Air America NovaM Radio affiliate differential now at 20 and dropping
Persistent and much beloved commenter "1" inquires:
I just noticed Nova M has a lot more stations, you might want to start trashing them too.
And, indeed he/she/it is right: novamradio.com/live/affiliate_list.php shows around 40 stations, including in vital markets such as Anchorage, Coos Bay (Oregon), and Eureka (California). The latter is a very attractive area of the state which unfortunately is also where the hippies went after that whole Peace 'n' Love thing didn't work out. (Out of 40 graduates from Garberville High School last year, 23 were named "Sunshine", with the remaining having the given name "Bud".)
Meanwhile, the once mighty (in their minds) Air America Radio is now down to 60 stations, some of which might still actually be broadcasting part of their schedule.
Thus, the differential is down to 20, and I expect it to drop further.
Of course, just because something is listed as an affiliate doesn't mean much; in the case of NovaM that means as little as the station broadcasting Randi Rhodes and/or Mike Malloy and not necessarily their other superstars.
Air America, MSNBC collaborate on Race for the White House (David Gregory)
Two nobodies are joining forces: Air America Radio's Rachel Maddow will now be turning over the first hour of her show to a simulcast with the MSNBC program Race for the White House hosted by David Gregory. I'm going to let a commenter on that post say it for me:
Air America and MSNBC have something in common, very poor ratings. Since they share the same audience, simulcasting the same show can only hurt.
Fmr AAR exec Tom Athans stopped in prostitution sting (Senator Debbie Stabenow)
What is it about Democratic politicians and those linked to them, anyway? Has Howard Dean completely broken the intern system or something?I ask because in February, Tom Athans - the husband of Senator Debbie Stabenow (a Democrat) and also a co-founder of Democracy Radio and a former Air America Radio executive - was caught by police leaving a Troy, Michigan hotel where an alleged prostitute had set up shop. For those in the area, that would be the the Residence Inn near Big Beaver and Interstate 75. He admitted to paying her $150 for 15 minutes, a higher rate than many Beltway hacks make. He wasn't charged, but should the case against the oppressed lady of the day go to court, he'll have to testify. Bagmen are probably jetting to MI as I type. He was also driving on a suspended license. At least crack wasn't involved, at least as far as we know. On the power to the people side of things, he was a generous gent, apparently giving the painted lady of Troy 50% more than her going rate. He was also driving an American-made Cadillac, so expect union support.
Athans is a radio producer who's spent the past several years trying to launch liberal talk shows that could counter popular conservative radio programming.
Before starting his current firm TalkUSA Radio in 2006, Athans was the head of syndicated programming at Air America, the liberal network that declared bankruptcy that year. TalkUSA launched one syndicated talk show last year.
Athans has strong ties to Democratic Party officials and liberal activists; Sen. Hillary Clinton publicly acknowledged him during her speech in Detroit last month.
According to the Washington Post, Clinton and other senators attended a fund-raiser in 2004 for Athans' previous network, Democracy Radio, which raised $1.8 million to launch the talk show of Ed Schultz. Athans dissolved Democracy Radio in May 2006.
Air America Radio redesigns website, to become web-only
Our sources inside Air America Radio are reporting shocking news: Air America Radio will soon exit the over-the-air radio business and become a web-only presence. They'll concentrate on streaming audio, video, and text posts, as the Young Turks did just a couple of months ago. Additional income will be obtained through merchandising (such as tote bags) as well as through cruises, endorsements by Randi Rhodes, Thom Hartmann, and Lionel, and the like.
A look at their web site reveals that they're well on their way to achieving the long-sought-after goal (such as by the Huffington Post) of actually monetizing the internet. The most noteworthy aspect is the color scheme, a veritable cornucopia of shades of blue, green, red, orange, brown, yellow, and on and on. Virtually the entire rainbow is represented there.
But, the most noteworthy feature has to be the new blocks, which include rounded corners, a long desideratum of web developers everywhere. For this scheme, they've used the technique of having a top portion with a background including the rounded corners, then a repeated middle section with the sides, followed by a bottom span with the two lower corners. They do not appear to be using Javascript to perform that, meaning that it will degrade well in older browsers or for those who've disabled that feature.
I completely forgot to celebrate Air America's fourth year on the air as I and thousands did last year, but let this post be a belated "Congratulations!" to America's proudest and most successful progressive radio network. And many more!
Air America has another new owner; Stephen Green flees sinking ship
Billionaire New York City real estate investor Stephen Green - current owner of Air America Radio and brother to current AAR president Mark Green - will be stepping down as chair of the AAR board in March to be replaced by former AAR investor Charlie Kireker. Green invested $4.25 million and AAR subsequently lost several million more, with profitability expected - per Mark Green - sometime in 2009.
