Alan Wieder
Below is the flyer that was passed out yesterday at May Day in Portland regarding the recent attempts to make KBOO corporate, hurt station employees, and although not stated in the flyer, but made clear during Lyn Fitch's meetings with volunteers, de-radicalize programming. Please come out to Saturday's meeting and talk -- don't let Fitch set the agenda. To: KBOO Members and Supporters (KBOO 90.7 fm Community Radio) Fr: The Committee to Keep KBOO as KBOO (KeepKboo9@gmail.com) The KBOO Board has called a Special KBOO meeting (open to all members & supporters) , for Saturday, May 4th, 1pm, at Tabor Space, 5441 SE Belmont (@ 55th) to reveal the “KBOO 2.0 – the Regeneration” plan, to be presented by Executive Director, Lynn Fitch KBOO has always taken pride in being a participatory and transparent institution. So, for example, when there was a desire, in recent years, to re-examine programming, a careful and lengthy survey was undertaken. Volunteers and members were consulted, and some changes were made. WHY THE SECRECY? We of "Keep KBOO as KBOO" are writing to you to inform you of a different, top-down process that is now being implemented, with the best of intentions, by a few Board members and their new Station Manager – reincarnated as Executive Director. These changes, to be revealed at the May 4th 2013 member forum, are apparently so drastic, that it was first necessary to secretly arrange to fire all KBOO Staff! The process was to have been completed BEFORE the May 4th meeting--a fait accompli. SOLIDARITY KBOO has generally been careful, when personnel changes were necessary, respecting the right of workers. So it was a shock when the Board and Executive Director produced a document this March, stating that employees worked "at will" and thus could be fired at any time without cause. Sensing that drastic and unfavorable changes were coming to their workplace, KBOO Staff organized. They presented their proposed CWA Local Union 7901 to the Executive Director (Lynn Fitch) during this April's Membership Drive. They kept the action quiet, so that the Drive would be unaffected. They asked Ms. Fitch for a timely response. KBOO Staff were looking forward to continuing their enthusiastic and dedicated service--as Union members. KBOO: UNION BUSTER Ms. Fitch responded by meeting with known union-busters Paychex/HR Solutions and Bullard Law. To date, at least one check has been written on KBOO funds, for two thousand dollars--for attorneys-- just to prevent the very thing that KBOO Public Affairs programmers have so long championed: dignity and democracy in the workplace! The CWA Union representative has pointed out that, at the last Board meeting, Directors repeatedly called for actions that would violate the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 and related statutes. SQUANDERING MEMBER DONATIONS Is this how we want KBOO member funds spent? Why in the world would KBOO, of all institutions, want to fight unions? (And will this trend towards corporate-style top-down management end with Staff relations, or is democracy at KBOO to be generally curtailed?) The attorney expenses are just getting started--and imagine the expense and confusion if KBOO Staff are fired, then, invariably, they are "reinstated at their previous positions with full back pay," as the NLRA demands. (over) WHAT HAS BEEN TRICKLING DOWN HERE? Ironically, it is cash flow that is being presented as the driving force behind this corporatization push. Yet the Winter Membership Drive was cancelled, citing the $200,000 in reserves at KBOO as of the November 2012 Finance Committee report. That drive cancellation meant the loss of $50 to $70 thousand in revenue. The corporatization group says that "we can't keep milking that cow." Yet that is the very basis for community radio's continued flourishing in the midst of crushing unemployment and recession: we get out money directly from members, in small contributions, and that cash-flow paradigm keeps KBOO healthy and honest. The recent Membership Drive came up $3K short, and that is being pointed to as well--but a substantial bequest that was offered KBOO was effectively turned down by the Executive Director (others arranged to keep it coming in). What is going on? What are the true motivations here? WE WANT OUR FUTURE BACK In fact, KBOO had a bright future before these changes were pushed through. We had lost some audience for morning public affairs to KPOJ, which was wiped out by its own top-down corporate management; that audience is returning. Our substantial public affairs and journalism strength continue to draw audience, even in the Internet age. If we need to spend funds, it should be on expansion of our Internet and smartphone presence, not on crushing workers. The last thing this radio market needs is an NPR/OPB junior wannabe. THANKS--BUT NO THANKS Whereas we at “Keep KBOO as KBOO” respect the desire to find new and better ways to manage our station, we feel that it is inappropriate and disastrous to attempt to apply common capitalist business practices to our unique and (up until now) democratic institution. KBOO does not "compete with the business community" in staffing practices--KBOO was formed to do what its members want, not what the business community expects. Our Staff proudly work long hours for minimal wages; they are a terrific "bargain" in labor output. Now they are faced with a demoralizing workplace that looks at them as little better than a nuisance and a drain. Is that how we want things to be at KBOO? IT IS NOT TOO LATE We, as members, are not left without recourse. Please consider signing up to be contacted for a possible Special General Membership meeting, which would have the power to rescind the terrifically expensive anti-union push, and restore transparency and participation to KBOO. Email us at KeepKboo9@gmail.com with your name, email address and phone number. KEEP KBOO AS KBOO! KBOO Programming Charter: “KBOO shall be a model of programming, filling needs that other media do not, providing programming to diverse communities and unserved or underserved groups. KBOO shall provide access and training to those communities. KBOO's news and public affairs programming shall place an emphasis on providing a forum for unpopular, controversial, or neglected perspectives on important local, national, and international issues, reflecting KBOO's values of peace, justice, democracy, human rights, multiculturalism, environmentalism, freedom of expression, and social change. KBOO's arts, cultural, and music programming shall cover a wide spectrum of expression from traditional to experimental, and reflect the diverse cultures KBOO serves. KBOO shall strive for spontaneity and programming excellence, both in content and technique.” http://kboo.fm/bylaws NOTICEKBOO Board of DirectorsSPECIAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGMAY 4, 2013 1:00 PMTabor Space, 5441 SE Belmont Street, Portland, OR
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| Not the flyer, just a Facebook comment talking about it |
But if any comrade is still in possession of a copy/scan/url please inform the Revolution Archive Department immediately. Your standing in the Party depends on it.
