Judge Orders Local Programming, Staff Restored To WBAI/New York

Court Order

The latest twist in the saga of PACIFICA Variety WBAI/NEW YORK is a court ruling that ordered the restoration of local programming on the station, which was subsequently scheduled for midnight this morning (ET).

The NEW YORK POST reports that NEW YORK Supreme Court Justice MELISSA CRANE ruled WEDNESDAY evening in a lawsuit by the station's local staff against the national board that put PACIFICA network programming on WBAI in place of its local shows, saying, "I think it’s time to get WBAI back on the air and back to fundraising." The ruling focused on two PACIFICA board votes, one to remove the local programming and staff and a second that annulled the first vote; CRANE decided that the second vote was valid and the first invalid due to the barring of four board members from voting due to alleged conflicts of interest, which the judge said did not exist.

The plaintiffs' attorney ARTHUR SCHWARTZ told the staff that local programming would be restored at midnight; PACIFICA's attorney KARA STEGER said that the company plans to appeal the order.

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