Pacifica's WBAI lays off entire staff.

[purpledevil]

Radioinsight.com reports this is effective tomorrow (8/12) and notes the inability to meet payroll obligations. Also noted that the station in D.C. was in the same situation. This sounds pretty dire for the Pacifica group. Makes you wonder just how secure our own KPFT actually is.

 

[bturner]

While I've never ben a fan of Pacifica, I hate to see this happen. They have tough choices to make: stay with the programming or morph into something else. Everything revolves around gathering enough dollars and it is clear the current plan isn't working so changes must be made. The marketplace is speaking here. Maybe KPFT is solid, maybe not, but it is clearly a scary scenario. Maybe the answer in New York and Washington is to sell and acquire a lesser frequency in order to survive. Maybe it's time to totally retool. I'm glad I'm not having to make the decisions here. It simply is not a good place to be.

 

[mrbeasley]

When your entire mission is to undermine and tear down the social and moral fabric of the country, and that's all you harp on from one program to the next then it's no wonder they're going broke. Pacifica has been that way from the very start. They have absolutely no positive socially or morally redeeming programming (save for a few somewhat entertaining music programs) on any of their stations. Just more and more socially degrading spew. Eventually, that turns rational, thinking people off. Like a drunk or drug addict, they have "hit the bottom" in terms of their audience appeal.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

The "tearing of moral fabric" in this country that worries me are the people who cannot stomach having a media that carries a message they disagree with.

I read some comments in these forums from people that I trust, some of them people who have gone in as potential employees or consultants and tried to convince Pacifica to adopt rational 'business practices' but were unable to get the message across.

It's not the programming content that is possibly going to kill Pacifica, but the business practices that lack reality.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

What turned me off in the 1980's was the whole "first satanic station in the nation". Yeah - align yourself with a spiritual power whose only purpose is to kill, destroy , subvert, and sabotage people's lives. Now THERE is a programming choice designed to appeal to people.

 

[FilioScotia]

Are you saying that Pacifica's programs and content have nothing to do with the fact that almost nobody listens to them, and its roster of donors gets shorter every year? Listeners only care about what's coming at them over the air. They don't care about a station's good or bad business practices.

 

[bturner]

Instead of injecting any personal opinion, we realize the actual issue is the operating plan is not working. The audience, whether shrinking or the same, is not financially providing the income Pacifica needs. It seems the issues are not that simplistic but involve all fronts such as operation expenses, programming, motivating listeners, etc. Maybe they need to economize, trim their operation and inject additional programming that allows for more funding from listeners. At any rate, their current direction appears to be a dead end and the driver still has the pedal to the metal. Change is always hard to take but it seems obvious a change is on the horizon.

 

[bradgoehl]

I have friends that volunteer over there, it would sad to see yet another religious broadcaster take the frequency.
They could always take a page from KNON in Dallas and go hyper-local and 95% volunteer run.

 

[mrbeasley]

With the exception of some of the NPR stuff they run, like Democracy Now; they are staffed by local people who solicit support for their individual programs. Much the same way some small-market operators have their jock on the street selling time on their respective programs. Some of those programs pay off, in terms of donations. But some (like a lot of their late-night programming) don't. The more entertaining music programs are on during the day and they pay off well. But, some of the unlistenable junk they have on at night doesn't.

I may or may not disagree with what I hear on KPFT. But you have to admit that they have been leaning so far to the left for so many years, that they may eventually move on around to the right. Their mid-day program is pretty good. And, I used to listen to the Blue Grass show because I used to manage a Blue Grass band. But, like Filo said, it is the programming coming out of the radio that prompts people to donate. Niche programming won't cut it. Neither will catering to every little niche group. So, they have to find programming that has a broader appeal than what they are currently putting out. I would prefer to see more good music... ala the good old days of KLOL. To hell with catering to everyone who wants to jump on the radio and make some sort of political statement. That gets old after awhile. Even for a diehard liberal.

From what I understand, KPFT is running about as lean as they can. But, they have the same expenses as any other radio station. A fairly small payroll. A light bill for a studio and transmitter. Tower rent and maintenance expenses. Add to that the upkeep on an old house that serves as the studio. The national organization siphons off some of each stations donations, just like a commercial group owner does. So where do you start to cut?

