Berta Silva (Chicana/Latina community activist; labor organizer and contract writer with Local 1199; member of 1199 Peace & Justice Committee) |
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berta@justiceunity.org (212) 591-2111 WBAI Candidate Questionnaire 1. Why do you want to be on the Local Station Board? I am running to be returned to the Local Station Board as a member of the Justice and Unity Campaign because I care deeply about the future of our peace-and-justice radio station, and believe I can contribute to keeping it alive, strong, and on mission. I am totally opposed to moving the station away from its progressive roots. I also want WBAI to focus more intensively on addressing the concerns of working people on the air, while respecting the rights of its own workers, both paid and unpaid. 2. How do you envision the Local Station Board working with the Pacifica Foundation, WBAI and the community? I envision the LSB working with the Pacifica National Board, station management and staff, and the community in a concerted effort that will move forward Pacifica’s mission and guiding principles. I want the board to work with staff and management on finding a permanent home for the station. I support the development of a process for community and staff input into the development of new programming. Overall, it’s vital that the local board respect the rights of the station’s workers. 3. How could the station better serve its listeners? I think the station could better serve the listeners by recognizing its mission to bring an alternative progressive point of view, because the corporate media are not telling the people the truth. 4. Describe some actions you would take to increase the influence of the station in underrepresented communities and to increase the diversity of the listening audience? I propose that we use the station’s vacant band to create a whole new channel that would allow for additional programming serving particular communities (while also giving space to rebroadcast existing shows at different times of the day or week). This would also provide the airtime to broaden Spanish-language programming to include more coverage of issues and concerns of underrepresented groups like the tri-state area’s Mexican community in such areas as jobs, poverty, immigration problems, and political representation. 5. What sources of funding, other than listener donations, do you feel WBAI should solicit? The recent fiscal difficulties have shown that the local board must actively raise funds and work with management, staff, and listeners on a long-term fundraising strategy. The station needs a full off-air fundraising strategy that includes more frequent concerts, film showings, and awards dinners, as well as more efforts to create special events and programs for existing major donors. 6. Please state briefly the skills, experience, educational background, work history, organizational affiliations, areas of community service, areas of interest and expertise that you would bring to the Pacifica network as a member of the Local Station Board. As a labor organizer I’ve acquired the ability to work in a collaborative process, to listen to members and take their concerns seriously, to compromise, and above all respect the democratic process. I have 15 years of experience with progressive activism, including facilitating meetings, helping build consensus, using Robert’s Rules of Order, serving on committees, examining budgets, raising funds, and preparing and editing contracts. I have much working knowledge of and have participated in many collective bargaining sessions. I think these skills will help when we need to concentrate our energies on keeping WBAI in the hands of our communities to better serve the needs of working people. 7. Do you anticipate missing any Local Station Board meetings? I am committed to continue attending all future LSB meetings. In the past two years I have only been absent once. 8. On which Local Station Board committees are you interested in actively serving? If you are a current Local Station Board member, on which committees do you currently serve? I am currently serving on the Committee of Inclusion because it’s important to continue analyzing how to be more inclusive and provide a voice for working class people and people from oppressed communities. I hope to continue serving on that committee. I am also an alternate on the General Manager Search Committee, seeking to find candidates for a person to hold that position permanently.
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