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Statements by Supporters

"I didn't work for eleven years to obtain the license for KOOP Radio for people to be treated this way. I am very embarrassed and disappointed by many of the reprehensible, irresponsible actions and statements of the current KOOP Board. Help pull KOOP Radio back from the brink..."

Jim Ellinger, Founder, Austin Co-op Radio; Host of Austin Airwaves

 

"Something drastic must be done. I've received multiple accounts and witnessed myself such lamentable actions as hostility, hypocrisy, and truculence...on the part of key members of both boards against a large segment of the people whose sweat, devotion, and community spirit have made KOOP an amazing experiment in community radio, at least on the air. But behind the scenes, the fractious atmosphere makes me believe what Friends of KOOP contend: that the station 'is in danger and may not survive.' "

Rob Patterson, in his radio column in the Austin American-Statesman

 

"Okay, that's it. We've had it. 'Media Clips,' which has thus far been restrained in its opinion toward the KOOP board of trustees and its allies, has decided to officially side with the move to recall the board. It has become clear that the board and its allies ... are at best delusional and at worst power-hungry, and if allowed to continue their reign, will bring the station to ruin." [read the rest of the article that this quote came from]

Lee Nichols, in his "Media Clips" column in the Austin Chronicle; Nichols is also a former KOOP programmer

 

"Growing a community of diversity is a delicate process. There is such diversity at KOOP--I've never been part of anything like it. The people in power are destroying the environment of trust and cooperation that we have all worked so hard to create."

Lupe Cedillos, Four-year volunteer; Host of "Adventures in Atzlan"

 

"In order for a radio station to thrive it needs to have some semblance of continuity, consistency and responsiveness in its management. Growing pains are inevitable but when you have a situation where the management is grossly out of sync with the rank and file and becomes unresponsive to their legitimate concerns, it's time to either take action or acquiesce to continued abuse."

Jay Trachtenberg, Air Staff Manager, KUT Radio

 

"I've never seen such problems with maintaining standards of civility and decency on the board level at KO.OP Radio."

Rose Imperato, Five-year volunteer; Former KOOP Trustee; Member of KOOP Women's Collective

 

"Well, these folks on the boards really feel passionate about their participation. First, they were on the Community Board. Next, they appointed themselves to the Board of Trustees. Then, they made themselves the Grievance Committee. Now, they have appointed a board member and two community board members to the Programming Committee. I wonder, how in the world can they pull off taking on so many positions of responsibility when one is plenty, especially at a community radio where so many people are eager to contribute?"

Rodney Moag, "The Pickin' and Singin' Professor"
Four-year KOOP volunteer; Programming Committee member (former co-chair);

Host of "The Country Swing and Rockabilly Jamboree"

 

"One person can't fix everything, especially at a volunteer-run station--and especially when that person is not getting support from the board. Things take time--we at KAZI have worked on improvements for years."

Marion Nickerson, Program Director, KAZI Community Radio - 88.7 FM

 

"In KOOP's short history, the person most responsible for its success is Jenny Wong. She has had the most influence in terms of steering the station towards authentic democracy, genuine community involvement, and the diversity of voices which results when quality and truth are respected. We've been lucky that she's a bit of a masochist--otherwise, no one this smart and warm-hearted would have ever put up with the crap she's had to put up with."

Kerthy Fix, Former Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees; Former hostess of "The G-Spot"

 

"My experience on the Programming Committee was that the Boards' actions and attitudes have created an environment where nothing can get done. We haven't been successful at recruiting new programmers since morale is so low from the way the Board treats volunteers. If we don't take action to put better leaders in place, the station may not survive another year."

Ricardo Guerrero, Three-year volunteer; Former co-chair, KO.OP Programming Committee

Host of "Global Groovin'"

 

"One of the best things that ever happened to me in Austin was coming to KOOP--all the good people, the good attitude--I learned a lot of things about diversity of ideas and perspectives. Since the new board has come in, they've kicked everything around so much they've made it a negative place to be. I want KOOP to be a place where people feel good again."

Otilio 'Les' Jacobs, Jr., Three-year volunteer; Coordinator of the Hip-Hop Collective,Co-host of "Dolla Holla Show"

 

"Responsiveness to members is essential. The current KOOP board appears to have made major changes without direct and widespread member input. A positive working relationship between the Board and staff is also critical. I hope the Board can become responsive to the membership and develop a positive working relationship with the staff and volunteers. That is the only way to accomplish the co-op's goals."

Alan R. Robinson, CFO, College Houses Co-ops, Inc.; Involved with cooperatives for 20 years

 

"KOOP radio is ours, it belongs to the community. If a small group tries to take it away, it is the responsibility of the community to take it back."

Louis Black, Editor of the Austin Chronicle

 

"...[S]omething drastic must be done. I've received multiple accounts and witnessed myself such lamentable actions as hostility, hypocrisy and truculence -- none of which equate with 'cooperative' in my book -- on the part of key members of both boards against a large segment of the people whose sweat, devotion and community spirit have made KOOP an amazing experiment in community radio, at least on the air. But behind the scenes, the fractious atmosphere makes me believe what Friends of KOOP contend: that the station 'is in danger and may not survive'."

Rob Patterson, Austin American-Statesman, 7-30-98, XL p. 30

 

"KOOP's current Board of Trustees are a perfect example of how NOT to lead a cooperative organization. I'm on the board of directors of another local co-op, and I can tell you that if the majority of our membership came to us and said that they strongly disagreed with our direction, then I would either change my focus to be in line with the wishes of the membership, or, if I felt that members' wishes were really not in the best interests of the organization, then I would resign. But it would have to be one or the other -- there is no way I would continue to serve on the board in opposition to the wishes of our membership. I am extremely disappointed that the members of KOOP's board have shown that they are unwilling to follow that same, simple standard. I unequivocably support the movement to recall KOOP's Board of Trustees."

Michael Bluejay, Member of the Board of Directors of the Inter-Cooperative Council;

Host of "The Bicycle Lane"

 

"I don't pretend to understand what the @#%$ is going on at KOOP, but its demented board seems hell-bent on destroying the station, or at least the morale of its volunteers."

John Conquest, Third Coast Music

 

"People don't like this but I'm going to talk about it because the so-called 'left' needs to hear it, and that is dealing with the 'nitwit left'... And I just saw an example of the nitwit left in Austin in full battle regalia, co-opting KOOP Radio. This is a very important issue; you should know about it... What are the tactics of this nitwit left? Well, to burn and destroy the landscape, in this case, a radio station. A clique appropriates terms like 'community', which has a lot of prestige, and professes to speak for it. Now this appropriation occurs simply by announcing it! So I am in a meeting and say, 'I speak for the people!', therefore I do, and that is referred to then, in subsequent discourse, as a fact! This is truly astonishing! The community that they allegedly represent is imagined."

David Barsamian, host of the nationally-syndicated "Alternative Radio", at a speech at the Grassroots Radio Conference in Boulder, Summer 1998

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