And you're listening to radio station WBAI New York the time is just about seven o'clock time once again for off the hook
I hope that's understood
I hope that's understood
And
Very good evening everybody. The program is off the hook Emanuel Goldstein here with you on this Wednesday evening joined tonight by Mike
Good evening, Rob T. Firefly. Good evening and down in Philadelphia Bernie s
Bernie you brought the squeal with you again. Oh, I didn't bring it. Oh, it wasn't here before
Yeah, it was listen. Bernie is leaving us now. No squeal Bernie's here now squeal. Okay
Well, I didn't bring it. Maybe it's in the board. Well, regardless of where it is Bernie. We're gonna always associate it with you
So I don't squeal on I have an established record. I don't squeal on anybody
Well, it's probably a good thing and here on off the hook. It's it's definitely an admirable thing
Well, we this is going to be a challenge folks. We have a skeleton crew tonight and
it's a it's a one-night fundraiser as well and
We don't have any special premiums we have some station things we'll get into this in just a little bit
Well, we'll talk about at length about what's going on
But we sure hope that we come out of this
Feeling better than we did coming into it
And if you just want to call make a pledge to one two, two, zero nine two nine five zero is our telephone number
but let's first get into the various things that have been going on this week and
There's a there's a story that just I
Just found out about prior to the show involves our friends over at Mythbusters. You guys hear about this
I'm gonna read how it was written in in
the San Francisco
website
SF gate.com. That's the the Chronicle is that the why isn't it say Chronicle then I'm so confused by this
SF gate.com. Well, I'm supposed to know that's a Chronicle. You're just supposed to know these things, but you know, I'm looking at it
It's a 2000 copyright 2011 Hearst communications
Well, there it is. Okay, this article appeared on page C one of the San Francisco Chronicle
But it's way down at the bottom in tiny print. Why is it called SF gate? I
Don't know that
It's to confuse the people that aren't from San Francisco. Okay, you know that's got to stop
I mean, no the calls are great, but I can't deal with the bell
No, the bell just drives me crazy, you know, listening to the station. Everyone's got the bell turned up and it's
It makes you realize the calls are coming in great, but wow, it's it can wake the dead
So now if you call two on two two, oh nine two nine five zero, we won't hear the bell
But but we'll still appreciate your pledge. Yes, we won't hear the but we'll see the little red light. Come on
No, we won't that thing doesn't work anymore. That doesn't work. No, you have to look at the computer. Yeah computer now
It's the future. Yeah
It's very confusing. Yeah, this is a much better system. Okay. Well, I'll journey over there occasionally and see what I can't see that
So you have to be the listeners eyes and ears
We have two calls on the line and someone making a sandwich according to this thing. All right, excellent
It's a sophisticated system. I can tell you a lot of things Wow
Okay, squeal man. Do you know anything about?
SF gate.com why it's called that
I'm sorry. I won't call you that anymore
He doesn't talk to me. Well, I did say squeal man. So maybe
You probably shouldn't
Do with the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, I think maybe perhaps
Okay
It all seems fairly. I don't know a lot about brand recognition
but I do know that if you have something known as a San Francisco Chronicle, which everyone's heard of and you have a website you
Don't call it something that no one's ever heard of and will be very confused by I'm confused
I know we have listeners and friends in San Francisco. Maybe one of us one of them can explain to us. Yeah, and
Try not to
Prelude the letter with a manual. I can't believe how stupid you are. You don't know this
That's assumed. Okay, you don't have to say it every single time. All right. Anyway, let's let's get into the story
I'm gonna read it the way they said it in the San Francisco Chronicle on page c1
One of the zany experiments staged by the Mythbusters television show nearly turned into a suburban tragedy
Yesterday afternoon in Dublin and I imagine Dublin must not be in Ireland
I mean that double no Dublin's a city in in the Bay Area. Okay, it's uh, you know, not not very near anything
I wish they wouldn't name cities more than once
That's just a pet peeve of mine a lot of words in a lot of languages. We don't have to repeat thing
I don't think people should be named the same thing. Would New Dublin be acceptable? It's a cop-out
You know, this is New York New York, but you know what? There's not another New York anywhere. Is there do you know any other place?
Call New York. Yes a York. There's lots of York, but there's no other New York. Is there and
Don't say East New York or West New York does don't count either. I think we're the newest
I think we're the latest model just saying if you have the same name for a city in different places
It confuses people. I'm already confused by the whole San Francisco Chronicle thing and now you throw Dublin into the mix
Are we gonna get to this story? No, I don't think we will. I don't think we will just throw it away now
Okay. So anyway, sir, almost a suburban tragedy yesterday afternoon in Dublin, Dublin, California
You should check out the accents when the the crew fired a homemade cannon
Toward huge containers of water at the Alameda County Sheriff's Department bomb disposal range
How could that possibly go wrong the cantaloupe sized cannonball missed the water tore through a cinder block wall
Skipped off a hillside and flew some 700 yards east right into the Tassajara Creek. So that's a good name
You're not gonna see another Tassajara anywhere. There you go. There's one by my house. I think yeah sure right into the Tassajara Creek neighborhood
Where children were returning home from school at 4 15 p.m. It's just exactly what they're supposed to be doing at that time
There the six-inch projectile bounced in front of a home on quiet Kasata place again Kasata place
How many maple places maple streets do you see but Kasata place? So, you know, there aren't very many of those
That's because they'd probably already given a street in that town
Mission Street, which every city in California has and they had to call it something else
If you live in a place that has if you live near Maple Street Maple Avenue
Start a petition tonight to your local town board to change the name because it's just too damn many of them and everything else
Too like Washington and Maine and all these other names that we see all over the place, you know driving around in Brooklyn
I see the same names of streets as are in Manhattan, you know, what's the Saint Mark's over there?
