Radio host claims victimisation

As of Tuesday, May 15, 2012

VETERAN broadcaster Christina "Chrissy" Love accused the Progressive Liberal Party of victimisation and sexism, after being terminated from the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas (BCB) yesterday.

Chrissy Love

Ms Love, the former hostess of "Immediate Response" told The Tribune yesterday that her termination clearly highlights that freedom of speech is dead in the Bahamas.

"I came to work today and the producer said you can't go into the studio, the General Manager wants to talk to you. I called the GM and he said we need to talk. I asked if I needed my lawyer and my agent with me, and he said I can bring whomever I want.

"Perry Christie said victimisation had ended in the Bahamas, but I beg to differ. I'm kinda' lost as to what their reasoning is. After I went upstairs, they said that management had decided to invoke Paragraph 13 of my agreement with them. My question to the GM was, why is it happening now when my contract is coming to an end on July 31?"

Ms Love explained that paragraph 13 of her contract with ZNS stipulated that either party could terminate the deal with one month's notice. As news of her termination spread, Ms Love said that she has taken grave exception to being compared to the 2007 terminations of broadcaster Steve McKinney and Phillipa "Lady" Russell.

"The fact is they were on the air in 2007 spewing nonsense. Steve and I are like apples and oranges. Steve McKinney was sent to ZNS. I was hired to host Immediate Response.

"But it is their right, but it was handled poorly. If this is what we get from the PLP in week one, I shudder to think what will happen in 60 months," she said.

Ms Love added that what has happened to her proves that people cannot be critical of this incoming PLP government.

"This harkens back to the era of 1967 to 1992 when there was no contrasting views on ZNS. So perhaps I am mistaken, but I would like to know what all of this means. They have severed their ties and it is their prerogative, but freedom of speech is dead in this country."

When contacted, BCB Chairman Edwin Lightbourne confirmed Ms Love would no longer be hosting the show but said "the programme is not off the air for good".

When pressed for more information, he said he "would not be making any further statements".

In a press release from the BCB, the corporation said the separation was "mutual".

The statement read: "The Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas announced today that it has mutually agreed with Ms Christina 'Chrissy Love', host of the radio show, Immediate Response, to end their contractual agreement. The Corporation wishes to remind the public that it is committed to ensuring that it provides listeners with public service programming that sets the bar for professional broadcast quality."

As news of Ms Love's termination spread, fans and listeners of the talkshow expressed their views on a number of social networking sites.

One woman said: "I hope that one day the Bahamas will move from these political affiliations. It's sad to see that Bahamians are being victimized in their own country! Everyone is entitled to their own political view."

Another listener said: "I am sorry to hear this. We cannot grow as a democracy if we don't allow people with dissenting views to express them. The same ol' same ol' can not continue. We need to demand democracy and demand debates."

However, not everyone was so sympathetic. Some people said Ms Love deserved to be fired and criticised her for expressing her political views so "avidly" on a government radio station.

One man wrote: "After May 7th, Chrissy came back to ZNS with deep vengeance for the Government. Venom was being spewed out of her mouth every day. Many of her listeners were totally shocked at the level of her 'so-called professionalism'. Her friends encouraged her. It was evident Chrissy was daring ZNS to fire her, because she no longer wanted to be there. I recalled day one after the FNM won, Steve McKinney and Lady Russell were publicly fired by Hubert Ingraham. Like the former Prime Minister said to them 'Chrissy Love needs to find her own ZNS.' You guys need to look at the whole story."

National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage and Minister of State Keith Bell were not available for comment up to press time last night.

