[Kzyxtalk] my response to Doug McKenty (edit)

[sako4 at comcast.net]

Here are my thoughts, Doug: 

1.There will be no peace at KZYX until Coate and Aigner are gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone forever. Gone immediately. Gone without trace. 

Coate has been been wielding his "executive director" powers with an iron hand at KZYX for the last 10 years. Aigner has been at KZYX since the station was started 25 years ago. She has been on the payroll for most of that time and wielding her "program director" powers with an iron hand for the entire time she's been the program director. 

You know that! 

Two years ago, Coate and Aigner canned you and canceled your show. Your show, "Open Lines", was wonderful. You were a good host, and you had a big audience. But that wasn't enough, was it? You had to kiss Coate's ring, and you had to kiss Aigner's ass. But you couldn't force yourself, could you? 

Think about it: KZYX is not Coate's and Aigner's private fiefdom, is it, Doug? They've got to go. You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it. It's non-negotiable. Coate and Aigner have got to go. Why? To save KZYX. 

Coate and Aigner are enemies of the people, enemies of change, enemies of the station's membership, enemies of progress. The governance model that Sean Donovan set up 25 years ago when he started the station plays right into Coate's and Aigner's hands. Sean Donovan was a con man. The very first thing he did when KZYX got it license from the FCC was to charge KZYX $30,000 for his "services". At that time, the KZYX Board of Directors that was a victim of Donovan's own governance model was forced to pay him. 

And what is that model? Total, tyrannical control of KZYX by its executive director and general manager. No control over operations by the Board of Directors -- the Board ceded all control over operations 25 years ago. No control over anything by membership -- Coate keeps them around only because he needs their membership dollars; otherwise, membership is superfluous, a legal necessity, and, in Coate's case, his attitude toward membership is almost derisive. The PAC and CABs are a joke to him. 

2. The truth needs to be told about station finances. You, Doug, more than most, know that Coate's so-called "wizardry" in turning around station finances is a total and absolute fabricated myth. It's a lie. A big lie. 

The truth is Coate was hired, inherited some debt, and did nothing for two or three years, while running up the debt to near-bankruptcy levels. 

Coate's answer at that point? Layoffs . Coate eliminated administrative staff. Membership coordinator, Kate Blaisdell was shown the door. Also, Coate eliminated the news department. Christina Aanestad was shown the door, and then, later, Paul Hanson and David Brooksher were also shown the door. 

Meanwhile during Coate's reign, membership numbers have stayed stagnant at 2,300-2,400 folks, and the number of underwriters has fallen off. There were 122 active underwriters in 2008 -- at the very bottom of the recession when you would expect the fewest number of underwriters. How many underwriters do we have now? I don't mean in-kind underwriters. I mean those underwriters paying hard dollars to KZYX? Not 122. Certainly not. 

Also, Coate pulled another trick. Popular programs for which KZYX had paid fees, i.e. " Prairie Home Companion", were eliminated from the schedule and replaced with programming that was inferior and certainly not as popular with our listeners. For the record, most of this other stuff comes free from the Public Radio Exchange. 

To summarize. 

Flat membership numbers. Fewer underwriters. A downgrade in program quality. And oh. I forgot to mention something else -- lots of failures of old broadcast equipment. Dead air. Many interruptions of service. Scratchy irritating signals. 

Meanwhile, Coate gave himself a 10 percent raise in 2013. And all the other staff got a raise last year -- the second since Coate has been executive director. Aigner and the rest of staff got this second raise at the Board meeting in May when the new budget was approved. 

So where's the wizardry, Doug? 

Again. Flat membership numbers. Fewer underwriters. A downgrade in program quality. Also lots of failures of old broadcast equipment. Dead air. Many interruptions of service. Scratchy irritating signals. And higher salary costs. 

3. Coate is in trouble with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Real trouble. I don't know who you're talking to, but the CPB has cut our funding since Coate. The CPB has slashed our funding for the last several years. And I expect they will continue to do so in the future, especially if Coate and Aigner are still hanging around. 

Why do I say this? Because there are now several new complaints about KZYX before the Inspector General's Office of the CPB. 

Complaints about Coate meddling in Board elections. Complaints about Coate denigrating you, Doug, a Board candidate -- denigrating you on listservs. Complaints about Coate saying things like you were "demonizing" him, and even implying that 2nd District Supervisor, John McCowen, was a slumlord. Shocking. Absolutely shocking. But then again, Coate is a tyrant. And the Board won't -- and can't -- touch Coate. 

