Letter to Thom Hartmann Show
Sept 11, 2013 8:35:28 GMT -8
Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2013 8:35:28 GMT -8
What follows is an email I sent to the producers of the Thom Hartmann Show on September 1st, 2013. I have not had any response from the show itself, although some comments on the public blog have been ... well ... interesting. I've added some underlining for emphasis and redacted one short piece of the email for my own reasons.
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Hello from Portland!
I'm writing to the Thom Hartmann show after being a volunteer programmer at KBOO radio for the last five years, having served on the KBOO Program Committee for two years, and last week resigning as a programmer in protest at how poorly the station is being run.
I've been deeply involved in the fight to turn KBOO around, and have been a candidate for the Board of Directors along with Ben Hoyne and Rabia Yeaman who have been very vocal in trying to get KBOO to be open to views that are slightly more sane than those of the inner core that controls KBOO. The situation at KBOO since last May has deteriorated so far that Ben and I have agreed that even if we were elected to KBOO's board we could not take a seat because of potential personal liability from decisions of this board, and Rabia Yeaman just resigned her seat on the board. And the station manager Lynn Fitch has been subjected to a vicious witch hunt by those who now are saying they will put your show on the air and is on medical leave due to the effects of months of harassment by staff who are opposed to being managed at all.
You may already be aware how poorly Lynn's proposal to air your show has been received by the core group of radicals controlling KBOO. They have very vocally and publicly labeled Thom as a corporate hack apologist, and put every possible obstacle in the way of airing you show at KBOO. The core group controlling KBOO even has framed this as a fight between a mainstream corporate white man's show trying to displace three hours a day of locally produced shows by racial minorities in Portland. Ironically, it was my proposal a few months ago that is now being pushed forward, for KBOO to air one hour of your show on in the afternoon as a trial, and measure the results before deciding any future. This was to avoid displacing locally produced shows, only taking away a repeat of Democracy Now and should have been implemented months ago so an audience could be measured in the next fund drive.
Ben Hoyne and Blue Oregon saw this as an opportunity to get more people involved with KBOO. Imagine the irony that having more people listen to and support community radio would be viewed as dangerous. KBOO has in my view deliberately delayed action on your generous offer by many months, in order to prevent your show from bringing new members to KBOO in time to be able to vote in the upcoming board elections. They now only want to put your show on after the board elections are over. In other words, your potential listener's money is fine, but not their votes and influence on the radio station itself.
In addition, a time limit of either three or four months is already being announced as part of the proposal, with a definite return to Democracy Now. Only after your show goes off KBOO's air would any evaluation of the response be made. I'm convinced that the current program committee is doing this so they can give lip service to the idea that they would be open to your show, but be able to have plausible deniability that "we tried it, but KBOO's audience just doesn't value the show".
So, my warning is that in my opinion, the proposal you're about to get from KBOO is a cynical and insincere proposal. It's being setup to fail from the beginning. I'd also suggest that having your show on KBOO's air in the current moment when multiple lawsuits against KBOO are being prepared, when there is the possibility of investigation of election fraud, you might want to protect your brand from association with KBOO.
I understand you gave a commitment to KBOO for first rights to an exclusive of some sort. I'd understand if you want to honor your commitment to let KBOO try the show. I'd prefer you say no at this time, but in light that they are unwilling to either air the full three hours, or put it in a live time segment so that local callers could participate, perhaps you could go ahead and let them have the trial but don't make this offer exclusive to KBOO. I know you are being courted by multiple radio stations (redacted by me), and I believe that your long term interests are not with KBOO and instead are with helping build the future for a less unstable, less crazy progressive radio station in Portland Oregon. Even if another station doesn't have today the signal strength of KBOO, the cards are showing KBOO possibly going bankrupt in about two years time. One reason I've left KBOO is that I see my efforts best spent building a future community radio station than trying anymore to save a sinking ship.