Is there Cornelia Street over there little streets, but they're repeated. There's no reason for this. We're better, you know
Also, we don't fire cannonballs at people cannonball Street. Is there one of those in Manhattan? No, there should be
Anyway, lots of words we can use
Okay. Anyway, I'm sorry. I just had a double espresso before I went on the air. That's why I'm bouncing all over the place
But I'll try to put myself together here
Anyway, so this thing is still going it bounced in front of a house on quiet Casada place
Ripped through the front door raced up the stairs
This is a robot cannonball. I sure hope they got this on film raced up the stairs and blasted through a bedroom
Race you imagine cannonballs can't go upstairs. Imagine being in this myth busters. Anything's possible
You're gonna tell a cannonball it can't go up. Um, okay a blasted through a bedroom where a man woman and child slept through it
All okay. Now, here's the thing
It's 4 15 p.m. Why is a man woman and child sleeping at 4 15 p.m. In one room, you know
There's a lot that doesn't add up here
And wait, we're gonna what we're gonna assassinate the characters of the people who just had a cannonball running through their house
Well, well, yeah, definitely that doesn't seem fair
Only awakening they only awoke because of plaster dust
But it wasn't done yet
The ball wasn't done bouncing it exited the house leaving a perfectly round hole in the stucco
crossed six-lane
Tazajara roads in the Tazajara Creek neighborhood, you know
Could have come up with better name than that
It took out several tiles from the roof of a home on Bellevue Circle and finally slammed into the Gill family's beige
Toyota Sienna
Don't you love like the names I come up with with cars Celica
You know, is it beige or Sienna?
Anyway, semi fake names Toyota Sienna minivan in a driveway on Springvale Drive and that's where
Jasper and that's a wonderful name to Jasper Gill who had pulled up ten minutes earlier with his 13 year old son
Manvere this guy gets it. You see good names here Jasper Manvere. It's a good thing
You're the first Emanuel Goldstein ever
Touche
Now shut up
Okay, Manvere his 13 year old son found the ball on the floorboards with glass everywhere and an obliterated dashboard. It's shocking
Anything could have happened. I think anything did happen. I think everything happened. This is unbelievable
The van has been taken away as evidence along with the cannonball
Sergeant JD Nelson a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff's Department put it this way
Crazy crazy crazy crazy. You wouldn't think it was possible. I
Like when law enforcement
Gets illustrative there. He said the television crew was incredibly unlucky
That the cannonball through flew through Dublin, but tremendously lucky that it didn't seriously injure or kill somebody
Nelson said Mythbusters, which is a show on the Discovery Channel had used the bomb disposable range disposal range without incident
While shooting portions of more than 50 episodes of the past seven or eight years
The show does not pay a set fee but has donated to the department and given an exposure but nothing to compare of what's getting
today
One of the terms of the deal was that the show take out insurance in case of a mishap
And I imagine they'll be getting some phone calls today. The show is based in San Francisco
Host Adam Savage and Jamie Hyman use science experiments to confirm or debunk rumors or myths
Reach Tuesday evening Savage said I can't talk right now before hanging up. I
Don't blame him
What kind of question? Can you possibly answer? I mean, this is this this beats the you know, the
The magic shot of 1963 the JFK assassination that bounced all over Dallas
Maybe that's what they were trying to debunk. I can hardly wait till this episode airs. What do you think Bernie?
The whole path of destruction that they reach, you know, I'm wondering
Is there a chance this is a publicity stunt a dangerous one at that?
Well, it does seem awfully well documented doesn't seem very well documented for something that
Was somebody watching what it was doing the whole time?
Sounds like it was really well documented from what you read and they completely missed the target. They completely missed the barrels of water
Somebody had bad aim
You know, they said they were perfect
It's not that hard to figure out where the cannonball was you just look for the giant hole I
Guess but what if something else was let loose at that time to that caused a giant hole?
You might you know, it might be a red herring. You might be
Chasing after something. It didn't really happen. That's true
It's just a shame
I'm assuming that this went out of camera range and they didn't get any actual
footage of this thing going, you know over the creek and over the river and through the wood and up the stairs and left turn
at Albuquerque and
Well, we wish them well, we wish the people of Dublin well
God knows they've been through a lot over the years and
Adam was of course one of our speakers at the last hope, right?
Um, I think so
2008 yes
Speaking of hope speaking of hope since you brought it up beyond hope from 1997
We're going to be doing the same thing. We did with the first hope conference
remember last month we we unveiled all the talks online through our friends at blip TV and
It's it's really amazing you can just go back now and see a video that took place way back at our first conference
Well, this is now our second conference and for the first time these videos being put online starting
I think starting Friday morning at 6 a.m. Now, why are we starting then? Because back in
1997 if you recall we we did a simulcast with hacking in progress a Dutch hacker conference
But the Dutch hacker camp actually and I did the opening address
For them and I had to be up at 6 in the morning to do that because of the time difference
So that's when we're going to be putting this online at the time that it happened about 6 a.m
And then there's we have a press conference later that evening and we have a 2600 panel that will be going up too
But the most most of the panels will be happening on Saturday and Sunday
So those will be going up hour by hour just like we did last time
And so it's a whole lot of fun a lot of people participated
It was really kind of cool to sort of relive the conference on an hour by hour basis
I'm really looking forward to seeing the beyond hope stuff
I would I wanted to go to beyond hope and I could not get the time of a work to go
So this is way overdue for me. I need to see what happened now
You can go now everybody can go and you know, it's amazing about this
1997 it's when the World Wide Web was kind of a new thing to a lot of people even in the hacker world
There are these extended video clips of crowds of people and you might see people, you know
Back in 1997, I'm talking 5-10 minutes of people just sort of milling about in front of this big
Projector screen that is basically going through different URLs and people were fascinated by that at that time
It was a new thing to be able to just go to these websites
And of course, they look like 1990s websites
But people are still fascinated by it and I just think it's a it's kind of a cool thing
Bernie do you have any recollection of that?
