Tag Archives: lydia brazon

Those Who Can

 

March 13, 2017

For Immediate Release

Those Who Can

Berkeley-Pacifica’s one day national fundraiser on March 2 was a smashing success, raising over a quarter of a million dollars to fully fund both remaining delinquent audits (FY 2015 and FY 2016). Network members in NY, DC, LA and Houston pledged $82K on the phone, $54K via Mobile Cause pledge-by-text and fully used up an $86K match fund provided by the estate of Jim Krivo, a former WBAI programmer and supporter. In Berkeley, KPFA’s listeners didn’t hear the fundraiser due to the station’s own local fundraiser in progress, but a days worth of receipts will go to support the national effort. Pulled off only 19 days after the board changed executive directors and appointed Bill Crosier to the position, the effort ends three years of the network’s board of directors whining there was no money to pay for audits and clears the way for a return to legal compliance in 2017. Continue reading Those Who Can

{Pacifica Press Release} Pacifica Foundation Appoints New Executive Director To Grapple With Financial Challenges

February 11, 2017

For Immediate Release

Contact: Bill Crosier, Interim Executive Director  Email: kpft@crosierbiomed.com  Telephone: 713-305-5346

Pacifica Foundation Appoints New Executive Director To Grapple With Financial Challenges

Berkeley-The five-station Pacifica Radio network opted for change in 2017 by removing Lydia Brazon, the interim executive director since 2015 and replacing her with 2010-2012/2016-2017 Director William Crosier. Continue reading {Pacifica Press Release} Pacifica Foundation Appoints New Executive Director To Grapple With Financial Challenges

2017 Board Finally Shows Up

Berkeley-15 days after being seated, the 2017 Pacifica National Board finally threw off the shackles of the previous board, refusing to concede to an imperial order from 2016 officers Adriana Casenave and Janet Kobren to unilaterally adjourn the February 10 meeting without conducting any business. The expired officers got on the phone call, established a quorum was present, and then claimed the previous year’s officers had to “approve the meeting in advance” and therefore the meeting was to be adjourned without any vote. The ploy didn’t work and a quorum of the board remained on the call after half a dozen Siegel/Brazonites hung up, passing several motions and then moving on to an executive session. Quorum was re-established in the closed session and the 2017 board made a change in the interim executive director position, relieving former board member Lydia Brazon of the position and appointing Houston listener rep Bill Crosier, pending the hire of a permanent executive director. A 20-minute summary reel of the open session of the meeting can be heard here. The meeting notice can be seen here.   Continue reading 2017 Board Finally Shows Up

Lydia’s Scorecard

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Berkeley-Independent national board members Grace Aaron, Jan Goodman, Jonathan Alexander and Bill Crosier have called for another special meeting on finances. Board chair Tony Norman announced he was unilaterally cancelling the July 28th meeting in advance and board secretary Janet Kobren cancelled the posted meeting notices. But Houston listener rep Bill Crosier indicated in a public email that the called meeting would occur despite their actions. “The meeting is still on and will happen, regardless of whether you continue, in your childish manner,  to cancel the meeting listing on the kpftx calendar. I wish you would be willing to cooperate, but we’re going to have the meeting on July 28, whether you like it or not”. Continue reading Lydia’s Scorecard

No Talking Or Else – Part II

 

As a financial meltdown continues to endanger the Pacifica Foundation, emails demonstrate national board officers have been spending their time  cancelling meeting notices.

Board chair Tony Norman, whose station (Washington’s WPFW) does not have sufficient funds in the bank to meet the month-end payroll,  unilaterally canceled a special board meeting on the financial crisis called by Crosier and LA board members Grace Aaron, Jan Goodman and Jonathan Alexander for July 28th. Continue reading No Talking Or Else – Part II

Never Mind

 

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Berkeley-Recovering from a brief 15-minute flirtation with taking action to address the financial crisis, interim executive director Lydia Brazon ignored  a unanimous vote from the board of directors and didn’t pay for the audit. The motion  instructed her to use last week’s $50,000 bequest to KPFK to get the 2014 audit report released, and then use the 2014 audit  to take out a loan on the national office building and pay a long list of pressing items.  Didn’t happen. Continue reading Never Mind

Siegel/Brazon Faction Shuts Down Emergency Board Meeting

 

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Berkeley- In an apparent overdose on the Kool-Aid, volunteer executive director Lydia Brazon, board chair Tony Norman and PNB treasurer Brian Edwards-Tiekert are trying to shut down an emergency board meeting scheduled for the evening of June 26th.

The meeting was called to address warnings from chief financial officer Sam Agarwal that the network will not be able to meet payroll and employee benefit obligations within weeks, pay for the financial audit or fund the election of its board members and has no plans to cope with the oncoming catastrophe. Continue reading Siegel/Brazon Faction Shuts Down Emergency Board Meeting

Claim of Mystery Lawsuit at WPFW

 

The election committee meeting of April 18 ended strangely with WPFW local board member Eric Ramey saying a lawsuit had been filed, weeks ago, against WPFW and presumably the Pacifica Foundation. At least 4 national board members on the call indicated they knew nothing about the matter.

Update: WPFW local station board member Eric Ramey provided this as a follow-up statement in response to requests for documentation.

“I was informed earlier the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is investigating.  In addition the justice department will investigate to determine if any FCC violations have occurred. Accordingly I will invoke the 5th and remain silent”.

Update: David Levine, WPFW’s 2015 local election supervisor until the PNB cancelled the DC election,  was contacted by telephone and stated he did not sue WPFW, threaten to sue WPFW, cause papers to be served on WPFW’s general manager or trigger any investigation by CPB, FCC or DOJ.

Local station board member Eric Ramey has indicated he is unwilling to speak further on the matter and was chastised by PNB member Nancy Sorden who asked him to consult with her prior to speaking freely in Pacifica’s streamed meetings saying “we’re all on email at the same time we are on the phone”.

She added “Could you agree to staying open to hearing those reminders and cautions and if you are not sure email ahead of time
or during the meeting?”

Continue reading Claim of Mystery Lawsuit at WPFW

KPFK’s Friendly Volunteer Coordinator

 

The public comment session from KPFK’s March 20th local station board meeting. The primary speaker is general manager Leslie Radford’s roommate and the station’s new volunteer coordinator Adam Rice, who is addressing the board during public comment. The final speaker is Safe Harbor host Chrisanne Eastwood who explains that motherfuckers is a vernacular term that means “you guys” or “dude” and is not meant to be derogatory.