More like this story

RoRo 12 years, 6 months ago

Hi, I want to say that under any new administration people are let go. When any Leader takes over they put new people in different offices. The mistakes Hon. Christie made the last time was he let everyone keep their positions and that hurt him. That is not victimization. Leaders need people that will support them. If you don't support a leader why should you keep your position of influence. Every leader does it and it needs to be done. So victimization and sexism is a bunch a foolishness. Beside Chrissy was too negative towards everything and she had no fear of God. I listened to her foolish talk enough, i had written the manager before about her being terminated. Free speech is one thing, but dishonoring God and disrespecting leaders and negatively speaking over this nation is enough. We need more positive things spoken over this country over the airways, more encouragement, better examples for our young people. It's time for us to get back to basics rebuilding this nation. Bye Chrissy I wish you all the best.

concernedcitizen 12 years, 6 months ago

i have no problem with this ,the FNM let mckinney go ..you say the mistake PM PGC made last time was he let no one go and that hurt him , does that include his cabinet or just radio host???

YoungSir242 12 years, 6 months ago

Man she used to carry on too BADLY on the airways!!! She should off been gone from May 7th!!!

moncurcool 12 years, 6 months ago

Let's be clear. Radio is different from government agencies.
ZNS is the people's station, and people have a right to disagree with views different form the government. A new government has rights to have new chairman of corporations, ambassadors, ett. However, radio announcers is totally out of line. It means then that unless you say what the government wants you to say on the radio then you are out. That only should happen in countries that want to control free speech. When they take any the right of free speech, it will not be long before they take away all your rights and make you a slave. MLK said it best, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." It may not be you today, but it could be you tomorrow.

notsogullible 12 years, 6 months ago

ZNS radio is not the government station and so noone should be fired just because they have an opposing political view. Bahamas, we are going down ... its only week one ... the PLP is back with their old victimising venemous spirit. Intelligent Bahamians knew all along - their campaign slogan really meant "Believe in the PLP Bahamians" and they never ever intended to include anyone of opposing views. This country is on its way down ... after only one week.

concernedcitizen 12 years, 6 months ago

Chrssy you were great ,don,t fret i,m sure a private radio station wiil pick you up ,probably for more money ..thanks for the morning chats ,miss it aready

concernedcitizen 12 years, 6 months ago

sorry meant Chrissy

notsogullible 12 years, 6 months ago

Another voice of intelligence ... AXED under the PLP ... nothing's changed in 35 years ... WOW

dpratt 12 years, 6 months ago

Do you really think that Perry Christie has time to fire a talk show host? Really?? I doubt he ever listened to this person. In fact, had it not been for The Tribune carrying this story, I would not have known who they were talking about. Perry Christie is not Hubert Ingraham. It's not his style!!! And FNM's are in No position whatsoever to talk about victimization.

concernedcitizen 12 years, 6 months ago

ahh duh the mc ,Dwight Ambrister, said they were going to at the PLP rally ...The FNM fired steve Mckinney when they won in 2007 ,,If your going to defend someone at least know the facts .PGC is too shrewed a politian not to know who Chrissy Love .

dpratt 12 years, 6 months ago

Dwight also said that the park was too full and if any more people were planning to come to the rally that night, they would have to sit in the trees. I guess that was also a fact. I tell you what, to avoid too much heartache and high blood pressure, FNNs just need to get over it already! Take your lost like a man.. five years is a long time to be angry! And in any case, who cares.

concernedcitizen 12 years, 6 months ago

angry no ..but your right ,,fives years is a very long time ,,,my ins,t immediate response boring today ,,A Newbold talking to the clerk of the house ,,,give me Darold Miller or Chrissy Love ,,boring,,i having a great time don,t worry ,,apart from a couple of them this cabinet is a really laugh riot and will provide endless hours of entertainment ,,every one calling zns wants to talk about Chrissy and poor A newbold trying to get them to talk about parliment ,,its a scream lol

notsogullible 12 years, 6 months ago

You obviously were not paying attention at your rallies either.

basjazz 12 years, 6 months ago

am not surprised chrissy.all one need to do is go back and take a good look at the tribune photo of bernard nottage confronting minister tommy turnquest during the fnm walkabout just before the may 7 election.cant you see the anger,hatred and spite in his contorted face.this is only the beginning.the only mistake you made while hosting your show was to allow those uneducated plp chronic callers to talk nonsence without banning them from calling in...good luck to you.i hope one of the other stations hire you pronto.

