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March 30, 2006
OK, the title's a bit unwieldy, but guess what! A candidate for office who also has a show on Air America Radio has taken the brave step of reimbursing the network for what amounts to be a political ad during that person's show.
And - of course - it's not Al Franken.
It's someone named Ember Reichgott Junge from Minnesota.
Yeah, really, who cares. But, why isn't Al Franken doing that?
Posted in Meta
at 04:58 AM
| Comments (3)
March 29, 2006
Air America Radio is back in Phoenix, now screeching forth from KPHX-AM (1480). It's a leased arrangement with the managing company owned by Mike Newcomb and... AAR co-founder Sheldon Drobny.
AAR was originally on KXXT, but VRWC PROPLAN #7324-AIN took care of that. The attempt to sell pixels appears to have failed.
CEN-AZ-OP: OPCEN 8X3, OPS UTT3, 842, 2844, AUTH 19 GO.
Posted in Meta
at 09:51 PM
| Comments (11)
March 22, 2006
If Ann Coulter debates Al Franken and kicks his arse back to Minnesota and there are no reporters or blogger-reporters around to hear it, does Al Franken make a sound as he contemplates throwing a chair or something?
On Monday, March 27, Al and Ann will be debating in Los Angeles. However, it appears to be part of a series and the series costs $225. And, my request for a press pass - accompanied with the URL to this site - was met with this terse reply:
Sorry we do not have press at our events.
Could that be one of the reasons that Al agreed to the debate? Will there be AAR-friendly press there and I was just refused because I'm on Al's do-not-invite-to-debates list?
And, will we ever know just how badly Ann Coulter makes Stuart look?
Posted in StuartSmalley
at 09:34 PM
| Comments (27)
March 20, 2006
Do you know how many political parties there are? Believe it or not, there are literally hundreds of them.
However, one that's not on that list - but really deserves to be - is the "Fantasy Democratic Party". That's like the real Democratic Party, but composed of the fantastical image supporters have of the real party's history, goals, and members. For instance, Ned Lamont is a proud member of the FDP, and he's running against Joe Lieberman.
Sam Seder conducted an interview of him on AAR and has a transcript here, including this bit where Lamont reveals his membership in the FDP:
I'm a Democrat because we believe that power starts with the people. We build from the ground level up, we don't trickle down, we don't start at the top. And I think that's been our basis since Jacksonian democracy. We believe in opportunity for everybody regardless of race, gender, ethnicity. That's been part of our credo since the beginning of the Democratic Party.
This year's FDP convention will be held in Karnes Texas, right next to the transmitter for Air America's "San Antonio" station. Senator Al Franken will be delivering the keynote.
Posted in AlsoRans
at 11:15 PM
| Comments (0)
March 18, 2006
If you listen to Mike Malloy for any random fifteen minute segment of time, there's a good chance you will hear something outrageous. Like
this reference to the Iraq war:
This is a murder trip, this is murder...
...This is not a war. There is nothing honorable. Do you agree with me on that? There is nothing honorable about what we’re doing. There is no honor here. There is no honor for the United States, there is no honor for our troops, there is no honor for the military leadership, there is no honor here in what we’re doing in Iraq. None. None. Every—not a bit...
Unfortunately, Malloy also gets something right. He mentioned "war pornography", which is an apparent reference to the site nowthatsfuckedup.com. Members of the U.S. military could obtain access to that site's "wives/girlfriends" pictures in exchange for pictures of victims of the Iraq war.
There's much more information on that site in
"Picture posting site busted for obscenity, but there's much more to it".
(Via
this)
Posted in MikeWho
at 12:28 PM
| Comments (3)
March 17, 2006
Confusion reigns in the world of AARology, as top AARologists - like their Kremlin-watching forebearers - are trying to parse the latest statement from Air America Radio.
