What is Going on at New York's WBAI-FM 99.5 Radio Station?

For those of you who tune into http://www.WBAI.org anytime of the day or night, you are probably now well aware of WBAI's "favorite Indian," also going by the name of Chief Wereo.

This is how revolutions are sparked. Constant interruptions during regular broadcast shows by "the mysterious Indian" are now the norm on WBAI.

WBAI has a potential listening base of 25 million. They cover the entire Eastern Seaboard and are on the world wide web. They also have a listener forum for thoughts and views and an archive that covers every produced show. With approximately 100 different shows, and a station that leans entirely to the left and even at times left of left, they run the gamut of stimulating conversation. A few music shows dot the WBAI landscape, but these are few and far between. It's billed as "listener supported free speech radio" and for the most part they do not employ call screeners at their call-in number which is always 1-212-209-2900.

Because of their long-standing free and open democratic forum, something very peculiar is happening within the annals of http://www.WBAI.org as of late. Every WBAI listener now knows, that no one but their beloved "Indian" has certainly appropriated the free airwaves and transformed the station into something it never was.

In step with the drastic social revolution underway now, a lot of shows are getting "interrupted." This is particularly true of the late-night talk shows, hosted by the likes of Dr. Ron Daniels NiteTalk, Kamal Kaalfunes' Under The Learning Tree, Bob Fass' Radio Unnameable, and Bill Weinbergs' Moorish Orthodox Radio Crusade.

Also under the Indians' thumb are Any Saturday hosted by David Rothenberg, Uncle Sidney's on Sundays and Habte Selassies' Labbrish. These are just a few of the long-broadcasting WBAI radio shows now under the control of "the WBAI-FM Chief." Tom Wisker's Weaponry, Eddie Ellis' On The Count, and Timokasin Ghosthorses' Indigenous Radio Hour are also subject to dial-ins by the Indian, however he uses a different language with these latters.

Some of the long-standing callers like Monroe, Tom from the Bronx, the Revolutionary, the Mutterer and "the Cuban native" now all do shows with the Indian, and they're loving every minute of it. One particular caller who the Indian enjoys immensely, but hasn't been heard from for awhile is "Dogs in Trees" who used to frequent Mike Sargents' NiteShift show and Bob Fass' Radio Unnameable. Unfortunately Dogs in Trees, sometimes referred to as Birds in Trees hasn't been heard from in a couple of months. He's really good.

Some more of the society's well-known celebrities and New York and national area politicians have not escaped the howls and chants of the WBAI-FM Indian. These include Reverend Wright, Councilman Charles Barron (on more than one occasion), Robert Downey SR, Wavy Gravy of Woodstock fame (hey, don't take the brown acid, man!), David Amram, many others, Star Trek writers, famous New York playwrights, and lots of other featured authors and speakers have as of late all come under the auspices of the WBAI Indian Chief on these call-in shows.

Even with the history these shows carry, something like this has never happened across the airwaves of WBAI or any other New York radio station. If you live in New York and actually listen to WBAI, you may have the sense of "is the Chief going to show tonight?" It's the impression of "without the Chief there isn't going to be any worthwhile radio tonight, so we may as well tune out now" That is the magnitude and the essence of the WBAI Chief.

There is a notable and growing list of quotes from the WBAI on-air personalities that are under siege. This morning on NiteShift for instance, when the Indian appeared and was one of perhaps only two callers on the show, the host Mike Sargent exclaimed, "this is scary."

NiteShift is a show based mostly on horror films. They were interviewing the music composer for the film The Surrogates.

Some of the on-air quotes about this new WBAI Indian Chief are as follows:

"You should organize the people" -Dr. Ron Daniels,

NiteTalk, WBAI-FM 99.5

"He's the hottest act in America, in moviedom" -Byron,

Niteshift Show, WBAI-FM 99.5

"We think of you often" -Bob Fass, Radio Unnameable, WBAI-FM 99.5

At last Friday's Andy Warhol Extravaganza in the Hotel Chelsea in midtown New York, the Chief in person heard a party goer talking about the variety of shows on WBAI. The Chief then asked him, are you a devout listener of WBAI? When the party goer affirmed, the good Chief Wereo let out a howl to which the man immediately became free. The incident is referred to in this week's La Dolce Musto in the Village Voice.

One of the spawns of Chief Wereo's relentless and unmistakable howling and chanting is he has spawned a veritable cottage industry of imitators who have taken up the Chiefs' revolutionary cause and now do nothing but chant on the touched WBAI airwaves. You may tune into http://www.WBAI.org and join the Cause yourself.

What exactly IS the cause, may you ask? The Cause is Nuclear Warrior and the California Jam Revival. Hey!