Fwd: Save WAIF from itself.

Dear friends and supporters of Art Damage,
As many of you are already aware, the Art Damage radio program was
recently cancelled from WAIF-FM after over 20 years on the air. As
such, "the Damage" joined the ranks of numerous shows, elected
trustees, and memberships at WAIF which have been cancelled, ousted,
and revoked over trumped up and out-right fabricated charges in the
past year. This comes as the result of a paranoid, power mad, and most
likely corrupt core group on the Board of Trustees who have dominated
this body over the past several years. WAIF has survived similar
episodes of power-grabbing in the past, but many fear that this time
it's a matter of life or death for the station.

There has been much local media coverage on the situation, take a
look… http://www.citybeat.com/2006-02-22/news.shtml
http://blackcincinnati.blogspot.com/2006/02/shabazz-spying-at-waif.html
http://www.citybeat.com/2006-05-03/cover.shtml
http://www.cincinnatibeacon.com/index.php/magaddiction/comments/
complaints_filed_with_fcc_waif_waiting_for_results
http://www.reformwaif.com

Since WAIF is at least in principle a democracy, it gets (to borrow a
phrase) the trusteeship it deserves. The trustees, however, were
elected to their positions by a large part of the membership who were
unaware or apathetic to the character of those in whom they entrust
the station. So, this year, we encourage the many listeners and
supporters of Art Damage to attend the membership meeting on September
17th and to vote diligently for a new board. If you are not presently
a member, then by all means -$15- please become one before July 31 by
pledging to a program of your liking - call (513) 749-1444 during
on-air hours (a couple of shows similar in format to Art Damage are
"Midnight Bizarre" -Thurs. 12-2am & "On the Way To the Peak of Normal"
-Thurs. 10-midnite). Note, in previous years, the deadline was a month
before the meeting, but the current board has voted to move the
deadline up in an effort to pull the rug out of the growing campaign
against them. So, please pay your pledge promptly and, to insure your
membership doesn't get "lost", be sure to make copy of your pledge
form and receipt.
While it is not known for certain who will be running for the board,
the current trustees who are up for election to two year terms this
year are Ken Naegle, Mark Elstun, Donald Shabazz, Howard Riley and
Vinay Satyl. If they should decide to run this year, we would
recommend the first two candidates, as Mark & Ken have been supporters
of the Art Damage program. Mr. Shabazz, Mr. Riley, and Mr. Satyl
however have not supported the show and indeed had a hand in its
cancellation. Unfortunately, Mike Wood (the individual whose
questionable actions are primarily responsible for getting the show
cancelled) is not up for election this year, having another year left
in his term. Nevertheless, with his lengthy track record of shady and
heavy-handed dealings at WAIF, we would warn programers and members
not to trust Mike Wood.
And in general, for those who wish the station to remain a vital and
flourishing part of music and culture in the Ohio Valley and beyond,
we urge the support of any candidate who pledges to honor due process
for programmers and the founding principle of Stepchild Radio:
under-represented music & views need a media outlet, and WAIF is that
outlet on the FM dial.
As the membership meeting approaches and the candidates' positions
become known, Art Damage Inc. will make further endorsements. Stay
tuned…
Sincerely,
Ron Orovitz (Chair, Art Damage Inc.)