🎧Listen🎧: Tony Tuesday On WTBQ Did NOT Go Well This Week

The WTBQ Station Manager has a meltdown and (accidentally?) attacked another public official during what's supposed to be a public affairs radio show.

Quick disclosure: Before the pandemic started, my friend and attorney, Greg R. Goldstein, and I, wanted to do a late night comedy show on WTBQ. Greg had just moved to Warwick. So I reached out to Taylor Sterling, the station manager, asking how to go about doing that. Basically, Greg and I were told we had to pay for the air time on WTBQ, and that we would have to only play music to do the show. No comedy allowed on WTBQ, even if you’re paying for the air time.

You follow? We had to pay for air time but then do what the station wanted us to do during the time we paid for.

So, long story short, we went on to produce what would become WAYWO.TV elsewhere.

And that was the end of my WTBQ experience.

Until I was told about Tony Tuesday.

What’s Tony Tuesday?

On Tuesday morning at 9:30am on WTBQ, Monroe Town Supervisor Tony Cardone hosts a weekly “roundtable” show.

During the show, callers — particularly Town of Monroe residents — are encourage to call in, or text, and speak with Supervisor Cardone at 845-328-0886.

Mr. Cardone is identified twice in the image above as Supervisor. So it’s not clear what the nature of the relationship between Cardone’s show, WTBQ, and the Town of Monroe are.

Is this show Mr. Cardone’s show as a private citizen? Or is he acting in his capacity as Town Supervisor while hosting the program?

Supervisor Cardone is alleged to have the Town of Monroe reimburse him for his travel expenses to do this weekly program.

Does he then give that money to WTBQ?

That’s a pretty serious question to ask — the reimbursement by town taxpayers for his travel— and I have FOIL-ed the Town for those records.

Because if the Town is paying for Tony to appear on the show, then he’s acting as a representative of the Town while on the air. That alone isn’t bad, but it should dictate the style, substance, and presentation of the program.

Why?

All radio stations in the United States are required to carry public service programming, whether that be in the form of Public Service Announcements, news programming, or round table discussions like Tony Tuesday.

(Note: Tony Tuesday is not the actual name of the show, it’s just funnier to refer to it this way, and I encourage you to do so.

Here is the important part, before we get to the clip: All American radio stations are required to carry programming that demonstrates they are operating in the public interest.

So, you can understand …

1. If callers or texters send in legitimate questions for the Monroe Town Supervisor during a show that’s supposed to be part of a stations’s public affairs programming …

2. And tax payers are allegedly reimbursing said Supervisor for his travel to and from the station to do that show …

3. And the response to a legitimate question is to either ignore the caller or berate the person texting questions …

Well then that show isn’t exactly operating in the public interest, now is it?

And if I’ve learned one thing in my many, MANY years of college and professional radio experience, all the way through being the program director for WENU in Glens Falls, New York, it’s that the FCC does NOT fuck around.

They are the one government agency that’ll jump you on the subway just because you looked in its direction.

So, I’ve reached out to the FCC for comment and will let you know what they say about all this.

“A Very Ignorant Remark”

Last week, I texted a question during Supervisor Cardone’s show.

I asked if the Supervisor could comment on whether or not he was reimbursed for his travel to and from the station by Town of Monroe tax payers.

I didn’t think to ask the follow-up of whether or not Supervisor Cardone was then giving that money to WTBQ, although now I wish I had.

During the clip below, Mrs. Taylor Sterling, WTBQ Station Manager, denies charging politicians to appear on the air, but that doesn’t rule out the potential — or reasonable impression — that Cardone might be getting reimbursed for travel to Warwick and then flipping that money to WTBQ.

The only way to know is to look at the station’s annual audited public financial statement.

Although, I’m going to be honest: As someone who hates the state of commercial radio and the media monopolies created by Presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush Jr., I’m loathed to start digging around into the business of a locally owned radio station. So, this isn’t high on my to do list.

If you’ve ever wondered why radio sucks, it’s because these presidents allowed for consolidation of America’s radio stations into the hands of fewer and fewer companies.

I’m much more interested in this half hour public affairs show hosted by Supervisor Cardone, and making sure that he actually answers the questions sent in by the public, regardless of whether he likes those questions or not.

Especially because Supervisor Cardone has demonstrated, again and again, a tactic of telling people to email him, only to then not respond or pretend like he never got the email.

So, this program on WTBQ is one of few opportunities Monroe residents have to ask the Supervisor questions about Town business.

I wasn’t the only one with this question about the reimbursements.

That brings us to the morning of Tuesday, March 26th, and that day’s edition of Tony Tuesday.

In the clip below, you’ll hear Taylor Sterling, WTBQ Station Manager, respond to a question sent in from a listener* in a way that’s definitely not professional, and definitely not in the spirit of a show that’s advertised or claimed to be a public service where the Town Supervisor answers questions from Monroe residents.

Who Was That “Idiot”? Who is this “obviously ignorant” person who needs to “go get a job" and who Taylor “feels sorry for”?

Well. That person who sent in the question, who the co-host kept saying was a guy, was actually Councilwoman Maureen Richardson.

Uh oh.

Now you have, on what’s supposed to be a public affairs show, the station manager attacking a Town Councilwoman, over what is a legitimate question.

Is the Town Supervisor reimbursed by the Town of Monroe for his travel to Warwick to host Tony Tuesday?

You’ll also note that the conversation before and after Taylor responds to Councilwoman Richardson sounds like it has zero to do with the Town of Monroe and more about the super cool stuff Tony, Taylor, and friends get up to at church.

While I’m sure it’s interesting to some listeners, that doesn’t exactly sound like a public affairs broadcast featuring the Monroe Town Supervisor.

It sounds more like a talk show that’s hosted by Mr. Cardone as a private citizen.

That would be totally fine, but he definitely shouldn’t be getting reimbursed by taxpayers if that’s the case. And the show should not be described as part of WTBQ’s public service offerings.

I reached out to Mrs. Sterling for comment and did not hear back.

I did, however, hear back from Councilwoman Richardson. So let’s give her the last word here, and I’ll follow-up on this story if I hear back from either Taylor of the FCC.

Tuesday was the first and last time I will tune into WTBQ. After hearing about a radio show involving my fellow board member Supervisor Cardone, I was curious how this weekly occurrence could comply with our policies enough to warrant reimbursement of gas mileage.  Reimbursement is considered when the event is part of the Supervisor’s formal obligations. Where was the content from this show coming from if this was part of his “duties,” yet, the Town Board had never been asked to review a special announcement or agenda for what essentially becomes a public forum where the Supervisor officially represents us? I tuned in to what was clearly religious and personal messaging not related to his official capacity in any way. 

I messaged in as any constituent might, with a question about Monroe town business… and from that official position, very much unlike any broadcast I have heard from Steve Nehaus, I was crassly and repeatedly insulted.

To Taylor the station manager, I have a job… it’s called Monroe Town Councilwoman. Unlike our Supervisor, I can tell the difference between political promotion of myself versus a Town sanctioned forum. This would be comparable to reimbursing Councilwoman Houle’s gas mileage for attending events around the County in her race for State Senate. It’s a NAY vote from me. I hope Supervisor Cardone makes the tax payers whole on this one and publicly apologizes for intentionally berating his constituents on their dime. 

The next Tony Tuesday is right around the corner.

So if you want to ask Mr. Cardone why he’s alleged to be advocating on behalf of Monroe Commons developer, Lipa Deutsch, for better zoning within the Village of Monroe for Mr. Deutsch’s various real estate projects, you can call or text WTBQ during the show at 845-328-0886.

I’m sure Taylor will be thrilled to hear from you.