Rally to remove tea party enabler and climate change denier David Koch as a WGBH trustee

Rally to remove tea party enabler and climate change denier David Koch as a WGBH trustee
Wednesday, October 9, 2013, 3:00pm
WGBH
One Guest Street, Brighton, Massachusetts
https://www.facebook.com/events/518050681619988/

For years my two open groups, "New England's National "Public" Radio (NPR) Affiliates"
https://www.facebook.com/groups/500481699968014/ and "Supporters of Folk and Blues on WGBH" https://www.facebook.com/groups/201481030324/ have been serving as forums to spread the fact, first broken by the Boston Phoenix, that billionaire tea party enabler and climate denier David Koch as a WGBH trustee.

For additional background, read the recent article "Fuse Commentary: David Koch, WGBH Trustee — The Real God of Carnage?" by Bill William Marx
http://artsfuse.org/93473/fuse-commentary-david-koch-wgbh-trustee-the-real-god-of-carnage/

Now groups like moveon.org, Courage Campaign and Forecast for the Facts are organizing on-line campaigns and virtual demonstrrations. YOU have the opportunity to join in Wedesday, October 9 at the WGBH megaplex in Brighton:
3:00pm - 4:00pm ET: Hand out flyers, hold signs.
4:00 pm: Petition delivery to WGBH and the beginning of their board meeting.

To RSVP for the Koch-Free WGBH Rally, please fill out the form athttp://act.forecastthefacts.org/survey/Koch_wgbh_rsvp_survey/?ak_proof=1&rd=1&t=4&referring_akid=.121745.dMgFla

Please share the petition and invite friends to this event.

From WGBH itself:
http://www.wgbh.org/about/BoardofTrustees.cfm
"The WGBH Board of Trustees is the legally constituted governing body of WGBH. It is responsible for all governance including fiscal oversight, FCC compliance, policy decisions, and advancing the mission of the WGBH Educational Foundation.
WGBH Board of Trustees

Amos B. Hostetter, Jr.
Chair, WGBH Board of Trustees
Chairman, Pilot House Associates

Henry Becton, Jr.
Vice Chair, WGBH Board of Trustees

Renée M. Landers
Vice Chair, WGBH Board of Trustees
Professor of Law and Faculty Director, Health and Biomedical Law Concentration,
Suffolk University Law School

Maureen Ruettgers
Vice Chair, WGBH Board of Trustees

Jonathan C. Abbott
President and CEO, WGBH Educational Foundation
Joseph E. Aoun*
President, Northeastern University

Kim Bottomly*
President, Wellesley College

Richard M. Burnes, Jr.
Founding Member and General Partner, Charles River Ventures

Lynn Bay

Josh Daytonaura A. DeBonis

Juan Enriquez
Managing Director, Excel Venture Management

Robert E. Gallery
Chair, WGBH Board of Overseers
Massachusetts President, Bank of America

Richard Grubman
Former Senior Managing Director, Highfields Capital Management, LP

Ann L. Gund

Jackie Jenkins-Scott
President, Wheelock College

Susan B. Kaplan
President, Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation
Marjie B. Kargman

David H. Koch
Executive Vice President, Koch Industries, Inc.
Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot

Emily Hargroves Fisher Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

William A. Lowell
Partner, Choate, Hall & Stewart
Administrator, Lowell Institute

Oscar F. Malcolm
Private Investor

Richard K. Lubin
Managing Director, Bershire Partners

Christopher J. McKown
Executive Chairman, Iora Health LLC
Cathy E. Minehan
Managing Director, Arlington Advisory Partners
Dean, School of Management, Simmons College

Paul R. Murphy
Legal and Administrative Counsel, Amherst College

Geoffrey Post
Chair, WGBY Board of Tribunes
President, Paradise City, Inc.

John F. Reno
Chairman, Reno Family Charitable Foundation
Retired Chairman, President and CEO, Dynatech Corporation

Robert Sachs
Principal and Founder, Continental Consulting Group

David T. Ting
President, Mugar Enterprises, Inc.