I do and I also have recollection of an internet project at beyond hope where there was a switch and the light
Oh, yes, remember that that was a Dutch guy too, wasn't it?
It was it was at the Dutch conference. What was the name of that Dutch conference going on simultaneously?
I don't packing in progress or hip in progress. Yes
Yes at the same time hip had a light bulb and a switch and they were connected
IP wise through the internet and you could flip a switch in New York and it would turn the light on in
In the Netherlands and vice versa it was it was just so cool
It took most of the weekend to actually get this to happen
And I remember it finally succeeded and everybody was really happy just turning on a light. It was a big deal
It was a neat project. That was like the world's longest
Extension light switch. Mm-hmm
With approval concept exercise, I was really impressed that they got to work and
The one thing I'm so glad we document these these conferences that we have because each one captures a different kind of magic
That's always a different theme
new speakers new new subjects and
and so often this stuff gets lost and we have it all and we've been
compiling it putting it all together and
Now we're finally releasing it and I think that's that's definitely a big historical event right there
So this weekend that's going to be happening. Just check our website
www.2600.com for for links or subscribe to our Twitter feed as we'll be letting people know as they as they go up or our Twitter
Address is 2600. Yes
2600
Also on Saturday, we're going to be making available tickets to hope number nine
Which is our next conference coming up July 13 14 and 15
Now we did this once before
Back last month when we released the first hope videos. We we had a number of tickets available
We we had them available. I think at noon on a Saturday and they were gone in less than two minutes
I was I could not believe it. I've never seen anything like this happened before but they they they sold out that quickly
I've heard of the Germans doing this. I've heard for the chaos
Congresses and camps and various other conferences. They put things up online and they're just gone in a matter of seconds
I was actually trying to buy my ticket this way and I wasn't fast enough Bernie
I don't think you were fast enough either
No, I by the time my PayPal went through it was like two and a half minutes had passed and I missed my chance
So I'm gonna have to roll the dice again this Saturday. I really want to get a discount hope ticket for hope number nine
Well this time it goes online at 2 p.m
We had some complaints and people on the west coast that didn't want to get up early and that you know
It's three hours earlier there so I could sort of understand that Saturday morning. So
2 p.m
Eastern Time 11 a.m. Pacific Time and figure out your time zone differences wherever you are and
At 2 p.m. We'll have a bunch of tickets available again
And hopefully hopefully you'll you'll get through this time. We have more so hopefully it'll last longer and it's sort of like a holiday thing
we're doing and
We're looking forward to this next conference. It's going to be a lot of fun
We're already talking to potential speakers potential keynotes
If you have suggestions, feel free to email us you can email us here at the radio show
Oth at 2600 comm that is our email address
Now, okay. We have other stories to talk about but I want to get into this first because this is kind of important
I mentioned it was a fundraising show
But last week last week we got we got a phone call. I don't know if people remember this
but we we got a call from a listener and
it's it kind of
it kind of put me into a commitment that I feel obliged to keep and
Actually, let's do we have that that excerpt? Let's uh, let's see if we can play that over the radio
This is from last week evening. You're on off the hook
Hi, what's on your mind?
Okay, so I knew somebody was gonna call about this
We have been trying to get all the premium information from the station as far as what to send to whom
We've been trying this for weeks and I you have my pledge
We are not going to be asking for more money until it's it's ironed out
All right, so we are trying we're trying really hard if you'd have not gotten your premium right to us
All right, everybody out there who has not gotten a premium from us and let's not count the last fun drive, which is autumn
Which took place in October because that's still rather recent. It's only last month
But the the several before then if you're still on the list
Right to us and I you have my promise that we will deal with it
We will make sure the right people know about it and we will have all this taken care of before we go on the air
Again asking for your support. Okay. All right. All right. Sorry about all that
It does happen sometimes
But you have our word that in the end everybody gets what's coming to them and I don't mean that the sound is negative as it
Did but do I really sound like that? Wow
Just sounds so bizarre you sound much less recorded now. Yeah, I don't you know, I'm hearing myself from a different
You know end and I just don't it sounds completely different to me. But yeah, okay
seriously
We have been working very very hard to get the information and I can say that the TV beguns
Have been delivered today. I just brought them in to the general manager's office and they're all being allocated now
They will be sent out. I imagine within a couple of days
There are still a few issues. We haven't heard from anybody that that said they haven't gotten their premiums
Not counting this October because that's that's a little too recent
But if you have not gotten a premium say in the last year before that, please let us know now
We're aware of the Tesla debacle and that's not the station's fault at all
That's because we've been trying to get the the t-shirts from the architect people and we just are not getting them
So we have videos we have the Tesla bills
We'll try to throw something else in and we're trying to get people's names and addresses. So we mail that out ourselves
So that'll be taken care of the the Mitnick books, I think those have all been sent out
There are some we're trying to get the information on people who pledged for calendars over the summer and some DVD
Packages, I think that's the one remaining issue
that's left and there are people working on that as I speak right now because I just came out of an office and
And that's being worked upon. So all that said
That's why we we don't have premiums
Set up this time because
I didn't want to add to any any more problems while this was still being ironed out
I want to make sure people are if they haven't gotten in their hands already
It's imminent that they will be getting things in their hands. So I don't I don't want to
To have that promise wind up hurting us. So I'm hoping people
will take it upon themselves on this one-day fundraiser to call up and support the station because
We believe in the station here and it's it's a vital place for us to all
communicate spread information tell stories
Take phone calls things like that
and we we do have station premiums for instance, there's this
Brand new WBA I t-shirt, which I believe do we have a list of pledge levels?
