May 2, 2007 - 2:37pm
Torricelli on 101.5 and "hateful and divisive speech"
By Robert TorricelliThe eloquence of their words and the powerful example of their lives has given the Rutgers Women's Basketball team an important victory over ignorance. An important element of this success was public reaction and another was economic power. Advertisers decided that subsidizing ignorance was bad business.
Removing Imus from the air is hardly enough to solve a national problem. Entertainment by divisive, hateful speech is an epidemic. It is also a disease that can be found in New Jersey.
When 101.5 began to build itself into a state-wide forum for news and ideas, I was a willing conspirator. I wrote to the FCC in support of expanding the station's license and even assisted with a new station acquisition.
It was an exciting idea. New Jersey would have its own station with our own news, traffic and sports. It was a chance to build a community of ideas and create a forum for discussion of our problems.
How did it all go so wrong?
Thoughtful discussion became name calling. Our new forum sounded more like a screaming match. Increasingly elected officials just decided to ignore them but when "the Jersey Guys" launched into a hateful assault on Mary Jo Codey, that wasn't good enough.  It became worse when my friend Ray Lesniak's Polish ancestry became a target of their bigoted assaults. Now I've learned of their mocking of our neighbors of Latin origin.
What they said on each occasion does not deserve being repeated. There's only one question that remains. Why do so many good institutions still subsidise this disgrace? I was proud to hear that corporate sponsors Dunkin Donuts and AT&T withdrew their advertising. But, yesterday afternoon, the following advertisers were still choosing public exposure over public principle.
-Thomas Edison State College
-STS Tires
-Ford/Lincoln Mercury dealer
-Walgreens
Let these advertisers know that they've made the wrong decision and keep checking this web site. I'll keep updating the list of those who would profit by hateful and divisive speech.
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Are you kidding me?
Another politician who fears the press and the media so he looks to squash them under the guise of racism? Memo to Torch: The Jersey Guys have done much more for public policy than anything you did in Washington. Yeah, let's get rid of one of the few independent voices on the airwaves. Who should replace them? Michael Aron and Jim McQueeney? What a joke.
Oh, Give Me A Break
Demsanddonts -- Toricelli is not someone who needs to fear the press and the media. He's done his time, and has nothing left to fear.
As for "the guise of racism" that's a joke. "La Cucha Gotcha" is patently racist, and the advertisers can see it even if you apologists can't.
You don't matter anymore!
Torch, when are you going to get through your thick skull that you are irrelevant?
If this site were an episode of Star Trek, you'd be wearing a red shirt and would've gotten killed five minutes into the episode!
"Any Nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master and deserves one" -Alexander Hamilton
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of speech exists only for liberals and the politically correct.
Yep, the Torch is a conspirator
Well at least he admitted he was a willing conspirator even if he got the subject matter wrong. :-)
Free broadcasting is still the way
It's the listening audience who will decide what's appropriate and what's not. Like the free commercial and financial markets, there's a leveling and compensating force always at work. As long as people are held responsible for what they say, there's no need for any Gestapo style censorship in the media. The good ones survive, the bad ones fall by the wayside.
Kudos, Mr. Torricelli
BTW, do the bounds of free speech also include outing covert intelligence operatives serving in the field? Lord Xenu, Master of the Universe
If you don't like it, turn it off
Richard Zuendt
Why not just turn them off, instead of trying to control them? Bobby, when every you were on 101.5 that's what I did!
Pennsylvanian Craig Carton Is a Disgrace
Read more about it here: www.jutifiedright.com
Prove it.
Others have said it - change the channel, turn the dial, don't listen - those that left, left under pressure from other loud mouths. What exactly did they say, 'cause it isn't mentioned? And coming from sombody who didn't want all of his personal mis-deeds made public, it's surprising that you would come out against those who do the same. Some of your "public" may not remember monies, ill-gotten, but others haven't. And if the things were so pure, how come a fake job had to be created for a disgraced FORMER senator, who BTW, didn't bring much of our tax money back to NJ?