Dr. Bethune, being positive is what's brought on this crisis. I'm afraid that
the current structure's time is over. And I am not sitting on the sidelines; I
have far more of a Pacifica pedigree than you can ever claim. This network,
under your watch, cannot pay its bills. You cannot pay your bills! So the PNB
says, once again, let's be positive! Let's think happy thoughts! You are just a
person with critical thinking skills who is not on the board.
"Surely Lonnie would have told us months ago that there way any trouble!" I'm
thinking on the positive side. "Surely Dan Siegel would have emailed us if he
was sucking dry the Pacfica tit!" I'm thinking on the positive side.
The gullibility and the lack of experience on the PNB is a cancer on the
network. And the only way to fight cancer is to cut it out.
If Nicole can't bash a few heads together and restructure; and if PNB can stop
fighting its stupid race war, there might be a chance.
Sorry, Dr. Bethune, but the time for touchy-feely is over.
At this point we have few choices: a Chapter 11 financial restructuring may be
the best way out; other than that its receivership or death.
Wake up, PNB. Your inexperience is destoying the network. At least cancel the
damn useless meeting.
Kevin White
----- Original Message ----
From: Doc Bethune <docbethune@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Kevin White <cuitlacoche1@xxxxxxxxx>; PacificaRadiowaves@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx;
NewPacifica@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: pnb@xxxxxxxxxxxx; sawayaville@xxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 7:17:47 PM
Subject: Re: [PacificaRadiowaves] Re: Please update us on the financial state
of Pacifica
You are both mistaken. It will not be an easy journey but it will not be one
filled with court appointed anything. How about instead of ringing the death
nell, understand that everyone is working very hard to move the NETWORK forward
and out of this mess. Those sitting on the sidelines being critical are much
like the Monday morning quarterbacks who always have a better way.
Be blessed and if you have any positive ideas or comments please feel free to
respond other wise please talk to eachother and delete me from this thread.
In the spirit of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune
Doc
----- Original Message ----
From: Kevin White <cuitlacoche1@ yahoo.com>
To: PacificaRadiowaves@ yahoogroups. com; NewPacifica@ yahoogroups. com
Cc: pnb@pacifica. org; sawayaville@ gmail.com
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 11:57:19 AM
Subject: Re: [PacificaRadiowaves ] Re: Please update us on the financial state
of Pacifica
Nalini wrote about last night's PNB meeting:
"Yikes. I'm telling you. Someone ought to get started in preparing a
bankruptcy and reorganization plan. The only way out that I see is
to have a Court appointed Receiver to provide legal protection while
Pacifica is totally reorganized. They could void the new bylaws,
dismiss all the LSBs, secure a small (may ten) person commission to
redraw the organizational structure and write up the most simple and
streamlined set of bylaws, -- not a Membership org, -- sell one of
the commercial licenses while they are still worth something, and
hire ONLY radio pros as managers until a new infrastructure can be
built to bring in the volunteer structure again. Without court
protection, I predict that the next wave of Lawsuits will be from
vendors. The thing I'm going watch carefully, will Amy Goodman be
the first to sue over nonpayment? Or, will she do the right thing
and pull out of the contract? She gives away her TV broadcast feed
for free to lots of stations.... why not Pacifica?"
You know, Nalini, as bad as this sounds on the outside, it may be exactly
what's needed to really save Pacifica. Our current organization can't even stop
a national board meeting that we cannot pay the bills for: do you think they
can responsibly reorganize the network? I' don't think so. That would mean no
more unbudged jobs for people's girlfriends, or high paying jobs for a woman
who do five minutes of radio a day.
The current group in charge can still meet, at their own expense of course, and
call each other racists, and have workshops and retreats, and vote to support
Haiti, or Tibet, or Luxembourg for that matter all they want.
In the meantime we could stand a change to get Pacifica back, stronger, leaner,
and more cutting edge: without all the cronyism and sweetheart back room deals.
We clearly need professionals in charge, and we're not going to get them with a
membership structure.
Sincerely,
Kevin White
KPFT Houston
----- Original Message ----
From: Nalini Lasiewicz <LasiewiczN@aol. com>
To: PacificaRadiowaves@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:35:48 AM
Subject: [PacificaRadiowaves ] Re: Please update us on the financial state of
Pacifica
Accordingly to what I heard on last nights emergency PNB call, the
financial state is terminal, and there are NO plans for how to solve
it. Some of the notes that I jotted down:
It sounds like we won't be able to pay Democracy Now this month. I
wonder if the PNB members are going to find out whether there will be
fines or interest.
WBAI has to cut $200K this quarter. Don't know where the cuts will
come from, doesn't know where new money will come from.
Pacifica will not going to be able to pay for the elections this year.
Challenges in 2009 budget that "will make your head spin."
Mike Martin says that it may be a breach of our feduciary
responsibilities to finance a PNB meeting in July.
National Finance Committee is meeting weekly. Staff is doing the best
they can in this time.
Lonnie, "this network is living payroll to payroll." The money to pay
for the meeting is not there. Every station is hurting. There is no
money. We're struggling to pay payroll. We're struggling to pay heath
care.
One week ago during the PNB phone call, Lonnie hemmed and hawed as
they decided to go forward with the July meeting and said "I'll try
to find the money." Last night, a week later, he reports that they
won't be able to pay $150,000 in bills for this month alone. For PNB
members who are part of the Finance Committee, they sounded like this
was the first time they heard that there is NO money. But they voted
to have the meeting anyway.
Yikes. I'm telling you. Someone ought to get started in preparing a
bankruptcy and reorganization plan. The only way out that I see is
to have a Court appointed Receiver to provide legal protection while
Pacifica is totally reorganized. They could void the new bylaws,
dismiss all the LSBs, secure a small (may ten) person commission to
redraw the organizational structure and write up the most simple and
streamlined set of bylaws, -- not a Membership org, -- sell one of
the commercial licenses while they are still worth something, and
hire ONLY radio pros as managers until a new infrastructure can be
built to bring in the volunteer structure again. Without court
protection, I predict that the next wave of Lawsuits will be from
vendors. The thing I'm going watch carefully, will Amy Goodman be
the first to sue over nonpayment? Or, will she do the right thing
and pull out of the contract? She gives away her TV broadcast feed
for free to lots of stations.... why not Pacifica?