Pacifica’s Current Financial and Licensing Problems

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By Adrienne Lauby and Max Blanchet

From the perspective of Pacifica as a whole, its membership and the community the future of Pacifica looks grim.   Here are the problems:

  • Pacifica’s current, deep insolvency resulting from internal conflict, aging listenership and inability to raise enough money to pay for its operations and liquidate its liabilities .  See a chart of the financial situation here.
  • Pacifica’s conflicted relationship with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) due to its inability to meet the CPB’s monitoring, broadcasting, diversity and sustainable governance requirements,
  • Pacifica’s inability to come to terms with its major creditor, Democracy Now! (DN!), to which it owes approximately $2 million and whose contract with Pacifica has expired and is in dire need of adjustments.
  • The possible reluctance on the part of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to renew the WBAI radio signal license that is coming up for renewal this year, in this climate of leadership instability.
  • Three stations are using badly-aging transmitters — in Houston, DC and NYC.  The FCC granted a rare 3rd extension on the KPFT transmitter in Houston, which is operating at 11% power, however, they are running out of time to get it fixed or replaced.  WPFW in DC can only get up to full power part of the time and is operating at reduced power most of the time.  WBAI’s transmitter in NYC is operating but wouldn’t survive a move to another location — which is necessary to reduce the $50 K monthly rental expense at its current location on the Empire State Building.  Transmitter replacement will cost $90-$120,000 each.
  •  Despite the lay-off of most of its staff, moving to a cheaper studio, and meeting an emergency deadline for over $200,000 in severance pay, the future of WBAI in NYC is a month-to-month proposition.  A sale of the station or a signal swap to a less powerful spot on the dial is still very likely.

These problems demand a mobilization of our national and local resources.   Join the Pacifica National Office Occupation and the United for Community Radio Team.