WLIB New York will continue to be the New York home of Air America Radio, under an agreement announced by Air America and Inner City Broadcasting. The companies report that over the next several months, Air America and Inner City will seek to enhance and extend their long-term relationship.
Our own AARologist, Dr. Lyudmila Polizhopi, points out that this is similar to the detente between Stalin and Shcharkovsy during the 4th General Soviet.
"We are happy to reiterate that our New York listeners will be able to continue to hear our programming," said Air America Radio CEO Danny Goldberg.
As Lyudmila points out, that is highly similar to the statement made by comrade Bucharinov just before his show trial.
"Inner City has always had faith in the mission of Air America," said Vice Chairman of ICBC Broadcasting Holdings, Inc. Skip Finley.
Yes, Lenin said that too.
Posted in Meta
at 09:44 AM
| Comments (0)
March 13, 2006
If you read a The Nation article that starts out with this, what impression would you be under?
If you read the New York Sun or the New York Post, you might be under the impression that WLIB, Air America Radio's New York City affiliate, is going under.
Wouldn't you expect some facts to follow? Perhaps an auditor's statement? A statement from WLIB?
Well, not exactly. In fact, this is the only "evidence" presented:
Anyway, towards the end of the night, I asked Al about the rumors regarding Air America. "Look," he told me, "Bill O'Reilly alone has said that Air America was on the verge of collapse thirty-six times. We're not going anywhere."
We're supposed to take Al Franken's vague word for it? What exactly does "not going anywhere" mean anyway? If they leave WLIB for Secaucus or Newburgh, can't Al then say that they didn't really go anywhere? And, if that explanation doesn't fly, he could let fly with a chair.
The article also mention's Franken's Midwest Values PAC, but doesn't mention that it donated to "democratic socialist" Bernie Sanders.
In related news, there's a very scary closeup of Stuart here. I didn't read the accompaning article because the picture scared me too much.
Posted in Meta
at 11:32 PM
| Comments (9)
March 10, 2006
From
this:
A San Diego County woman is suing her former employer, accusing her manager of firing her on the spot when she saw the woman's car had a bumper sticker advertising a progressive talk radio station.
The suit also alleges that, after seeing the sticker, the employer commented that the woman could be a member of al-Qaida...
According to Laroca's suit, the bumper sticker in question read only: "1360 Air America Progressive Talk Radio."
Posted in Meta
at 10:19 AM
| Comments (12)
March 07, 2006
The NY Post provides a slight bit of further confirmation that Air America Radio is on the brink of losing their sinking NYC flagship WLIB. They point out that all the available stations that could host AAR are in fringe areas and don't reach all parts of the city.
Rather than looking back, I want to look forward. Therefore, I'd like you to suggest what city will host AAR's new "New York City" station. Bearing in mind that their "San Antonio" and "Chicago" stations are fifty miles from either city, here are my top tips:
- downtown Newburgh, NY (free crack for interns!)
- Secaucus, New Jersey (endless jokes possible for AAR hosts!)
- Philadelphia
Please enter your suggestions in the comments.
Posted in Meta
at 09:34 AM
| Comments (42)
March 06, 2006
I don't know whether to laugh or laugh really, really hard, but there's a new website called SaveAirAmericaPhoenix.com which appears to be trying to bring back Air America Phoenix. They claim that if they get $500,000 they can be back on the air in less than a month.
They're doing it by selling pixels, a la the Million Dollar Homepage. In case you aren't familiar with the "market", there are now hundreds of such sites, all of them based off similar PHP scripts. In other words, the "market" is a bit saturated, and it's long since been a bit spammy.
You can see the current, sad state of their effort at gotstation.com
It appears to be real and not a scam. After all, Sheldon Drobny wouldn't have pimped it if it weren't real, right?
