At
KUSP there was a committee for everything and every person had a say in
decisions big and small. This led to paralysis, endless internal turf battles
and eventually bankruptcy. This is where Pacifica Radio is now.
I
thought of KUSP when I saw an internal memo from Bill Crosier, Pacifica’s
Interim Executive Director dated December 11, 2017. Below are portions of
Crosier’s memo. Image trying to operate a
failing business with these obstacles:
Pacifica is facing its biggest crisis ever, caused by
years of financial neglect and the failure to get our deficits under control…
Our mission is seriously threatened by our financial problems and our failure
to get [our Boards of Directors] to do what's needed to correct the problems.
In almost every [governing committee] meeting this year,
it's taken an hour or more just to get through approval of the agenda and
minutes from the last meeting. Some times we can't even do that in an hour and
a half. In last week's meeting, as in the one before, the [committee]
never even got to discuss nor vote on any of the proposed Bylaws amendments…
that would have helped make [Pacifica] less dysfunctional.
This is no way to run a so-called democratic governance,
and is a great disservice to our members and to the Pacifica mission. Remember,
we're supposed to be for peace, right?
 |
| Lorenzo Milan in 1972 |
Where
did this wacky system of governance come from? Blame Lorenzo Milan. Check out our
profile of Milan from 2015 [link].
Milan
has been called The Johnny Appleseed of
Community Radio. To his credit, he did inspire quite a few people to
establish independent community radio stations in the 1970s.
Though Milan was sort of a
visionary he couldn’t organize a trip to the bathroom.
He
advocated a station governance system based on the theories of Leon Trotsky
from the early days of the Soviet Union. (I am serious.)
Milan’s 1972 booklet Sex & Broadcasting sold thousands of
copies. I bought my copy at a “head
shop” – It was right next to the latest issue of High Times.
Pacifica,
KUSP and other community stations followed his advice and designed intricate operating
schemes where every dog had his day and any naysayer could scuttle any useful idea.
Milan was obsessed with ruling by committee. Many of the stations he inspired are still bearing the burden, if they are still in business.
Community radio
and LPFM stations please note: If you follow the “Pacifica model” of
governance you will likely end up like Pacifica: The worst
noncommercial media organization ever.
I remember serving on the (advisory) programming committee on one of Milam's famous stations and recall relatively trivial programming or radio host business taking up several months of meetings without any resolution. It was like a big rowboat with everyone rowing at different times, in opposite directions.
ReplyDeleteI finally left the toothless committee out of frustration but always wondered about financial or other, more crucial committees.
Lorenzo's last name is misspelled throughout the above article. It is not "Milan", but Milam, as it is spelled on the cover of "Sex and Broadcasting".
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