The the t-shirt you pledge $60 or more 60 or more and you'll get a t-shirt, okay
And there are other premiums down there, too
I think there's mugs and various other, you know, the usual station paraphernalia type thing, which is a good thing to have
The t-shirts actually pretty nice t-shirts. Great. That's um, how would you describe the front?
It's it's a black t-shirt. So all the hacker types can wear it. That's the front and back. Yes. Well, it's black
yeah, it's it's it's dark enough for those people and the front it says WBA I Pacifica Radio NYC and
Each of the four letters in WBA. I is on a different colored background
It's a you know, a couple inches high pretty nice. I really can't see it when you when you do that
I'm trying to do three things in one. Okay, I'll hold it up so that you can see it
And it of course gives the frequency 99.5 FM for people who?
If you so if you're wearing this shirt and you're walking around you can just look down and know where to turn your radio
and if there are people behind you they can see the frequency too because on the back is this nice graphic of headphones and in
The middle of the headphones where your head would be are the letters WBA I and then 99.5 FM
and
Great slogan that we just put on this t-shirt radio for the 99% and I think that's that's kind of cool and shows you how
Current this this shirt is and you know, as you just heard that we have the Occupy Wall Street radio program
that's on right before us this station has become a
Vital voice of that movement and I'm just updating people as to what's going on throughout the world as far as that and and so many
other
Historic events that have been going on over the over the past few years
And certainly last few months they've been really coming to a to a forefront
So that's something you'll get two one two two zero nine two nine five zero
For a pledge of $60 or more and there's all kinds. We don't have a list
We'll get a list but the t-shirts pretty well only on for another few minutes. All right
Well, you know nice to have the list
Okay, and you can also you can also ask the operators when you call two one two two zero nine two nine five zero
And ask them what's going on with the the pledge levels what what levels you get and what what pledges you get?
But most importantly you get this radio station and there is truly nothing else like it in in this city in this country on this planet
Absolutely. Absolutely
Two one two two zero nine two nine five zero. That's our telephone number and
again, we are asking people to pledge tonight because of the radio station cell because of what we've brought to you on off the hook and
And and basically voice your support
Pick up some BAI premiums of various sorts where we are saying on the air
That's only a small part of what's actually available down the tally room so you can you can call up and say hey
I'd like to pledge
I don't know
$250 and what's available for that pledge amount and the people there will be able to
Tell you in great detail what kinds of things you can get but again as Rob said it's it's the most most important thing is
you're getting the radio station and
Even if and there are some stations that do this
They they give you absolutely nothing back except the radio station and that's good enough. That's good enough for listeners in many many cases
I'd like to think that's good enough for us. I really would like to think that so
Let's hope those phone lines light up two one two two zero nine two nine five zero
I can't see how many calls are coming in right now, and I don't have that that Bell up
So I'm not going to deafen myself with with this information, but I sure hope people call in
And and show that they care that they want the station to continue
December is usually not when we do a fundraiser. In fact, we have now more
Fundraising slots and we do season so I can't call it the fall fundraiser because that was in October
It's not the winter one because that's in February
This is the December special one
and
It's it doesn't have to be a painful thing. It's it shouldn't be any more painful to
Call up and voice support. It's painful for us obviously to keep asking for it, but that's how we get where we are
That's how we've survived for the last what 51 years now as long as WB AI has been around
And I'd also like to mention we get we every time we do one of these we get email afterward asking, you know
Can we donate even though it's not live during the show and I do want to remind our listeners
Especially those listening to us on mp3s and podcasts and things that you can donate to our show online
You can go to WB AI org and there's a link there to donate to your favorite show
and if you choose off the hook as your favorite show, then you will be supporting the station and you will be supporting this particular show and
showing the station management that
That our show is important to you and there are also some some premiums that you can get
On the website and they're listed there
we get a nice little letter of congratulations from the station management every time somebody does that and it really it makes us feel like
Maybe we're doing something right after all
two one two two zero nine two nine five zero if you want to give a call now and support the place and and keep WB
AI on the air for
Another 51 years hopefully pledge whatever you can afford. But again $60 gets you the the brand-new WB AI t-shirt
And all kinds of other pledge levels as well some for less some for more
I think everybody who pledges 25 and above becomes a WB AI member and that allows you to vote in in various
Elections that happen
Yeah, I don't see calls coming in could it be this this strategy doesn't work
We have to offer all kinds of goodies and things
I mean
I'm really proud of the thank-you gifts that we've been able to offer our listeners in the past and our will do so in the
Future, but it's it's a bit sad that that our listeners might not call
To keep us on the air to keep the radio station on the air to keep the program on the air
They're just calling it, you know for to buy things, you know, it saddens me a bit so prove me wrong two one two two zero nine
Two nine five zero and pledge keep us on the air
Keep the program keep our program on the air keep occupy Wall Street Radio, which was just before us on the air
The personal computer show is coming up. You'll keep them on the air all the programs that the station produces
You know a hundred percent of your donation goes to keeping us on the air two on two two zero nine two nine five zero
Yes, go ahead Bernie I
Was hoping you'd jump in with something profound. I was gonna say yes, I agree with everything Mike just said no seriously
This is a station that is that it's the only station I know in the United States or maybe the whole world that has a
Hacker radio show that's on weekly that you can call into and voice your questions concerns
Be entertained laugh at us scream at us, whatever, but it's a hacker culture radio show
You're not going to hear that on any other radio station and WBA
I feel if it's important that you hear about this and it obviously wouldn't be important to you the listener
Or you wouldn't be listening to it right now. So you got to try to support this kind of a media
Because this kind of media coverage doesn't get
Aired anywhere else to my knowledge two one two two zero nine two nine five zero pledge, whatever you can
I will appreciate it. We'd all do this for volunteer work
We don't get paid a dime for this work
But the station has to pay the electric bill to run a transmitter on top of the Empire State Building and
Stream it around the world and it's a good cost two one two two zero nine two nine five zero
Yeah, and Bernie if I could just interrupt real quick. I just wanted to reiterate. Well, well Kyle
Wait Kyle, where'd you come from? You just popped in there. Nowhere. Oh
Yeah, I was just listening online. I'd you know, but I'd
Share a little bit of my experience. Well, no, that's great. But how did you get on the air?
