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NEWS 95.7 SCORES WITH THE STONES BUT SAMSON DISAPPOINTS…BIG TIME |
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Written by Alex J. Walling
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Sunday, 24 September 2006 |
By Alex J. Walling
 Kudos, to News 95.7 for their coverage on the Stones event this weekend. What I heard from the station that is weeks away of celebrating their first year in the Metro marketplace was great from noon on until around 9:30 at night.
It seems not only did they bring in their weekday staff (Doug Reynolds, Scott Simpson and Company) they also brought extra people including a lady from Moncton (Jeannie MacGillivray) who other than thinking she was in Moncton (and that is forgivable) did a good job. MacGillivray does the afternoon run on the Moncton News 91.9 station and filled in for Jennifer MacDonald who had a prior commitment.
I like the traffic reports from the airplane with Jay Kennedy but was he in the air for all that time? If so, the plane must have had enormous fuel capacity. I’m told he went up a few times to do reports and that on at least one occasion had to be brought down as a result of the weather.
John Anthony handled traffic from the ground. Gee, I haven’t seen so much traffic reporting since Cindy Greer did it for MBS some 17 years ago and she was great maybe the best I’ve heard in this market and I go back to Warren MacIntyre doing traffic with “Mabee in the Morning on CHNS” in the 70’s.
The General Manager of News 95.7 Jim Hamm was very pleased telling me “It was a big day for Halifax with the Stones, the NHL exhibition game, the four cruise ships, the AUS game and everything else that was going on.” He also had nice words about Mark Campbell, the news person that put the show together.
“I thought they did a terrific job and it also proves that we can do such programming in case of an emergency,” says Hamm.
The reports from Laura Graham, Julie Buckingham, Dominic Terry and others were great and provided pictures to the background sound of event. I like the one from Laura Graham from in or around the Port-a-potty.
News 95.7 even brought in sports guy Scott MacIntosh to handle the big sports day we had with the NHL exhibition game at night and the interlocking AUS tilt in the afternoon at Saint Mary’s.
I understand that the CBC did some special programming for the Stones occasion also but I never got a chance to tune in as my dial, for this day, was set to News 95.7.
MICHEL SAMSON PUTS IN A PATHETIC PERFORMANCE
How does that line go “You get one time at making a good, first impression.” Interim Liberal leader, but my sources tell me, he wants to be the full time leader guy, Michel Samson, made his appearance locally last week (Thursday September 21) on the Rick Howe ‘CJCH Hotline’ Show.
What a pathetic, sick and sorry, verbal sight it was.
I was very disappointed and from the callers and feedback that the gregarious one (Howe) got, I wasn’t alone. Bruce DeVenne, the anti Commonwealth Games guy, was even more fed up than I was and called Samson to let him know it. Good for Bruce.
I listened for the full hour that Samson tried to snow listeners as he went from bad, to worse, to terrible, to awful to down right egregious.
As the NDP leaders (from TC Douglas, to Ed Broadbent, etc) would say “I’m appalled.”
Doesn’t this guy have any clues at all?
How about half a clue?
And this person leads a party and wants to be premiere?
I think Bart Simpson (sounds like Samson) has more on the ball.
Callers were left shaking their heads in disbelief as to what this guy said. In fact it’s what he didn’t say that teed people off.
If any NHL team is looking for some extra skaters for their training camp this alleged ‘representative of the people’ should get an invitation.
Yes, the man did not directly answer questions but he skated, and skated and stick handled (or at least tried) on the issues and questions that were asked of him.
I wonder where he got his ‘evading the questions course’ from. I’d say he took PhD classes from Rodney MacDonald during the recent election.
Note to Mr. Samson: Please check the polls and see where and how much hot water “Mr. I am on message MacDonald’ is these days and learn a lesson. The public is smarter than you give them credit for.
The big issue was on the check and balances on the expenses that MLA’s are getting and the lack of accountability they have to the people who vote them in.
Howe, to his credit, time and time again, asked and asked but Samson came up with hog-wash, pugwash and any other kind of wash answers one can think of. But he did not come out clean.
“Well, I’m not in that department,” or “I can look into it,” or “I don’t have the facts so I can’t speak on it,” and on and on. Nearly an hour or mindless pap or dribble offered to the Nova Scotia public.
And, people elected this guy?
Mr. Samson, the matter is about expenses. Expenses we the general public picks up the tab on.
Samson was very vague about his expenses saying they are ‘sort of available’ and that there may be a general line’ let’s say, on traveling. But when it came to being able to find out where and what and every trip was about we were basically told that is not possible.
Why isn’t that possible?
And who in the world set up these cockamamie rules in the first place? Probably, the Liberals going back to the Gerald Regan years.
I hear these guys (MLA) get something like 50-60 grand to ‘furnish their office’ and then when there term is over they ‘get to keep the stuff’. It’s now rumoured many have taken the allowance and used it to furnish their homes.
Excuse me. You, (the MLA’s) work for us.
If an MLA buys a computer or a desk or a video unit why doesn’t it stay? If you work for a company do you get to take the computer and other things on or around your desk when you leave? Don’t think so.
Why do politicians think they are so special or once they are elected they lose total touch with the people of their constituency and province?
To have such a young guy like Samson spewing the verbal political diatribe is sad. Image how bad he will be in 10 years and this is a possible leader of the province.
Gawd, help us.
To Sir Samson and the others please take note.
I own a business. I am the president and janitor (and at times seem to do more janitorial work) than anything else.
If I buy something and I want to claim it I need the receipt. My wife who does my books won’t even give me a buck without the receipt.
That’s the way she works, that’s the way companies work and that is the way Revenue Canada works.
Why, doesn’t it work that way with those entrusted with public money?
The answer we were looking for from Samson was something like: “You’re right Rick (Howe), what we have now simply doesn’t make sense. Every, and I mean every cent spent from coffee to papers to the thousands of bucks on major items, should be detailed, accounted for and available to the public and I will introduce a bill to make this happen.”
But no, Samson obviously likes the extra 50-60 g’s that he doesn’t have to account to anyone for, in addition to his soon to be 80 thousand dollar salary. That’s in addition to the extra he gets for being the leader (interim or not) of the opposition and fattening his gold edged pension and probably more that the public doesn’t know about.
It was a sorry, sad and sickly demonstration that I heard from Samson on the Howe Open line show. The Liberal party is not only last in the polls but with this leader (?) at the helm I don’t foresee a return to power soon. At least I hope not.
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