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Dear Friend and listener,

My name is Jenna Flanagan, and every Monday morning I have the privilege of welcoming listeners across the country to We Decide: America at the Crossroads, Pacifica Network's nationally distributed public affairs program.

For more than twenty years, I've dedicated my career to helping people understand the news, not just what happened, but why it matters to their lives. From my early days at 1010 WINS to reporting for WBGO, WNYC, WNET, and WMHT, I've always believed journalism should make complicated issues accessible, honest, and useful.

That belief is what brought me to WBAI.

In late 2023, after my position at WNET unexpectedly came to an end, I received a call from my former WNYC colleague Bob Hennelly, now General Manager of WBAI. He wasn't simply offering me another job. He was offering the chance to build something increasingly rare: an independent, fearless news program that gives voice to the people and issues too often ignored by corporate media.

Together with Interim Program Director Keziah Glow, News Director Rebecca Myles, and our producer Jesse Lent, we created We Decide: America at the Crossroads.

Every week, we go beyond the headlines to examine the actions of the Trump administration, the resurgence of organized labor, state and local elections, economic inequality, and the policies shaping the future of our democracy. We invite thoughtful experts, organizers, journalists, and community leaders to help listeners connect the dots and understand what's really happening, not through partisan talking points, but through careful reporting and meaningful conversation.

My goal has always been simple: you shouldn't need a graduate degree in politics or spend hours reading investigative reports to understand the issues affecting your family, your paycheck, your community, and your future. Journalism should inform everyone, not just insiders.

But today, I'm writing to you because independent journalism like this is in very real danger.

Unlike most media organizations, WBAI doesn't answer to billionaires, shareholders, or corporate advertisers. We answer to our listeners. That's what makes this station so valuable and so vulnerable.

Right now, WBAI is facing an urgent financial crisis. To remain on the air, the station must pay approximately $170,000 in overdue transmitter rent. Without those payments, we risk losing our ability to broadcast from New York City and continue serving listeners throughout the region and across the Pacifica Network.

This isn't a distant problem. It's happening now.

If you've ever appreciated hearing voices that challenge conventional wisdom, if you've relied on WBAI when other outlets failed to ask difficult questions, or if you simply believe independent journalism deserves to exist, I'm asking you to help today.

I'm making this request not only as the host of We Decide: America at the Crossroads, but as a fellow supporter of WBAI. I contribute because I believe this station matters. I know firsthand that community radio survives because ordinary people decide it's worth protecting.

Your gift, whether it's $25, $50, $100, or a monthly contribution as a WBAI Buddy, helps keep independent reporting on the air. Sustaining monthly donations are especially important because they provide reliable support that allows the station to plan for the future and demonstrate broad community backing.

Please don't assume someone else will step forward. Community radio has always depended on people like you making the decision to give when it matters most.

If independent media disappears, rebuilding it won't be easy. The conversations, accountability, and perspectives that make WBAI unique could be lost for ever.

Please make your contribution today by calling 1-833-WBAI-NYC (1-833-922-4692) or donating online. If you can, I hope you'll become a sustaining WBAI Buddy. Even $5 or $10 a month makes a meaningful difference when thousands of listeners participate.

Thank you for listening, for believing in independent journalism, and for standing with WBAI when your support matters most.

With gratitude and solidarity,

Jenna Flanagan

Host and Managing Editor, We Decide: America at the Crossroads

Read a sample of WBAI's reporting below

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How Long Will NYC Ignore EMS Crisis? North Country Maternal Care On The Ropes

July 20th, 2026

by Bob Hennelly and Jenna Flanagan

While rain did help improve our air quality ahead of yesterday's World Cup final in which Spain prevailed over Argentina, scores of Canadian wildfires continue to burn with our regional air quality only graded as "moderate" meaning that the millions of people with pre-existing respiratory and or coronary conditions still need to be mindful of their outdoor exposure.

According to the New York Times, most of the close to 1,000 Canadian wildfires are in such vast remote wilderness areas they cannot be fought effectively and are often left to burn. As the climate has continued to warm, the wildfire season has become longer and the areas burned by forest fires have nearly quadrupled since the 1970s, the Times reports.

As to be expected, President Trump's response has been to blame Canada and threaten to impose new tariffs on Canada who he says is being "willfully negligent" by "not properly maintaining" their forests".

Of course, wildfires remain a critical issue here in the US in places like Colorado where last month three firefighters were killed when trying to stay ahead of a wildfire in western Colorado.

Trump's bullying remarks toward Canada come of course as Trump denies there's a climate crisis, wages a war of choice on Iran, cancels alternative energy projects and promotes increasing the burning of coal and oil.

All of this while he cuts US wildfire fighting and scientific research into the effects of wildfires including the impacts of toxic metals like copper, lead and zinc that are released into the atmosphere. Specifically, the Trump regime is planning to close two thirds of the Forest Services 77 research labs.

This morning, our weekly current events conversation with labor historian Dr. Joe Wilson will include Jenna Flanagan, who hosts We Decide: America at the Crossroads, heard here on Mondays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

This morning we will also get an update on some troubling reports about a New York State North Country hospital closing its maternity practice, a growing trend in much of America where over a third of counties, that's over 1,000 counties, don't have a single birthing facility or obstetric clinician.

In our second hour we are going to check in with our FDNY EMS unions about a new bill introduced by New York City Council Member Joann Ariola, who chairs the Council's Fire and Emergency Management Committee to provide a $20,000 retention and recruitment bonus for FDNY EMTS and $25,000 payment to FDNY EMS paramedics.

This proposal comes as the city's EMS crisis continues with scores of ambulances sitting idle every day for the lack of a crew while response times for the most serious medical emergencies continues to deteriorate.

This EMS proposal follows on the heels of a similar one time $10,000 bonus passed by the New York City Council last week for New York City's paraprofessional teachers who help New York City's special needs children get through their school day.

Currently that workforce, like so many members of FDNY EMS, are making poverty level wages.

WBAI-Pacifica has been bringing you these essential conversations for over 60 years. We can’t continue without your support.

Please consider becoming a WBAI Buddy today or making a one-time donation online or by calling our new pledge line at 833-WBAI-NYC or 833-922-4692. If our volunteers are busy with other listeners, please leave a message and someone will return your call. You can also mail a check or money order to:

Pacifica (WBAI)

388 Atlantic Ave.

Brooklyn, NY, 11217

The Pacifica Foundation is a tax-exempt 501c(3)