Posted in Meta
at 08:37 PM
| Comments (3)
March 03, 2006
Is Air America Radio about to lose their sinking flagship, New York City's WLIB? That's what Brian Maloney says. Apparently Randy Michaels - former Clear Channel exec, owner of Ed Schultz, and the man responsible for Rush Limbaugh - is trying to buy Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, from whom AAR leases WLIB. ICBC might be exercising a clause in the lease that would let them dump Al, Randi, Janeane, and the "gang".
Since their ratings there weren't that spectacular, I have trouble seeing how this could be little more than a crippling blow to their pride and credibility. They've still got stations in Karnes TX and Crystal Lake IL to fall back on.
(P.S. Special private note to AAR insiders: feel free to spread those tips around. In fact, we are more than willing to be quite "generous gents" when someone has some news, if you know what I mean.)
Posted in Meta
at 07:57 PM
| Comments (13)
Comrade Gary Krantz of Air America Radio has responded to running dog bourgeois critics of network here. As even American reactionaries can plainly see, AAR is strong! AAR is strong like Russian bear!
Speaking before Duma, the Comrade remarked:
"As of today, our booked and pending business for 2006 represents 83% of the entire revenue generated in 2005. We are also up to date on all of our financial obligations. Most importantly, we have a dedicated board and investors who support our business.... There is no substance whatsoever to Mr. O'Reilly's absurd claims of gloom and doom".
The Comrade also informed the Supreme Soviet that tote bag production at the AAR factory in Novisibirsk is 43% ahead of last year.
Posted in Meta
at 02:00 AM
| Comments (3)
March 02, 2006
Unfortunately, Field and Stream has not (yet) done a puff piece interview with Stuart Smalley, but another specialized, web-only publication has. Can you guess which it is? It might take you a few days before you had enumerated all such possibilities, so feel free to mouseover the link. Why are they interviewing Al? Because he's there.
Posted in StuartSmalley
at 07:06 PM
| Comments (2)
In Santa Cruz? Yes, in Santa Cruz. In a situation that's been going on for months, AAR's affiliate in that most liberal town is unable to find advertisers:
[KOMY owner Michael Zwerling's] task with selling not just KOMY’s afternoon slot, but any time at all on the station has proven difficult—so far KOMY hasn't been able to sell one spot to a local business. Air America sells a percentage of time per hour for itself and Zwerling does not pay the network, nor does the network pay him to air the shows.
And, Janeane doesn't appear to be favored:
KOMY carries three Air America programs, including the Al Franken Show (9am to noon), Randi Rhodes (1 to 4pm) and the Majority Report (4-7pm) featuring Jeanine Garofalo, but Zwerling says he's only airing the Majority Report until he can find someone to buy the time slot and produce his or her own local show.
As for that "buying":
Known in the radio industry as "brokered time," the practice of selling blocks of time to hosts to produce their own shows is not "what a station that's concerned about ratings and building audience size does," Zwerling says. "But it pays the bills."
Maybe he could find someone who wants to "consider" over and over whether to run for public office, then find shadowy investors to support that candidate's show. I wonder, would that work?
Posted in Meta
at 09:00 AM
| Comments (2)
Air America Phoenix is now off the air, and you can read the parting message from their General Manager here. Commentary here and here.
The question now is how to bring Air America programming back to Phoenix.
I have an idea: a reality TV/radio show like Big Brother, except it would be called "Peace House".
It would be a true 24/7 experience. AAR's local talent would all rent a big local house and broadcast from there, adding interstitial commentary to national programs like the Randi Rhodes Show. Jarrett B. Maupin II could pop in every once in a while with his comments (like Leon Gray does in Memphis). Kyrsten Sinema could shelter "undocumented immigrants" at the "Peace House". Al Sharpton could take time out from his own show to drop in for a visit.
Other favorites could come by and spend an hour or a week: Hugo Chavez, Cindy Sheehan, Martin Sheen, Ed Asner, and so on.
I'm just throwing out ideas here... trying to help. Feel free to come up with your own.
Posted in Meta
at 08:16 AM
| Comments (1)