As for why the current team would leave the network on the brink of profitability, Green noted that his brother's true passion was not in media but in real estate. "The Kireker group is new money, energy and new confidence in the growing of Air America. Steve was happy to be a bridge from phase one when we had financial difficulties to phase three when it is poised for takeoff..."
I might have lost count, but I think this would be AAR's 37th owner. Previous owners have included Sheldon Drobny, the S. Smalley Cayman Islands Offshore Trust PLC, Barbra Streisand, Triumph the Wonder Dog (presumably acting only as a front for certain Japanese interests), the Sultan of Brunei, and the Chinese Army.
Air America Radio Year in Review 2007
Nothing really interesting happened on Air America Radio during 2007. So, I'll just go through the motions:
January
They went off in Columbus, Ohio. Jackie Guerra left the air. Al Franken announced he was leaving, surrounded by a swarm of "will he run?" puff pieces in the MSM.
February
They went off in Duluth. Al Franken announced he was running for Senate and finally left the air. Thom Hartmann replaced him. AAR was sold to Mark Green and his brother.
March
Their Los Angeles affiliate did a purge. I and thousands of others across the U.S. celebrated AAR's third anniversary (recommended).
April
Lionel replaced Sam Seder (no one knows who either of those are). Al Franken at Kandiyohi County DFL's "best bean feed fundraiser ever".
May
Desperate for anything to put here, I started making things up. Air America 2.0 relaunched. Al Franken's net worth was revealed.
June
Janeane Garofalo used to torture Iraqis. Bree Walker bought Cindy Sheehan's ranch. I first started to realize how far out there Janeane Garofalo is so, ever-helpful, I suggested "Catholic School" therapy. Then, after answering a perfectly reasonable question about her, I continued to help with some daily affirmations. Plus, Center for American Progress conservative talk co-author linked to Bill Press, Ed Schultz, Jones Radio
July
Al Franken: daily affirmations. Pure class: Jeanine Garofalo treats rash during interview. Pleather! Janeane Garofalo: 9/11 was an inside job! Janeane Garofalo nude (back)! I pleaded with AAR to do something, anything.
August
Mark Riley leaves. Ed Schultz: Minnesota bridge fell because of Bush. Janine Garrofalo joined the cast of TV's 24. I issued a personal plea. Issues at KLSD San Diego. Al Franken, Truther?
September
AAR has left the air in Memphis. Al Franken linked to Norman Hsu. Ed Schultz' bar fight for peace. Air America "Clout" features Truthers. I issued yet another plea (recommended).
October
Free Thought Radio: Godless liberals' home at Air America. Randi Rhodes was "mugged" after having left an Irish pub without having eaten all day. No one knows what happened. As far as we know, Blackwater thugs did indeed push her. Or, it could have been something else. I uploaded audio of her explanation. AAR exits Austin. AAR's VP of programming said they were going to move away from "extremist" programming. He was fired shortly after that.
November
I suggested a possible way for Janeane Garofalo to become slightly normal. AAR off in San Diego. This was just a joke and not a secret message, despite what you might have heard. The Air America Radio Cruise was announced, and no, that wasn't a joke.
December
Flashback: when Janeane Garofalo was cute (last century). Attack ad against Al Franken on Iraq. Libtalk returns to Columbus but off in Eugene, Oregon. Finally, Ed Schultz needs you to start his car for him.
Air America Radio can't even make it in Eugene Oregon
This is just sad:Oregon Public Broadcasting announced on Tuesday that it will buy KOPT from Churchill Media. The AM station offers Air America’s lineup of liberal talk shows...
...Talk radio host Ed Schultz, whose nationally syndicated show airs on many stations that also carry Air America, had been trying to put together a group of Oregon investors to buy the station, but that deal fell through, said James Holm, Schultz's producer...
...Churchill Media believed it had a winner with the progressive radio format in liberal Eugene, broadcasting Air America’s slate of talk shows that included comedian Al Franken, Stephanie Miller and Randi Rhodes, beginning in 2004...
While it did lure a devoted audience, said Churchill General Manager Paul Danitz, the advertising required to support the expenses never quite materialized...
WVKO 1580 AM Columbus: latest progressive talk lemming
WVKO 1580 AM in Columbus, Ohio (wvko1580.com) will on Monday become the latest station to try to find an audience for "progressive" talk. It's run as a one-man operation by one Gary Richards, who's only leasing the station after it fell into bankruptcy. Their schedule includes Air America Radio shows like Randi Rhodes, Rachel Maddow, Thom Hartmann, and This is America with Jon Elliot, as well as non-AAR programming from Bill Press, Stephanie Miller, and Ed Schultz. He's seeking donations to keep the operation afloat until they start bringing in the long green.
