Progressive Community Media show on Left Forum Event: “The Media is the Movement: Grassroots Collaborations in the Age of Corporate Consolidation”

 

Manhattan Neighborhood Network’s executive director Dan Coughlin, has at various times offered partnership possibilities with WBAI/NY, a Pacifica radio station. Dan Coughlin had a long history at Pacifica, working at Democracy Now in its early years, then later as News Director at Pacifica, then as the day-to-day leadership of the Pacifica Campaign to End the Corporatization of the Network. Finally as Executive Director of Pacifica from 2002 to 2005. Coughlin was able to eliminate $2 million in debt during that time and get the network solvent. The partnership most recently offered, in 2017, would have paid all of WBAI’s bills going forward, including an advance payment of $2 million dollars in rent to the Empire state building which was equal to the $1.8 Million court judgment at that time, and would have been a strong chip in negotiating with Empire State Reality Trust to forgive some or all of the past-due rent. MNN also offered to pay all of the bills of the station going forward. They also would have given WBAI its own cable TV channel to simulcast the stations programs. They made clear they wanted to keep most of the programs that the community loves, and dramatically shorten the fund drives.

This segment includes a report from John Riley on the current state of the proposal and events at WBAI/NY, a presentation by Mimi Rosenberg at the Left Forum and presentation by Dan Coughlin for the workshop entitled: The Media is the Movement: Grassroots Collaborations in the Age of Corporate Consolidation. This the 3rd installment of that presentation.