VOCM, why is Peter Soucy off the air?

I would like to express my concern and displeasure over the abrupt cancellation of VOCM’S “Backtalk” and the way the moderator, Peter (Snook) Soucy was treated.

On Friday, March 17, I was the last caller to “Backtalk.” Mr. Soucy gave no indication then that this was his last show. The following Monday I settled in to listen to the program. Imagine my surprise to hear that “Backtalk” had been abruptly cancelled. It was replaced by a fourth-rate hodgepodge program of recycled news and weather interspersed with recorded clips of previous openline shows. It was obvious this had been cobbled together in great haste.

I started listening to VOCM open-line shows in 1969 when I arrived in this province, so I consider myself able to judge the ability of various moderators over this time. In my opinion, Mr. Soucy was an outstanding moderator and I will greatly miss him. He is a decent and wellrespected man and was not even given the basic courtesy of saying goodbye to his audience.

This shabby and disgraceful treatment reflects very poorly on the management of VOCM — perhaps a refresher course in Basic Human Decency 101 is in order.

In closing, I wish to express my sincere thanks to Peter for his excellent work on “Backtalk,” and to wish him and his family all the best in life.

Earle Wright St. John’s