[Kzyxtalk] KZYX "Where the Truth Lies" Bob Bushansky

[Toni Rizzo]

I'm posting this for Bob Bushansky. Please respond to him if you have comments (email at bottom).

    WHERE THE TRUTH LIES
When I see non-profit boards of directors try hard to improve their organizations, I cheer for them. Serving on a non-profit board is often difficult, time consuming, almost always unpaid and emotionally unrewarding. When one person or a group of people, on the board or off, decide that they don't like what is being done or how it is being done and take a thoughtful, informed, knowledgeable, and honest approach to changing things it could be positive for that organization.
KZYX, our Mendocino County Public Broadcasting radio station, on the other hand, is being attacked and individuals are having their reputations impugned by a board member who is thoughtless, uninformed, unknowledgeable, dishonest and conducting a campaign of malicious intent. I am going to list only a few of the oh so many statements and false accusations made by John Sakowicz, current KZYX board member. I will refute the falsities and submit documentation that disproves Mr. Sakowicz's alternate reality.
In his letter to the FCC, dated January 27, 2014, [ Exhibit # 4] John Sakowicz alledged a number of things:
* Former KZYX reporter “Christina Aanestad was fired without cause”.
Response: Attached is an e-mail from Christina, dated June 21, 2009. In that e-mail she clearly
states”I was laid off not fired. John{Coate} has done right the right thing in this process.
Exhibit # 1

* JS goes on to say: “It should be noted that Mr. Coate unilaterally added both the title of Executive
Director and its powers, to his former title and powers of General Manager. This expansion of Mr.
Coate's powers means that he does not have to consult the Board on most decisions regarding the
operations of the station.”

Response: In John Coate's Employment Agreement, dated August 18, 2008 and signed by
David E. Hopmann, Board President, Item 1 states that “The Station shall employ the
Employee and the Employee shall serve the Station as its Executive Director and General
Manager.” The Employment Agreement further states: “The Executive Director/General
Manager reports to the Board. Paid and unpaid Staff report to the Executive Director/
General Manager.” The Employment Agreement also says that the ED/GM will “manage
hiring, dismissal and recognition of employees, assuring compliance with authorized
personnel policies and applicable laws.” Exhibit # 2 In other words John Coate is doing what
he was hired to do – manage the day to day operations of the Station.

* Another JS accusation was that John Coate was not following EEO (Equal Economic Opportunity)
rules, which require the posting and advertising for staff positions under FCC regulations.
The specific instance was the opening of News Director in 2011. JS states “Another
employee, David Brookshire, was hired without posting or advertising the job.”

Response: When the number of full time staff exceeds 5, the Station must file an Annual EEO
Public Report. The report filed for the year ending July 21, 2011 clearly shows that four
recruitment/advertising sources were used to fill the position of News Director. They were:
the Ukiah Daily Journal, Monster.com, Mendocino Beacon-Fort Bragg Advocate-News and
the KZYX Website. There were a total of 8 persons interviewed from those sources.
The 2011 Annual EEO Public File Report is Exhibit # 3.

For the time being I am only putting forth these items with which I have copies of documents that belie John Sacowicz's false claims.

The puzzling thing to me is, what is the motivation for this bad behavior? If it is, as is claimed, to improve the station then why did he not bring his grievances to the board before jeopardizing the station by independently submitting a letter to the FCC asking for the denial of the station's license renewal. If he is successful, it could be the demise of the station. At best he has delayed the normally quick process.
At one time in his life John Sacowicz may have had stature. Currently if his name is mentioned people roll their eyes and one person has said to me that the way to tell if John Sacowicz is lying is to wait for his lips to move.

KZYX & Z just had a board election and two people running for open seats that supported John Sacowicz's view of things were defeated. The members seem to have more sense than to believe anything that John Sacowicz and his acolytes have to say. If you want a copy of the 4 exhibits please contact me and I will show them to you.

Bob Bushansky
erb at mcn.org

May 15, 2013








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