WAIFStream.com is down, for good. Thank the Board of Trustees!
In order for everyone to understand why WAIFStream.com has been disconnected; I need to give you a little background on my involvement in streaming WAIF online. Hopefully this article will give you some understanding as to how much of a frustration it has been dealing with this poorly managed organization. Keep in mind that I am also not a journalist or professional writer.
My involvement with WAIF started almost 9 years ago, in early 2000. I couldn’t hear the station from my apartment in Northern Kentucky and was very annoyed that they didn’t have some sort of internet streaming. So I contacted a few of the programmers. After a few emails back and forth about what was needed they allowed me to bring in an uplink computer to stream their shows via the internet. A small community radio station in Cincinnati was now live to the world.
Many months went by and after teaching the programmers how to run the uplink themselves, I ended up moving out of town and leaving the future of WAIF’s online streaming in their hands.
Fast forward a few years and I find myself back in Cincinnati.
Apparently a local business that had been streaming WAIF went under or decided that streaming community radio wasn’t for them. So this time I tried to contact station management and see if I could be of any service.
The management of WAIF was very hard to get in touch with. I left several messages and emails. While waiting for WAIF management to get back to me, I registered and started streaming the station on WAIFStream.com. This was done by using a small radio connected via an uplink from my office in Newport.
Finally with the help of Kitty Carson and my public posts on WAIF message boards I was able to get in touch with Mike Wood, treasure of WAIF at the time. Mike was also in charge of anything having to do with IT at WAIF. He was a very nice guy and easy to deal with.
Both Mike and I realized that for WAIF to move into the 21st century a huge internet following would need to be established. I suggested the addition of features such as message boards and community chat, something that I had attributed to the internet success of former programs I had done streaming for back in 2000. Mike said that the board members of WAIF are very reluctant to embrace technology and that he had doubts that the board would let a redesign of the WAIF homepage take place. That being said, he would talk to Howard Riley and see what we could do.
Eventually I was told that WAIF would not redesign it’s homepage due to budget issues. After explaining that I wouldn’t mind recruiting a few like minded individuals and putting things together for free, Mike told me that it was the reluctance to embrace technology that put the nail in the coffin. I assumed that WAIF was digging its own grave and never pushed the issue again.
Mike and I installed an uplink PC in the back of WAIF and uplinked the digital audio to servers owned by my company. WAIF had a Mac server but it was unusable for this type of streaming without some major configuration changes. I told this to Mike but he insisted that we try and use it because, “The station paid a lot of money for this server and if we told them it wouldn’t work for what we needed it for, the board wouldn’t be happy.”
I suggested the station sell this server on eBay to recover the unneeded expense. Mike said it would make the people who suggested purchasing the overpriced server look bad. I thought this was really weird but told him I would try to put it to use in streaming WAIF. I spent about 2-3 days trying to get the configuration right without any luck. I tried to make plans with Mike for me to drop the server back off at WAIF but I never heard from him again about it.
Over the next few years I heard rumors and news reports detailing corruption at WAIF. I never got involved. Mike and Howard seamed like good people to me so I never paid attention to the critics. I attributed the bad press to a few pissed off programmers that had been fired. That being said, I was probably wrong in my assumption at the time.
WAIFStream.com worked with no problems for about 3 years. I always kept Mike’s contact information handy, and Mike always had mine. Every so often I would give a call to him or talk to Howard if I had any issues. My email address was on the front of WAIFStream.com for this entire time and my phone number never changed.
After three years of streaming WAIF, I get a call from Donald Shabazz out of the blue. Mr. Shabazz is very rude and is asking me where the station’s server was and who else was benefiting from station’s equipment. I was shocked. I had been providing a service to WAIF for the past few years and never been talked to like this. I told him where the equipment was, that I had not used the equipment and that WAIF was more than welcome to come get it. I told him that Mike knew everything that was going on and that I had been instructed to report to Mike or Howard if I needed anything.
During this time I have never received nor asked for even one dollar to fund this project. Streaming WAIF online was something that I was glad to do as a courtesy to WAIF listeners and programmers.
Apparently the stream had been offline for a few weeks and no one had my contact information because Mike had left the organization on short notice. I was told to meet Howard at the station on Sunday morning and that I could have access to the streaming uplink.
That Sunday I meet Howard at the station and noticed that the streaming PC had been tampered with. Someone had installed other software and it was conflicting with the streaming uplink. I made Howard aware of this and he agreed that someone had tampered with things. He said that he would make sure that everyone knew not to touch the uplink and to call me if they needed help with things.
