Saturday, October 28, 2006

Free Speech at KMUD? Don't count on it.

KMUD Radio has two men, said to be buddies, who are allowed to control free speech on KMUD. Michael Jacinto is KMUD's programming director and along with his friend, Paul Somebody or other, the chairperson for the KMUD Board of Directors, these two men have banned Steve Lewis from having any KMUD shows.

What is their reason for such bannishment? Was my Steve Lewis Show too disruptive to air? Did I break FCC rules while on the air? Did KMUD listeners complain about my shows? No, no, and no. The very same words Paul used on me when I asked the Board if I could have another Heartlands Show or any more Steve Lewis shows on KMUD. Why not, I asked? No reasons given except Michael Jacinto chiming in to say there were "issues".

The "issues" Michael is referring to have to do with Michael's abrupt attempt to take away my and my Heartlands Project partner Sparky's free speech right to talk about Heartlands and its former relationship with the Bear River Tribal Council. Michael Jacinto had gotten a fax from then Bear River Casino Manager John McGinnis telling Michael that neither I or Sparky could talk about Bear River on our Heartlands show.

We had invited both Wayne Moon, former Bear River Vice-Chairperson and our former Bear River Tribal Council Heartlands Project supervisor to call in on our Heartlands Show from where he is now living in Reno. We invited current Bear River Chairperson Leonard Bowman to come on our show or phone in like Wayne. We wanted Bowman to explain the reasons his Tribal Council gave the $10,000 donation to Paul Gallegos campaign and why he denied Heartlands had been under the Bear River Tribe's authority for over three years. That's when Leonard seems to have put McGinnis up to the job of skuttling any probing questioning of the current Bear River administration.

Michael had KMUD cave into this gag order by Bowman/McGinnis telling us that, sure, we could have our Heartlands Show, only we couldn't mention anything about Bear River on it. An impossible restriction and Michael knew it as Sparky is a Bear River tribal member and so is Wayne Moon and why the hell can't they talk about their own tribe on KMUD? Heartlands is completely independent of Bear River and is under absolutely no obligations to the current Bear River Tribal Council.

This forced cancelation of our Heartlands Show and the banning of my shows on KMUD is a free speech issue that KMUD has just let two men decide for all KMUD listeners.
The Steve Lewis Show has always been well-received by the majority of KMUD listeners. I've gotten along fine for years with KMUD staff except for Michael Jacinto, with whom I had had previous conflicts over freedom of speech.

One of the people I've introduced to the KMUD listening community is Rose Welsh who's been on my show several times. Rose is a treasure of an investigative reporter, one on the best if not the best in Humboldt County at digging beneath the surface to get to truth about those in office running our lives. With my show cancelled, KMUD listeners are deprived of Rose's knowledge and they are deprived of news about Bear River because Sparky can't talk freely about his own tribe.

Two men are allowed to control free speech on KMUD Radio. Because I wouldn't kow-tow to Michael and Paul's power-tripping, I had my KMUD show taken away as punishment. Is this how "Redwood Community Radio" operates? Free speech is denied those who cross KMUD personel? I think it's time KMUD reviewed its programmer and its Board of Directors head for their role in denying KMUD listeners access to uncensored news about what's happening in their own community.

7 comments:

Steve Lewis said...

It should noted too that in the intervening time that our Heartlands Show was cancelled, Bear River Chairman, Leonard Bowman has been removed from his position on the Bear River Casino Board and is currently the subject of a tribal recall petition now in circulation to tribal members. John McGinnis was demoted from his job as Casino Manager, probably because there were so many tribal members questioning his ability to purchase a $900,000 home when other tribal members like Sparky are going homeless.

These two are the ones that Michael Jacinto let's speak for the Bear River tribe. KMUD gives tribal leaders under clouds of tribal mismanagement the go-ahead to stop Bear River tribal members like Sparky and Wayne Moon from questioning the current Bear River tribal administration in public.

Eric V. Kirk said...

I'll post a link to this on my blog a little bit later.

Eric V. Kirk said...

I'll link to this post on my blog a little bit later Steve.

Eric V. Kirk said...

Only sent the two posts because I thought the first one didn't take. I hadn't noticed that moderation had been enabled. Sorry.

Nick Bravo said...

shoutcast.com and live365.com allow people to have online radio shows.

I agree that it's ridiculous how the leftists cry out for free speech but when someone says something the leftists disagree with they demand censorship.

Rose said...

Having listened to your show on KMUD several times, and going on twice as your guest, each time I thought, man, the callers are going to slam this guy, because he is not presenting a popular message.

Instead, the callers were thoughtful, considerate and engaging, each and every time, and the calls were not only steady but backed up.

Some called to disagree, but the discussion was civil.

It was surprising. And I think the KMUD Board, chose to discourage diversity, to deny their listening audience access to varying opinions.

Rather like, we're for free speech as long as you agree with us.

Given the response of the callers, you have to ask why KMUD would do such a disservice to the listeners.

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