From Scott Fybush at NorthEast Radio Watch [1]
“*A RHODE ISLAND talk host is off the air because of election-law issues. Cranston mayor Steve Laffey was doing three hours of talk every Friday morning on WPRO (630 Providence) – until city council president Aram Garabedian (a Democrat, who lost to Republican Laffey in a mayoral race) asked the state Board of Elections for an opinion. The board ruled that the airtime constituted a tangible donation to Laffey from the station, and so WPRO’s pulled him off the air for now.”
(Chuckle)
It can’t be Garabedian lost the last time because people didn’t LIKE him, eh?
“The Board of Elections has turned free speech on its head,” he said. “I have a right as a U.S. citizen to speak my views.”
Laffey said his show, which ran from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., was no different from when other public officials appear on television or radio shows or write an opinion piece for a newspaper. He said he was not using the show as a political platform, and said he would appeal.
Channel 10 in Hartford, has a report up also, that includes this interesting line:
Though former officials have hosted radio shows — former Attorney General Arlene Violet currently hosts a talk show on WPRO competitor WHJJ, and former Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci hosted a show between his two stints as mayor — Laffey is different because he’s currently in office.
Yeah… they’re also Democrats, in case you’ve not guessed. Which is why this was never an issue with THEM. Interesting how Channel 10 doesn’t mention that.