That's what I don't understand. You just suddenly appeared
It's just I scraped you're doing that but it's done how you suddenly appeared on the radio like this. Okay, we have some
Yes, go ahead the radio is here for the listeners, I mean we're a resource
We're kind of a clearinghouse for the hacker community. It's amazing that
WBA I can can give us some space in their schedule, but really we exist for our own our own audience and
We like to share about
hacking and telephony and kind of what's going on with technology as we have been for quite some time now and
We're really here for the listeners
Like if you write in if you wrote a letter and you because you've you figured out something or you wanted to share something
Whether it's anonymously or not, whatever. We're here for you. You know, we're a voice for you
We can we can pass along information. We can share news with people
And represent the community and and likewise you can listen
And gain something from having participated in the show
I listen for quite some time now and as I said, I listen online when I'm not around and
You know, it's an incredible resource as Bernie said we're not paid. We're just volunteering. We show up every time and
You know try to make an impact
Well said well, so I want to point out the the history of this station for those of you not familiar with it
I strongly encourage you to go online go on Wikipedia go whatever and look up the history of WBA
I and how it came to be because it was such an amazing strand of
coincidences and happenstances and like incredible incredible occasions that would not happen again if we lost this
Station where we have it right in the sweet spot of the FM dial in in New York City of all places
If we lost this the next day, you know
Some conglomerate would snap up the frequency snap up the license and there would be generic crap on the air here
Like with within that within that day and we would never get this back if this station disappeared
It would not be coming back not in any form anything like this
you know, it's it's it's amazing that we've been able to keep this going purely on the generosity of of its volunteers and listeners for
51 years now and if if that would come to an end there is no way that we could ever do this again
It just would not happen
I don't think you might you might hear in various places how radio is dying and how it's getting outdated and kids don't listen to
Radio anymore that might be true of those crappy stations where the same generic music is played over and over again and the same
Screaming commercials are thrown at you, but not a place like BAI where there's all kinds of really insightful dialogue
That's constantly 24 hours a day going on in one form or another
If you don't like what you're hearing at one point
You turn the radio station on in two hours and you'll hear something completely different and you might love that
That's a reason to support the place for that kind of diversity and that radio is very relevant
It will always be very relevant. But despite the fact that this kind of radio is what's in demand
Yeah, as Rob said, it's very hard
It would be very hard for us to gain a frequency if we were to lose a frequency very very hard indeed
You know, I just read this month an article about clear channel was laying off hundreds of DJs
Which really surprised me because I didn't know they had hundreds of DJs left
I thought they had already laid them all off
But so despite the fact that they had so few DJs anywhere
They still thought that was too many and and they got rid of them
But WB I I don't think we'll ever be automated in that way what you're hearing right now is us talking
734 on a Wednesday
Here in New York, and I think that kind of local live radio didn't give the dates
People could think that you're on tape right now. Well, I want to be able to reuse this next week. Oh, yeah, okay
This sort of live local radio is something that is is dying in America
But continues to stay alive here on WB. I and we'd really love it
If you'd help us keep it alive two on two two zero nine two nine five zero. Here's we're gonna do
Okay, because I want to I want to put our money where our mouth is or whatever the phrase is
we usually what happens is we have some kind of DVD pack or
Whatever it is that we've been working on calendars, but we don't have that this time this time we just have our
Mournful voices asking for you to please help us at this special time of need
We're going to instead of donating what we donate usually with these various products. We're just gonna donate cash
So we'll donate five hundred dollars five hundred dollars from twenty six hundred to this particular show right now
But I want to see a call come in see someone else show that they will do the same thing and
Not ask for anything in return. Yeah, I get a t-shirt. Maybe I'll get a t-shirt for that, you know, but that's not why that's not
Why you should be calling you should be calling to keep the radio station afloat to keep it
Going to support it to become an investor in the place
So if we see a call or two come in two one two two zero nine two nine five zero
Then you know, it makes sense and look what you've done by making that call by making that pledge for whatever you can afford
All of a sudden a lot more is coming in. Does that seem logical?
So are you gonna just donate this or should we structure it as a matching pledge?
Well, I don't know a matching pledge then we get four hundred nine nine dollars that technically the matching pledge wouldn't go through
I don't know. It'd be nice
Yes, I have confidence in our listeners. All right. Well, let's let's let's let's see
You said that if if somebody calls in you could do that
So basically if anybody calls to plug in like $60 and we'll get a great you get a great WBI t-shirt
You could be you know pronounced that you're
Broadcasting the 99% you could really multiply your $60 pledge to five hundred and sixty dollars
What kind of a return on that?
