. . . transitioning from Joy Division to New Order . . .
[UPDATE: when this was written it seemed a good idea to publish monthly lists of certain kinds of apparent CPB violations. It no longer does.]
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Given the continual egregious violations by our leaders of the form of the Communications Act of 1934 & the derivative rules of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, let alone of the Pacifica by-laws & California law, it makes sense to list the transgressions on a monthly basis, with the presentation of all available supporting evidence. One says form coz, currently, Pacifica Foundation, Inc. doesn’t receive CPB money, but on 22May2020, over 1½yrs ago, it was told by the CPB,
[t]o be considered for re-entry to the CSG program [Community Service Grant], the Radio CSG program must be open to new applicants, Licensees and Stations must demonstrate full compliance with the General Provisions at the time of application
letter from Kathy Merritt (Senior Vice President, Journalism & Radio) & Katherine Arno (Vice President, Community Service Grants & Station Initiatives) to ED Lydia Brazon & PNB Chair Alex Steinberg, 22May2020, unpaginated but page 1, emphases added – https://mega.nz/file/cY8XCYLb#4IGXyzfasCgfm-GdaYYm6WPn2XaD4UcMJR8ZPTo-Q8c … in the typical opaque practices of the usual Pacifica executive director & any PNB majority one cares to name, they’re not upfront with the members, listeners, & staff, not posting eagerly on the national & unit websites the documented reality & milestone plans, but instead they conceal & at best obfuscate; it means one has to look for scraps where one can – and collation is one function of PacificaWatch
The next cut-throat Radio CSG competition, forced deeper by the epidemic, is that for FY2023, & will presumably be waged for 3-4wks, late Apr-mid May2022 – this year the deadline was W19May (CPB, New Applicant Guidelines, no date, p. 2). It’s denoted FY2023 coz that’s when the CPB money is disbursed. It’s also first-come, first-served: “[e]ligible applicants are accepted into the Radio CSG Program in the order their applications were [sic] received” (same page). https://www.cpb.org/sites/default/files/rfp/ce8434e0/Grant%20Guidelines%20Radio%20CSG%20for%20FY%202022%20-%20New%20Applicant%20Guidelines.pdf
So Pacifica managers have four short months to be fully compliant.
And with CPB disbursing federal money, & being subject to scrutiny by senators, it’s a sober, conservative body, so it won’t accept a snapshot: it’ll want a recent history showing that Pacifica has been transformed, from caprice to credibility. So for how long will CPB want evidence of the imperative that “Stations must demonstrate full compliance“? Six months? A year? A year – minimum.
That means the coming period is a trial run, getting up to speed. The goal, however realistic, is a viable Radio CSG application in Apr2023, with the first money coming Oct2023, the 2nd instalment in Mar2024. Also remember that audience data is the average of the previous two spring quarters: so the Apr2023 application uses Apr-May-June 2021 & 2022 – so half of that is already set in stone. https://cpb.org/sites/default/files/stations/radio/generalprovisions/FY-2022-Radio-General-Provisions.pdf (definition F, p. 24)
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The ongoing FCC & CPB violations are not solely perpetrated by the chosen secret behaviour of Pacifica advisory bodies labelled, in Pacificese, taskforces & working groups . . . choking the open meetings requirement, suffocating the transparency out of PacificaWorld. No. These insidious bodies simply protrude as heads wrapped in plastic bags.
In Jan this year, a PacificaWatch review was made of the 2020 compliance for two kinds of Pacifica bodies: the five station community advisory boards, & the PNB Development Task Force. The performance was appalling: https://pacificaradiowatch.home.blog/auditor-s-reports/auditors-reports-summary-notes-2/auditors-reports-summary-notes/ (half way down, immediately below the soothing video).
And what happens if a station gets the wrong side of the CPB? “Stations that certify their compliance but are subsequently found to be non-compliant will be subject to […] a penalty of $5,000 per infraction” (CPB, CSG Non-compliance Policy, Jan2016, p. 1, emphases added) – https://www.cpb.org/files/stations/non-compliance/CPB-CSG-Non-compliance-Policy-Effective-January-1-2016.pdf (extant policy, as evidenced by https://www.cpb.org/stations/non-compliance).
A vivid illustration of the degree of scrutiny that Pacifica is opening itself up to is provided by a lil radio station in Columbus, Ohio, owned by the skool district: https://www.cpb.org/files/reports/WCBE-FM-Columbus%20-Determination-Letter.pdf (7pp.). (WCBE is a $1.8m annual revenue station, so the size of WPFW – https://www.wcbe.org/sites/wcbe/files/wcbe_2020_audited_financial_statements_0.pdf (p. 4; p. 6 of the PDF).)
There you go, says Lydia.
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The monthly lists will appear on the 11th day of the following month given that a CPB general provision is
Closed Meetings: Grantee must document why any meetings of its governing body, its committees, and CAB [“but are not limited to” these] were closed and make available to the public a written statement of the reason(s) within a reasonable time after the closed meeting (47 U.S.C. § 396(k)(4)). CPB also requires that the written statement be made available for inspection, either at Grantee’s central office or on its station website, within 10 days after each closed meeting.
CPB, 2022 Radio Community Service Grants General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria, Part I CSG Program, Section 2 Communications Act Requirements, Sub-Section B: Closed Meetings, October 2021, p. 5, emphases added – https://cpb.org/sites/default/files/stations/radio/generalprovisions/FY-2022-Radio-General-Provisions.pdf. The interpolated quote is from both the CPB open meetings webpage, https://www.cpb.org/stations/certification/cert1, & its 1June2021 Compliance Booklet (p. 3; p. 4 of the PDF), https://www.cpb.org/sites/default/files/stations/certification/csg-compliance-booklet-2021.pdf – note that on this p. 3 the first two paragraphs have the wrong reference: it’s actually § 396(k)(4), & it appeared correctly in the June2018 & June2019 editions of the text (there was no 2020 version): https://www.cpb.org/sites/default/files/stations/certification/cpb_certification_req_2018.pdf, & https://www.cpb.org/sites/default/files/stations/certification/cpb_certification_req_2019.pdf
The lists will first be done for this financial year, so from Oct. Then, in NETA-style, as we go forward those from the rest of calendar 2021 will be added. If a minion agrees to pay for the privilege of labouring at PacificaWatch, then calendar 2020 will be added.
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This PacificaWorld self-harm documentary carries a parental guidance certificate.
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PacificaWatch 