Tag: news

Safety my ass!

scoopstanton

By: Scoop Stanton

Well, I got another Notice of Infraction (NoI) from the fine people from the District of Columbia! This time it was for a red-light infraction. And it included pictures. And there was my early model luxury economy sedan proceeding through the steady red signal. The fine: $150! Safety my ass! The government of DC doesn’t care about safety. If they did the speed cameras would be hooked up to a License Plate Reader and would alert the Metropolitain Police Department (MPD) that my stolen car is qualifying for the next Formula 1 race on the streets of DC! Meanwhile the DC Council decriminalized fare evasion. Fare evasion or “theft of service” is a misdemeanor in New York. It’s a civil offense in DC. Any transit cop from any agency will tell you that people who fare evade have; weapons, narcotics or a warrant or a combination of all three! The DC government (and all other municipalities) are only interested in the money generated in camera tickets! And with the hundreds of millions of dollars generated by these cameras, the streets of DC should be as smooth as a baby’s bottom and all infrastructure programs should be paid for! But its not. 

With a police officer doing a traffic stop for the same offense, there’s something called discretion. He or she would hopefully know that if a car did stop for that light at that time at the speed I was travelling, I would be in “the box” or intersection causing problems. That officer’s salary and benefits costs the taxpayer $100,000+ a year plus $30,000 for the RMP or cruiser then overtime for traffic court.

The traffic cameras cost the city nothing and the contractor gets a cut of the fines. Its in the contractors best interest to keep catching people speeding and running red lights. Its easier to say someone is speeding than running a red light.

The hits keeps on coming!

scoopstanton

“My, my, my, I’m so happy. I’m gonna join the band. We are gonna dance and sing in celebration. We are in the promised land.” -Led Zeppelin

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said on Monday he canceled 400 environmental justice and diversity, equity and inclusion grants totaling $1.7 billion in the Trump administration’s latest crackdown on DEI initiatives.

Why in the hell is the EPA spending anything on DEI programs, let alone $1,7 billion!? The EPA should be protecting the environment!

Meanwhile, the US Department of Education closed its offices on Wednesday. They are in the process of cutting 50% of the entire department! Over 45 years the federal government has spent more and more money while our kids are getting dumber. Absolutely nothing was done to help middle- and lower-income parents get into private schools. For generations, parents had to struggle to send their kids to private schools. Unfortunately there is no Joe Clark.

Folks; America is broke! We can’t borrow money from China to give to Ukraine! The party is over. Donald Trump is draining the swamp and the people here are going nuts! There is nothing in the US Constitution says that the federal government’s mission is to hire as many people as they can, pay them more than the private sector and give them better benefits than the private sector. Washington DC is something else. A town full of civil servants and everyone drives a nice late model car. Starter homes start at $500,000. There are no pawn shops and very few payday loan stores (thankfully). There are also no check cashing stores. People like to eat out and go on vacations. The cops, firefighters, nurses, teachers, bartenders and cooks have to drive an hour or more to go to work. We are not against capitalism or success by any means. We work hard so we can succeed. But why are the people whose job is to serve the American people, living better than the American people!?

Anthony Cumia’s triumphant return!

scoopstanton

By: Scoop Stanton

Sunday night, I listened to Antony Cumia on 77 WABC in New York online. It was like he never left terrestrial radio. Cumia gave kudos to the legendary Bob Grant, who inspired generations of talk radio personalities, including yours truly. One thing Cumia touched upon was terrestrial radio vs podcasting. Everyone has a podcast. You have “podcasts in a box” kits at Best Buy. Everyone has a podcast. And most of them suck, with the exception of handful. And everyone of them has a big honking microphone front and center. It’s like who has the biggest phallus. And Cumia brings up the fact that most of these podcasters are panhandlers. They are all begging for money.

With radio, you can’t see anything for the most part. And that’s a good thing for “75 Radio.” Did I do a show naked? Did I do a show at a nudist resort? Did I paint my nipples green last St Patrick’s Day? Unfortunately only I know. But it creates the image while you are listening. One of the reasons why we put Danila’s picture up and not stills or a video feed is so we are still radio in the digital age. Besides who wouldn’t want to stare at Danila’s picture!? And at the same time we are on all major podcasting services as we are living by Billy Beane in “Moneyball:” “Adapt or die.” More and more people are being entertained on their phones with thousands of options. Everyone knows how I live and breathe rock music from 1964 to 1979. I can’t recall the last time I listened to the “Classic Rock” station in DC. Same could be said about talk radio.

The next day, Cumia went online and reviewed his performance. Its obvious that he’s not only a fan of terrestrial radio but he is humbled to be on WABC. His old partner Gregg “Opie” Hughes went on his podcast which s nothing more than a light, a microphone and a phone and criticized his old partner. Hughes criticized Cumia for doing AM radio at 8 pm on a Sunday night. Hughes also clowned Cumia because his car doesn’t have AM. But, this is 2025. Everyone livestreams! Including Liberty News Radio! What Hughes failed to mention is that 77 WABC is a legendary talk station. People would kill to get a slot on WABC. Second: Cumia is live in the biggest market in the US: New York. Gregg Hughes is no dummy. He knows that. Either he’s jealous or he’s playing into the three people that watch his podcast.

