The slow lingering death of a local, progressive, independent radio station.
WBAI, 99.5 FM in New York City
An official from Pacifica Radio which controls WBAI came on the air today at 4 p.m. to explain that the station has incurred a six-figure debt for the past decade. And because listener financial support cannot pay the bills, especially the staff and broadcasters, changes will be instituted starting this Monday. 75% of staff has been laid off. Most shows are going off the air. Pacifica will air syndicated shows regardless of their merit for the benefit of the WBAI community and local interests. It may be temporary. Maybe not.
This station has been on the air for decades. It launched Lynn Samuels. Al "Grandpa" Lewis from The Munsters had a dynamic program on Saturdays. Amy Goodman got started on WBAI before "Democracy Now". It had shows that regularly warned about Fukishima and fracking and BP in the Gulf while other stations ignored such stories. The station had programs for newly arrived and established immigrants, particularly Dominicans. A show for atheists.
Maybe these shows were esoteric and could not command a majority of listeners and hence financial support.
It's sad to see the end of an era. It's one less non-MSM, conservative talk station. It joins WEVD and Air America in the NYC Media Cemetery.
= new reply since forum marked as read
there have been full-on Pier 6 brawls between station management and its unionized staff, and bitter proxy fights between rival slates seeking control of the stations' board. Some of this stems from the fact that the better-funded KPFA has been subsidizing WBAI, and to some extent the other Pacifica stations.
Now, it appears, WBAI is in for more of this, in spades. 
