Listeners to the popular local Hot 97.1 franchise would have noticed major changes to its on air personalities line-up in recent times.
This, according to the station’s managing director Luke Boyea, was due in a major part to the negative COVID-19 impact on the local economy. Boyea sought to set the record straight and submitted to an interview – a rarity for him – hosted by Vincentian podcasters Jagger Ranks and DJ Krash. He attempted to dispel several commonly held misconceptions while offering his opinion on a range of subject matters.
The wide ranging interview provided some scope for the radio powerhouse to weigh in on the local cur rent economic and political climate with special emphasis on the COVID-19 stimulus package rollout.
Boyea, a consummate businessman, dismissed the suggestion that tax breaks would have helped his company to stave off the circumstances that resulted from the economic fallout due mainly to the ongoing pandemic.
Instead he said, “if they [Vincentian government] had forgone things like PAYE [Pay As You Earn] that could have made a difference, if they had forgone VAT [Value Added Tax] that could have made a difference, if they had cut electricity prices that would have made a difference. But a tax break at this time wouldn’t make any difference because a tax is something you pay in the future.
The Hot97.1 SVG co-owner dived into the fray as he clarified the ‘false impression’ that his company laid off what amounted to over 50% of its on-air work force.
“That’s slightly, uh, that’s incorrect… well we didn’t lay off anybody. We asked for a salary discount, a temporary salary discount – or reduction, sorry not discount – a reduction and it was agreed by everybody and then half way in, it was decided by a number of the staff that they didn’t want to do that and if they didn’t get an immediate increase they were done,” he said.
Reports are that the management offered the employees the choice between accepting a 60% pay cut or 2 months off without prejudice. To date several of the staffers who opted to go home have not been heard on the urban sound that has dominated local airwaves for 16 of its 19 years lifespan.
Boyea provided some context to the situation that led to the controversial pay cut proposal and the subsequent developments.
He said, “what had happened, in March we were already experiencing a massive decline in advertising revenue, to be expected I think under the circumstances, Brewery had basically stopped advertising, Corea’s had stopped – all the main advertisers had pulled back … you name it almost everybody but not everybody.
“So we saw this happening in early March; from the second week in March it started happening and it never really stopped. So seeing what was happening, we forewarned the staff that this was happening which they would have been able to see themselves because they’re running the ads. And we had a meeting with everybody and said ‘we are facing a massive decline in advertising revenue and it’s going to be unsustainable for the company to keep paying everybody at their current rate.’
“So we offered a – or suggested a lower amount, a reduction; it was accepted…. So this was in March with the reduction taking place in April and then in early May some of the staff came and had like a surprise meeting – an ambush meeting might be a better term – and said that they weren’t happy with it and some other grievances came up in the process… this ambush meeting started around midday and finished at 1 – about an hour.”
An allegation that the entreated pay cut was not asked of all staff was addressed as were requests for increased salaries amongst other issues in that meeting. By the time it was finished, Boyea reported, “they walked out. Leaving me with no staff for the 1 o’clock ‘til 4 shift, no staff for the 4 ‘til 7 shift and no staff for the 7 to 10 shift. No notice, no forewarning. So basically how I saw it, it was a kind of sabotage because the station would have gone off-air.
“Fortunately some people stepped in; Kris did a double shift, Blaze did a double shift and somebody else Alex, Bones… if they had come to me and said ‘look we’ve reviewed this and it’s not making any sense’ – I think the meeting was on a Monday – we’ll give you until the Wednesday or something to try and organize yourself because in the system we use you can’t even automate on the fly, the automation kicks in from midnight.”
The Hot 97.1 SVG boss described his reaction to the alleged walk out as “shocked” especially since he thought the relationship between himself and the affected staff was “more solid than that; particularly with some of the more senior people.”
He further admitted to continuing his corporate policy which mandated late fee deductions after the 60% pay cut came into effect.
“You can’t get too emotional on these things. If somebody has a 3 hour shift to do and they’re already coming in late on a regular when they’re on full pay, what do you think would happen the moment I say there’s no deductions for late?”
Luke Boyea also took time out to address purported rumors that his was a “rough and tumble relationship” with the former host of his drive time shift, Supadawg Pitbull. In 2019 an online publication reported Boyea as accrediting the then drive time dominance in local media market share to Pitbull’s microphonic prowess.
In one response to the Unmasked podcast hosts, Boyea described the heavyweight communications specialist-cum-disc jockey as being “habitually late” while rubbishing the supposition that he “always wanted to get rid of him” – an allegation he said Pitbull “suggested” to him.
“I told Pitbull if that were true, you’re late six/seven times per month, I could have gotten rid of you within a month. 3 letters and you would have been gone…. But the point and the truth is I never wanted to. Why would I want to fire Pitbull? …He was number one.”
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