UPDATE: Its a New Day for the SF Bay View Newspaper!

[nattyreb]

BUILD AND SUPPORT INDEPENDENT MEDIA!!
====================

The End of the San Francisco Bay View Newspaper: an interview with Publisher Willie Ratcliffe
part1
by Minister of Information JR
blockreportradio.com


We are sad to break the news that the internationally known San Francisco Bay View Newspaper, two weeks ago, printed its final edition. It is out of the newspaper business, and is transforming into a full-fledged on-line operation, at www. sfbayview. com, which is currently getting over 1 million hits a month.


Personally, I'm sad that it is going out of circulation because who else in the “progressive press” and in the Black press is going to consistently cover Haiti, Colombia, Brazil, El Salvador, France, and Zimbabwe, as well as East Oakland, Hunter's Point, Hurricane Amerikkka, and New York. Who elde is going to give an opportunity to young Black journalist like Aollonia Jordan, Ebony Colbert, Ra'shida Askey, Taiwo Kujichagulia, Majeid Crawford, and Ebony Sinnamon-Johnson or a platform to more seasoned political voices like Mumia abu Jamal, and a number of other prisoners, also Kiilu Nyasha, and Ahimsa Sumchai. Who else in the Black community is going to tell youth about summer jobs and in the same newspaper inform them about the war crimes being committed at Florence Supermax Concentration camp, which is the mainland Guantanamo Bay, or depleted uranium being used by the U.S. Military in Iraq? Who else will talk about the police murders of Cammerin Boyd, Gus Rugley, and Idriss Stelley, Anita Gaye, and Gary King, as well as the Jon Burge Report which details the history of the Chicago police torturing Black people under police lieutenant Jon Burge. Minister Huey P. Newton of the Black Panther Party once said that the Black Panther Newspaper was the life blood of the Black Panther Party, just like when that Black newspaper went out of circulation, this is the end of an era in Black print media in this country.


My guest today is Willie Ratcliffe, the Publisher of the San Francisco Bay View Newspaper who is going to give us some history about the newspaper as well as talk about why he is leaving the newspaper business.


MOI JR: Can you tell us a little bit about the history of the San Francisco Bay View Newspaper and talk about its current status?

W. Ratcliffe: Well the history...back in 1991, we decided to go into news because we felt it would help the African American community to be on the same page with everyone knowing what is going on, because we knew that gentrification, also lack of jazz opportunities, lack of business opportunities. That's real heavy out here in San Francisco and in particular Bay View Hunter's Point. You know we wanted to be able to help people be on the same page, pull together so when they go to meetings they know what to talk about. You know we used to be actually out there going to the meetings, but we couldn't do everything, so we decided to see if we could get the Bay View, and of course Muhammad, (the founding owner) liked what we were doing. People had offered him more money for the paper, and we were able to get it from him because he knew that we would do the things that he would love to do. He just wasn't able to do it. So we hung out there for 16 years, and we were able to get 2 million and two hundred thousand hits per month. And of course Homeland Security has come along and blasted us, and we're getting back up now. We're getting more than a million hits on our website. And that's the way of the future, so we're going over to the website, however it will be better, and we'll be putting out news stories everyday, and all that was going into the paper.


MOI JR: Can we back up a little? You know that there has been a whole bunch of cutbacks in the print newspaper industry around the Bay Area, particularly with the Examiner, within the last couple of years basically shrank its operation. It's barely a shadow of what it used to be. The Oakland Post, another Black newspaper greatly reduced its size.
What is going on in the industry, and what caused the San Francisco Bay View after all of these years to close it's doors?

W. Ratcliffe: There is really a down syndrome going on in print media all across the country, and you know, the larger newspapers, they can stand some loses, but they are cutting back too. And for the smaller papers, its going to be pretty-well impossible for them to survive in print media. You know paper is going up. Everything is going up. And even with the larger papers. They had a guy on (the radio) this morning that wrote a book talking about how the New York Times and others, that the only place where they are making a little but of money is on the website. That is something that we always thought a lot about. So that's what's happening out there. I think that you are going to see newspapers falling like flies especially the smaller ones, and its going to get down to where there is very few newspapers out there. Even the ones that are out there are beefing up their websites, and that includes all of the larger papers. It's almost like the housing market. If you can't get none of the advertisers to pay for things, then you can't just keep losing. Last year, we lost $248,000, that's right at a quarter of a million dollars. And like I said, we have been losing every year. Imean it wasn't as heavy, but in the last 3 years its really got heavy on the losses. So we had to move. The industry is suffering.

[Moorbey]

The newspaper will be surely be missed by those of us that are aware of the background and history of the paper.But at least it has not shut down for good and still can read it on line.

