Fracas at WPFW

by

Leigh Hauter

(456 words)

The open hostility between WPFW's Local Advisory board and the station's management exploded at the July LAB meeting when an on air volunteer with a very close relationship to the station's manager attempted to assault a new LAB member.

The LAB meeting, held in the offices of WPFW, was mostly concerned with putting five new members on the board. All five members are active in the Alliance for Progressive Radio, the local organization concerned with WPFW's apparent lack of support for progressive causes and issues.

The five new members: Wenonah Hauter, Billy Ray Edwards, Sam Husseini, Richard Vanden Heuvel and Frank Wagner were unanimously appointed by the current LAB members over the objection of the acting station manager, Lew Hankins. Mr. Hankins wanted the right to investigate whether the applicants had donated money to WPFW over the past year. He said that Corporation for Public Broadcasting rules forbid appointing LAB members who were not paying members of the station and therefore wanted the appointments postponed until he conducted his investigation.

The LAB responded by saying that they trusted the new members' word that they had made a donation to the station or would before the next meeting. And in the case of one new LAB member, who has a long history of working at the station, they ruled that he was a "life time member of WPFW."

After the meeting one of the new lab members, Wenonah Hauter (partner of Leigh Hauter), attempted to present a check to one of the on air volunteers who had previously said she had gone through everyone's "giving" record and she knew "they don't give any money to the station."

"We donate to WPFW as a family," Ms. Hauter said. "And I don't want there to be any misunderstanding because the donation is credited to my husband's credit card. Therefore I am giving my own check to prevent any misunderstanding."

The volunteer refused to take Ms. Hauter's check and instead started screaming and attempted to strike her. At that point Mr. Hankins had to physically restrain the on air volunteer.

Even though physically restrained, the volunteer continued to scream obscenities and make graphic hand gestures at all of the new lab members present.

The next day the volunteer was allowed on the airwaves by Mr. Hankins as though nothing had happened. Mr. Hankins refused to offer an apology for the volunteer's behavior.

In other LAB meeting news, Lew Hankins said that the station did not cover the Green Party convention because "it didn't work out. It wasn't interesting." He said that they would be covering the Democratic and Republican conventions but would not cover the demonstrations unless "they" decide it is interesting. When asked who "they" were, Mr. Hankins refused to respond.