 

[FilioScotia]

Trying to be all things to all people has never worked in radio. Smart programmers pick the demographic they want to attract and go after them. Unfortunately for KPFT and other Pacific stations, their demographic is way out on the far left end of the political spectrum, and it's not big enough to support what Pacific wants to do. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.

 

[uncamark]

With the exception of some of the NPR stuff they run, like Democracy Now; they are staffed by local people who solicit support for their individual programs. Much the same way some small-market operators have their jock on the street selling time on their respective programs. Some of those programs pay off, in terms of donations. But some (like a lot of their late-night programming) don't. The more entertaining music programs are on during the day and they pay off well. But, some of the unlistenable junk they have on at night doesn't.

"Democracy Now!" is not NPR and Amy Goodman would be royally pissed if you told her that it was NPR. And most NPR member station managers would also be pissed, because they consider that show unbridled advocacy and poorly produced to boot (most of the NPR stations that carry "DN!" are small market volunteer-driven stations that don't carry much NPR programming beyond the drive time news shows, and even then would drop them in an instant if not for the fact that most of the pledge money comes from the listeners to thos shows). The only mainstream public radio shows KPFT is carrying are the BBC World Service and "This American Life," which are leftovers from the late 90s attempt to be more mainstream with the "Sound of Texas" AAA format and several PRI shows (which included "World Cafe" and "Marketplace" back then). When the Pacifica hardcores reclaimed the station during the infamous Pacifica "Troubles" of that era, most of the PRI shows and "The Sound of Texas" were gone and replaced by the old programming.

 

[johndavis]

In other words, back when KPFT tried to be relevant to more of Houston beyond the crime-free Montrose, the volunteers revolted and returned it to broadcasting to a target of about 50 people, 49 of which are hanging out in the back of the studio.

I listened to KPFT back in the Sound of Texas days. I liked it and listened to the BBC on the way to work and the AAA music while I worked. Now? There's nothing on that station that interests me.

 

[mrbeasley]

My bad. I should have said NPR-type programming like DN. I can see where I might have offended both with that comment. But, therein lies the problems, and you nailed it. Poorly produced content with an extreme advocacy element to it, as opposed to programming that has a broader appeal. Some editorializing is okay, but, when that's about all you have on the air, it wears thin with the majority of listeners. It happens to the more conservative station listeners after awhile, too, if there isn't some balance.

 

[OldChicago]

I listened to KPFT back in the Sound of Texas days. I liked it and listened to the BBC on the way to work and the AAA music while I worked. Now? There's nothing on that station that interests me.

Have you tried TECHNOLOGY BYTES Wednesday at 8pm??


OLD CHICAGO

 

[johndavis]

No.

At 8:00 on a Wednesday night, I'm usually not listening to the radio.

Dwight is a great writer for the Chronicle, though.

 

[KTN Corp]

What turned me off in the 1980's was the whole "first satanic station in the nation". Yeah - align yourself with a spiritual power whose only purpose is to kill, destroy , subvert, and sabotage people's lives. Now THERE is a programming choice designed to appeal to people.

Again that was 30 years ago--3 DECADES!!! Apparently you only listened for a few minutes (which happened to include that personal comment that may have been snark) and did not know yet that each show is produced by a programmer and does not reflect the views of the station. KPFT is like a municipal public access cable channel for radio.

Now let me share my pet peeve about your favorite station. The only pet peeve that I have with KSBJ is that they are bandwidth hogs. How many translators do you need in the Houston area to fill in gaps in the distant fringe of the 89.3 main signal? KPFT's tower is a perfect location for KSBJ to move their transmitter to so it can cover immediate Metropolitan Houston (city & suburbs) without the myriad of expensive power-consuming translators. Talk about wasting money!

But with the purchase of KXBJ, at least those existing translators could be used to rebroadcast NGEN HD-2.

 

[bturner]

Those comments are accurate. Each programmer is responsible for the content of their programming. Having been at such a station, I can say, at the station I had a show, it was only public access if you were not doing something that was offered on other stations. If a small Christian Church wanted a program they'd be told to buy the time on a station with that format. If you wanted to do the 'safe 300' classic rock, you'd be told to try to get on at a classic rock station. On the other hand if you wanted to play classic rock other stations didn't play, you had a chance. If you were a rather fringe Christian Church that most denominations would have issues with, you might have a chance. The general idea was to seek out programming not appealing to the masses. Obviously a service to the folks that prefer non-mainstream radio. To compare such a station to a station striving for as large an audience as possible is apples and oranges. It's really not so different than the commercial stations that sell time blocks to those who do their own shows. Except at KPFT, you don't pay to play.

