CMS’ Position on the May Pledge Drive

A number of CMS supporters have asked whether or not we should support ‘PFW’s current, May pledge drive.  After extensive discussion over a period of several weeks and meetings, the Coordinating Committee reached the following decision, which we feel unifies the wide range of views expressed by committee members and others.

 

We must caution, however, that the following serves only as a recommendation to the Community Meeting; and is therefore not a definitive and binding “CMS position”, since the Coordinating Committee has not yet had the opportunity to hold a Community Meeting to ratify, modify or reject this recommendation.

 

PLEDGE YOUR CONSCIENCE, taking into account the following  considerations:

1) CMS recognizes and celebrates the positive changes to the program schedule brought about recently since Katea Stitt and Miyuki Williams were put in charge of programming.  We view these changes as partial victories: the result of  continuous pressure put on management by programmers, listener-members, the LSB, and CMS !

 

2) In order to save the SOUL of our station, the ‘PFW Family MUST elect a democratic and progressive LSB this year!

We need honest people with integrity, dedicated to ‘PFW’s Mission Statement, and determined to fight to return ‘PFW and Pacifica to their jazz and social justice and free speech roots.

 

In other words, we need an LSB majority dedicated to reversing the years’ long drift to the political right in governance, management and programming at both ‘PFW and Pacifica.

 

In order to accomplish this goal, ALL members of the ‘PFW Family MUST do 3 things THIS YEAR:

* YOU must renew your membership or become a first-time member of ‘PFW, so that you can VOTE in this year’s LSB elections; 

* YOU must pay the basic $35 membership fee so as to be a current member and have the right to vote in the LSB elections; and,

* YOU MUST VOTE for candidates dedicated to reversing the drift to the right in order to return ‘PFW to it’s jazz and social justice and free speech roots.
NOW is the time to bring your membership up-to-date !  Although the precise timing of this year’s LSB elections has not been determined as yet, we know that the time for folks to declare their candidacies is fast approaching.

 

REMEMBER:

In order to save the SOUL of OUR station,

the peoples’ station,

EVERYONE MUST VOTE

IN THIS YEAR’S LSB ELECTIONS !

 

3) Celebrating recent partial victories, suggesting that folks pledge their conscience, and urging the ‘PFW Family to VOTE in this year’s LSB elections is a CALL TO FURTHER ACTION !

 

The original LSB decision of December, 2012, as well as CMS’s subsequent decision along the same lines, called for a temporary return of the former programming schedule, so as to enable development of a new programming schedule resulting from a democratic, inclusive and participatory process, led by the LSB and including all stakeholders, in collaboration with management. 

 

No such collaborative process has yet occurred, although Katea has invited the LSB Programming Committee to offer ideas for a future, permanent programming schedule.

 

The bottom line is that ALL of the programming and personnel decisions recently made by management represent unilateral decisions made by the IGM, Michelle Price, for her own reasons, and are NOT the result of any kind of collaborative process or negotiation.

She has NEVER responded to, much less agreed to negotiate on, any of the requests or demands made by the LSB; not to speak of CMS !

 

What we know for sure is that Michelle Price’s attitude toward the community is her continued refusal to respond to our demand that she issue an apology to the ‘PFW Family for having branded CMS as terrorists on her blog simply for having urged folks to attend and participate in this past February’s PNB meeting in DC !  Two more things to think about:  Has Michelle Price ever apologized to Luke for taking him off the air?  We are glad that he is back but has she ever apologized to Jared?  Finally, we insist that Michelle Price retract all gag rules, censorship, threats, against the ‘PFW community.

 

As a reminder, below is CMS’ list of Long-Term Campaigns:

(1) Return Union Staff to Full Pay

Work with union staff members, their union (SAG-AFTRA), and the Metro Washington Council (AFL-CIO) to insure that all union staff members (and any other affected staff) are restored to full pay and compensated for lost wages

(2) Form Committee of  Community Organizations to Support CMS Initiatives

Examples: labor groups, churches, progressive organizations

(3) Work with The CAB (Community Advisory Board)

Focus on programming issues, which is the core of the CAB’s mandate

Identify 2 or 3 CMS members to attend CAB meetings and possibly apply to become CAB members.