[Mamazen]

Comprehensive and excellence in getting our voices heard;
Here is the on-line version...please support!
San Francisco Bay View - HOME

[Fenix]

As an aspiring journalist, I am always sad to hear of progressive news sources coming to an end. My heart stopped when I saw the thread because I thought the website was going down. I check it every morning. Love the work they do.

We have to start supporting our own!

[nattyreb]

Yeah, y'all, it's wonderful that it's able to still stay alive on-line, i was worried about that too! It's still a shame that it's not available to hand-out to people, there's just nothing like putting something in people's hands that they can look at, some hurriedly, some thoroughly, share, leave behind for someone else to pick up, tear portions out of and mail into people, etc., there's just nothing like a newspaper, especially when at large events. Many newspapers/newsletters have had to greatly downsize and or discontinue altogether, the financial burden is so great and getting advertising or other $$$$ support from our communities is like pulling teeth!!

i can definitely feel their struggle and although we never published anything on the magnificent level of the SF Bay View, i know the newspaper becomes like your own child. Since it's such a very vital part of the community, it's up to all of us online to print out and share as much of it offline as possible in order to keep the information flowing!

[Moorbey]

*** Please spread widely ***

The Bay View’s not dead! We’ll see you on the web

You’re looking for the paper – the Bay View in print – and you can’t find one since the July 2 edition. You’re wondering why no one’s told you what’s wrong.

The quick answer is that yes, we ran flat out of funds or any source to tap and had to suspend printing the paper, at least for now. And that tragic decision set so many things in motion we haven’t yet been able to get to a lot of the basics, like telling our dearest friends and most faithful readers what’s up.

How you can learn more and give us a hand

Meetings: If you’re in the Bay Area – and please forward this invitation to Bay Area residents you know – come to one of two meetings, in San Francisco and Oakland , that Minister of Information JR is planning to announce and discuss with the community the Bay View’s “next steps.” With enough community support, we hope to find a way to print the Bay View monthly. We also need your help to make San Francisco Bay View - HOME more interactive and to campaign for internet access for everybody.

JR explains: “We think it is important for the community to be forward thinking when looking at the demise of the SF Bay View newspaper print edition. We want to come together with organizers to discuss the future of this Black led alternative independent media crew known as the SF Bay View newspaper and discuss some future plans that lie on the horizon and get concrete commitments from supporters.

“The meeting is Thursday, July 24, ‘08, 6 p.m., at 1095 Market St. #307 off of Seventh in downtown San Francisco, by Civic Center BART. All are invited.”

Save the date of Saturday evening, Aug. 9, for the Oakland meeting, which will feature a media panel and a party along with the grassroots discussion and planning. The Black New World, 836 Pine St., West Oakland, is the place. We’ll be looking for all our East Bay readers – everyone’s welcome! More details soon.

I just got two calls – there have been many, as you can imagine – one from a young teacher and one from an elder, saying how “distraught” they and those around them are not to be able to hold a Bay View in their hands. I surely feel their pain (this is editor Mary Ratcliff); the paper’s been my entire life 24/7/365 for over 16 years of editing every word in 697 editions – and I’ve loved every minute.

At the top of the home page at San Francisco Bay View - HOME, you’ll see the headline San Francisco Bay View: The end of an era, the dawn of a new day. Some of my thoughts about the Bay View’s transition to publishing online only, at least for the moment, are there along with a Block Report Radio interview by Minister of Information JR with Bay View publisher Willie Ratcliff that was broadcast on Flashpoints.

Now it’s your turn: Whether or not you can attend the meetings, please email your thoughts and suggestions to editor@sfbayview.com.

Readers in prison: The printed Bay View has literally been a lifeline for people without internet access and most of all for prisoners. Our mail is heavy every day with letters from every concentration camp in the country, many prisoners saying, “The Bay View keeps me alive.”

Until we can afford to mail the sad news – or, hopefully, a monthly paper – to them, you can help by telling all the prisoners you talk with or write to and ask them to spread the news. Tell them we care about them as much as ever, that we’ll continue to post their stories and pen pal requests on the website (volunteers are badly needed to type a huge backlog of requests) and that we want to join them in campaigning for internet access behind enemy lines.

Eugene Thomas, an amazing young man in a Georgia state prison who won his fight to legalize cell phones, is now pushing for permission to upgrade to phones with internet access. And some federal prisons now give prisoners access to the web. The prisoners themselves have kicked off this campaign. Let’s follow their lead!

Web advertising and traffic: Whatever opportunities the future holds for the Bay View and other alternative media will cost money, and income for most media, whether in print or online, comes primarily from advertising. When we had to suspend printing the Bay View, my first task was to tell our advertisers the sad news and ask them to move their ads to our website. Most agreed to do so or at least to consider it.