At this point I also gave Howard instructions on how to reset the internet stream if things went down for some reason. Apparently Howard didn’t retain this information because I was at the station a total of 3 different times to hit a reset button. It seems like I was at the station every other week because of some mishap. The internet would go out for an extended period of time, a storm would knock out the power, or someone would mess with the uplink PC. The problems have been endless, all caused because of one thing or another going on at the station.
Until recently I had been willing to help WAIF get its streaming problems under control.
The last straw was on CHRISTMAS EVE when I received a very unprofessional call from Victoria (WAIF Board Member) yelling at me that the stream had been down for months and that WAIF was going to “pursue legal action” against me for the stream being down.
WAIF is going to pursue legal action against a volunteer for providing a service to the station out of his own pocket? Are they insane?
This Victoria had no idea who I was or what had been going on. Victoria also thought that WAIF was paying me to provide this service. Victoria also had no idea that the stream was down in the past two months because internet access was down at WAIF studios. Shouldn’t a board member know this?
Her really being a board member is something I can not easily verify because WAIF no longer publishes the board members on its website. She also claims that Howard is no longer station manager. So I really don’t know who to believe.
I have volunteered for many different organizations in my life and I have never met one that was more ungrateful than WAIF 88.3 Cincinnati.
So from this point on, WAIFStream.com will not be streaming WAIF.
WAIF Board Members: You need to make arrangements to come and get your server from my office. Please email me at chris@chrisswain.com for directions. I have made my last trip to your studio and have contributed my last hour of time for your organization. If you are really serious about taking legal action against me, I will see you in court. I guarantee that the judge will have a good laugh and that my team of overpaid corporate attorneys can figure out something good to counter sue you over. It’s your choice.
To those listeners / members who have enjoyed listening to WAIF online, I am sorry that this project has to end. You can thank the WAIF Board Of Trustees for screwing up yet another good thing that WAIF had going for it.
Sincerely,
Chris Swain
Former WAIF Volunteer
WAIFStream.com
chris@chrisswain.com
Chris,
I am a like minded individual working in IT for a living. I have tried to contact and work with you many times, with no response from you. I understand your frustration but am sad to hear that you are not willing to work on the W.A.I.F stream. My show used to have many listeners from California and other countries. I will work with W.A.I.F and try to get a more robust and reliable stream set up. I am a Macintosh person and have run Macintosh servers before, I would love to get my hands on the G5 server and get it setup and working. I believe it has the streaming software built in to the server software from the factory. I thin the biggest thing W.A.I.F would need to do the own the service is to get a better internet connection.
Thanks for all of your work in the past, I wish you and I could have worked together on this.
Are you still located near i-275 and Beechmont Ave?
Thanks
Guy Moore
Rockin & Surfin’ Show
Saturdays 6-8 PM
This is a fine tribute to Rockin’ Robert. “Rockin’ and Surfin’” was a mainstay of the station for over 25 years and the only reason I listened to - and contributed to - WAIF. Thanks to streamaing, it was only in the past few years that I was able to hear the station down here in Kentucky. Goodluck, Chris.
–Budd Stidom
Morehead, KY
Well I understand you concern about the station i have a show on the station that has a lot to gain with the streaming you need to contact me
i dont want to hear the politics i want to know how we can restore the streaming. dont waist time or energy on politics, mis-communication ect….. after all nobody is gettin a check for this s!@t so lets have fun… that was a perfect way for you to display your computer talent and it speaks volumes so you should try to resolve the matter………………email me djscuzzy@gmail.com
Chris,
I am a co-programmer of Crawfish Fiesta, a WAIF program that airs on Tuesday nights. I was forwarded your email from a listener in Dayton, OH who had the savvy to track down what happened to the live streaming. I can only say how sorry my husband, Robin, and I are to know that we have lost your most-appreciated services. We never knew who was responsible for the live streaming, but were always glad to have it, and frustrated when it wasn’t working. I must say it’s astonishing to read the chronology of events in your efforts to boost the station with this much-needed service.
Thanks, Chris, for your freely-given time, and for trying to help WAIF become something greater than it is. I’m sure there are many programmers here who seriously regret what has transpired.
Joani Lacy
chris -
interesting, but not surprising story(especially episode w/victoria). I listen to waif for 2 reasons. sat. morn bluegrass-which i do for enjoyment and friday from 5pm to 12 am for entertainment and laughs. your good friend victoria hosts the sisterhood show at 5-6pm. very angry inside person.then at 6pm i listen to tapes of calypso louie farrakan. and it goes on and on from there-all nite long. hating “europeans” and “caucasians” for all their misfortunes. It’s really sad in a way but i get a laugh out of some peoples’ capitalizing on their “victimhood”.
anyway, you sound very technically competant and a generally nice guy. watch out! … we finish last. ha. ha.
