Bill Spadea to Take Leave of “NJ 101.5” Show to Run for Governor
WKXW-FM, Trenton “New Jersey 101.5” morning drive host Bill Spadea is taking a leave of absence from his radio program, effective next week, to run for governor of New Jersey. Spadea announced he intended to
run for governor last summer, spurring an argument from potential fellow candidates that continuing his radio program amounted to an in-kind donation from station owner Townsquare Media that violated New Jersey campaign laws. New Jersey’s Election Law Enforcement board ruled Spadea could remain on air until he became a “legally qualified candidate.” NJ.com reports that Spadea will appear at a campaign breakfast next Thursday (1/30) to “celebrate his departure.” While Spadea is away, station political director Eric Scott will host the morning program. The New Jersey gubernatorial race has, so far, four Republicans and six Democrats vying for the office. Democrat Phil Murphy is leaving the office due to term limits.
Rich Shertenleib had taken a sick day, so the two haven’t worked together since Toucher accused his co-workers of not reaching out to him while he dealt with what was thought to be a cancer scare. He was ultimately diagnosed with leukoplakia, something that can be caused by smoking. Toucher told his listeners, “I have two pieces of advice: Do not smoke and get a second opinion. They thought that I had cancer. If you saw pictures of the original thing they took of my throat, there was a big lump on my vocal cord, like a big lump. I wasn’t supposed to talk for two weeks. And now it just turns out to be Leukoplakia.”