Hill Pulls Plug On Pemberton
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” – Lord Acton
Sen. Hill
In the most stunning act of censorship this Government has perpetrated to date, Senate President Louis Patrick Hill has cancelled the Legislature’s contract with radio station WDHP because owner Hugh Pemberton refused to fire host Mario Moorehead and clamp down on callers who are critical of Governor John P. deJongh Jr.
The contract, a two-year agreement that was not set to expire until January, 2011, was terminated effective January 1, 2010 and was put out to bid last November. It is not known what station has been awarded the new agreement.
Pemberton spoke to the issue today on the Jimmie O’Bryan morning program.
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This is the latest in series of thinly veiled efforts by this Administration to control the information about government activities through the broadcast, print and internet media in the Virgin Islands. The past few months have seen an obvious campaign by those in support of the Administration to flood the airwaves with often illogical and inaccurate spins on the misdeeds in Government and the impact those actions are having on the present and future of the Virgin Islands.
Enough is enough. We call on the St. Croix Senators, any Senators of good conscience, and particularly on Senate Majority Leader Neville James, to take a stand on this blatant act of intimidation by Sen. Hill. Has he not heard of the First Amendment of the Constitution concerning free speech and freedom of the press? These are actions of a dictatorship – not of a democracy – and we shouldn’t stand for it.
Pemberton offered a piece of advice to Hill that he and all other elected officials should consider as we enter this critical election year.
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Mr. Hill: It is really appalling and embarrassing to see, in this day and age a “Senate President” is used and misused to the point of self destruction. The “Wolf” is set out to get his dirty work done by any means necessary and you Mr. Hill, took the bait, line, hook, and sinker. You know that your walk as a Senator is over. I guess we will kill two birds with one stone come November. You should resign now and save yourself further embarrassment. Why do you believe that Mario should no longer shed light in the dark? Why do you believe that he should condone the Governor and his cronies misdeeds.You also think that they should fire Mario? Is that the real reason for pressuring Mr. P. Here’s a little secret. Just like you he wasn’t born in the V.I. But unlike you he stands tall and tell it like it is. You cant pressure Mr. P. you got to be joking! You and the Governor throw the BOOMERANG watch the return. Mr. Hill you are now seen as a MOLD HILL in my eyes. You committed a mortal sin for which there is no pardon and as a consequence your political suicide is inevitable.
Responding to Herb regarding his remarks to “WAKE UP”
Herb will never change, he is the usual hypocritical “KNOW IT ALL” I have always known. Let me refute two tings and shed some light of fact. Herd said that Mr. P is his own worst enemy and further stated some reasons. One of which! (1) He’s stubborn…That’s true, but he is sturbbon after giving careful thought and consideration to what ever problem may be at hand. And YES! once a decision has been made. Mr. P sticks with his conviction. No Governor could talk Mr. P into firing Mario for unjust reasons. Yes! Mr. P. is stubborn when he refused to honor the Governor’s biddings.Yes! You ent see! Hill run with it.
(2) I will like to address the subject regarding the location of the towers. HERB would like to have you believe that the location of the towers for Mr. P’s Radio station is not of the best. Well I am here to inform you that it is in fact the best. My reasoning being, I live in Florida and among other things, I am a carnival lover. When the Parades of Bands, the Queen an Calypso shows are broadcast from both St. Thomas and St. Croix, the only station that comes true crystal clear, is Mr. P. Radio station. The operative word is ” Crystal Clear” So Herb, you can only fool people who have not been able to put your statement to the test. I’ve always known you wanting to be seen as the authority on everything but going no where fast! How dare you criticize Mr. P. as a Radio Jockey? Why! Because he doesn’t have a little “HERB” in his voice. Come on Herb. He sounds much better than Timmy and Monica. I think I just hit a nerve. Be careful Herb.
Tensioner doesn’t know broadcast engineering and his or her lack of same needs enlightenment.
(1) First of all being heard in Florida by 1620, an AM expansion band station, doesn’t mean there is adequate coverage in downtown Christiansted. (I used to send reception cards to Finland, Norway, and Sweden on behalf of the G. Luz James and Family Broadcasting when they owned WSTX and they were running 1/10th power compared to WDHP, WSTX used a low horizontal wire still visible at Fort Louise Augusta.
Again my point here is that the V.I. Senate being heard overseas, outside the contracted coverage area, is essentially worthless. Being heard inside buildings, schools, stores, and offices in Christiansted is what is important. Listening to the deliberation of the Senate to a fuzzy shortwave sounding signal with buzz, crackling, hum, and computer hash is what we get have had for nearly a decade with 1620.
(2) As others to this post have pointed out, WDHP has poor coverage in some STX areas. Beside many radios including my favorite Grundig and Fisher don’t cover above 1600 Khz. Many of the seniors with excellent table top radios have the same problem. Others with ersatz boom boxes have WDHP reception problems as well.
(3) Also there are two major modes of AM broadcast radio signal propagation, sky wave and ground wave. Ground wave is what is good for local coverage and sky wave is good for distances as it relies on the ionosphere to produce multiple hops from sky to ground to get to far away places. Yet, just as I explained to Mr. “P” when he decided make the move to 1620, his location at #1 Mahogany Road has a topographical barrier due to the west end hills in the direction of Christiansted 20 miles away. Sure 1620 can reach C’sted with a reduced signal but at times of the day the refracted sky wave meets the ground wave and the signal of 1620 is badly impaired due to out of phase cancellation of to equal or nearly equal signal levels.