That's like a that's like a nine like that's a huge return on your investment call two one two two zero nine two nine five zero
Multiply your investment like eightfold and and
Be happy that you've really supported a good cause that you're enjoying every week
Yeah, because that's that's it does feel good to be able to do that
I'm hoping a lot of people listening now will also feel inspired consider this kind of like
The no frills type of fundraiser where basically if you really support the place you really just want it to be on the air
You're willing to to throw some cash in and and just keep it going and get the satisfaction of knowing that you helped that you
Got there
We're going to make that donation
We're not asking for anything in return other than that this place remains strong and that our listeners are out there
We have a place to talk about the various things that we've been talking about
And so much more so much history has been made over these airwaves and I'd like that to continue
What's gone on in the last few months with the Occupy Wall Street movement a lot of that's been on the radio here
That's real history. Thank God. This place was around
But also in the hacker world over the decades where this radio show has been on since 1988
We have covered so much would not have been covered. We probably wouldn't be having hope conferences
We probably wouldn't be having all kinds of things happening that that are
Assumed to be happening right now
We wouldn't have had the opportunity to reach so many people without a radio station like WBA I
212 209 2950 I see there's two calls on the line and that's great
It shows that people are motivated and and they do care about the place. And yes, we will pledge $500 and I think you know
We'll pledge that regardless
Even if those two calls are the only ones who call in but I hope there's a lot more out there
but it would be nice just to show you the power if if that is matched if
We raise another $500 when we've suddenly
Brought in $1,000 for this hour without even bringing in any premiums
And I think that's a very strong statement to make 2 1 2 2 0 9 2 9 5 0 support off the hook
support WBA I support the hundreds of volunteer staff that come in here in a typical week and
Make magic happen
Emmanuel go ahead Bernie. I wanted to point out if people think this is an anomaly with you with 2600
Donating $500 cash to WBA I
For getting other people to pledge this is not a isolated incident
Every virtually every fundraiser
20 practically
2600 donates probably more than $500 worth of you know hacker related gifts
So this is this has been going on for decades
I mean probably tens and tens of thousands of dollars the hacker community
Book authors and all kinds of people
2600 especially donating
their work to
People who want to support this radio show in this radio station
So be part of that be part of that community call pledge
Whatever you can to 1 2 2 0 9 2 9 5 0 you enjoy the show or you wouldn't be listening right now
So lend a hand to 1 2 2 0 9 2 9 5 0 and like I said, even if you hate the show in a couple hours
You probably will like what you're hearing on the radio. So it's it's still a reason to support the radio station
What's on in two hours? That's so much better than us. No, I don't know but why don't you tune in and find out?
Emmanuel, you know, and even if they hate the show they get to participate in the show
There's so many commercial shows out there that you don't get to you know, write in and and really
Influence and say hey, maybe you should check out this story or suggest things you get to participate with BA
I you get to participate with our show. We're here as a resource just as much as
a program and
Entertainment or news so, you know, even if you hate it
You can you can bring something to the table and we accept that every one of us has
Basically come in off the street and Kyle you somehow came in over the phone line and Bernie also we called you at least
And we were all participating in that particular way. You can't just go into a commercial radio station and
And become part of it. You can't become part of a show
You can't start volunteering to help and actually do something significant. You can't steer the ship
You can't go in a different direction and say I want to talk about this particular issue
And you know
If you don't believe me try it call
Go down the dial and and stop at every single station and say what are my odds of calling those people and having them say?
Sure, come on by and and and maybe we can put you on the air and you can do something different that no one else is
Doing BAI I dare say is the only station in this city that you can do that with
Even public radio, which you know produces a lot of great stuff
You can't just walk into you know, the offices of the local public radio station and say hey, I got a great idea
Why don't you put me on the air? It's it's not gonna happen
Yeah, why do you think that is? I mean people think public radio is that but it's not really it's I mean
They have good programming. I listen to them
I hear some fun things, but it's um, it's it's carefully produced
It's very structured. A lot of it is simulcast nationwide
It's rare. I'm sorry. Go ahead
Okay, well it's it's rare that somebody can just go in there and do their own thing
I mean you have you have college radio stations and they're they are decreasing a number two, which is a very sad thing
Where people can start their own programs mostly music oriented BAI is mostly talk oriented
It's it's not something that's very common, but it is something that's very appreciated and it's it's awfully ironic to me that
something that people almost universally
hold up as a shining example of what radio could be is something that isn't being emulated in so many parts of
of the country even the world
And Emmanuel, yes, I think it's also if you're doing comparison between the public radio like NPR and
Pacifica and WBAI is that so-called public radio stations get about half of their funding from
Corporate underwriters which WBAI does not do WBAI isn't
Virtually entirely
Listener supported which is really an amazing
model
It's really a democracy that does not exist
Anywhere else on the dial
Do you think if we if we walked into the offices of Exxon or something and asked them to give us a corporate grant?
For this radio station. Do you think do you think we'd have a shot of actually getting one?
Oh heck no, but the point is
We don't want to see I disagree. I think I think they would give us money
I think they in in the hopes that they could influence our programming. I think they would give us money
it seems like they wouldn't but
Yeah, what see I think you're wrong
And the reason I think you're wrong is if we went in and we said hey Exxon we need a thousand dollars this offer
They this hour they would say a thousand dollars. We don't have grants that small. So let's ask for 10,000
So so so they would yeah, they would want to give us, you know, tens of thousands of dollars
They'd want to really change the program and they'd really want to make us into something
We're not but can we bring it up to the point where they're about to like sign the check and then say, okay
We're not gonna go through with this just to prove that it can be done because I think it can be done
What get it getting small amounts of money out of Exxon getting big amounts of money?
The point is I think it's doable. I think they would go for it
I think many corporations would can you imagine though if we had to say at the top of the hour?