- matt
Wow. That sucks. I was just getting all set to listen to it and everything.
Thank god this is over. I can’t even begin to tell you what kind of hell WAIF put my husband and our family through!
Their board members, some dj’s, and listeners have called at all hours of the night and on weekends to bitch about the stream not being up when it was WAIF’s fault. We have dealt with disrespect and downright rudeness for providing a free service. We gave personal family time up just to be disrespected. People called during our vacations, family outings, the birth of our daughter, and Christmas only to yell at my husband because a free service was down at no fault of his own.
The last straw is my daughter’s first Christmas Eve. We had a house full of family, Santa is standing outside our door, kids were dying to open their presents, and some disrespectful woman calls threatening to sue us for something that is donated. Give me a break! We have donated and sacrificed too much of our lives to be treated like we have. Good luck finding someone that will put up with as much as we have over the last 4 years. Good bye and good riddance!
Chris,
First, I want to Thank you on behalf all the listeners for the service you provided for the station. But, I’m little disturbed as to why you choose this avenue to end your relationship with the station in this very public way? Are you attempting to hurt someone with this information? Look, I don’t know all of the Board members but, I’ve sat in during there conversations about you and the service you were providing and those who knew worked hard to prevent others from knowing. It would have been better for you to have just walked away than to implicate everyone of foolishness. I would caution that this is your side of the story and it boarderlines on slander and hearsay. I hope that over the years as good business practice that you wrote this service off in taxes?
Be Careful! You have a business to protect.
Jaimelynn,
Up until this point I have not replied to any of the comments for this blog post. I feel like I made my point and am totally done with the massive amount of drama surrounding WAIF.
About 90% of the emails I have received have been in support of my stance with WAIF. Your post on the other hand is so absurd that I feel the need to comment.
What about this post is “borderline slander”? This post is a truthful account of my history with WAIF and the facts surrounding my departure from hosting of the stream. I have never lied or slandered anyone. I simply used my first amendment rights to state my position. If WAIF would like to take me to court for using my first amendment rights (rights that they are providing an outlet for) so be it.
Why did I choose this public forum to end my relationship with the station? Simply put, WAIF’s listeners and programmers deserve to know why the person hosting it’s stream after so many years decided to quit. Wouldn’t you like some sort of transparency regarding this issue? Most of the listeners that have contacted me appreciate knowing what happened. Apparently your one of the only people that rather be left in the dark.
Another thing that concerns me about your comment is the account of you sitting in conversations about me and the board members that have worked to “prevent others from knowing”.
Prevent them from knowing what? That I am streaming the station? Why would they do that? From the beginning Howard and Mike both have had my phone number and email address. Neither have changed since I started streaming WAIF. I don’t know where you are coming from with this comment. I could care less if the board knew who was streaming the station.
Lastly, I never wrote this service off on my taxes. I never benefited from hosting WAIF’s internet stream at all. Not even one dollar was made from my association with WAIF. Howard offered to let me underwrite a show but I declined. I never billed WAIF for any work I have ever done for them.
In fact, WAIF’s stream consumed money each month. Bandwidth isn’t cheap and neither is driving to the WAIF studio to press a reset button. I didn’t care, because I wanted to do something for Cincinnati and for free speech.
-Chris
Dude, Sorry I was only asking a question! I was actually supporting you! @Chris
Hey I am sorry to hear that this happen too I had several listeners from New York and other places listening too. I hope everything resolves itself and Thank you for what you have already done…
Cris,
I left Cincinnati a few years ago and I was very thankful for the WAIF stream when I found it online. It was a nice slice of home.
With all of the corruption, infighting, and counter-productive B.S. that I’ve heard about down at WAIF over the years, (microcosm of Cincinnati that it is) I was a bit surprised that they had ever managed to get a streaming-service up and running to begin with.
The fact that it was set-up and maintained by a volunteer, (out-of-pocket, no-less) comes as little surprise to me after reading your article. What do they do with the money people send-in to support them? Nevermind, forget I asked that.
Anyway, thanks a lot for all of your efforts. I am sad to see it go but I don’t blame you for throwing your hands up in frustration. Sometimes I wonder how that station manages to stay on the air.
