[Kzyxtalk] Kzyxtalk Digest, Vol 4, Issue 23

Fri May 16 20:04:49 PDT 2014

Diane,

Thank you for your thoughts.  Without the ability to discuss station policy
on the air, I have found it hard to educate people as to what the issues
are and trying to stay on point when so much drama ensues makes things even
more difficult.  I am thankful to Norman for providing this service and am
starting to feel we are finally starting to get down to real issues.

You find yourself where I was last summer when I came to the personal
conclusion that the station was no longer following its Mission Statement
as I could not see any way the membership had control of the stations
programming or operational philosophy.

As I had often heard others who felt like I did called part of a "small but
vocal minority," my first notion was to organize volunteers as you suggest
and "KZYX Members for Change" was born.  As the Programmers Representative
on the Board of MCPB I had been in contact with programmers who had
expressed many of my concerns and assumed they would get on board.  I soon
realized however that most were unwilling to publicly express their views
and so were unwilling to organize. Ultimately, the group was reduced to
basically a Facebook Page with 105 friends, most of whom are ex-members.

I did then, try to run a slate This I feel I had some success with in that
it forced the board to organize a contested election, complete with
election coordinator and an on air debate.  As some election protocols had
fallen by the wayside, multiple candidates caused the board to focus on
holding a free and fair election.  Though unfortunately there was no Open
Line discussion with listeners, I thought the debate was great and some of
the real issues got discussed despite all the usual drama.  Also, I only
lost by 24 votes which shows that my perspective is not marginal.

In my experience, the greatest impediment to change at KZYX is that many of
those who would like to see democratic reform of the programming decision
making process, and more local programming as you suggest, are no longer
volunteers or members.  My goal now is to try and get 25 of those people to
become members again....

If you want to try and organize a slate, you have to find good people.
 Maybe Norman would run?

Doug

On Friday, May 16, 2014, Diane Paget <dpaget at mcn.org> wrote:

> Not sure if I do, but I suspect that it is going to take a strong
> showing of either members or volunteers/programmers to do it.
>
> Further thoughts. With censorship in place it is going to be difficult
> to organize the members since the airwaves can't used used as an
> organizing tool. Except during a Board election -- so a strong slate in
> the next Board election might do it. But I would guess that the better
> bet is the programmers -- if they agree that censorship is a problem
> that they want to address.
>
> I would rather address the larger problem of the replacement of local
> programming (due both to censorship and to the fact that it is easier to
> slip a CD into the machine than to train and supervise new programmers)
> with national programming and the deterioration of the quality of what I
> can hear on KZYX.
>
> But either way drama kings and queens who overstate their case and
> attack the staff rather than the issue are not going to help. Because
> lots of members and/or programmers who may agree about the issue are not
> going to want to align themselves with that kind of stridency.
>
> Diane
>
>
> Cindy Swan wrote:
> >
> > Any ideas as to how?
> >
> > Somehow,
> > Community Radio
> > keeps getting lost in the (ongoing) power shuffle .
> >
> > ~C.
> >
> > On May 16, 2014, at 8:53 AM, Diane Paget wrote:
> >
> >> You are right -- censorship is a real issue and needs to be addressed.
> >>
> >> But when there are drama kings and queens shouting about it from the
> >> figurative roof tops they become the issue not the censorship.
> >>
> >> Diane
> >>
> >> sako4 at comcast.net <mailto:sako4 at comcast.net> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Doug, my brother, censorship of programmers is not a drama king-type
> >>> of issue....be it censorship of you or Norman or any other programmer.
> >>> It's a constitutional issue. Station staff may not revoke your
> >>> broadcasting privileges for the simple reason of "speaking out".
> >>> You've been off the air for how many months now, Doug? Six months? And
> >>> why? You know why.
> >>>
> >>>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>> *From: *"doug mckenty" <dougmck at gmail.com <mailto:dougmck at gmail.com>>
> >>> *To: *tbray at wildblue.net <mailto:*tbray at wildblue.net>,
> >>> kzyxtalk at lists.mcn.org <mailto:kzyxtalk at lists.mcn.org>
> >>> *Sent: *Thursday, May 15, 2014 7:35:15 PM
> >>> *Subject: *Re: [Kzyxtalk] Kzyxtalk Digest, Vol 4, Issue 23
> >>>
> >>> I most definitely agree that Mr. Sacowitz is a drama-king and I cannot
> >>> understand why many around KZYX work hard to manufacture conflict.
> >>> Everybody is tired of it and it accomplishes nothing.
> >>>
> >>> I continue to "back" him because I believe some of the issues
> >>> presented in his letter to the FCC have merit.  I have been concerned
> >>> for some time that there is not enough community involvement or
> >>> transparency in the programming decision making process and, like John
> >>> S., am a proponent of the implementation of the PAC, and committee
> >>> system, systems designed to include minority voices.  It is our belief
> >>> that these changes would bring new members and contribute diversity to
> >>> the station.  I back him, because he backs the PAC.
> >>>
> >>> I will confess, sometimes it is hard being John Sacowitz's friend.  He
> >>> seems to arouse controversy wherever he goes.  Despite his tendency
> >>> toward overreaction, I believe his intentions are honorable even
> >>> when some of his actions are hard to understand.
> >>>
> >>> We need to get past these conflicts.  They are easy to get sucked into
> >>> and accomplish nothing.  That includes you Beth.  I don't think we
> >>> need to go the King/tribunal route but we should keep it civil.
> >>>
> >>> Doug
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Wednesday, May 14, 2014, Tim Bray <tbray at wildblue.net
> >>> <mailto:tbray at wildblue.net>
> >>> <mailto:tbray at wildblue.net>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>    Or, he could stop being such a bloody drama-king, making a huge
> >>>    deal out of absolutely everything and attacking everyone he should
> >>>    be working with.   For the life of me, I cannot understand why he
> >>>    works so hard to manufacture conflict.  Nor why you back him when
> >>>    he does so.
> >>>
> >>>    He has publicly insulted every member of the station staff.  This
> >>>    mess is of his own making.  Instead of filing a grievance, he
> >>>    should apologize; to the staff for his reprehensible attacks, to
> >>>    the Board for his threats to sue, and to the membership for his
> >>>    unconscionable actions over the relicensing.
> >>>
> >>>    A more humble man would have accomplished more and shouted less.
> >>>
> >>>    Tim
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>    On 5/14/2014 5:08 PM, doug mckenty wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>        I agree with David.  John should just file a grievance and the
> >>>        board will work it out.
> >>>
> >>>        Doug
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>    --
> >>>    Oak & Thorn <http://oakandthorn.wordpress.com>
> >>>    Facebook: Oak and Thorn
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
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> >>> http://lists.mcn.org/mailman/listinfo/kzyxtalk
> >>>
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