ApoliTical 12 years, 6 months ago

FNM's stop crying it's all part of the game you play politics on your job you get relieved of your position. She wasn't about to stay under a PLP administration either. Stop and ask yourself what would you have done how many persons your mad of for trivial matters and would care less for them. Stop crying man focus on regaining the government rebuild, re-invent and re-vitilized your base. How about Zhivago Laing in the senate bad choice talk about that. The PLP will self destruct as usual so be ready to capitalized with a clear message. The die hards are dying out attract the youth and crying won't do it.

deconch30 12 years, 6 months ago

One of the questions need to be asked is now that ZNS is a public broadcasting station what is its mandate and is there editorial independence.This could be the case of a GM who doesn't fully understand the restructured ZNS and quick to"pull the trigger" so to speak like if we were still in the days of the 70's and 80's.It is been said the FNM did it but does that make it right. A leader should surround himself with those that support him but, in our case ,he only has this privelege when it comes to choosing his Cabinet. You should not gutt every government department and replace them with croonies.Times have changed.Nowadays when people are put in positions where they lose everything ,then they have nothing to lose. A man/woman without nothing to lose is a very dangerous individual.

John 12 years, 6 months ago

HUBERT INGRAHAM forgot the TROJAN HORSE full of PLP's he left in place when the FNM won the government in 2007. SO for five years these people toed the line, followed instructions and did their work, for the most part, because they could not afford to lose their jobs. BUT as election drew near they crawled out of the woodwork, just like termites (or crabs) in the summer rains and they went to work to ensure that the FNM was kicked out of office and their beloved PLP was put back in.

Many FNM's were having their lights disconnected on a daily basis, the unions were reble rousing, and blowing PLP flags on their government jobs and at the height of their discontent with government, and many let it be known at their workplaces before the elections and afterwrds, that they did not support the FNM. Many persons who went through 5 years of the meanest and most difficult recessions in modern history, without feeling even a tinge of the pain and misery it brought to millions and millions around the world, decided to go against the government that kept them safe through the storm and vote PLP.

And this is what helped to bring the FNM government down, because no, it was not any one single factor, so now Perry Christie has to do little or no housecleaning in government jobs because most of the people are persons he left on their jobs in 2007. Will he allow the few FNM's to stay?

sabe71 12 years, 6 months ago

Chrissy Love's firing in my opinion has nothing to do with politics or the fact that she is a woman and everything to do with her not being impartial. In her opinion we are all idiots, she is the smartest thin since the beginning of time. As with everything there are laws that we all must abide by, and if any one listened to her the day after elections she was way out of order, as an employer is any of my employees spoke to my clients in that fashion they would have been fired that day.

So Chrissy move on, you didnt lose any thing because you would have ben paid out of your contract. Its so amazing how humble you seem now, so I guess all of that talk of her not caring of being fired was just that talks.

ApoliTical 12 years, 6 months ago

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham publicly told Mr McKinney to "find (his) own ZNS" and summarily fired him FNM's DO YOU REMEMBER

John 12 years, 6 months ago

If Political Prostitution was illegal in the Bahamas, many would be arrested and jailed, males and females.

spoitier 12 years, 6 months ago

You could make the case that this is somewhat petty to fire her because she is really a voice for the FNM, but if you want to really talk petty look at when the FNM was opening the stadium and not invited one of the greatest female athlete this WORLD have seen, now if ZNS is run by the government you can see why any government wouldn't want people that say things that is contrary to their party, but give one reason why the FNM wouldn't invite one of the golden girl to the stadium opening when that wouldn't in no way hurt them. Pettiness have to stop on both ends but I think the FNM is more petty.

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