Let the countdown begin...
There will be honeysuckles in the garden
[19, 238] I hasten to remind everyone that the garden, despite the advanced days in the year, is still looking quite fine. We expect next Spring and Summer to be banner seasons, with not just vegetables such as corn and squash, but honeysuckles, roses, and petunias a-plenty. Do not despair, for the faithful tillers of the soil - including those who burrow far underground to refresh the dormant roots of perennials - are hard at work preparing the ground for the coming year. Though there be snow upon the fields, yet the roots buried deep will soon spring forth and bloom.
KLSD San Diego: bye-bye Air America, hello XTRA Sports!
Progressives throughout the nation are, at this very moment, thinking to themselves, "If only Hillary Clinton were president right now, she'd seize the assets of Clear Channel and turn them over to the people and make sure that they continued airing Air America Radio on San Diego's KLSD 1360 AM."
Unfortunately for them, Part 2 of the Great Clintonian Revolution has not yet occured, so that station will be switching over to sports radio on Monday. Lee Hamilton will be their lead draw, although they probably won't feature Chargers or Padres games.
Air America moving away from extreme liberalism
Via a comment by "dump", we learn that Air America Radio says it's going to be taking a more moderate stance and will be moving away from extreme liberalism. I'm not familiar with all the terms liberals use, but I believe that that means that Maoism is out, with the more moderate Trotskyism coming back into favor (close followers of AAR will recall their brief flirtation with Stalinism). This will also make it easier for them to get behind Hillary Clinton.
In fact, their vice president of programming, David Bernstein, says:
"I do think the liberal programming that has occurred here has been far too extremist... It's not our job to get a Democrat elected to Congress. We need to be funny, we need to be enjoyable, and I don't think that existed at this company three years ago."
But, it will exist at the current version, and soon. Just you wait.
In related news, they've also picked up 10 smaller stations to carry some of their programming, but only because they unbundled their shows: no longer do affiliates have to accept everything AAR has to offer, only the "best".
Air America off in Austin KOKE 1600 AM (hasta la vista!)
If you can't even make it in Austin, Texas - the closest that fine state comes to an infection of "liberalism" - you can't make it anywhere. Except, of course, perhaps Portland.
As of Monday, Air America Radio is off the air in Austin due to an ownership change at KOKE 1600 AM. They've switched to Spanish-language programming. As libtalk their ratings were 0.9 and apparently their signal was so weak it couldn't even be heard four miles south of downtown.
Air America is looking for a good home, and their affiliate manager, Dave Kaufman wants you to send him tips at dkaufman *at* airamerica.com:
"If someone can point me to the direction of someone more amenable to picking up our format, I'll take all the help I can get."
Air America: free air time for presidential candidates
In the first half of October, Air America Radio will be offering free air time - up to a block of an hour - during Richard Greene's evening 'Clout' program to the Democratic presidential candidates. And, they're offering the same deal in the second half of October to the Republicans:
They will be playing radio host, answering questions from the live audience, cueing up clips, playing excerpts of their own speeches or, whatever is their heart's desire... Others have chosen to record a 2 - 5 minute statement or excerpt. These will run on both CLOUT! and one of Air America's daytime programs... The value of the programming time (not advertising time) donated to the eight campaigns is approximately $80,000...
I applaud AAR for this largely worthless gesture: first, very few people are going to hear it, and second the last thing we need is to hear the candidates just blather on some more.
What we really need is for the candidates to be asked tough questions. If Greene or others at AAR get to ask them questions, he'll just ask puffballs of the Dems and smear questions of the Republicans. What we need are real questions designed to reveal the flaws in their policies.
It looks like the only way to get that is for citizen journalists to go to campaign appearances and ask tough questions, then upload the response to video sharing sites.
Air America off on WSMB / WWTQ Memphis
It's becoming an almost daily occurence as stations leave the Air America Radio fold, and the latest is Memphis' WSMB 680 AM (formerly WWTQ). Feel free to show their page to any "liberals" you meet; they'll enjoy the Fox graphic. Meanwhile, their previous page is like a blast from the past, featuring Al Franken and Sam Seder in the top graphic, links to Jerry Springer and Mike Malloy, and even a picture of a billboard they had called "Stone Cold Liberal Talk" featuring Al Franken and Jerry Springer... on Mt. Rushmore. Needless to say, all of those "personalities" have gone on to future endeavors of some kind.
