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Report to the Listeners
Queries about money
WBAI's fiscal year ended on September 30. It is the time of year when we review the previous year's financial performance, the budget for the coming year, and try to develop a long-range focus (that is, a bit beyond our usual crisis management mentality) in evaluating the station's financial situation. For that reason, I thought I would use this column to address some of the monetary concerns we have and also answer some frequently asked questions about our funding policies and related matters.

Will WBAI seek corporate sponsorship for programming?

No. We will not. WBAI does not seek or accept corporate sponsorship for any programming. Nor has Pacifica in its forty year history. 
There are many programs that have been produced by independent producers and broadcast over WBAI that have found corporate underwriting  for their broadcast on other public radio stations. A good example is Liz Swados' "Jerusalem," produced by Rick Harris with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and National Public Radio's Satellite Program Development Fund (both federally funded organizations) and the New York State Council for the Arts (a state funded organization.) The program was broadcast on WBAI without any funding from other sources. However, when it was aired on other stations around the country (WGBH-FM in Boston is a good example), the broadcast was invariably supported by some corporate funding - usually local and always identified. This is just the kind of support that WBAI will not accept. 
In general, we will not accept support from large corporations and their associated foundations. As to small grants from local businesses, we usually do not accept them for programming. If a company wants to make a contribution in the same way that listeners do, we will probably take the money, and even acknowledge it. But the gift would have to be modest, certainly insufficient for us to become dependent on it.

What is WBAI's budget for salaries?

The station has budgeted $290,000 for salaries and related expenses in fiscal year 87. In fiscal 1986, we budgeted $289,000, but actually spent somewhat less than that. The salaries and related expenses lined in our budget include some consultancies (on-air engineering shifts, etc.) but not others (fees paid to people who work on community events and the crafts fair.)

How big are the salaries and who gets them?

Salaries are paid to administrative (management and programming) staff, recording engineers, and members of the news department. During marathons the payroll is increased through the addition of programming and volunteer coordinators. The salary range at the station is from a low of $11,500 to a high of $26,500. WBAI's minimum salary and its average salary are both below the comparable figures for Pacifica stations KPFK (Los Angeles) and KPFA (Berkeley). The Pacifica Foundation national board of directors has established as a three year goal (subject to appropriate increases in listener support) achieving 80; of the existing salary levels for public radio. Current WBAI salaries are less than half, on average, than the salaries paid in public radio and are also below prevailing wages in social change organizations. The station has as a goal that there be no more than a 2-1 differential between the highest and the lowest paid person. We have taken some steps recently to accomplish this and we will take more in the near future. 

The Grand Dame of Yiddish Song

The Reblings were married in 1946, and in December of that year she made her first foreign tour to the Scandinavian countries; in 1947 she traveled to Warsaw and Lodz, and in Prague she appeared in a radio broadcast with Paul Robeson. She settled in the German Democratic Republic in 1952 with her first husband and daughters, the second of whom had been born in 1951. Since then she sees herself as a preserver of Yiddish songs. Her repertoire includes songs of Hanns Eisler and Paul Dessau, as well as folk songs of many countries.
Tours have taken her to Moscow, Brussels and Copenhagen (1957); London and Paris (1959); the Scandinavian countries, South, South-East and East Asian countries (1965-1970); and Canada (1979). Her most recent appearances outside of the German Democratic Republic were Switzerland, Israel and in Holland - where she sang for the Queen at the Anne Frank birthday anniversary in June 1985, and again in Amsterdam and Paris this year.
Eberhard Rebling was Director of the Hanns Eisler Conservatory in Berlin until his retirement in 1976. Since then he appears in concerts with his wife, as musical arranger and pianist. Their two daughters, Kathinka (who is the violinist of the Clara Schumann trio and a member of the faculty at the Conservatory), and Yalda (and actress who has appeared with the Dresden State Theater and sings programs of Yiddish and Sephardic songs), participate in the concerts of Yiddish songs with their parents.
The Reblings offer two programs: one entitled "Scholem sol Sain," and the second dedicated "To the Memory of Anne Frank."
Lin Yaldati and her family will arrive in New York on November 3 to tour here for three weeks; this is her first visit to the U.S. She and her family will appear in New York as follows:
November 9: Bayview Avenue School, Freeport, L.I.; Concert, 3 p.m.
November 10: Village Gate, New York City; Benefit Concert for WBAI, 8 p.m
November 16: Hebrew Union College, 1 West 4th St.; Free Concert, 3 p.m. (reserved seats available; please call 212-242-2280).

Have there been changes in staff salaries over the last two years?
There have been increases in many categories. And there will be more. The arts and information directors are now paid $15,000 each (by the way, a salary far too low for these positions). This is 50% higher than that paid to the former department heads. 

WBAI's lease expires in 1988. How much will it cost to move?

The cost of moving, subject to the completion of the technical study, may rund as high as $500,000. The final figure will be determined by factors like what the new space configuration is like, how much equipment we have to buy, etc. You should know that this figure does not include the cost of the space itself. Like other arts and social change organizations, WBAI will have to either buy or rent space at highly inflated market values. The situation is, in fact, quite serious. The amount of money needed is quite large and there is some question about the station's institutional ability to raise it. We would appreciate all the help we can get on this score.

Is the WBAI station board responsible for fundraising?

The WBAI board has considered itself a community advisory board, and until recently saw its role as representing a diversity of community interests (its membership also includes some former station personnel). It has not considered itself a fundraising arm of the staton. However, the conventional wisdom in fundraising circles is that boards of directors are not only supposed to raise money, they should be the organization's best resource for fundraising--especially for capital needs like WBAI's need for a new home. The board is now addressing itself to the issue of fundraising and is looking for new members who will have to have, as a first requirement, the ability and willingness to raise significant amounts of money for the station's needs. If you have suggestions about this please let me know. And thanks.
Two reminders: If you have not paid your Marathon Pledge, please do so now. Send your check to Pacifica-WBAI, P.O. Box 12345, Church Street Station, New York, NY 10249.
Please remember that the new tax law reduces the benefits one derives from charitable contributions. However, you can still obtain the full deduction if you make a gift to WBAI now. So, even if you have supported WBAI this year, please consider doing it again. Mail your check to the P.O. Box listed above.

[[Right Margin]]
WBAI Holiday Crafts Fair

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