Read it, Reese it and weep. It is not even good propaganda. November 18, 2013 Dear Summer, We are responding to the news that you want to fire Berthold Reimers as General Manager of WBAI. According to Pacifica procedures there are two other parties involved in the decision to replace a General Manager: the Local Station Board and the National Board. As these two boards undertake their evaluation of Berthold’s work, we would like to contribute to the process by offering our observations. But first we want to address our comments to you. We feel that your decision to replace Berthold must have been based on a distorted view of his performance resulting from a lopsided reliance on input from his detractors. As you are well aware, the GM’s responsibilities include at least three different money-related jobs: Chief Financial Officer, controller, and bookkeeper (not to mention data entry clerk). It is Berthold’s responsibility to make financial projections; to pay bills on time, to document everything and provide reports to the ED, PNB and LSB. Berthold does all of this, sometimes even without the information he needs from above (Pacifica) and below (reconciled bank statements). In the absence of sufficient staff, he has even devised makeshift controls and checks to protect the integrity of WBAI’s finances. Operationally, Berthold’s heaviest responsibility is the planning and organization of fund-drives and premiums. He collects and analyzes an enormous amount of data, studying past performance to determine which premiums to place at what time-slots for maximum revenue. He monitors this daily during fund-drives and makes adjustments as needed. Berthold has to plan, maintain and monitor inventory of premiums, coordinating their acquisition and distribution despite uncertain cash flow and limited personnel. Of course there are still problems and many justifiable complaints, but it should be acknowledged that the premium situation has improved significantly during Berthold’s tenure. Berthold has also made it his priority to develop new revenue sources. Under his watch, the WBAI Buddy program has grown dramatically, now bringing in nearly $14,000/month. This program also requires continual monitoring and analysis. The General Manager job clearly requires mastery of the use and interface of numerous specialized software programs—financial, subscriber and inventory—not to mention Excel. Berthold is very good at this. Indeed there seems to be little disagreement about Berthold’s strengths as a spreadsheet guy. In fact, one of his main critics identifies this as a shortcoming, arguing that Berthold is “just a spreadsheet guy.” What is not generally understood is how absolutely vital this is. Without the acquisition, management, manipulation and analysis of data, it would be impossible to make the daily, weekly, monthly and longer-term decisions and projections necessary to run the station. Whoever manages WBAI must be a spreadsheet guy, and we have been lucky during this difficult period to have a very good one at the helm. But Berthold is not “just” a spreadsheet guy. The GM must also be a “people person.” Berthold has to maintain good relations with many “outsiders”: City College, key vendors, the landlord, allies and media. But most of all, managing WBAI means dealing with countless “insiders”—producers, LSB and PNB members, staff, volunteers and listeners—in a tense environment fraught with nasty factional fighting. Somehow Berthold has been able to work with everyone, often bridging the divide between factions. This is no small matter. We think it is important to point out that Berthold has not only maintained good relations with many of the laid-off staff; he has also been able to recruit, manage and inspire volunteers to accomplish work once done by paid staff. Berthold’s detractors complain in a general way about his communication skills, but this criticism, we feel, would be more constructive if rendered more specific. Berthold would welcome an opportunity to meet with his critics to listen to their specific concerns so that he can focus on areas where he needs to improve. In the meantime, Berthold cannot regularly speak with every producer on a one-to-one basis; nor can he meet with every listener who shows up at the office demanding his time and attention. Members of the LSB are sometimes understandably frustrated due to lack of information, especially financial information, they feel should be forthcoming from the General Manager. Often, however, the information or reports they seek require key components from Pacifica that are not even available to Berthold himself. It is rarely mentioned that Berthold speaks four languages: English, Spanish, Creole and French. This gives him an inestimable advantage in communicating with New York’s diverse population of listeners and supporters. Despite the relentless pressure on Berthold to focus on the short-term unavoidable issues and problems facing the station, he has nonetheless carved out time (by working very long hours) to consider the long-term as well: ** He is always open to new initiatives that will broaden our audience—demographically, nationally and internationally. ** Berthold has been especially attentive to seeking out and mentoring younger people to apprentice at the station. ** In keeping with Pacifica’s mission, Berthold has reestablished long-dormant relationships with nearly a dozen off-Broadway groups. ** When Berthold realized that there were still thirty years of WBAI on analog tapes, he facilitated their digitalization and transfer to Pacifica Archives. ** He has encouraged and facilitated a wide range of fundraisers that bring in much-needed cash and also promote the station in different communities. On top of all this, over the past twelve months the station has moved TWICE. Berthold planned and coordinated both of these moves and dealt with all of the logistical and communication problems inherent in the process. It was not flawless, but it was pretty damn good. None of this is to say that the situation is satisfactory. We recognize that the station desperately needs serious attention to programming and marketing, and people with those backgrounds and skills to complement Berthold’s talents and strengths. Ideally we would have three different people: a GM, Program Director and a Marketing/PR Director, but for now we don’t have the money. In the meantime, Berthold has been concentrating on what ABSOLUTELY has to be done to keep the station afloat. WBAI has survived (barely) for many months without a Program Director, but the station could not survive a month without “a spreadsheet guy.” You have given WBAI tremendous support this past year at huge personal sacrifice, Summer, and for this we are very grateful. Thanks to you and to Berthold and to the continued support of our listeners, the station has been steadily recovering. But it is far from stable, and the transition to a sustainable footing is still in a delicate phase. All the more reason, we think, to not jeopardize WBAI’s survival by jettisoning a tried-and-true manager. With all of the layoffs, Berthold is responsible for at least six different jobs at this point. He has demonstrated the versatility, flexibility and diplomacy required to run the station during protracted crises. He can manage despite the infighting. This combination of skills and talents is not easy to come by. Why would we give it up? Sincerely, James Sagurton (New Jersey) Najee Sabir (New Jersey) Bob Levis (Manhattan) Dani Lamar (Brooklyn) Melissa Ennen (Brooklyn) Jim Dingeman (Manhattan) Mitchel Cohen (Brooklyn)
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 19:25:44 +0000
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