A New Hampshire woman with a federal civil rights lawsuit against Loudon police has settled with the officers involved on the day prior to the scheduled trial. Jessica Dennis had filed the suit in June of 2011, in relation to an incident that had happened to her while she was being arrested in July of 2009. Dennis was in woods near a house party that police were breaking up when she was attacked by a police canine. She sustained injuries from the attack, and after police had pulled the dog off of her, she was taken into custody for suspicion of underage drinking. Reports also indicate that the police immaturely insulted and ridiculed her throughout the ordeal. She would be found guilty of nothing in state criminal court before filing the federal case alleging violations of her civil rights.
With at least three country stations broadcasting from the area already, is another one really necessary? Apparently Great Eastern thinks so.
Great Eastern’s other transmitter in the market, their sports talk station, “WEEI” 93.5 (WEEY) is a simulcast of Boston sports talker WEEI. It has zero local content and doesn’t even have its own website.
This means Great Eastern Radio’s stations “in Keene” are now being run by a skeleton crew of Elise Valentine and maybe a contract engineer. It’s sad, but that’s what’s become of corporate radio – constant cuts and consolidation.
National radio operator Saga does deserve credit for doing a decent job with their station cluster in town, the Monadnock Radio Group. If Great Eastern thinks they’re going to make compelling local radio by cutting costs and staff to the bone, they will probably learn their mistake hard and fast and possibly end up failing and sell the stations.
Meanwhile, local current-rock listeners are screwed as far as on-air options are concerned. Of course, they could always start up their own radio station with all the open channels on the radio dial in this area. All they have to do is apply for and receive a license from the FCC…
Oh wait – no, they can’t. The FCC, according to local newsman Brad Ryder, has been sitting on a couple of station applications for nearly a decade! Ryder reports that he and the Monadnock Radio Group had applied for the same open frequency and the FCC has yet to decide to whom it should be granted.
You may be asking, “Why did they both apply for the same frequency?” (more…)
In exactly 2 weeks in Keene District Court, the case of Darryl W. Perry vs. City of Keene, Fred Parsells & Gary LaFreniere will go before a judge at District Court in Keene for a “Hearing on the Merits.”
Last week, I received an envelope from Erik G. Moskowitz – the attorney for the City – containing a 7 page “Motion to Dismiss.” That motion can be downloaded here. (more…)
A New Hampshire woman with a federal civil rights lawsuit against Loudon police has settled with the officers involved on the day prior to the scheduled trial. Jessica Dennis had filed the suit in June of 2011, in relation to an incident that had happened to her while she was being arrested in July of 2009. Dennis was in woods near a house party that police were breaking up when she was attacked by a police canine. She sustained injuries from the attack, and after police had pulled the dog off of her, she was taken into custody for suspicion of underage drinking. Reports also indicate that the police immaturely insulted and ridiculed her throughout the ordeal. She would be found guilty of nothing in state criminal court before filing the federal case alleging violations of her civil rights.