Thankfully, they've gotten the help they need from Rupert Murdoch.
Not enough gloating for you? Then read "liberals" making excuses again and again.
Maybe Air America could finally save itself by bringing back Janeane Garofalo. Just kidding!
STRATERGIZING UPDATE: I want to help, so here's some free advice for Mark Green. He could say something like:
"Previously, when we had almost 90 stations, our message was diluted, much the same as a fine mist being spread across the nation. I'm sure you can picture in your mind what I mean: most of it gets blown away by the wind. Now, imagine - picture this in your mind - our new plan of media concentration. By reducing the number of stations to close to 50 or so, we can more effectively concentrate our liberalism. No longer is our message spread to the winds, it's sharply focused and concentrated on just a few outlets, and thus we're stronger than we've ever been!"
KLSD San Diego: no more Air America Radio?
Oh, the horror: San Diego's KLSD 1360 AM may soon knuckle under to Rethuglican pressure and get rid of Air America Radio programming, converting to sports talk or something else. The station's website says:
YES, there are rumors flying about KLSD changing format. And while various options are under consideration, we also want the progressive voice to remain heard in San Diego. Stay tuned and we will keep you informed. Thanks for listening and supporting KLSD
To the barricades, comrades! In fact, the station itself is apparently involved in a protest on Monday against Clear Channel, and the Progressive Democrats of America's San Diego cell is involved.
Judy Hess, leader of Progressive Democrats of America's San Diego chapter, said she received an e-mail from the Vice President of programing for Air America nationally on Thursday, August 23rd. “What a shock…He said he wanted to work with me to coordinate efforts to save the station,” she revealed. "I later spoke by phone with him and the Chief Operating Officer," she confirmed. Hess later arranged a phone conference yesterday with Air America's Vice President of programming and leaders of various organizations to create a strategy for mounting a massive campaign to save Air America’s San Diego affiliate.
Celebrities will be at the protest, perhaps even including:
"KLSD is best described as Radio Free San Diego," international award-winning BBC journalist Greg Palast, author of ARMED MADHOUSE: From Baghdad to New Orleans --- Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild, told BRADBLOG. "Despite what the rest of America thinks, it's not just a town of navy guys looking for a way to get to Tijuana. A huge new progressive community has made KLSD one of Air America's strongest outlets - which makes a format change suspect. Local voices like Stacey Taylor and John Elliott are crucial to remaking the California political landscape. I guess that's why they want to silence their microphones."
Indeed. [raises eyebrows]. Indeed.
All right-thinking comrades are urged to visit www.saveklsd.com and www.nonstopradio.com/sandiego.html
AAR, Garofalo, Franken, Malloy Fame-o-Meter
Every week from now on, I'll be charting the relative fame/activity level of various current and former Air America hosts and personalities in order to keep you aprised of who's hot and who's not. Here's this week's chart, together with an unrelated-to-AAR control subject:
Bonus note: Democrats will be happy to hear that I created the chart using a state-funded online program: nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/default.aspx
Center for American Progress conservative talk co-author linked to Bill Press, Ed Schultz, Jones Radio
Studies from the Center for American Progress cannot be trusted. The link contains an example of one of their studies that used a methodology so flawed it's pathetically funny.
The latest example comes in "The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio". All denials to the contrary, it's little more than a veiled attempt to go beyond the Fairness Doctrine and impose libtalk on the nation despite glaring evidence (see: Air America bankruptcy) that the marketplace has spoken.
And, one of the CAP co-authors is Paul Woodhull, a "Special Adviser". Nowhere in their PDF is his biographical information provided (link):
Mr. Woodhull was a founding member of Big Eddie Radio Productions, LLC (BERP), the producers of the #1 liberal talk show in the country The Ed Schultz Show. Mr. Woodhull was responsible for signing the talent, designing the business plan, and negotiating with Jones Radio Networks for syndicating the program... Mr. Woodhull negotiated the sale of BERP to Product First owned and operated by legendary radio businessman Randy Michaels, the former CEO of Clear Channel Communications. Mr. Woodhull is a founding member of Bill Press Partners, LLC, the producers of The Bill Press Show.
Moreover, his wife is an executive with Jones Radio Network.
There's more on the study here and here; the second link discusses how they seem to have "overlooked" and "mistakenly" miscategorized some hosts as being conservative.
Note also that the PDF refers to the "proven success of progressive shows". As long as we're speaking relative to high school hockey broadcasts, that's accurate. And, they support imposing race- and gender-based ownership rules:
Ultimately, these results suggest that increasing ownership diversity, both in terms of the race/ethnicity and gender of owners, as well as the number of independent local owners, will lead to more diverse programming, more choices for listeners, and more owners who are responsive to their local communities and serve the public interest.
