Web links related to the Back of the Book program of March 15, 2004

It's Sunday evening 3/28/2004 21:21:23 and this Web page is finished. We got to the below topics and more on this program, but we didn't get to any of the mail. Next program we will definitely get to the mail though.

The Pacifica Foundation, which owns WBAI and four other radio stations, has started to re-make itself. WBAI has already had its first Local Station Board meeting. The next WBAI LSB meeting will be held this Thursday, March 18, 2004, stating at 6:30 PM at 310 West 43rd Street. Wheelchair-accessible. The public is invited to attend, and you can even record the proceedings if you want.

WBAI now has a program schedule up on its Web site. The site has gotten many of the individual program pages together to provide links and such, so check it out.

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Our colleagues from Off the Hook now have both a RealAudio streaming web cast operating, and a new MP3 stream both of which were working at 10:56 PM last night. The MP3 feed is now the preferred feed.

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The Pacifica Foundation, which owns WBAI, has revamped its Web site and now has something called the Pacifica Lounge where you can post messages about Pacifica, WBAI and other Pacifica radio stations. This may be a good thing, and of course there are other, long term fora in which to participate.

WBAI also has a forum on its Web site now. You have to register to post messages, but anyone may read the messages.

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The Vernal Equinox will occur, and Spring will arrive for the northern hemisphere, this Saturday march 20^th at 1:49 AM (EST). That's 6:49 AM Universal Time. here's my chart of the seasons.

It'll be nice to have something other than Winter around for a while. I just hope that this Spring isn't as gloomy and rainy as last spring was.

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The new Pacifica National Board had its first meeting this weekend. There are some rough notes here, just scroll down the page a ways.

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Congress has passed some new rules regarding broadcasting that the FCC will administer. The House and Senate have to reconcile their bills, but they are going to pass this stuff. It will be very restrictive on some broadcasters and will threaten fines of up to $275,000, or maybe even $500,00 depending on which version gets passed, per infraction and the individual broadcaster will also get fined!

This could be a big problem for WBAI.

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Uh oh, is there a new kid on the block? Something new for Pacifica to be concerned about.

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We talked a bit about Spalding Gray dying on the air. I was never a fan of his, but I can see how people would get depressed enough to check out. Mr. Gray had contemplated suicide from early in his life. His mother had committed suicide at 52. A friend of his had been expecting the worst news for weeks.

We did a lot of speculation on the air about his last moments and how he might have felt upon hitting the icy cold water of New York harbor. It's just too sad when creative people check out, but I do support one's right to do so.

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I did get to read a bit from The Unicorn Book of 1954. Particularly interesting was this item from half a century ago, “In Gadsden, Ala., farmer Miles johnson told the court he did not send hiw tewo children, aged 9 and 11, to school because they both took snuff and in the classroom there was no place to spit.” which is still an issue in some New York City classrooms these days.

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There are a lot of issues that are considered hazardous to talk about on the air at WBAI, even now that the gag rule has been lifted. However, there is the Internet! There are mailing lists which you can subscribe to and Web based message boards devoted to WBAI and Pacifica issues. Many controversial WBAI/Pacifica issues are discussed on these lists.

Probably the most popular list that's sprung up is the “NewPacifica” mailing list. This one is very lively and currently includes over 400 subscribers coast to coast.

Being lively, of course, it sometimes also gets a bit nasty. All sorts of things are happening on this list and official announcements are frequently posted there.

You can look at the NewPacifica list here, and you can join the list from that Web page too. If you subscribe to the “NewPacifica” mailing list you will receive, via E-mail, all of the messages which are sent to that list.

There is the option to receive a “digest” version of the list, which means that a bunch of messages are bundled into one E-mail and sent to you at regular intervals, this cuts down on the number of E-mails you get from the list. You will also be able to send messages to the list.

This list also has a Web based interface where you can read messages and from which you can post your own messages.

There is also the more WBAI specific “Goodlight” Web based message board. It is sometimes referred to on Back of the Book as “the bleepin' blue board,” owing to the blue background used on its Web pages. This one has many people posting anonymously and there's also an ancillary “WBAI people” board that's just totally out of hand.

When the computer in Master Control is working we sometimes have live interaction with people posting on the “Goodlight Board” during the program.

And then there is the historic “Free Pacifica!” list, which has been used to help organize resistance to Pacifica Management hijackers since the mid-90s. It's become a low volume mailing list because it's been eclipsed by some of the newer, more technologically advanced, lists. Just click on this link and follow the instructions, and you'll be subscribed. This is a mailing list only, it doesn't have a digest option nor does it have a web interface.

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