Radio talk show host Mario Moorhead has been hired by members of the Crucian Coalition in the Senate to broadcast their committee hearings live and provide commentary on those and other legislative proceedings.
His $60,000 contract will be paid with public funds from the Senate, with half coming from the personnel allotments of Sens. Adelbert "Bert" Bryan and Alicia "Chucky" Hansen. The contract calls for $30,000 to be paid up front.
Moorhead is a founder of the coalition, which endorsed Senate President Almando "Rocky" Liburd, who with Bryan and Hansen signed the contract with Moorhead on Jan. 29. Liburd, Hansen and Bryan did not return phone calls Thursday seeking further comment.
In recent years, Moorhead's controversial views led to his firing from three radio stations — WSTX, WRRA 1290 AM and Mongoose 104.3.
Moorhead's contract calls for him to produce a 30-minute weekly program focusing on social ills and community issues and provide commentary on legislative hearings and proceedings while operating and managing a commercial FM radio station, WAXJ on St. Croix. The contract states that Bryan and Hansen "have a desire to increase public participation in legislative decision making affecting every aspect of life in the Virgin Islands." The senators are also quoted in the contract as stating that "existing radio coverage of Senate meetings and sessions is inadequate and warrants improvement."
But the contract calls for specific coverage only of those committee meetings chaired by Bryan or Hansen. It was unclear whether such selective coverage violates Federal Communication Commission regulations concerning equal air time for political candidates.
Under terms of the agreement, Moorhead is to be paid half of the contract up front with the balance due by Jan. 30, 2002. Finance Department sources confirmed that Bryan personally collected the first installment on the contract this week. Both Bryan and Hansen are chipping in $15,000 each from their personnel senatorial allotments, which is used to pay for staff, operations and the like.
WAXJ 103.5 FM is licensed on St. Croix to Hugh Pemberton. He also owns WRRA, where Moorhead once hosted a radio call-in talk show. Pemberton also did not return calls Thursday afternoon.
In the past the Legislature has allotted money from the Senate operating budget — and in some years, $1,000 from each senator's allotment — to nonprofit radio station WIUJ-102.9 FM to air Senate proceedings. The station can be heard clearly across the territory and has broadcast live, unabridged coverage of the Senate for years. Legislative hearings and sessions are also broadcast live on the territory's cable systems.
The contract, approved by Senate Chief Counsel Yvonne Tharpes, states that the Legislature "wishes to contract with Moorhead to provide comprehensive radio coverage and commentary on sessions and on meetings, primarily the Finance Committee and Economic Development committees," which are chaired by Hansen and Bryan respectively.
