Exquisite sequencing, well trained community corresspondents, a daily
> spectrum of Mendocino and HumboldtCounty news.
>
> The email you referenced on the Programmers listserv, TIm (sent when? 2
> years ago), was posted by Christina while she still believed John
> Coate when he told her his intentions were to hire her back once the
> stations finances were improved.
> Coate by the way turned down a $4000 (and growing) pledged amount of
> money collected on the coast by Meredith Smith in a matter of two
> weeks to specifically continue Christina's employment in the new
> department.
> Such targeted monies have been accepted by the station before.
> Coate turned that down! He wanted to be entirely rid of Christina,
> but hadn't made that clear to her because he did not want her to go
> public (and possibly to court) with  the harassment she had suffered
> from David Steffen and Paul Hansen. Harassment about which she had JUST
> made a formal complaint to Coate.
> Paul Hansen. Remember him. He flees the station roster right after
> the AVA  learns and publishes that Hansen was  involved in some
> sort of grift operation at the last station he worked for. And
> indicted for. An indictment he had not disclosed on his resume.
> Immediately after Paul's departure from KZYX, Christina applied for
> the position of News Director. And Coate responds with a terse
> content-based turn-down. . . . Then, casually disses her to Doug
> McKenty.
> Upon first learning (for the first time last month) that her
> professional reputation was being openly besmirched by John Coate,
> Christina sent an email to Doug expressing her outrage, and includes
> a copy of Coate's curt dismissal for all to see for themselves and
> judge.   (She gave us both permission to post it on the discussion
> listserv, which I did. )
> This goes on and on. And if you want more, I'll do David Steffen
> next.
> Tim! Just listen to that newscast so you understand the extent of
> Coate's terrible, terrible judgement
> "Management"! Is that what you think this is.  . . .  More like
> living in a FailedState.  --beth bosk
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tim Bray"
> To:
> Cc:
> Sent:Thu, 13 Feb 2014 11:17:22 -0800
> Subject:Re: [Kzyxtalk] David Brooksher
>
> In response to Beth's request, I went back and looked at the e-mail
> Christina sent to the Programmers list. I don't think it will
> violate
> any confidence or privacy to share the relevant line to which I
> referred
> earlier:
> "I was laid off not fired. John has done right the right thing in
> this
> process." [sic]
>
> I wasn't her biggest fan, but she displayed some class in that
> period.
> That particular e-mail laid out a number of ideas for how KZYX might
>
> survive the financial crisis it was facing, and prosper in the
> future;
> and several of those have since been followed up by the Board and
> management. She did fault the Board for not doing more fundraising,
> programmers for not making a clear enough case to listeners for
> contributions, and management for not embracing more of her ideas
> There was some justification for all of that.
>
> So there's your reality check; and it was Sako who threw her name
> around
> here.
>
> As for Brooksher, he tried to develop a team of local correspondents
>
> here. I remember a Programmers Meeting when he made exactly that
> pitch,
> explaining how easy it was to do and that he would train anyone who
> was
> interested, etc. He got a couple of people to do it - like Louis
> Bigfoot - but not enough to make it work. That wasn't management's
> fault, or even Dave's, but ours as a community. After Dave left,
> John
> asked the programmers to pick up some of the slack by covering more
> of
> the local events and affairs on their shows, and I think some have
> done
> so. It's too bad they don't seem to be getting any recognition for
> that; all anyone wants to talk about is the lack of a half-hour
> local
> news program.
>
> I may be out of my league, but I am not manufacturing information
> (that
> might be John S. you're thinking of) and if I am deaf, it is not
> intentional. KZYX is far from perfect and I have long been critical
> of
> many aspects. I think it has improved in many ways since I started
> listening; perhaps your opinion differs Since it is a matter of
> opinion, neither of us has to be wrong.
>
> Sincerely,
> Tim Bray
>
> On 2/11/2014 8:53 PM, nsi at mcn.org [1] wrote:
> > This is crap Tim. John Coate didn't "lay off" Christina. That's
> just how he couched it when he promised her she'd be rehired as soon as
> the finances improved.
> > What he really did, was take the first step towards shutting down
> the News Department as an independent entity; an entity with the
> contractual right to negotiate its budget. And which had control
> over the content.
> > I'm not even sure now that cancelling the news department and
> > replacing it with 5 minutes of press releases and recitation from
> the
> > Press Democrat was really within his purview. And if so, what a
> > mistake. Where was the Board oversight?
> > David Brooksher was canned because he resisted Coate's
> interference in
> > his news gathering, which began to be an appropriately focused
> > attention on the struggle over the extension of the Marine
> Sanctuary
> > zones in our region.
> > What David did at KMUD was put together and train a team of local
> > correspondents. In other words: Bush Radio.
> > --Which is what Christina wanted to do at KZYX/Z. Mary Aigner, in
> all the years she has been there, has yet to recruit and train a
> bilingual public affairs team And has done nothing to replace the local
>   programming we once aired re. Native American culture and issues.
> You are out of your league here and either manufacturing information
> or intentionally deaf to what went on. And continues.
> > As a first step: you need to do a reality check with Christina
> before you throw her name around. --beth bosk
>
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