The board of directors needs to drop the egos, pull their damn heads out of their asses and start treating the volunteers and the community with some respect for a change.
I’d really like to see WAIF get back to what was once a really cool, small-town, all-volunteer radio-station instead of a perpetual embarrassment to read about in the local weeklies (and now, online).
Wish in one hand…
Cheers!
Hi Chris,
Thanks for writing this. No one at the station has mentioned the stream even being down. I am seeing this now because I had refered a potential interview guest to this site to show that the station streams and they said ‘uh..nope’. I wanted to say a couple of things - prior to reading this my thoughts were that someone was a dull crayon and didn’t know how to stream properly and I was rather upset that the station wouldn’t take action..but now that I have read this, it makes complete sense. I am a volunteer at the station and I am well aware of how non-chalant the BOT is and how ‘ungrateful’ people come across. It wears on all volunteers but we have to remember that they are volunteers as well and perhaps taking on the role in the BOT is draining to them. I tell myself this so I can overlook unpleasant behavior and turn my cheek. I would like to thank you for all of your dedication and hardwork over the many years that you have worked with WAIF. It has been greatly appreciated (and now more apparent in this blog! thanks).
Well as a casual listener all I can say is I want it back. I don’t normally listen to radio, but i thoroughly enjoy a couple of the programs. Sorry for the crap you went through, someone there needs to get on the damn ball. Not only does there need to be online streaming, but accessible websites for the station’s programs. Thanks for your voluntary effort, and it really sucks what unjustly happened to you. Mainly however, this a plea for someone to pick up the slack. As a listener, I am not satisfied. The station should satisfy me.
I would like to say thank you for all the hard work and service you have done for the station. I had many listeners from Belgium to Japan because of the Streaming. I myself had made up over 5000 ads over the years supporting the waif streaming system. so thank you once again for all your efforts. Angela/SkullCrusher Metal Attack
Chris,
While this set of circumstances saddens me not just for our show, but several others, it does not surprise me. I’m sorry you got caught in the middle of what has been a true perfect storm that is WAIF. I thank you for hanging so long, and personally apologize for all the interruptions from people that cannot follow simple instructions. That’s the story of our lives here, they don’t know what they have until it’s gone…what’s next? Wait, you’ll see..sorry, and thanks.
Rubia Tonta
I had been wondering why the stream disappeared. I’ve had friends involved with the station and read a few stories about them in the local papers, so the circumstances involved are no big surprise.
All that aside, I can’t imagine how a community station on a fixed budget would not take the minimal and relatively inexpensive steps necessary to reach a global audience. There are countless web-only stations people are running out of their own homes without any sort of community sponsorship.
The impression I get is that WAIF is run like someone’s private fiefdom. Then to read some of the responses on here from people apparently involved in the station.. Vague threats and confusing innuendo.. Clearly this is not the way to survive as an NPO in a struggling economy. For a community-supported station there seems to be a serious lack of transparency and zero visibility in the community being served. I can’t remember once seeing a WAIF booth at any event in the city in the ~15 years I’ve lived here.
I have a feeling that nothing is going to change at the station until the donations drop off to a point where it’s unavoidable. By that point the station will probably be history.
Man, thats all too bad. I just moved back to the nati’. Luckily I can pick it up in the car, now. WAIF is one a the few high points of media in Cincinnati. Hopefully, WAIF will rid itself of incompetence in management and oversight. Good luck Chris, you did good things (for free!)
I am one of the “little people” who work in and around the city of Cincinnati’s government. I find it amazing as I look back through all the posts about WAIF and Donald Shabazz that no one outside the fringe media and those in the “small press” ever put the spotlight on Shabazz. He was and continues to be a Rob Blagojevich like figure, blatantly abusing any power or responsibility ever given to him, all the while hiding behind social positions and everyone who’s ever dealt with him is aware of this, yet he continues to obtain positions of responsibility. As an IT savvy individual I applaud your efforts but I also support your decision to pull the plug on your free support. As is so often the case with organizations like WAIF, the management seems to either be the worst of the worst (people who can’t do “real” work and get off on the power trip) or those who genuinely understand and care about this type of effort. Unfortunately it seems that the ratio is usually about 10 to 1 in favor of the idiots. I actually listened from time to time online (love those “Kill Whitey” Fridays) but WAIF went from being a radio station to being some kind of halfway house for degenerate middle management a long time ago. This is pretty systemic in all areas of Cincinnati it’s just that WAIF is small enough that they couldn’t spend the big $$ it takes to hide/payoff this kind of activity forever.