And, they appear to be trying to enable attempts by activists to get non-listeners to complain about the programming of stations they've never listened to:
Demand that the radio broadcast licensee announce when its license is about to expire and demonstrate how the public can participate in the process to determine whether the license should be extended. In addition, the FCC should be required to maintain a website to conduct on-line discussions and facilitate interaction with the public about licensee conduct.
I can practically see the blog posts encouraging "listeners" to complain about various stations.
And:
A fee based on a sliding scale (1 percent for small markets, 5 percent for the largest markets) would be distributed directly to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting with clear mandates to support local news and public affairs programming and to cover controversial and political issues in a fair and balanced manner.
Once again, it's all relative: they mean "fair and balanced" in the NPR-style.
Air America news department: revamped! Shoelace production: up 42%!
Air America has completely revamped its news division. While false stories in the reactionary press claim that the division has been eliminated as a cost-cutting move, these stories are simply enemy propaganda. In fact, the news department is still going strong, it has now just been reassigned, with now-former staffers Wayne Gillman, Bill Crowley, Mike Piazza and Mark Scheerer free to pursue opportunities elsewhere and thus able to spread liberalism like a virus to any host that will accept their talents. Note that the false story claims this was spelled out in a "staff memo from COO Scott Elberg"; nothing could be further from the truth, and no such memo ever existed.
Air America 2.0 relaunches May 21; "I'm an Air American!"
I thought Air America 2.0 had already been launched, but apparently history has been changed once again, and the official launch of the new and improved network will be on May 21, sources say. The owner's brother, Mark Green, says:
"The completely redesigned web site will give Air America listeners another platform to participate in the progressive movement through an interactive blog where they can read and give commentary on topical issues of the day."
As part of the redebut, Paul Newman will be featured in an ad campaign with the incredibly inventive tag line "I'm an Air American!"
But, wait, there's questionable campaigning as well, with Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards scheduled to be interviewed. Mayor Mike Bloomberg was interviewed today by Green, his former rival. Other "celebrities" stopping by include Robert Redford and Gloria Steinem.
New hosts include barely-famous celebrities Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Arianna Huffington and Bob Kerrey.
They've also named a "chief blogger", one Nancy Scola who currently can be found at nancyscola.com (Alexa traffic rank: 2,777,629). A quick search of her site reveals her to be a progressive, but, sad to say, not of the rabid Amanda Marcotte variety.
Media Matters/ David Brock "got" Imus?
Some Rethuglican Hate Speaker named Cliff Kincaid offers How Hillary's Hit Man Got Imus. This was an especially disturbing read for me, because I know everything in there is wrong. In fact, I've forwarded it to my comrades in the Hate Monitors Network for their commentary and dialectical analysis, and hopefully those comrades will be able to take time away from trying to purify the airwaves to read it.
Do you think something is fishy about the Don Imus affair? Why was the boom lowered on him at this time? The answer may have something to do with his main accuser, the Media Matters group, which is emerging as a front organization for Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and has extensive ties to the national Democratic Party. In firing Imus, NBC News and CBS got rid of one of Hillary’s major political enemies in the media.
Partay down with Stephanie Miller and Sheldon Drobny (Phoenix, April 15)
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! April 15th, April 15th, Tax Day, Tax Day! KPHX! KPHX! Join Sheldon Drobny, Stephanie Miller, Mike Malloy, Bill Press, and Thom Hartmann in Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Scottsdale!
Nova M, Nova MMMMmmmm! Sheldon! Stephanie! Thom! Mike! Bill! Live music! Drinks! Lots and lots of drinks! Liberals!
Join Sheldon at the Birkenstock refurbishing booth! Stephanie Miller will be greeting her fans! See if you can get her into the same condition in which Randi Rhodes was alleged to have been at one time or another! Volvos! Liberals! Progressives! Pinkos!
Reservations are recommended. No guarantee of talking to hosts is given. All hosts are scheduled to appear but their appearance, coherency, and/or stand-up-ability cannot be guaranteed. Watch out for the purple acid.
March 31: Air America Third Anniversary Celebration and Respectful Protest
I just spotted this event on upcoming.org. It looks like a group of Air America Radio fans is going to be holding a "celebration of Air America Radio's Third Anniversary" on Saturday, March 31 outside the headquarters of KTLK-AM in Burbank, California. Does anyone know anything about this? It sounds interesting, so if anyone has an account at DailyKos or something please spread the word.
Air America PD thinks AAR might be "already giving people exactly what they want"
David Bernstein is the new Program Director of Air America Radio, and in a wide-ranging and nearly content-free interview, he had this to say:
"I'm familiar with Air America the way I'm familiar with most other radio, because I listen... But as a product, it's too early to say if we're going in the right direction... I want to get feedback not only from people around here, but from programmers and listeners around the country, because the real question is what your listeners want and are you giving it to them... It may be that in the end, we're already giving people exactly what they want. That's what I'll be looking at... Like anything in radio, it grows, changes and matures... It's much different than it was in May of '04, say. But one of the things about Air America is that it's a known brand. People have definite opinions on it, for and against."
It may also be that "Dr. Crunched Glass' Magical Castor Oil-Flavored Ice Cream With Bits O' Gravel" is giving their customer exactly what he wants too, but I highly doubt it.
Gloria Wise execs escape prison, pay fine
Two former executives of the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club - the group from which Air America Radio got one of its first "loans" - yesterday avoided being sentenced to prison and instead paid what for them are probably small fines, the NYT says.Charles Rosen, former executive director, will pay $38,575 in restitution, and Jeffrey Aulenbach will pay up $32,363. They each will also pay a $5,000 fine and won't be able to work for a non-profit for three years. There's probably some sort of a loophole in the latter.
During the past several months, thousands of Co-op City residents signed petitions and wrote letters to the judge in the case, Justice John N. Byrne, requesting that he impose jail sentences on the two men despite the plea agreements. Dozens of Co-op City residents showed up in Justice Byrne’s courtroom for each of the four sentencing dates, three of which were postponed while the judge reviewed documents and considered his legal options...As I type, reporters throughout the land are converging on Minnesota to look into Al Franken's foreknowledge of the "loan". No really, they're on the way there. I saw the tickets. It's true, I swear. No, really.
..."I just think it was a travesty of justice, but that's the way it goes here in New York," [Gloria Wise's sister Juanita Garrido] said. "I guess it's who you know and not what you do."
The Rev. Robert A. Smith Jr., pastor of the Church of the Savior and president of the Coalition of African American Churches and Community Organizations in Co-op City, said the group was considering filing a civil lawsuit against Mr. Rosen.
"This case is not finished," he said. "Either way, justice is going to prevail."
Desperate Mark Green cries: hold a presidential debate here!
In a desperate bid to get some publicity - any publicity at all - new Air America Radio brother-of-owner Mark Green has thrown down the velvet gauntlet to the Republican contenders for president: hold a debate on Air America!
...it would allow Republicans to differentiate themselves from Democrats – embracing a debate hosted by a progressive media outlet after Nevada Democrats canceled a debate scheduled to be hosted by the conservative Fox Cable News Channel. The MoveOn organization spurred 265,000 people to complain about the original plan, calling Fox a "mouthpiece for the Republican Party." In reply, Fox's Mort Kondracke called the Nevada Democratic Party's rejection of Fox a "Stalinist" violation of "free speech and free debate." So should you accept Air America's offer, Republicans would both embrace free debate and stick it to Stalin at the same time... We would be honored not only to co-host such an event; but also to broadcast it live without commercial interruption on the day that you choose.
The first problem is that, outside of a few cows fifty miles outside San Antonio and Chicago, no one would be able to hear the debate. They might as well hold it in a school auditorium in Minot, South Dakota. And, on a serious note, most of the questions will be smears: remember that AAR and/or the Young Turks briefly employed Mike Stark. Do we really want to hear him or Randi Rhodes screechingly ask someone when they stopped beating their wife? Those questions that aren't smears won't be tough questions that could reveal logical gaps in the candidates' thinking (on immigration matters, for instance).
Air America's Mark Green: "unmitigated disaster that's Iraq" helps Democrats
The brother of Air America's new owner, Mark Green, sent me an email earlier today announcing that the Revolution Had Come: the day when the Green Brothers "formally purchased and took over Air America Radio". Only at the end did I read "Originally Released on The Huffington Post (March 6, 2007)"; apparently he posted it there instead of at airamericaradio.com because he actually wanted people to see it.
It's described here as a collection of cliches, but my fellow VRWC member seems to have missed what might be Marc Green's first big mistake:
For if we can't now grow and prosper as Democrats -- given the 110th Congress, given the unmitigated disaster that's Iraq, given a slew of top-quality presidential aspirants -- when will we?
I'll leave it to the spin-meisters to decide, but isn't Green saying that the Democrats should profit from the Iraq war? Isn't he saying by extension that the worse the situation in Iraq becomes, the more the Democrats will profit from the situation?
On a infantalistic note, he says:
It's now ready to go from The Perils of Pauline to The Little Engine that Could.
Then, we get the news that they're going to "think outside the (radio) box" by expanding into other media types that no one will pay any attention to. And, AAR will fight "plutocracy and theocracy" with their "pro-democracy hosts". Then, he goes even further around the bend:
we are the alternative of truth, justice and the Air American way... it's this conversation called democracy that's the cornerstone of Air America 2.0... join our journey to a better network, better programming, and a better country. To tell them that it's your America, and your Air America.
KTLK soviet announces Air America purge
The Los Angeles Times continues their hard-news reporting with the news that KTLK AM 1150's soviet ("advisory council") is purging various Air America shows from their lineup. Here's the new version:
Stephanie Miller: 6-9am
Thom Hartmann: 9am-noon
Randi Rhodes: noon - 3pm (live)
Marc Germain: 3-7pm (live and local!)
Ed Schultz: 7-10pm
Rachel Maddow: 10pm-12am
Alan Colmes 12-3am
Bill Press: 3-6am (live)
Only Hartmann, Rhodes, and Maddow are AAR "stars". Although Germain is probably not known anywhere else, some in L.A. know him as "Mr. KABC" or "Mr. KFI".
The AAR shows KTLK is dropping include "Politically Direct," "Mark Riley" and "The Young Turks". It's dropping the syndicated "Lionel" and the local show "Harrison on the Edge"; apparently even the L.A. City Beat couldn't save the latter.
Posted at 10:09 PM | Comments (0)
Air America bailout: worth nothing? (a rebuttal)
[The following post is from "biff", a frequent contributor to the blog at democrats.org, who also posts under other names at DailyKos and other sites. This site distances itself from his remarks, but as part of our plea agreement is required to carry it.]
Well, it looks like Lyin' Balloney is up to his old tricks again, claiming that the sale of Air America is little more than an accounting scam and that AAR actually had zero value. First of all, I think this "lawyer" he talks about does'nt exist and is in fact Balloney himself. Sheldon Drobny is almost a lawyer, and he already gave his thoughts on the matter and he said it was a bad thing but he didnt say it was worth nothing he said it was worth something. Second of all, "nothing" is not "nothing", its something. Nothingness exists, as surely as something does. Third of all, even if what he says is true, they didn't have to pay someone to takeover Air America, so it's not like it was a negative amount or antyhing. Fourth of all, I've looked into this and I knoe he's wrong.
The Bush Crime Family and Rethugnantcons will say and do anything to drive liberal, progressive, and socialistic talk off the air. Keep a watchful eye peeled for their attempts to do that.
UPDATE: This site would like to make it perfectly clear that "biff"'s comments are his alone, and the mention of "democrats.org" above was only meant to identify another site where "biff" leaves comments (example). The word "comment leaver" should have been used instead of "contributor", and we would like to make it clear that "biff" is not associated with "democrats.org", "democrats.com", "dailykos.com", or the other sites where he and his aliases leave the occasional comment.
Posted at 11:58 AM | Comments (9)
Bankrupt Air America has a new owner
Break out the Night Train, because Air America Radio has been sold! U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain has approved the $4.25 million sale to Stephen Green:...[The approval] essentially transfers all the assets of Piquant LLC, parent company of the New York-based Air America, to a group including new and current investors.
It gives a majority stake to Green Family Media LLC, an entity controlled by Green, and a minority stake to Democracy Allies LLC. That group includes RealNetworks Inc. Chief Executive Robert Glaser and two former Air America board members...
...A committee of creditors had objected to the deal, arguing that it benefited insiders such as Glaser and that creditors had been victims of a "bait and switch."
Creditors said that they had originally been promised a distribution of 8.5 cents on the dollar under a deal that fell through, compared to the 1 cent per dollar under this deal. That bid had been submitted by individuals who were not previously affiliated with Air America.
Democracy Allies was formed to lend money to the debtor when it entered bankruptcy in October. In addition to Glaser, the group includes former board members Terry Kelly and Douglas Kreeger. The SL Green sale gives it a minority stake and full payment of a $3.25 million loan...
...The deal will allow Piquant to pay back its loan to Democracy Allies, pay $526,000 to resolve back rent and building costs at its headquarters and pay $500,000 for creditor claims.
Lawyers said in court that contracts with the radio network's talent were being renegotiated. Klestadt declined to comment on Friday about what would happen to existing claims...
Posted at 12:39 PM | Comments (1)
Clear Channel conspiracy against Air America... revealed!
Has Clear Channel been conspiring to cancel Air America and libtalk in general from the airwaves? The shocking truth can now be revealed in this post.