This program is brought to you by people who spill, you know oil into into the ocean
Well, we don't have to say it now. You said it at 10 to or a quarter to so yeah, you don't have to but no
it's um
this is the kind of thing that that
Radio stations do and NPR is an example of a network that does do that Pacifica does not BAI does not
That's why we have our listeners and we thank our listeners constantly
For their support and we hope that they're out there for us at times like this. Yes, exactly our listeners
It is all you you are the ones that have kept us on the air for 51 years
You are all that's ever going to keep us on the air ever
I mean like if you're if you're hearing the noises that are coming out of my face right now
You're part of the population that it has single-handedly kept us going all this time and
the only population that has the power to keep doing that so if you call 2 1 2 2 0 9 2 9 5 0 and
Continue that great legacy of us being able to bring you this radio station completely and totally supported by you
Then I think that would be I think that's a wonderful goal
I'm happy to see the calls coming in because they have been calling in and
And that's great because it proves that people do care just about the radio part of all this
It's not about the Tupperware, whatever it is that we're offering to to entice you to to call in
I don't think we have Tupperware. Yeah, when we ever I'd put for them hacker Tupperware something to think about
Yeah, it's it's about supporting the actual station itself
What we what we do on a day-to-day basis
We've been doing since that day in 1960 when this station in the biggest donation of all was given to Pacifica
Yeah, it's true. It used to be a commercial radio station because hey, we're right here at 99.5 in the dial
You notice most stations above 92 are commercial stations and everything below 92 is non-commercial
that's how it is throughout the United States and
and and one day the people who owned WBA I which was a
An actual commercial radio broadcast Associates Inc is what it stands for world broadcasters. No, no broadcast associates
I thought as world broadcasters
No, I thought that I might be wrong
But I thought the W is just because you know, we're in this now it stands for we beg at intervals
That's how I stands for we are actually no, you know, no kidding
We are the first station in the whole country to actually ask for listener support. So look what we started
We we we got it started and everybody else followed and we're still doing it because it works and because that's that's the best way
I think to to run a radio stations that the listeners have input and and feel like they're a part of things
Yes, go ahead. I'm not burning Kyle. I'm so confused here. Go ahead
Yeah, I was just wondering if you could let us know what people are getting as thank yous again
Well, they're getting thank yous big. Thank yous from us
and and that's pretty much it and unless I want to get a t-shirt for a pledge of $60 or more or various other WBA I
Items Mike has just run out of here. He's either disgusted or he's going to get a list
Hopefully of other things but every tally person down there has been specially trained to tell you
For the amount that you're pledging
Exactly what it is that you can get if you want to get some some premium on top of this and I have to say
also since these are
station premiums, they'll go through a lot faster than the premiums that we have to deliver and
Manufacture and collect when we offer other things during other other fun drives
So if you're concerned about getting things in a timely manner
This is probably the timeliest you'll ever get it because it's coming directly from the radio station 2 1 2 2 0 9 2 9 5 0
But again, it's about supporting the idea of non-commercial radio
It's about looking around you in the FM dial and seeing the garbage that's out there and realizing that hey
you're listening to this for a reason and
it's it's it's better and you can be a part of it and
We're more intelligent than just having the same
Crappy songs played over and over again. I don't care what genre of music we're talking about
You're still being talked down to when you have the voice try this. This is the interesting experiment
I mentioned that that below 92 or non-commercial radio stations
That's a law that says that every station below 92 has to not have commercials
You can't have stations above 92 like ours that don't have commercials as well
It's very very rare
And as I said, this was a commercial radio station back in 1960 that was donated and became a non-commercial radio station
But try this go below 92 and just listen to people talking
people
Talking about music they're playing or maybe the news or something like that and then hit the first station above 92 and you can do this
Anywhere in the country and I I guarantee you that the first station you hit
92.1 92.3
whatever the first station after 92 is the voice will suddenly be so much louder and
Commanding and like the voice of God and they're screaming at you trying to get you to buy their garbage and that's because
Their commercial radio and they believe louder is better and they just constantly are blaring this information, which is not information
It's just it's just talking over and over again
Trying to sell you products
That is the epitome of what commercial radio is all about
BAI is if you're going station by station all of a sudden you get this sort of quiet point where people
pause sometimes to think and
You don't have as much compression doesn't sound like the voice of God
Which I think is what talking at you, right?
Emmanuel and and the thing with even some of our public radio friends is it's very calculated and they're still
Relaying a very particular point of view at you. I feel like be as a little bit more of a conversation
Mm-hmm. I'd like to think that I like that and I think most weeks it is
I mean we we played the conversation we had last week with a caller who was upset up at the speed of getting premiums and
We did something about it. We we acted on it and and that's why we're doing it like this this week
So that people don't feel like they're they're not getting what they're pledging for
We're on top of the situation and everybody here cares about that kind of thing, but
Rob then Bernie it absolutely is a conversation though
I mean there is such a diverse mix of shows here on this station of all different subjects all different stripes
I mean there are shows on this station that I love there are shows on this station that I don't love but I love that
There is this variety
I mean you turn on any other commercial station anything above 92 in
This city in anywhere else and there will be stations that maybe you're okay with maybe maybe they're crap
But you know what you're getting every time it's the same every time it's like a McDonald's burger
You turn on WBAI and there will be if you if you turn it on at a time
You've never turned it on before it there will be something that will at least be different at least not be the generic
Automated robotic crap that everyone else is trying to feed you two one two two zero nine two nine five zero
That's number to call the pledge
Please pledge whatever you can afford keep the radio station going keep WBAI going keep off the hook on the air
Go ahead Bernie. I just want to mention you just barely touched on something that that just resonated with me that
We need to below 90
92 megahertz the the non-commercial part of the FM radio broadcasting spectrum
You hear no listener supported in public radio stations, and they're not blasting in your ear
Screaming your ear and you mentioned the word compression for for a non-technical listener before well
