[WXBH-Discuss] to the Board of Directors

[jamiem at riseup.net]

To the Brycc House Board of Directors:

As a co-founder, former executive director, former board member and former
volunteer, I understand your position. The Brick House project is a noble
one that, in a perfect world, would be  wildly successful. This town needs
a place like the Brick House. We need an all ages show venue. We need an
alternative library. We need a free bike workshop. We need all of the
services that the Brick House wants to provide.

However, this town also needs a real alternative radio station. As 
everybody knows, WXBH is a lot more financially stable than the Brick
House project as a whole. In my years of experience with the Brycc
House/Brick House, I have seen over and over again the many ways in which
the building (both this one and the previous location on Bardstown Road)
can suck the resources out of all of the other programs.

Until that building on 2nd Street has working AC and heat, it doesn't make
sense to build a radio studio there. Therefore, it doesn't make sense for
the board to worry about radio establishing an outside studio IN ADDITION
TO the eventual studio within the building.

Yes, the Brick House is in desperate need of money. As someone who was
there at the beginning and for many years afterwards, I can tell you that
the Brick House is ALWAYS going to be in desperate need of money. Every
single person who wants to see that building stay there should be
constantly engaged in building-specific fundraising -- and I don't just
mean making mortgage and utility payments, either. I mean finding the
thousands and thousands of dollars needed to renovate the space.

However, based on my experiences and based on what news I can glean from
the various Brick House email lists, that level of fundraising is just not
happening. Therefore, I am pretty sure that one of the following three
things will happen to the Brick House and its projects:

1. The building and the Board suck all of the money and independence out
of WXBH. WXBH flounders and vanishes. Without the WXBH donations
misappropriated for mortgage and utility payments -- and without the
community enthusiasm and goodwill generated by WXBH -- the Brick House
goes under.

2. WXBH is granted financial and operational independence. They run a 
studio outside the building with eventual plans to run a studio in the
building if the HVAC and electrical issues are ever resolved.  Months
pass; the issues are not resolved. The board eventually comes to its
senses and agrees that the building is a money pit and  albatross. Board
votes to sell the building; any proceeds are saved towards the cost of a
new building somewhere. WXBH survives.

3. WXBH is granted financial and operational independence. The Board  of
Directors and all of the volunteers realize that massive amounts of
fundraising are required. Several grants are obtained which allow total
building renovation, including HVAC, electricity and soundproofing. WXBH
then builds a studio in the refurbished building and maintains two studios
for the foreseeable future. A strong WXBH leads to higher visibility for
the Brick House in the community which results in increased donations and
participation. Everybody wins.

Obviously #3 is the best-case scenario, but I think all of these scenarios
are quite realistic. If these ridiculous power struggles continue, I'm
sure that #1 will come to pass.

The bottom line is: if you are facing a future without ANY kind of funding
(for renovations, mortgage, utilities, etc.), then what's better? To
prolong the inevitable by using up WXBH's money and then having everything
collapse when the money runs out, or to fold up the tents on everything
EXCEPT WXBH so that at least one major program will survive?

Like I said, this town needs everything that the Brick House is offering.
But will you squelch the radio station just so the other struggling
programs will have a few extra months' reprieve?

Until now I have been silent on these issues. When people ask me how the
Brick House is doing I'm always positive: I say that there are still music
shows, there's still a library, there's still a bike workshop, the radio
station is finally on the air, and the project needs donations and
volunteers. BUT: if the Board doesn't recognize that WXBH needs to be
financially and operationally independent, then I'm going to stop being
positive. I'm going to start telling people the truth: without WXBH, the
Brick House will, after teetering so long on the edge, finally plummet
into an abyss of financial disaster and is therefore unworthy of continued
donations. I will share my opinion in as many public forums as I possibly
can.

WXBH has the opportunity to impact this community in a way that a tiny,
unheated, uncooled building on 2nd Street cannot. Do NOT screw up this
opportunity, please.

-- Jamie Miller
Co-founder, BRYCC House Inc
Former executive director, board member and volunteer