(4) Major Edwin Armstrong long ago foretold the value of his invention FM radio as a much superior means of quality broadcasting only to be viciously attacked by the political forces aligned with RCA and David Sarnoff. The battle was shear brutality and all along Armstrong was right…FM provides cleaner and clearer reception due to better bandwidth characteristic and enhanced signal processing.
So to concluded this on going and seemingly endless thread in a positive note:
Senate President Hill’s decision to change from AM to FM will benefit most all those on St. Croix who before had difficulty in listening to noise free senate sessions clearly. The cost to the taxpayer will be less. Mario will no longer have his talk show interrupted. How can any rational person object to that?
This issue had nothing to do with Roger Morgan, JKC, Mr. P’s lack of grasp of broadcasting acumen, Mario’s talk show, where Senator Hill was born, where you were born, where my parents came from, nor my lack of skin pigmentation, nor most of the 100 plus posted nonsense on this blog that seems to be mostly driven, as Dr. Gordon Lewis used to call it, “insularismo”, but even worse some comments appear driven by hate.
If we could only share all sides of these issues in a calm rational way by listening with deference to facts rather than emotion, can we ever hope to advance
to a Crucian society where we stop automatically dissing each other whenever disagreement emerges.
Herb Schoenbohm:
Please write a book about your family’s experience in the USVI.
Instead of writting a book Herb please go back to where you came from and fade away in peace. You are very annoying.
Herb,
Please write a book and host a radio talk show.
Although I am a native with African roots,I would like a different perspective of the issues. I would like to hear a talk show host speak proper, standard English and make sense for a change.
Anonymous, I would love to get back on talk radio or even do a show about music from around the world like Brazil, West Africa, and even Indonesia where the stuff out of the music studios in Bandung is awesome.
Unfortunately everyone I talk to about this says I am way to controversial to be allowed to ever host a radio show again.
Remember all those liberal continental ladies living on the hillside that screamed when Glen Beck was on the air on St. Thomas. Glen Beck has more viewers on his show at his time slot on FOX than CNN, CNBC, MSNBC combined. Each time he comes on I subliminally hear Aaron Copeland’s “Ode top the Common Man in my mind. He is devoid of hate and animus and loves the people he wants to save from from following the Pied Piper down the road to neo Socialist enslavement. Yet he is not allowed here on radio either. The nativist preference seems to be sophistry and demagoguery.
It seems nothing much more controversial than a discussion of kayak safety is permitted to be discussed by a main-lander.
I even know classical music and mainstream jazz well and have hosted such popular programs in a major market.
Yet I have lived here long enough to learn the insular paradigm that people who had the misfortune of being born somewhere else are not favored when they speak out unabashed to the hoi polloi on the radio.
It seems that place of birth, neither of which you nor I had any control suggests a different standard of public discourse on public policy issues. Lesson learned is that nativity trumps enlightenment. Nativist propaganda mis-truth, misdirection, propaganda are fine just make sure to squelch any contrasting viewpoints. That’s the rule, right?
Will someone please explain to me how this path uplifts the spirit, enlightens the soul, and frees one from the continued bondage of the insularist bukrah.
Herb has been around (to my knowledge)for at least 25 years and as of this writing he hasn’t been(again,to my knowledge)a welfare recipient or any kind of a liability to either our government or people.As a tax-paying and law-abiding citizen Mr.Schoenbohm has every right to do whatsoever he pleases.So Herb you stay and do as you damn well please.
As a native Crucian I don’t care anything about Herb he’s an old fart with heap of gripes. His own people sensor him and he wants to feel he is more superior to the native people, but the last time I check we only tolerate you living here, so don’t where out your welcome.
To blogger #109:Don’t we all,native and non-native,have our own set of gripes? Why must it always be about the same ol’ same-o? Aren’t you ready to grow up and move on with your life? Herb and all who legally reside in the U.S.virgin Islands have the same rights you and all natives have.When are you and people of your ilk going to come to terms with that reality? Give it up.Get a grip for heaven’s sake.And by the way,people “wear’ out
their “welcome”,o.k? Learn the different uses of the the words “Where”,Ware” and “wear” before you start spewing your venom.Nonsense!!!
As a Crucian, I love to hear Herb.
He sounds more sensible than Mario.
If everyone looked the same, act the same and think the same, it would be a dull world. Let’s endorse diversity and respect each other.
@soldier crab,
Whatever! Honestly though, he’s blogging for crying out loud! Sometimes when I comment, I, too, make grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. So have you in previous comments. As long as people understand what is being said, who cares about the former. It’s not as if he’s writting a dissertation. Calm Down!
I didn’t have too many problems with what Herb has been saying. But when he talks about GLEN BECK being “devoid of hate and animus….. “, we have to watch Herb, CLOSELY.
Amen to that!
I’ve heard nothing from Glenn Beck that says he’s a man of ‘hate and animus’.Nothing!But I suppose when folks like Glenn tells it like it is and takes people to task they’ll be labled all sorts of things.
Herb dont have to be a welfare recipient,is it not his sons that take things that other people work hard for, and sell them to make money why would you need welfare when you have this going. are they still in jail?
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1620 AM is the hottest station in town these days – crappy reception or not! People are tuning in to Jimmy, Mario and Jamila more and more. There is also a new show on Saturdays about crime and prisons that is very informative.
Well we all know that what ever Ms.Russell did she paid for it and and is making a come back. What we want now is for the day time First Lady and the so call Gov to pay back the people of the VI what they THIEF. how about that?
I love that new show on Saturdays on 1620. It comes on at 5 p.m.