Jan. 18, 2007– Four St. Croix senators have sent documents to the Federal Communications Commission in an attempt to keep radio talk-show host Roger W. Morgan from fully owning and operating radio station 93.5-FM. One of the documents states that Morgan is using his daily program, named "Free Speech," to "destabilize the legislative branch of government."
Morgan, who has operated the station for the past three years, recently applied to purchase the station from current owners Philip and Ellen Kuhlman. "As it relates to the purchase, I have done everything required of me," Morgan said, when contacted Thursday. "All that's left is getting the FCC to approve the transfer of the [broadcast] license from the current owners."
But documents filed by St. Croix Sens. Juan Figueroa-Serville, Neville James, Norman Jn Baptiste and Ronald E. Russell, along with St. Thomas Sen. Louis P. Hill, attempt to keep the approval process from moving forward.
The documents — which are dated Jan. 11 and printed on Russell's legislative stationery — include an "informal" letter of objection, along with a petition to deny the transfer of license.
The letter of objection states that Morgan is using the issue of a senatorial recall to "destabilize the Legislative branch of government … and to promote divisiveness within the St. Croix community."
Recently, recall petitions for Figueroa-Serville, James, Jn Baptiste and Russell have been circulated throughout the big island, protesting the senators' recent approval of a controversial bill that gives the governor, lieutenant governor and senators pay raises (See "Petition Drive Seeks to Recall Senators Who Voted for Raises").
A recall petition for Hill has also been circulated throughout St. Thomas and St. John.
The objection letter also states that Morgan "appears to promote and support personal attacks on individuals that oppose the recall."
"While we, as elected officials, accept, understand and welcome criticism, and understand the First Amendment right of citizens, we cannot allow the issue of the Voluntary Transfer to proceed without objection or comment," the letter says. "There are responsibilities that attach to First Amendment rights, and speech which appears to promote the overthrow of government is not protected."
On Thursday, Morgan called the charges "absurd," saying that he did not create the recall petitions, only allowed residents to "openly" voice their opinions about the Senate's actions on the air.
"I was one of many media outlets that residents utilized to express their dissatisfaction about the senators' actions," he said. "But I didn't create the idea of the recall."
Morgan added that after the bill was passed, he received a "steady stream" of calls from residents wanting to know where the petitions could be found. "The subject escalated into a steady stream of phone calls," he said. "It wasn't something that I promoted or championed– it was just something that was talked about throughout many other media outlets."
Morgan also said that he did not receive any calls from residents opposing the idea of a recall. "And even if I had calls from those individuals, I would not have attacked them in any way," he said.
The petition to deny the transfer of license also levels other charges on Morgan, saying that the talk-show host raised issues on the air with "racial overtones," showing "disrespect for this multi-ethnic community."
"It's against my grain to even entertain those kinds of conversations," Morgan said Thursday. "I go out of my way to stop people when they bring up racial discussion. So I feel that they [the senators] have made a bad mistake, and they're walking a fine line when they make these charges as legislators of the Virgin Islands."
Appearing Thursday evening on a local television program, Russell said that some of the discussions on Morgan's program are dividing the St. Croix community instead of bringing it together.
Rusell said: " … to have our senators called monkeys, buffoons, to have people's names dragged in the mud, their families — it's not right."
"Free speech has its limitations," he added.
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