‘A victory for free speech’: WBAI is back on air
"It's been a bit of a party."
WBAI is back.
One month to the day since operations at the decades-old, listener-supported radio station were suspended by its parent organization, the Pacifica Foundation, 99.5 WBAI FM has regained local control of its airwaves.
Pacifica, which owns a slate of other local radio stations, came under fire on Oct. 7 for abruptly halting WBAI operations, dismantling the station’s Atlantic Avenue studio and replacing its local broadcasting with syndicated content. At the time, the nonprofit organization cited millions of dollars of debt and a new vision for the Brooklyn-based station.