Starcom cuts Wickham

Popular talk show host and political scientist Peter Wickham said he is not contemplating any legal action against Starcom Network for terminating his services as moderator of its radio call-in programme Down to BrassTacks.

Wickham, who said he was not surprised at the decision, admitted he was disappointed at the way in which the station treated him. He said on Monday his dismissal was more a moral issue than a legal one.

“This thing doesn’t really have any legal implications. We had a contract that allowed for termination on either side on relatively short notice, so the issue for me is moral and I think that is really where I am focused on,” the regional pollster stated in an interview with Barbados TODAY.

On October 13, during a robust verbal exchange with caller Dr Veronica Evelyn, Wickham refused to continue engaging her, charging that she was repeating issues they had already addressed and insisted that the producer move to another caller.

The political commentator who was initially suspended pending the outcome of a “review” by the station, said he was informed on Monday about the end of his contract.

The station had also previously issued a public apology to Dr Evelyn shortly after the on-air exchange.

Today, Wickham said: “I have not been afforded the dignity of a termination letter. I also asked for a letter detailing their concerns regarding the programme of the 13th and they have also refused to provide one. Green said he could consider the former letter, however it has not materialised,” Wickham told Barbados TODAY.

Reached today for comment, Starcom Network’s Station Manager Anthony Greene declined to discuss the details of the termination, and instead declared the company’s commitment to facilitating public debate in Barbados.

“What I would say is that management won’t comment on matters relating to individuals whose services the company has contracted but reinforces generally, that Down to Brasstacks will continue to be at the forefront of public debate in our country,” Greene stated.

“Down to Brasstacks is committed at all times to allowing varying views to be shared in a way that enables people’s ability to think critically and discuss solutions,” he assured.

But Wickham did not mince his words in response to the station’s actions.

“It wasn’t surprising based on the way the conversations were going, I am disappointed. Let me stress that I am not disappointed because I feel I have lost out on anything. I am disappointed that an organisation like Starcom has allowed itself to be hijacked by its agenda,” the pollster asserted. “It’s a very negative agenda and it appeared to me that is what had the attention of the exact conversation on BrassTacks,” he pointed out.

The talk show host argued that he had been moderating the programme for the past 10 years and during that time he had been verbally attacked.

“During that time I have taken insults, I have had my life threatened. Starcom has never felt at any point in time to apologise, but yet still there is a feeling that the conversation we had with Veronica Evelyn was worthy of an apology,” he reasoned.

Wickham believes the way in which she was treated was no different from how other callers were treated by other moderators.

“That is something that bothers me. It is clear that there is something special about the relationship between management that is causing them to respond in this way. I am also concerned about the fact that the back story has not been told and the level of provocation that led to this is also not in the public domain,” Wickham argued.  “So that is the least of my concerns. I am fine, I am okay. I am just concerned as a moderator about the direction in which public discourse is going. It is unfortunate that Starcom has allowed itself to be sucked into this nonsense,” the political scientist suggested.

Asked what exactly the company gave as its official reason for his termination, Wickham replied: “They expressed concerns at the manner in which I handled the situation with Veronica Evelyn on October 13. That is the basis of their concerns,” he disclosed.

Wickham said the station management had one meeting with him in which they indicated they wanted to work toward a resolution, but the talks went in a different direction.  “I don’t know if Starcom believes they are in a better place now, but I would note that a couple of days after I left, there were some pretty horrible conversations on the radio…and again, there was nothing wrong with that,” he reasoned.

In announcing the “breaking news” on his Facebook page, Wickham said, “I have just been advised by the management of Starcom that my services as a moderator have been terminated (unilaterally), so that’s it for me and Brasstacks,” His post ended with the hashtag “#BigotryWins”.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb