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Velie banished by KVEC’s Ron Roy

January 10, 2014

Dave CongaltonBy DANIEL BLACKBURN

CalCoastNews’ Karen Velie has been bounced from the airwaves of KVEC/920 following station management’s receipt of a critical letter from San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson.

Velie, the news site’s publisher and co-founder, was informed of KVEC General Manager Ron Roy’s decision in an email from Hometown Radio talk show host Dave Congalton. Parkinson was angered by Velie’s reporting on a drug raid early in December, and elucidated his concerns in a two-page letter on sheriff’s department stationery.

After taking issue with a number of elements of the article, Parkinson wrote, “I would ask you to please investigate this matter and take all steps that you deem appropriate which I hope will include an apology to the law enforcement officers from the SLO Sheriff’s Office who were involved.”

KVEC manager Roy said he had been “concerned” for some time about controversies surrounding CalCoastNews. Several months ago, Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo served a letter on the El Dorado Broadcasting office in Los Angeles threatening legal action if the KVEC continued to have CalCoastNews reporters on the air.

“On a relatively regular basis there have been questions regarding her (Velie’s) reporting,” Roy said, “and I just got to the point where I am not willing to take a chance on letting something on our airwaves that will get us in trouble.”

Roy said “the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. My responsibility is protecting my license, and my people. I’ve got to make these decisions. I’ve talked to Dave (Congalton) before and I don’t want to deal with this any more. There’s been five years of this nonsense.”

The executive said he made his decision without considering the accuracy of the article questioned by Parkinson.

Congalton wrote on Jan 6, “It is with much regret that I inform you that El Dorado management is no longer comfortable having you appear as a guest on my KVEC radio show. This morning, our vice-president and general manager Ron Roy affirmed his decision to remove you from the broadcast, effective immediately.

“I can’t speak for management, but I know there was concern raised over a recent letter from Sheriff Parkinson disputing your reporting in the restaurant owner drug bust story and subsequent appearance on my show on December 17.

“I’m sorry to be the bearer of such bad news and I remain appreciative of all that you have done for my show, and all that you have done for the community. However, you will also understand that I can have no further comment on this issue.”

San Luis Obispo City Councilman John Ashbaugh and County Supervisor Adam Hill have openly discussed their “boycott” of Congalton’s show as long as Velie was allowed on the air. Ashbaugh has claimed in the past that Parkinson shared that sentiment.

KVEC’s Roy said his decision does not impact other CalCoastNews reporters.


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“Several months ago, Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo served a letter on the Ed Dorado Broadcasting office in Los Angeles threatening legal action if the KVEC continued to have CalCoastNews reporters on the air”


Has anyone informed El Dorado of what happened to that lawsuit? That should be enough to assure them that freedom of the press and air waves is alive and well. I think people need to contact El Dorado about this latest issue and point out that CCN has again been correct in their reporting and the Sheriff has clearly fabricated a story about an innocent man who needs our community support. Without freedom of speech, the citizens are deprived of making informed decisions about our elected officials. CCN is our watchdog and the only watchdog that we have.


.Fair is fair and there is nothing fair about blocking CCN from the listeners. As long as the opponents are offered equal airtime, there is NO COMPLAINT that can justify blocking Velie from the airwaves.


Lets all write to El Dorado Broadcasting.


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“According to warrant property receipts, no drugs were found in Jimenez’s home or restaurant. Outside the home, officers said they discovered 9.4 grams of marijuana and 4.7 grams of green pills which belonged to the adult son of his girlfriend, according to property receipts — signed by one investigator and witnessed by a second.”


“In his Dec. 30 letter to KVEC, Parkinson claims investigators found seven ounces of heroin inside the residence. The department now states no drugs were found inside the home.”


I have to agree that Parkinson has fabricated evidence in his letter to Rob Roy about Mr Jimenez. Velie was correct and I find it interesting that Parkinson didn’t touch on the fact that she is also correct about who owns that restaurant.


In essence, Velie was banned from the air waves at KVEC for telling the truth.


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El Dorado Broadcasters

Corporate Office


Contact info:


Jason R. Wolff, President

P: (323) 964-5300

4311 Wilshire Boulevard

Suite #408

Los Angeles, CA 90010


jwolff@frcap.com


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PEOPLE – SEE THIS ABOVE ADDRESS :


Send an e-mail and then print it out and mail it as a letter as well. This isn’t hard stuff. Please stop relying on everybody else to protect your right to information. Stand up and be counted.


This isn’t hard stuff, just do it .


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Ian,

Censorship as a law enforcement official – you should be fired! I used to like you, but with your job goes comments and opinions that you may not like. Law enforcement personnel have a tough job, but with it goes a lot of public scrutiny and everyone knows that from the get go. Considering the drug dealing SLO PD officer who procured the drugs from your evidence locker, the two contraband importing officers from SLO PD, the SLO PD Officer who beat up a mentally challenged individual, the idiot sheriff who conducted an unauthorized illegal search and seizure of fellow officers personnel data that you fired and released the story on – grow up. Ian, sometimes you use the press, including Calcoast to get a story out and sometimes they report on a bad apple or two in your department. Note, a bad apple or two, not all LE personnel are bad, most are good, hard-working people! But censorship? Remember when you worked in SLOPD on a program called “Poundage”? I for one will vote against you during the next election and will never listen to any station related to KVEC and boycott al products and services advertised on that station.

