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Back
in January 2020, before we were quarantined, I was at a social event
where I overheard two men talking about progressive media. Being
within earshot and being the publisher of the LA Progressive, my ears
perked up. I heard one man tell the other, “It’s dying.
I’d donate to Pacifica but they haven’t filed tax returns
in years. They might lose their building in Berkeley, could be
auctioned
off.”
I
knew the Pacifica Network was struggling but it wasn’t till I’d
heard that conversation that I began to realize the depths of its
struggle. I’ll get back to that story in a bit but let me
briefly talk about the decline of progressive talk radio in general.
The
battle over the airwaves dates back over 50 years, since the Powell
Memo (can be downloaded)
and the birth of the Neoliberal
movement in the early 70’s. Neoliberals had a plan. Instead of
engaging in internal conflicts and circular firing squads, they
united and successfully got FCC policies changed during the Reagan
Administration.
One
of their biggest coups was the eradication of the Fairness
Doctrine.
The doctrine or rule had been federal policy since 1949. It mandated
that broadcast license holders
As
soon as the rule was abolished, conservative talk, backed by
right-wing power brokers, began their plan to dominate the American
talk radio format. Today, progressive talk radio barely registers in
the Nielsen ratings.
Many
consider the demise of this FCC policy to be a contributing factor to
party polarization in the United States and the rise of the radical
right.
The
outcome of the 2016 presidential election was, in large part, a
product of right-wing media. Of course, their media takeover was not
exclusively in the radio realm, but it began there. Many believe Rush
Limbaugh’s success after President Reagan got rid of the
Fairness Doctrine paved the way for Fox News’ 1996 launch.
Heads
up, guys — Rush Limbaugh’s replacements will be going on
air in a few days. The radical right has plans and there’s no
letting up.
In
2016, the Bernie Sanders campaign could have succeeded if we had a
strong progressive media machine educating its listeners about the
issues instead of just reporting on the horse race. Although the
Pacifica Network is a nonprofit and cannot endorse candidates, one of
its core purposes is to educate the listeners on the issues. Many of
its programs are great at this but barely anyone is listening. People
have been turned off by the nonstop fund drives.
There’s
a reason the press is the only industry mentioned in the U.S.
Constitution — and in the First Amendment no less. Like Noam
Chomsky said, “He who controls the media, controls the mind of
the public”. And the right has had far too much control.
So
back to the conversation I overheard in January 2020. Before
overhearing it, I’d known that the Pacifica Network was
struggling. Truth is, as far back as I can remember, its struggled
financially. I just didn’t know things were as bad as they
were. But how could I? Everytime I tuned in, there was a fund drive.
I admit, I began to tune out after awhile.
Several
years ago, I went to a few local station board meetings but walked
away because the meetings were poorly run, spent far too much time on
nasty exchanges, and didn’t seem to accomplish much. More
recently, I attended a local meeting that took 45 minutes to start
once people had shown up!
Fast
forward 15 years. It’s July 2020. Trump is president, Bernie
has lost twice, Presidential Medal of Freedom awardee Rush Limbaugh
with his enormous Dittohead following reigns supreme, and progressive
talk radio is all but dead on the vine.
I
get a call from a former Pacifica National Board member asking me to
join a team known as “New Day Pacifica”.
Remembering
the conversation I overheard, the caller helped me to see that
Pacifica is on its last legs. I agreed to join New Day Pacifica. Last
week, two people supporting the YES side — Beth Kean and I —
agreed to a debate with two people who want to maintain the status
quo. You can hear an excerpt below. The people speaking are current
Pacifica National Board President, Alex Steinberg, WBAI Producer Mimi
Rosenberg and me, Sharon Kyle. The audio is about 7 minutes long but
the entire debate lasted 2 hours. The full length is posted here as
well but the 7 minutes gives you a sense of how the rest of the
debate goes.
Audio of Alex
Steinberg, Mimi Rosenberg and Sharon Kyle
So
here is where we stand — the final day to vote YES for the New
Day Pacifica bylaws is July 7th. Ballots were emailed to Pacifica
members on June 5th. If you did not receive your ballot, follow
these instructions
to have one sent to you. But you must do this before the deadline.
Those
who oppose the New Day Pacifica referendum have demonstrated that
“living a hand-to-mouth existence” is an acceptable
outcome. We at New Day Pacifica aren’t interested in barely
surviving. We want what the people want, media that educates, informs
and reaches the masses.
The
radical right is implementing a strategy that is impacting us all.
There isn’t an effective counter. Let’s begin to build
one. Vote YES for New Day Pacifica
Audio of Alex
Steinberg, Beth Kean, Mimi Rosenberg, Grace Aaron, and Sharon Kyle –
WBAI June 5, 2021
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