Knowing very little about web advertising, especially how to price it and what options to offer, I’m afraid our website, like the print edition, could be starved for funds. If you or someone you know has expertise in web advertising to offer, please email me at editor@sfbayview.com.

Maybe San Francisco Bay View - HOME can earn enough to help put the Bay View back in print! The traffic to our site, which already draws over a million hits a month, is bound to increase. You can help build the San Francisco Bay View - HOME readership by spreading this Bay View Alert far and wide.

[nattyreb]

via: POCC Block Report Radio
========================

It's the Beginning of a New Era for the BayView newspaper!

After over 16 years of providing Black and oppressed communities with quality news, the BayView newspaper has ceased printing weekly. At this time, our communities are faced with important questions like,

"Who else in the 'progressive press' and in the Black press is going to consistently cover Haiti, Colombia, Brazil, El Salvador, France and Zimbabwe as well as East Oakland, Hunters Point, Hurricane Amerikkka, Chicago and New York?" POCC Minister of Information JR asks.

Come to the important community forum led by the Minister of Information JR and BayView publisher Willie Ratcliff on the life and future of the BayView newspaper – including plans to print the paper monthly – on Saturday, August 9th, at 7 p.m. at The Black New World, 836 Pine St. in West Oakland, to discuss this question as well as others.

After the forum, there will be a party to celebrate the life and legacy of this phenomenal paper, with DJs X1 from KPOO, Davey D from KPFA and Leydis from Havana, Cuba, spinnin' R&B and Hip Hop on the 1's and 2's.

A donation is requested, but not required. Money raised will benefit the SF BayView's Prison News Bureau.

For more information, call (415) 671-0789 and read the Bay View's online edition at San Francisco Bay View - HOME.

[nattyreb]

WE MUST SUPPORT OUR INDEPENDENT MEDIA
THEY ARE OUR INSTITUTIONS, TOO!!

via iolmisha@cs.com
=======

SFBAYVIEW.COM
is online ! But the hard copy paper is gone... APPEAL FOR SUPPORT !!!

[Save the SF National Black Bayview Hard Copy !]

"In July 2001, hardly a month after my only child idriss Stelley
was executed by SFPD at the Sony Metreon, I knocked on the
Ratcliff's door on 3rd and Palou for the first time, to find out if
they would be willing to cover a story on my son.

Mary Ratcliff, in spite of dreadful deadlines to get her paper out,
opened her arms, sat with me, fed me, and let me tell her at
great length who Idriss really was.

Mary and her husband Willie, publisher of the SF Bayview, soon
allowed me to regularly publish law enforcement accountability
news in their paper to this very day.

Mary patiently helped me refine my writing and investigative
reporting skills, and tremendously contributed to my education
(a work still in progress...) on how the SF "liberal" and
"conservative" political chess game is played out...

They also generously hosted Idriss Stelley Action and Resource
Center on their property for five years, and allowed us to use
their fantastic backyard in the very Heart of beautiful
DOWNTOWN BAYVIEW (3rd &Palou !) to host a number of
Racial and Social Justice cookouts, press conferences and
poetry slams, attended by hundreds of our Sisters & Brothers at a time.

We do not always agree on political issues,
but I look up to Mary and Willie as some of my most powerful,
insightful Mentors and Elders, Movers and Shakers !

The saddest part of losing the hard copy edition of the SF
National Black Bayview Newspaper is that myriads of prisoners, nationwide, also tragically lose their lifeline to "penpals", hope, compassion, understanding, education & resources....

But WATCH IT NOW !


The Ratcliff may have lost a battle, but by far have not
lost...(not :"the War").. their mighty pursuit of.Justice and
Peace for us all on their Revolutionary Path! .

Now let's see how:
* the business community,
* the faith community,
* the National Community at large
* our Poor, Black & Brown Communitites,
* the thousands of folks who read the SF National Black Bayview
paper, delivered to their very door, every week, for
almost two

decades, FOR FREE,

will step up to the plate and show equal commitment and
solidarity to the Ratcliffs, RIGHT NOW.

Show your Love to these two Peace and Justice Giants
my People !

Willie and Mary Ratcliff always did, oblivious to their own quality
of life issues, working for you around the clock, still do...

I once asked Willie: "Hey Mr. Ratcliff, when are you going to retire?"

He laughed out loud, his head tilted back, and replied without
hesitation: "Well, NEVER ! Mary and I are in this for the
Revolution until we die !"

So, are WE gonna quit on the SF Bayview ?

In Unity &Respect,
meshá Mongé Irizarry, director,

* ISARC,
* Education Not Incarceration, SF Chapter, ENI_S
* Black&Brown Equitable Drug Policies Coalition, BEDPC

sfbayview.com
(415) 671-9789