RadioPoetics.org

Executives and business leaders misinform ("lie to") the public about the conditions of their organizations because they do not want to be held responsible for their actions in relation to the conditions that beleaguer their corporations.

It's about accountability.

Pacifica's local stations can no longer afford to budget the monies they have in the past to produce programming that fewer and fewer people listen to.

Avoiding accountability is the only tool they have to resist addressing this dynamic.

Consider this: the reason for budgetary shortfalls is that listeners will no longer pledge the requisite amounts of money to fund budgets.

Nevertheless, we continue to pass budgets that suggest that our local stations (a) can continue to lose membership, audience and revenues without consequence; and, (b) cannot generate audience increases, membership increases and revenue enhancement by using its resources to stimulate listenership, membership and donations from the public.

The question is not whether Pacifica can survive without a loan, but whether Pacifica can continue to operate without goals and plans for growth in audience and revenues, by refusing to produce mission-driven, well-produced programming.

It can't.

Our budgets, managers, and mouthpieces say otherwise.

The audience that can assure organizational health is not Pacifica management, programmers, nor governance, but the public.

Pacifica's average time spent listening ("TSL") network-wide, is 5.0 hours; about 7 % of our listeners are members. For other noncommercials, TSL is about 15 hours and membership is roughly 15%. And, while our stations are among the most powerful in their signal areas, they are all reaching 2- or 3-part audiences. In 2004, Pacifica reached nearly 1 million listeners weekly; we are currently approaching 600,000.

Leadership misinforms the public for the same reason it vilifies its opponents: it must avoid accountability at all costs.

Rob Robinson, PNB rep, WPFW