Hundreds of concerned WBAI listeners and staff held a noisy protest on Thursday night to protest Pacifica's latest assault on the independence of the network's sister stations. Last week, Pacifica fired Valerie van Isler, WBAI's general manager. The firing was without notice, warning or reason. Reminiscent of the firing of Berkeley station KPFA's general manager last year, which resulted in the station being shut down for over a month, many believe the termination is a sign that Pacifica is opening a frontal assault on WBAI.
Crying "Whose station? Our station!" and "99 point 5 - Keep the dream alive!," the crowd gathered in the cold outside the midtown Manhattan offices of the law firm Epstein, Becker & Green. John Murdock, a partner at Epstein, is a relatively new member of Pacifica's national board. His law firm specializes in "maintaining a union-free workplace" and now represents Pacifica in several lawsuits pending against it. Critics say board members such as Murdock are instrumental in the effort to mainstream the network.
Protesters, joined by WBAI producers such as Amy Goodman, chanted, sang, and made quite a racket for two hours starting at 5 p.m. Calling for free speech and democracy, the protesters denounced Mr. Murdock and the Pacifica Board, which the demonstrators described as "corporate." The NYPD had denied a sound permit at the last minute, and also tried to move protestors across the street away from Epstein, Becker. But listeners refused to budge.