Sidney Topol
President, The Topol Group, LLC

Tony Woodcock*
President, New England Conservatory of Music

Hans Ziegler
Senior Managing Director, Bernstein Global Wealth
*Institutional Trustee

graphic copyright Jeff Boudreau 2010, 2013 all rights reserved

Folk, Blues, Classical and Jazz Funeral for ALL Passed WGBH Music Programs, Copley Square, 7/27

On July 5, hundreds turned out at the "public" radio WGBH studios in Brighton to hold a funeral for the reduction of WGBH jazz programming. A second funeral, not limited to just the passing of jazz but for all passed and endangered music forms (folk and blues were killed in 2009, classical was shuffled off to an inferior carrier in 2010, and Celtic, the only remaining form, could be next) will be held Friday in conjunction with the Boston Summer Arts Weekend on Friday, July 27 in Copley Square.

History:
11/09: WGBH cancels "Folk on WGBH" and "Blues on WGBH"
12/09: WGBH moves classical to an inferior transmitter and make it "classical lite".
7/12: WGBH fires Steve Schwartz (27 years) and relegates Eric Jackson (30 years) to weekend.
Coming soon, the cancellation of the one remaining music program,"Celtic Sojourn"?

Some history: On November 7, 2009, the  notloB Music blog raised the alert that WGBH was canceling the folk and blues programs, and predicted jazz and Celtic would follow in turn.

"notloB Music: WGBH drops folk and blues programs  Nov 07, 2009
Folk music has been a mainstay on WGBH for as long as I can remember. Acoustic artists are as popular as ever and in some ways even more popular then in days gone by. I don't get it. WGBH should be ashamed of itself..."

On June 20 learned from Steve Schwartz' Facebook page about the termination of his show after nearly 27 years: "You've heard by now: My almost 27 year run on WGBH radio is coming to an end as of September 1st. I will no long be on the radio doing a jazz show. It is a gigantic blow, not only to me but to the jazz community at large. Not only here in Boston but all around the country and the world. We have listeners on line everywhere. It has been an honor and a privilege to be part of this community and I hope still be able to contribute to it in other ways.You can let WGBH Management know how you feel by writing to:phil_redo@wgbh.orgThanks for your support and keep swinging!

Also on June 20, on Eric Jackson's Facebook page we read: "Changes at WGBH are coming. My evening show is going to be eliminated. I will be on the air Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 PM until Midnight. Steve Schwartz will be let go and my position will be scaled back to part time. I am not sure if there will be any change to Bob Parlocha's show."

In 2009-2010 many of us attended community advisory committee meetings, sent letters to senior executives and the board of directors and withdrew support via volunteering and memberships. All to no avail. WGBH management's answer then was, on the advice of "industry experts" there was room in the Boston market for an all-news/talk public radio outlet (the other being WBUR) so it was going "single format" (all news and talk). It appears today WGBH management, with the support of the board of directors and the members who elect them, are holding steady by reducing jazz broadcast hours.

What's next, the complete elimination of jazz and reduction/elimination of "A Celtic Sojourn?" That would be the logical course in keeping with the "single stream" business approach. We chose to use the word "business" as WGBH has become an operation run as a for-profit business, not a not-for-profit rooted in serving the public. Remember the public, it's the operative word of "public radio."

When WGBH management pulled the plug on folk and blues programs, Jim Kweskin provided the following quote:
"I can only assume this has something to do with the almighty dollar. Isn't this supposed to be public radio and aren't we the public. Folk music has been a mainstay on WGBH for as long as I can remember. Acoustic artists are as popular as ever and in some ways even more popular then in days gone by. I don't get it. WGBH should be ashamed of itself. Well, as Ma Joad said, "We're the people and you can't stop us and you can't lick us. We just keep coming, 'cause we're the people."
That was true on November 11, 2009 and, unfortunately, remains true today.

On July 5, Ken Fields organized a "Jazz Funeral for Jazz on WGBH" - https://www.facebook.com/events/421033477939879/ - which, due to short notice and Independence Day, may not attract as many people as otherwise would wish to attend. So we're organizing another funeral, this time involving members of the folk and blues community, who did not give their programs an appropriate farewell.


Spread the word, invite your friends!

Musicians should arrive by 5:45pm. Music scores for "Just a Closer Walk with Thee", "Peace" (Eric Jackson's theme song) and "Rock of Ages" are available here. Print (extra) copies and bring to the funeral. Kudos to Ken Field for providing.