It gets better for Cumia! His show is going syndicated!

Kudos to Anthony Cumia for explaining the importance of terrestrial radio and the talent that still make radio great and congratulations for a great show back on radio!

Anthony Cumia back on radio!

scoopstanton

Radio legend Antony Cumia is preparing to make his return to terrestrial radio Sunday, March 9 on the biggest AM talk station, 77 WABC. Cumia has made a name for himself as a “shock jock” since the 1990’s with Gregg “Opie” Hughes and Jim Norton, broadcasting on WAAF in Boston and the legendary 102.7 WNEW in New York. Cumia and company had low brow humour and bits, many of which were sexual in nature. As years went on, Cumia was more vocal on his views on politics and race. In 2014, he was fired for tweeting his anger among a certain group of people and their behavior after he was attacked in the middle of the night in Times Square.

Since that incident in Times Square, Cumia has been even more open, honest and vocal on racial issues. In 2024 he appeared at the American Renaissance convention which has been (falsely) accused of being a white supremacist, white nationalist gathering. He laid out what is wrong with the radio industry.

Radio is going through some tough times. Podcasting is absolutely destroying the industry. Then; the corporations who own the stations will only syndicate their talent under contract. And the days of the “shock jock” has gone the way of the teletype from WINS. Add to the fact competition from everywhere and car companies are not installing radios with the AM dial!

Over the years, radio stations have been bought ought by conglomerates: CBS, Clearchannel (I heart radio) Cumulus, and a handful of others. The Station Managers, and Program Directors cant do what they want anymore. Andy Travis today would have to listen to the people who own WKRP to the letter. The talent could only stay between the lines of what they can talk about. One talent in DC I spoke to said he was never told what he could or could not say. It may be true, but he stays within his lane. Nothing about race issues, nothing sexual, nothing that will get someone fired. Years ago when a personality got fired, their colleagues would rally around them. Today; dead silence. This is for two reasons: first; the other personalities are too afraid to stick their necks out so they won’t get canned. The second reason is because they are trying to get that gig!

As for us, we have talked about g-strings, men using tampons, picking up women in nursing homes and accusing a politician of sexually abusing horses! And this was only in August!

Is Anthony Cumia the answer to saving talk radio? Probably not. But he is the shot in the arm that us in the industry desperately needs!

Message to NYS Correction Officers!

scoopstanton

By Scoop Stanton

I used to work for the New York State Department of Correctional Services as a Correction Officer. I worked at the infamous Sing Sing prison as well as Bedford Hills.  A maximum-security prison for women. To be honest, it was easier to deal with the most savage men that New York State locked up. It was a dangerous, disgusting, thankless job. I’ve seen more anal cavities than a proctologist. I’ve had to watch grown men go to the bathroom. I was also involved in a riot in B Block in Sing Sing one Sunday afternoon in April, 1996. The front gate had to call the off going shift to get back in and help us! Months later a brand new captain arrived at Sing Sing. He was in a passageway when inmates from A Block was returning from the yard to the housing unit. He was slashed. I know what you brave men and women go through. That’s why at the end of the show James Edwards says: “For those who work the streets and the jails, thanks for keeping us safe.” That’s my tribute to you. I’ve been there.

Fights, stabbings, getting “shit down,” contraband flowing faster than Amazon, the grievances against the CO’s and constant threats and insults against CO’s. Add to the fact that these people work nights, weekends, and holidays, missing their kids growing up and most end up divorced, its amazing that these people return to work. But they do.

Well they did. Members of the New York State Correction Officer Benevolent Association have went on strike. The CO’s went on strike because of  unsafe working conditions and staff shortages. Nobody wants to take the job thanks to the war on cops, and those who do take the job, leave. You now have CO’s working literally 24 hours sometime because there’s no relief. Add to the fact the jails are much more dangerous because District Attorneys won’t convict inmates who assault officers. You can also thank Governor Kathy Hochul for running the jails into the ground. When I was a “turnkey” fortunately the Governor was George Pataki. The jails are currently secured by the New York National Guard.

Here’s my message to my former brothers and sisters on the thin gray line: get back to work! This is not “Robocop.” You swore an oath as Peace Officers to ensure the care, custody and control of these inmates. In those jails, not only are those crooks but the civilians that work in the jails. And yes, I know those civilians are the same ones that will drop dimes on you for anything and always take the side of the crook and hate you, but they are also under your protection. Forget the counselors, teachers, kitchen staff, medical people that make your jobs even harder. Think about the members of the New York State National Guard. They have been called up to walk the blocks! They are untrained and uninformed. Send these people home. Get back to work.