On the satanic comment. Any station saying this is about as sharp as a head of lettuce. I had a beef with a department store 20 years ago and guess what, I haven't spent a penny in their stores since. If 30 years ago for a few minutes or not is not the issue...that the station alienated so many is. If that ruffles your feathers, that's not intended. It was boneheaded. Likely a symptom of so many hard headed radio people.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Again that was 30 years ago--3 DECADES!!! Apparently you only listened for a few minutes (which happened to include that personal comment that may have been snark) and did not know yet that each show is produced by a programmer and does not reflect the views of the station. KPFT is like a municipal public access cable channel for radio.

Now let me share my pet peeve about your favorite station. The only pet peeve that I have with KSBJ is that they are bandwidth hogs. How many translators do you need in the Houston area to fill in gaps in the distant fringe of the 89.3 main signal? KPFT's tower is a perfect location for KSBJ to move their transmitter to so it can cover immediate Metropolitan Houston (city & suburbs) without the myriad of expensive power-consuming translators. Talk about wasting money!

But with the purchase of KXBJ, at least those existing translators could be used to rebroadcast NGEN HD-2.

Think again. KSBJ WAS my favorite station 30 years ago. Not so now. After the disgraceful way they treated Buddy Holiday, and their descent into the mundaneness of praise and worship music, I don't even listen to the station I donated so much money to all those years ago. But - they are responsible for NGEN, which IS my favorite station at the moment! Hey - I'm 59, I grew up with rock and roll, I'm not ready for the wheelchair and walker music on KSBJ.

The ironic thing is - if the 90.1 frequency does become available, guess who would want to jump on it for NGEN? I would think they would do anything to get a viable signal over the Northern and Western parts of the metro area, where NGEN has no coverage now. And 90.1 is positioned perfectly in the very place that NGEN coverage doesn't exist. That is - if that overloaded tower on Fairbanks N. Houston doesn't collapse first. I hate driving by that thing, and I can see at least a slight bow in it, and probably a 1 to 2 degree tilt as it is. People are going to die when that thing comes down. It is one thing to supplement station income with tower rentals, but completely another to overload a tower like that.

 

[purpledevil]

KTN: Have you heard 89.3 south of U.S. 59? The signal, or lack thereof, is why KSBJ simulcasted on all those flea power translators. Same holds true going up 290 west of Houston. This is why KSBJ purchased KWUP in Navasota, and more recently KIOX (now KXBJ) in El Campo. Once 96.9 was purchased and simulcasting KSBJ, the translators DID begin broadcasting NGEN.

If somehow KPFT came on the market and KSBJ purchased it, you can probably say goodbye to 89.3 all together. I don't see NGEN popping up there, instead selling the station like they did in Victoria, probably to the very same buyer as the co-channel in Victoria.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

KTN: Have you heard 89.3 south of U.S. 59? The signal, or lack thereof, is why KSBJ simulcasted on all those flea power translators. Same holds true going up 290 west of Houston. This is why KSBJ purchased KWUP in Navasota, and more recently KIOX (now KXBJ) in El Campo. Once 96.9 was purchased and simulcasting KSBJ, the translators DID begin broadcasting NGEN.

If somehow KPFT came on the market and KSBJ purchased it, you can probably say goodbye to 89.3 all together. I don't see NGEN popping up there, instead selling the station like they did in Victoria, probably to the very same buyer as the co-channel in Victoria.

NGEN has a huge hole in Katy, Cypress, Jersey Village, Tomball, Spring, The Woodlands, Conroe. Translators don't reach any of those areas. Those areas also are populated with the very wealthy young demographic that NGEN should reach. I agree - if KSBJ bought 90.1, they would probably put their main signal on it and move NGEN to 89.3. Believe me, you need a deep fringe FM setup from Cypress to get the Sugarland translator, and it is attacked by Ft. Worth and San Antonio 99.5's big time. That whole area needs a translator for NGEN.