Remember: the Posterity of the Glorious Revolution is the property of ALL comrades, comrades.
-Meresa Titchell
COMRADES, thank you to loyal party member Grace Marian for breaking the Inner Party silence and reminding us of our talking points, and as always, staying classy!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.blueoregon.com/2013/06/election-no-one-talking-about/
The committee, Keep KBOO as KBOO, consists of many longtime KBOO community members. Some of us have been involved at the station for several decades. We have gathered in response to the some of the measures being taken by the interim station manager, Lynn Fitch. Mr. Hoyne fails to mention there is a high level of conflict at KBOO over these measures that include:
• threatening to lay off employees and have them reapply for their jobs;.
• hiring an anti-union law firm, Bullard Law, to oppose staff unionization;.
• hiring an anti-union human resources firm, Paychex, to create an employee handbook incorporating Fitch’s desired changes. Fitch warned employees keep the contents of the handbook secret, although she has no legal standing to do so;.
• usurping airtime on KBOO to promote her agenda. On those programs, she made offensive and disparaging remarks about KBOO staff, volunteers and membership—violating a KBOO policy forbidding on-air negative comments about those involved at the radio station. She also told a number of untruths in her attempts to justify her actions.
• Creating a hostile environment for staff members and volunteers who aren’t willing to embrace her changes.
Mr. Hoyne states that he was a board member, but he was never actually elected to the board of directors; he was appointed for a few months last year to fill a vacancy until the election in September. He chose not to run for the board, but immediately following the election, he stood up at a board meeting and told the directors that he wanted to be on the board again, but only if he could be president. No one took him up on it. He is currently spreading false allegations against the current board president presumably with the intent to replace him.
Another criticism Mr. Hoyne and his allies have made is that KBOO is too narrow. One such critic, Ed Kraus, won the distinction of being named Willamette Week’s “Rogue of the Week” in 2009 for barring Palestinian attorney and activist Hala Gores from appearing on “The Yiddish Hour” program. Mr. Kraus apparently still feels victimized by that fallout of that incident, as evidenced by a recent blog post he wrote about KBOO.
http://www.wweek.com/portland/articles.sec-45-8-rogue_of_the_week.html
http://www.campaign4kboo.org/home/blog-post-from-ed-kraus-on-chaos-at-kboo/
KBOO’s program charter emphasizes that we incorporate the values of peace, justice, democracy, human rights, multiculturalism, environmentalism, freedom of expression, and social change. Apparently these values are too marginal for Mr. Hoyne and his allies, who seem to want to “dumb down” the on-air content to make it more palatable to a much wider audience and to corporate funders—which KBOO has managed to avoid for 45 years. While KBOO can always be improved, why should we copy a format that is already entrenched in Portland (OPB) when we should be going deeper with our values to engage people who are looking for local, noncorporate community radio that engages in a critical perspective not found at OPB?
There have long been attempts by people like Fitch, Hoyne, and Kraus to “tame” KBOO and to move it toward the center. One example was the “Healthy Stations Initiative” in the 1990s that attempted to make community radio stations more mainstream and palatable to an upper middleclass, mainstream listenership. KBOO resisted Healthy Stations, and we will resist the efforts of Ben Hoyne, Lynn Fitch and their allies to take control of our community radio station.
"who seem to want to “dumb down” the on-air content to make it more palatable to a much wider audience"
ReplyDelete...or palatable to any audience at all, Comrades!
It is contrary to the revolutionary goals of KBOO to have any actual listenership!
Indy Media strikes again, however I don't have it documented.
ReplyDeleteSomeone posted a blog there this morning at maybe 10am titled "Thom Hartman on KBOO". There was a picture of Obama talking about a liberal being in the white house, and then some other stuff. I commented saying I wasn't aware there was a liberal in the white house.
The post has since been removed. Does Indymedia not want people talking about Thom Hartman being on KBOO? Do they not want to draw attention to it, or are they worried about what the GLORIOUS LEADER and her loyal followers will say? Maybe its time for another experiment?
newswire article announcements oregon & cascadia
ReplyDeleteLet's see how long it lasts
15.Jun.2013 15:30
alternative media
Tom Hartmen on KBOO?
author: Jeff Lebowski
Wasn't there a blog this morning about Tommy coming to the pdx airwaves. Why was it removed?
Are we silencing critics of community radio now?
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