November 9, 2019

'A Victory for Free Speech': WBAI is back on the air

Source: Brooklyn Daily Eagle

WBAI is back.

One month to the day since operations at the decades-old, listener-supported radio station were suspended by its parent organization, the Pacifica Foundation, 99.5 WBAI FM has regained local control of its airwaves.

Pacifica, which owns a slate of other local radio stations, came under fire on Oct. 7 for abruptly halting WBAI operations, dismantling the station’s Atlantic Avenue studio and replacing its local broadcasting with syndicated content. At the time, the nonprofit organization cited millions of dollars of debt and a new vision for the Brooklyn-based station.

The sudden shutdown prompted back-and-forths in court, as advocates claimed that Pacifica violated its own bylaws by not first bringing the decision to its board. On Oct. 15, just hours after WBAI supporters protested Pacifica’s “rogue” actions on the steps of City Hall, a judge upheld a temporary restraining order against the nonprofit, barring Pacifica from impeding on local broadcasting and mandating it continue to pay WBAI staffers until the parties’ next bout in court.

Read more: https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2019/11/07/wbai-back-on-air/?fbclid=IwAR0x16-kah_tOsYF9-bMmQ6h8owoK_mn0fJau63TtqxuaAtus4G-61LMk2M

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During the takeover of the airwaves, WBAI's Twitter account was one of the only ways to get accurate updates about what was going on.
I just made a monthly donation at WBAI's website. New Yorkers are fortunate to have locally-based progressive programming again.