I can tell you that a huge number of people I know would listen in a heartbeat to the Thom Hartmann show if it were on air in Portland, and nearly no one who wants your show would prefer that it be on KBOO.
I'm available for further conversation if you like.
Best,
Ed Kraus
Portland, OR
*********************************************************************************************************************
Hello from Portland!
I'm writing to the Thom Hartmann show after being a volunteer programmer at KBOO radio for the last five years, having served on the KBOO Program Committee for two years, and last week resigning as a programmer in protest at how poorly the station is being run.
I've been deeply involved in the fight to turn KBOO around, and have been a candidate for the Board of Directors along with Ben Hoyne and Rabia Yeaman who have been very vocal in trying to get KBOO to be open to views that are slightly more sane than those of the inner core that controls KBOO. The situation at KBOO since last May has deteriorated so far that Ben and I have agreed that even if we were elected to KBOO's board we could not take a seat because of potential personal liability from decisions of this board, and Rabia Yeaman just resigned her seat on the board. And the station manager Lynn Fitch has been subjected to a vicious witch hunt by those who now are saying they will put your show on the air and is on medical leave due to the effects of months of harassment by staff who are opposed to being managed at all.
You may already be aware how poorly Lynn's proposal to air your show has been received by the core group of radicals controlling KBOO. They have very vocally and publicly labeled Thom as a corporate hack apologist, and put every possible obstacle in the way of airing you show at KBOO. The core group controlling KBOO even has framed this as a fight between a mainstream corporate white man's show trying to displace three hours a day of locally produced shows by racial minorities in Portland. Ironically, it was my proposal a few months ago that is now being pushed forward, for KBOO to air one hour of your show on in the afternoon as a trial, and measure the results before deciding any future. This was to avoid displacing locally produced shows, only taking away a repeat of Democracy Now and should have been implemented months ago so an audience could be measured in the next fund drive.
Ben Hoyne and Blue Oregon saw this as an opportunity to get more people involved with KBOO. Imagine the irony that having more people listen to and support community radio would be viewed as dangerous. KBOO has in my view deliberately delayed action on your generous offer by many months, in order to prevent your show from bringing new members to KBOO in time to be able to vote in the upcoming board elections. They now only want to put your show on after the board elections are over. In other words, your potential listener's money is fine, but not their votes and influence on the radio station itself.
In addition, a time limit of either three or four months is already being announced as part of the proposal, with a definite return to Democracy Now. Only after your show goes off KBOO's air would any evaluation of the response be made. I'm convinced that the current program committee is doing this so they can give lip service to the idea that they would be open to your show, but be able to have plausible deniability that "we tried it, but KBOO's audience just doesn't value the show".
So, my warning is that in my opinion, the proposal you're about to get from KBOO is a cynical and insincere proposal. It's being setup to fail from the beginning. I'd also suggest that having your show on KBOO's air in the current moment when multiple lawsuits against KBOO are being prepared, when there is the possibility of investigation of election fraud, you might want to protect your brand from association with KBOO.
I understand you gave a commitment to KBOO for first rights to an exclusive of some sort. I'd understand if you want to honor your commitment to let KBOO try the show. I'd prefer you say no at this time, but in light that they are unwilling to either air the full three hours, or put it in a live time segment so that local callers could participate, perhaps you could go ahead and let them have the trial but don't make this offer exclusive to KBOO. I know you are being courted by multiple radio stations (redacted by me), and I believe that your long term interests are not with KBOO and instead are with helping build the future for a less unstable, less crazy progressive radio station in Portland Oregon. Even if another station doesn't have today the signal strength of KBOO, the cards are showing KBOO possibly going bankrupt in about two years time. One reason I've left KBOO is that I see my efforts best spent building a future community radio station than trying anymore to save a sinking ship.
I can tell you that a huge number of people I know would listen in a heartbeat to the Thom Hartmann show if it were on air in Portland, and nearly no one who wants your show would prefer that it be on KBOO.
I'm available for further conversation if you like.
Best,
Ed Kraus
Portland, OR
