Filing an informal complaint with the FCC over management practices and program decisions at WYPR - 88.1 FM

Friends,

 

I have been challenging a public radio station in Baltimore for some years over its programming.  Since it gets federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, I believe it must serve to benefit the majority of the people in Baltimore.  Yet it does nothing to challenge the immense poverty in my city, and its local programming, in my opinion, is pro-military.  I believe there is a direct link between poverty and the money wasted on wars and militarism.

 

I have other concerns as well.  So I filed an informal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.  I have low expectations that the FCC will take this seriously.

 

However, after the FCC responds, I can file a formal complaint for a $200 fee, and that will lead to a process akin to a court case where evidence can be presented.  Stayed tuned for developments.  Below is a portion of the complaint.  If you want everything I sent to the FCC, let me know.

 

Kagiso,

 

Max

 

1202 Roundhill Road

Baltimore, MD 21218

 

September 30, 2011

 

I am a listener of WYPR Radio, 2216 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, most every day of the week.  Since I work at home, I listen to YPR from about 7:30 AM through 6:30 PM most weekdays.  And I listen to the NPR news programs on WYPR on the weekend.

 

Since WYPR receives federal money from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, I am writing to file a complaint, as the station, in my opinion, is failing in providing the listening public with adequate and unbiased programming in Baltimore, Maryland.  This complaint is a result of my involvement as a member of the listening public in trying to make the station more responsive to the needs of Baltimore.  Since 2008, besides listening to the station, I have attended most corporate board and Community Advisory Board meetings.

 

All attempts at engaging in dialogue with station management were unsuccessful.  Thus I and others made complaints to the CPB, and an audit was performed.  The station had to rectify its failure to announce its meetings, for example.   And the non-functioning CAB is now organized as envisioned by CPB regulations.  The audit discovered many other problems at the station.

 

In an April 19, 2009 letter sent to Patricia de Stacy Harrison at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, I enunciated several flaws with the audit:

 

CPB officials failed to meet with me and others who filed the complaint; station management was the only entity which was able to respond to the audit; and the report was incomplete.  So despite the audit, problems still persist at the station.  Gregg Mosson, editor of www.SaveWYPRT.com, wrote an extensive Citizens’ Response to the “Special Review of Your Public Radio Corporation.”

 

 I have continued to bring my complaints to the attention of station management, members of the corporate board and members of the revitalized CAB.  However, on most attempts at dialogue, I have been ignored.   Station management either refuses to respond or ridicules my concerns.  For example, on August 19, 2011, I requested a copy of the renewal application to the Federal Communications Commission.  I received no response. 

Below are some of my concerns.  There is no time for comment given to community members who attend corporate board meetings.  At the CAB, community comments are relegated to the end of the meeting.  And as invariably happens, a person makes a presentation and then leaves before the completion of the meeting, so I or another community person can’t ask any questions of the presenter. 

I have been advocating for a community meeting where the people of Baltimore can comment and provide feedback to the Community Advisory Board about WYPR and what can be done to improve the programming at the station.  However, there has not been a public forum in several years.  The advisory board works closely with station management, but not with the broader community.    

The station is now getting involved with Life Bridge, a for-profit corporation in a joint venture.   I raised this issue at a CAB meeting, and suggested that this issue should be examined by an outside expert.  S/he would comment on the legality of a non-profit, 501[C] 3 organization working with a profit-oriented corporation.  This was also ignored.

Another concern is that I have encouraged the station to give time to peace and justice activists, people working on poverty or homelessness or those involved in trying to help people living in devastated neighborhoods.  When radio time is given to members of the community, invariably they are almost always business-oriented folks.  This bias must be rectified.

At the September 21, 2011 CAB meeting’s conclusion, I again complained that the station refuses to deal with the major issue of concern in Baltimore—poverty.  More than 20% of the citizens of our city live in poverty.

I also raised the fact that the station is biased towards supporting the wars overseas.  These wars contribute heavily to having 46 million U.S. citizens living in poverty.  I am of the opinion that the station should also air the views of anti-war activists and pacifists, besides members of the military and others who support these wars.  Money for war means less funding for anti-poverty programs.  The city needs extensive rebuilding of infrastructure, including to its school buildings, and not another foreign adventure to drain the treasury.

At the June 1, 2011 CAB meeting, I made several complaints about bias on YPR programming.  MIDDAY on May 5, 2011 utilized two hours to examine nuclear energy, and only one of the guests on one hour was opposed to nuclear energy.  On May 27, 2001, MIDDAY discussed the case of Dr. Lawrence Egbert and his work with the Final Exit Network.  He was not asked to be on the show even though he was in town and was in his office, a few blocks from the station.

On May 16, 2011, the Baltimore City Council passed a resolution calling for an end to the U.S. wars with the money saved to be used in Baltimore and Maryland.  On June 20, 2011, the U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a similar resolution in Baltimore.  It was the first time such a resolution passed since the Vietnam War.  Despite this being reported on the June 21 front page of The New York Times, YPR failed to cover the passage of either resolution.  Antiwar demonstrations get scant, if any, coverage by the YPR News Department.

When the former mayor and governor, William Donald Schaefer, died, the station devoted hours discussing his government career.  The coverage was extremely laudatory, despite all of the flaws of Don Schaefer, the politician. Despite the hours of commentary, I only heard one person, Ralph Moore, former CAB member, given a minute or less, point out Mayor Schaefer failed to take care of all neighborhoods.  In other words, the mayor bent over backwards for developers and campaign contributors, but failed at dealing with poverty and the problems still festering in poor neighborhoods.

In 2010, I discovered that WYPR actually had two corporate boards.  One board held open meetings, the other did not.  I asked, but received no specific information, about the shadow board.  Is this a violation of public broadcasting rules?

My intent is always to make the station better, especially in the sense of trying to get our major public radio station to significantly deal with Baltimore’s problems.  The station has chosen to ignore my concerns.

 

I am calling on the Federal Communications Commission to follow up on my complaint and the many issues raised.  WYPR should be investigated in order to substantiate my specific complaints.  I am prepared to be interviewed and to provide additional and specific information as necessary.  I look forward to a response, and thank you for your assistance in this matter.

 

Peace,

 

Max Obuszewski

mobuszewski@verizon.net

410-366-1637