Intercepts
A listening post monitoring public education and teachers’ unions.

Big Joe Henry hosts a fundraiser for the troops

Big Joe Henry is a DJ on New Jersey 101.5 radio, just like radio personalities in every city in the United States, except Big Joe has a bigger heart than most. He collected toys and, dressed as Santa Claus, took them to Louisiana and delivered them to the kids affected by Hurricane Katrina. He raised funds for the families of New Jersey National Guard troops and hosted a welcome home rally when those troops returned from the Middle East last year.

The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank asked Big Joe to host the Basie Awards, which annually recognizes achievement in the performing arts by high school students in Monmouth County. Big Joe agreed to do it for free.

Some local teachers decided this was an outrage, apparently because other shows on 101.5 feature hosts who support New Jersey Gov. Christie and the Republican agenda. They threatened to boycott/protest the event. Regina McAllen, a music teacher at Howell High School, met with the theater CEO Numa C. Saisselin and asked that Big Joe be removed as host. In a letter to Saisselin written after that meeting, McAllen wrote:

I would first like to let you know that I have never stated not meant to indicate that Big Joe Henry has spoken out against public education nor been unsupportive of the arts.

However, the company that signs Big Joe Henry’s paycheck has a very clear agenda, which is evident from their choice of hosts and the topics that they discuss on a daily basis. To even suggest that NJ 101.5 is a fair and balanced source of media is ludicrous – its Republican agenda is consistent and unwavering, with a unified vision that demeans public education and educators.

…I simply cannot laugh, applaud and celebrate arts achievement while we advertise for a radio station that has been directly responsible for the demise of arts opportunities for students.

Rather than cause a distraction at the student awards, Big Joe voluntarily stepped down as host. One editorial writer called this “guilt by association,” but for that to applicable there would have to be guilt. Opposing school budgets on the radio isn’t a crime, yet. Nor is it beyond the pale, since the majority of school budgets were defeated by the voters of New Jersey. It’s poetic justice that the New Jersey Education Association is bearing the brunt of the blowback, even though it had no hand in the matter.

The union recognized what an ill-advised move this was. NJEA communications director Steve Wollmer called the radio station to say “the NJEA leadership did not order or authorize the threatened boycott of the Basie Awards at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank.”

Fans of Big Joe have set up two Facebook pages - ”BIG JOE HENRY cares more about kids than the NJEA!” and “Reinstate Big Joe Henry as the host of the 2010 Basie Awards.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at 09:41 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.