Complaints at the CPB, too, about a dead air. And irritating scratchy signals. And failures of old broadcast equipment. 

Sound familiar? 

Complaints about Coate and Aigner purging their critics. Kicking popular programmers like you off-the-air. Like myself and Norman De Vall. Off-the-air. 

Any objective, third party can see it, Doug -- the Reign of Terror. 

The Reign of Terror at KZYX. 

Speak up against Coate or Aigner -- even question something, anything -- and expect the guillotine. You'll lose your show. And the remaining programmers at the station are easily persuaded to keep in line. How? By the threat of the same fate and repressive force. 

4. KZYX remains in trouble with the FCC. Our license has been held up for over a year. 

A year! 

And Coate has spent close to $14,000 in legal fees defending himself! 

Think about it, Doug. Apparently, the FCC thinks something is wrong at KZYX under Coate's and Aigner's control. Very wrong. 

5. Finally, I wouldn't rule out a lawsuit in the future. KZYX is increasingly vulnerable. I, and others, have been patient. Waiting for the pieces to fall into place. Documenting incidents. Collecting evidence. Developing a witness list. Talking to lawyers. Talking to other public radio stations. Watching as Coate makes increasingly makes more and more mistakes in his desperate attempt to hold on to power. 

As long as Coate and Aigner are still at KZYX, the fat lady hasn't sung in this opera, Doug. You only heard the first act. Our opera seria has a long way to go.The lawsuit will be the final act. 

I;ll finish by saying you're a good man, Doug. But this thing with Coate and Aigner is a war. A revolution. And the reasons for this war are compelling. 

Me? What am I fighting for? 

Certainly, I'm fighting against Coate's royalist regime, but I'm also fighting for something. I'm fighting for the people. That the will of the people -- the station's membership -- be what really drives the station's decision-making process. And I'm fighting for enlightened governance -- that the executive director be obedient to the will of the Board and the membership, not the other way around . 

Personally, I'd like to see all staff fired, and one really competent chief engineer hired, instead. Only one person on salary -- the chief engineer. 

And I'd like to see the balance of the station's budget go to replace old and failing broadcast equipment. I'd like to see investments in infrastructure. No more dead air or scratchy signals. 

Also, I'd like to see investments in technology. Every show should be archived. Every programmer should be linked to their own website with a blog, podcasts, etc. 

And I'd like to see a Ukiah studio. 

I'd also like to see stipends or gas money being offered to programmers who need it. 

It''s pretty simple, Doug. Personalities are not the issue. A flawed governance model and everything that followed a flawed governance model for over 25 years are the issue. 

You're a good man, Doug. Smart. Capable. But you're too kind. Too sweet for this war. Maybe too weak. You must think like Geronimo and his little band of Chiricahua Apache. Think like the Vietcong. You must be strong. There is no compromise with Coate and Aigner. They are devils. We are the people. 

-- John Sakowicz 

----- Original Message -----

From: "doug mckenty" <dougmck at gmail.com> 
To: "kzyxtalk" <Kzyxtalk at lists.mcn.org>, discussion at lists.mcn.org 
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2015 10:23:01 AM 
Subject: [Kzyxtalk] new article 

I have been thinking about all the infighting at KZYX and what to do about it. The us vs. them "bunker" mentality of staff combined with the all out attack mentality of Sakowicz is really dragging the reputation of the station down throughout our community. While John Coate has improved the stations situation financially, he has done so by increasing personal donations, acquiring rural status with NPR, and receiving another $120K from the CPB in the last two years, membership dues have remained stagnant. This implies to me that the community as a whole is not satisfied with the service KZYX is providing. 

Much of this dissatisfaction from the public is, I believe, a result of the constant infighting that continuously plagues the station. Many people are just tired of it. As Ed Keller said in last weeks debate, KZYX now has a hard time finding people willing to volunteer. I have spoken with many ex-volunteers who just walked away after encountering the confrontational attitude at the station and never looked back. Many now help out at other, smaller radio stations around the county. 

I have written an article for this weeks AVA at least outlining what I perceive as the problem. I am not sure what the solution is but the entire community needs to at least start talking about it without pointing fingers and naming names. Yelling back and fourth is not functional communication. There will be no change for the positive until we become capable of listening to each other with an open mind. 

Check this out and let me know what you think, 

Thanks, 

Doug McKenty 



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