Maybe any of our listeners are interested technical topics compression is a technique not like like compressing bytes to make a compressed file
This is compressing the average audio
Level to something that's really high you may remember back in the day TV commercials or just seem so much louder than the program content
They're not louder
It's just the average level between the peak and the valley of the dynamic range of the audio content
Is increased to all the way at the very top and they're just cranking this out
and it is a great not analogy here between the content of listener supported radio and the lack of
compression with lack of audio compression you have way more dynamic range between the peaks and
The low parts so you can hear whispers, and you can hear the cymbal crashes and screams
That's where I think but you have it with with this lower compression ratio
You also have a wider dynamic
range of
Content and a bit of a more intimate experience right right you you you it seems more real
It's not like everything just like a firehose in your ear
It's a it's a wide dynamic range of audio of of of the audio
Of
Level and a wide dynamic range of content all the wide dynamic range of ideas
You get from listener supported supported radio like WPA if you support this idea call two one two two zero
two two one two two zero nine two nine five zero and pledge support for lower audio compression levels and wider dynamic range of
Content and ideas of course we do have our blemishes
Some of you might hear the high-pitched squeal
On the air right now because of our our phone
Problems which continue and hopefully will be fixed by the next time we we go on the air
But yeah, that's that's sort of part of the process
It's not an easy thing to keep a radio station running especially in New York City
especially when you're on the Empire State Building which we are and I think that's a hack in itself that a station like this is
on top of the
Of the Empire State Building transmitting getting into four states and of course that's not even counting online
It's not counting the archives
so we're able to reach a lot of people that kind of thing usually is is
Beyond the reach of most non-commercial stations BAI is different. We through a series of
Good luck and and skill we've managed we've managed to to put ourselves in a position where we can reach so many people two one two
Two zero nine two nine five zero a good luck and skill
Yes, but also through a paying rent, which we need your help with two one two two zero nine two nine five zero
This is what your money goes to we wish that the the folks who own the Empire State Building would
would donate the transmitter space for free that would save us a lot of money, but but they don't want to and
And you can help us
Let me also point out that of course here as with the other shows on this radio station
People are not getting paid to do radio
We do this because we love doing it because we're committed because we believe in it
And in many places go ahead into the commercial radio world and see how many people will do what they do there for nothing
We'll come in because they want to do
What it is that they're getting paid for and they get paid a lot to do that to get on the radio and simply announce
songs and act like idiots
You know and and and drive time and do silly silly things
we can act like idiots for free and we can we can play all kinds of interesting things as well and and talk about it and
Spend time and be controversial. That's what it's all about. That's what makes non-commercial radio very different
But in addition to that, we're donating to the cars us ourselves because we believe in it
It's I don't think it gets any more sincere than that
212 209 2 9 5 0 please join us
Phone lines are open right now. And as I said, we've we've donated $500 of our own to the cause
Please join us and donate whatever you can afford again. We have these amazing BAI. We have the 99% t-shirts
They got everybody who pledges 60 and above we have other premium levels as well
Way too many to even list here on the radio station because it's pages and pages of it
So if you call 2 and 2 2 0 9 2 9 5 0 and ask
Somebody here will be able to help you and give you all the information
But the important thing is that we do well and that we know the list of supporters out there so we can continue
With this amazing hack that has been going on for 51 years
Where we have a radio station on top of the Empire State Building reaching four states and not having a single commercial
2 1 2 2 0 9 2 9 5 0 last words guys. We're almost out of time
you know this is this is the season when a lot of people are asking you to separate yourself from your money and give
It to to you know to pay for a radio commercial you buy some product
You don't need and the month some small fraction of your money does in fact go to radio, but it isn't the better holiday gift
Democracy keeping this these sorts of voices on the air
You can send you can make a donation in honor of someone and I think that you know
The right people the people you want to be with they will probably appreciate that more than you know
Some of the junk that you hear advertised on the commercial radio stations 2 1 2 2 0 9 2 9 5 0
Just a few minutes left to show your support to this program. You can pledge online later if you want to
last words Bernie Kyle
Real quick when you buy a product the price of that product includes
It's higher because of the advertising that you hear on radio when it's advertised on radio
So yeah, that's a really crazy business model if you don't want to support higher prices to support radio advertising
Call WB AI and support listener supported radio 2 1 2 2 0 9 2 9 5 0
I'd like to just say that you know if anybody gave it a bit of thought just in the past year
There's been some amazing
stories and
Topics that we've brought to you
And I think it touches on a lot of what was said in the last couple minutes here as far as
bringing content to you and and sharing with everybody and
Letting you form the conversation be a part of the conversation
But also think of some amazing thing that that we brought to you whether it's the Wall Street
Stuff or or anything else?
as big as that or even just little news stories that that you've had
The ability to share with other people in your world as a result of the radio show
I mean, that's the kind of stuff that we bring to you because we're passionate about it
So how do you call in and support the station and support off the hook? All right?
Thanks so much guys for being a part of this 2 1 2 2 0 9 2 9 5 0. Thanks to those callers calling in
Please join them and we're going out with another Occupy Wall Street song that we discovered from Celestino Anthony
See you next week. Good night. Oh
Oh, yeah, right to us OTH at 2600 comm don't forget
Hope number nine tickets this Saturday and beyond help online this weekend. Good night
Quite some time now the banks have been acting in a way that violates basic decency every law every principle of ethics
They've been bailed out with our money money the moment they got what they needed to pay their bonuses
They said oops, we better turn off the spigot. No money to refinance. No money for jobs. No money for education
It has been one of the most heinous
Moments in our politics where the plutocrats got everything they needed and real people got nothing
And
So what we're seeing down there in the street and this is wonderful politics, it's not politicians leaving it
It's not even existing leaders from the media. It is real people
This is how political movements really start the environmental movement started that way the labor movement the peace movement the women's right
But this is great
Oh
Right, all right, you're listening to WBA I New York