Best of luck and maybe “poundage” is something that should see the light of day!


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I was in such a minority in my circle of friends during the sheriff election back when… they just did not see Parkinson for what he clearly demonstrated he was. I held my mouth shut, and stopped pointing out his major discrepancies and falsifications, etc. He got elected, everyone seemed happy… then the crap that was started to resurface. I feel like I did in 2008/2012. No one seems to see the big “O” for what he is (or rather, isn’t), and it is only now starting to sink in? Swell.


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Could we get together a list of all the major stories in which CCN has been the first to reveal significant corruption, bundle that information, and get a major news source to pick up this story? I would think that this would be a major public interest story, given that freedom of the press is supposed to be a right in this country. The fact that a supervisor and a sheriff are trying to silence the press is is a very big deal.


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When I get discouraged after reading an article like the one about Mr. Roy’s weinerness, I find reading quotes helps me get back in the groove again. If nothing else, it reminds me that those of us who are not afraid to speak truth to power run with some pretty righteous folks.


Here are some of my favorite quotes.


————————


***QUOTES ABOUT SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER***


“1. speak truth to power

A phrase coined by the Quakers during in the mid-1950s. It was a call for the United States to stand firm against fascism and other forms of totalitarianism; it is a phrase that seems to unnerve political right, with reason.

The founders of United States risked their lives in order to speak truth to power, that of King George. It was and is considered courageous, although is more commonly scorned today.”

–The Urban Dictionary (www.urbandictionary.com)


“The duty of youth is to challenge corruption.”

― Kurt Cobain


“At first, they’ll only dislike what you say, but the more correct you start sounding the more they’ll dislike you.”

― Criss Jami


“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world…would do this, it would change the earth.”

― William Faulkner


“Truth never damages a cause that is just.”

― Mahatma Gandhi


“Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.”

― Mahatma Gandhi


“In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot.”

― Czesław Miłosz


“It’s not about going around trying to stir up trouble. As long as you’re honest and you articulate what you believe to be true, somebody somewhere will become your enemy whether you like it or not.”

― Criss Jami


“If an offense come out of the truth, better is it that the offense come than that the truth be concealed.”

― Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbervilles


———————————–


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You are the Cut-N-Pastemaster of Brainyquotes.


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Could you come up with quotes that are bit more arcane, please? I’ve actually figured a couple of these ones out.


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Good stuff, Mary. Evidently some people didn’t appreciate it, but I did


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it is a phrase that seems to unnerve political right, with reason.


What’s that statement all about…?


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If I had to choose between Cal Coast News and KVEC, I’d go with Cal Coast News.


Congalton likes to stir up issues for listeners, but when it gets a little hot in the kitchen…


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Bronson, now that they’ve muzzled one of Congalton’s most topical guests, you’re correct, we gotta go with CCN.


I can’t believe the SLOSD threw it’s weight behind muzzling a simple articulate non-profane alternative media reporter. This Velie stuff is getting SERIOUS, folks; prior (functional) restraint of free speech, months-long abduction of a family of young children on specious grounds, a punitive “DUI arrest” under color of authority by interagency action?


This stuff is getting serious.


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I notice that the comments here are strongly against this action and come from people with widely varying views from all over the political spectrum. Let us hope that both Mr. Roy and Mr. Parkinson take note.


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I noticed this too. People who are usually arguing with each other are standing together on this issue.


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Boycott all KVEC advertisers. In absence of local radio I would not know about McCarthy’s, the window cleaning guy, etc. Local radio is now absent. You already run the same PSA 3x in a row, maybe if you run it 5x in a row you will show a profit.


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I strongly disagree with your proposal; if you want to express outrage, contact Mr. Ron Roy at KVEC directly, no need to try and punish those do offer support to the station. Your attempt at demeaning KVEC shows a little bit of immaturity, IMO. This is a decision by a manager, trying to acquiesce to a local government official, covering his rear and looking very much like a coward in doing so. Small actions are usually done by small thinking people, which is what Mr. Roy has done in this case; no need to stoop to his small level.


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I believe in “voting with your pocketbook.” I believe it is more effective, in many cases, than voting on today’s voting machines.


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Careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water!


Dave sees the writing on the wall. How’s Beneca doing? It is hard to be a local radio anything around anywhere these days, so if you have no other opportunity (i.e. another screenplay in the works), then it’s best to not “spit in the plate one eats from” as the saying goes.


Dave will do what Dave needs to do. I do not think harming KVEC will help anyone. Take whatever emotion out via a well-thought-out and well-written letter (write it and have someone else read it before it goes out; or sleep on it before sending).


The real issue isn’t Rob Roy’s apparent cowardice in the face of fascism (that happens all the time); rather it is the fascism itself that was made manifest by someone who is to have the PUBLIC TRUST. I am more and more pressed to find ANYONE in the public sector that I can trust to have the public’s interest at heart. I suppose that just reflects our shallow, selfish, me-first society. Our moral decay.


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KVEC’s bread and butter is Rush, that’s it. Congalton begs for some advertising, as does King Harris but El Dorado is done with local radio. The rest of the time it’s PSA’s, often repeated up to 3x in a row.


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