
In a rare breach of personal ethos Hot 97 SVG owner Luke Boyea reached out live on-air to Elson Crick last Thursday, sources say, on WeFM’s Shake Up radio talk show.
Hot 97’s AMMayhem, hosted by the duo Luke Boyea and the Legendary 2Kool Kris, is increasingly vocal with their prime time criticism of the Vincentian political class and the impact of their sundry policies, or lack thereof, on citizens far and wide.
Lately the Gonsalves-led government’s COVID-19 response has come in for its share of microscopic scrutiny.
And the highly contested matter of the Vincentian sailors’ repatriation was the most recently, prominent subject. The recent “botched delay in the sailors’ arrival here to be precise,” our unnamed source supplied.
Boyea was provoked to telephone the Shake Up radio program minutes before it expired because the host was, “calling us irresponsible etc. while ignoring the fact that the PM’s press secretary [Sehon Marshall] had called into AMMayhem saying the flights were coming Thursday and Friday. At 7:30 a.m.
“Tuesday morning the flights are coming by 9:30 the PM is telling us he had just got the emails indicating they weren’t coming!” Boyea told Asbert News Network on Sunday.
A clip of the exchange between Boyea and Crick is currently trending in some WhatsApp circles and captures the 2 media professionals defending their positions on the issue.
At one point Crick says to Boyea, “But I’m telling you straight, you need to reexamine your modus operandi as a radio operator. Take that from me, take that from me. Take that from me,” in response to Boyea’s allegation that, “we weren’t being told what was really going on.”
Luke Boyea is the managing director for Hot 97.1, undeniably SVG’s most popular radio station as per the last active media audience survey conducted in 2018 – and every other one that was conducted since 2004; approximately 3 years since its first broadcast.
Understandably he queried, “why, why, why? And your ranking in this is what? Why would I take that from you?”
Crick, a communications consultant in the Prime Minister’s office and a former heavyweight in local cricket administration, responded, “because of the years of experience I have in radio and communications which is more than what you have, which is more than what you have.”
Boyea – “I’m not sure bout that. Either way, right? It is required in a modern society, in a society which is plural, to have differing voices.
“Now I know the goal would be to say ‘well Hot 97 and Luke is NDP,’ but you know that’s not true because you know I’m not NDP.”
“What are you?” the PM’s communications consultant interjected.
Boyea rejoined, “I’m nothing. I am not affiliated with any political party. I’ve always said that and you know I’ve always said that.
“I’ve never been affiliated with one party or the other. I don’t talk for any party. I don’t represent any party.
“So it is convenient to try and position me as being NDP but you know that’s not true. Because you know I blast NDP just the same, you know that.”
To this, Crick asked with affected incredulity, “you do?”
“Of course, all the time.” Boyea maintained.
“But they’re not in power so there isn’t as much to blast them on because they don’t have to make decisions and I said that on numerous times.
“Maybe they get a soft pass because they’re in Opposition and –”
“So they get a soft pass?” Elson Crick asked.
“But that’s fact. I mean it was the same when ULP was in Opposition. Obviously they wouldn’t get tested the way that those in power who have to make decisions are tested.” Boyea replied.
Crick again posed, “when you test the ULP you have to do your testing based on facts and logic. That’s all I’m saying. That’s all the Prime Minister is saying.”
Boyea apparently agreed with this sentiment as he responded, “alright. Well the logic in this story is that we are being told to believe that the government didn’t know anything–”
“Who’s we, who’s we? Hot 97?” Crick again interposed.
“No, the public, the public,” Boyea returned.
“Well you can’t speak for the public. You’re speaking for the public now?” Crick asked.
“I can speak as a member of the public. We were told that the government didn’t know anything about this until some couple of hours after the Prime Minister’s press secretary had said that the planes were coming.”
At this point Crick reminded his phone-in guest that they must “break for the news” while lauding Boyea’s company on-air and inviting him to “call me back sometime let’s have this argument – this discussion when we have more time.”
As could be expected Boyea (apparently) accepted the invite, saying, “I like this discussion but you have to recognize that there are different views out there on this and not everything is passing the smell test.”
Although they were meant to be wrapping up neither could have resisted parting jabs at the other, it seems.
Crick swung with “something’s passing the factual test though.”
Luke Boyea, “I don’t know about that, I don’t know about that – ”
“You could never know about that,” Crick said while chuckling.
“I just find it amazing that a young junior [indecipherable] in wherever – sitting off the waters of wherever he is, Texas or Florida, seems to know more about this than we do,” Luke managed to punched out all the while being talked over as Crick attempted to make way for the upcoming programming.
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