It worked like this. CC put AAR on the weakest stations in their markets, then sold packages of advertising for all their other stations in the market except for AAR. Through some mechanism that I can't understand, that undercut AAR's ad sales. Plus, with CC putting AAR on the weakest station, no stronger station in the market could carry it. This whole plan was so fiendishly clever that I still have trouble understanding it. But, I know it must be true:
This is what they planned all along; put the shows on shitty stations, do everything possible to NOT sell advertising, and then claim low ratings and an inability to sell ads to not only to rationalize their getting rid of the programs, but to poison the water for other station owners, who might be thinking about picking up the programming, but can't afford to lose money.
Special note: Clear Channel agents monitor all Internet traffic. THEY KNOW YOU READ THIS. I urge you to immediately clear your cookies and cache, and even get a whole new browser. I enjoy Firefox, what about you? And, if you see any newish black Chevrolet Impalas, or strange pizza or plumbing vans, immediately leave town. They know that you know that they know that you know.
Posted at 08:57 PM | Comments (2)
Air America's winning bid: $4.25 million
The results of the eBay auction to sell failed and bankrupt radio network Air America are in, and the winning bidder is slgreen2005, which is reportedly the nick of real estate developer Stephen L. Green. He is reportedly scrambling to put enough money in his PayPal account to pay for the sale, which was conducted by a user known only by the nick "agoregsorosssmalley".
"slgreen2005" will repay $3.25 million in loans AAR received. But, since it received much more than that in loans some will end up with pennies on the dollar (or some might get shafted altogether). Whether those who are owed non-loan money (such as Mike Piazza) will get anything isn't clear.
Green's company will also give Piquant LLC $500,000 and pay off up to $500,000 in network debts (the bulk of which, $349,000, is owed to the network's Manhattan landlord). Green's bid topped by more than $1.25 million the nearest offer received by Air America, according to a motion filed along with the purchase agreement... While Green controls the corporation purchasing Air America, two of the firms that were pre-bankruptcy investors in the radio network will "collectively own a minority interest" in the Green company.
Of course, the $4.25 mil is small change to someone who owns a billion dollars worth of properties, but bear in mind that that's just the down payment: he'll have to shell out several million per year to keep AAR on the air.
To help him out, I have a few tips:
- massively increase the varieties of items sold in AAR's CafePress store: license plate frames, keychains, ballpoint pens, the sky's the limit!
- join the Ben & Jerry's affiliate program
- to save money, put Marc Green on the air for 12 hours each day
- conduct a month-long fundraising event featuring Deepak Chopra giving away The Best of Barbra Streisand
- introduce the AAR Super Associates program: for $500 they get three tote bags
- convert AAR's financial structure into a more "communal" type of thing: from each to their abilities, etc.
Posted at 11:49 AM | Comments (1)
Air America exits KQDS 1490 AM (Duluth)
I used to think "Duluth" was just a punchline or something, but apparently it's a real city in "Minnesota", a state somewhere north of Canada. Anyway, they appear to have dropped liberal talk, including not only some Air America shows but Big Ed Schultz as well. They're still listed as an AAR affiliate, but that means nothing. They broadcast with an awesome 1,000 Watts of Big Power, which is no doubt heard all over the local area except when someone is using a microwave oven. They don't even have their own website, leaving a fan to create one for them.
Special note for liberals: their sister TV station is a Fox affiliate, so this move is also apparently part of the conspiracy.
Posted at 08:51 PM | Comments (2)
Fun: the $35 prank for Air America listeners you know
Kids! Adults! Want to play a fun, harmless prank on your favorite Air America listener? (Of course, there's about a .000001% chance that anyone you know is an Air America listener, but read on just in case).
What if you could spend just $35... and make that listener think Air America had gone off the air? It wouldn't be that big of a shock, because they've probably already been expecting it. So, after you reveal the jolly jape you played on them you can both have a hearty laugh and they can go back to listening to Randi Rhodes screech at them.
OK, are you ready for the fun?
All you need to do is get this kit. Then, attach its input to a tape loop playing "We're sorry, but this Air America station has gone off the air. Join us next week for Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Michael Savage, and The Best of Tony Snow." Or, simply connect it to the output of another radio station set to your local Fox News or oldies station. Then, tune the transmitter to the frequency of your local Air America affiliate and place it near the "mark"'s radio. Then, just sit back and watch the fun, as they have an emotional breakdown while frantically posting to DU.
Bonus tip! Video tape the event and upload it to Youtube.
Posted at 08:39 PM | Comments (4)
Cliff Schecter beats the right-wing noise machine!
Terrific news from deep inside the trenches, as Comrade Cliff Schecter informs us that he's beat the right-wing noise machine:
We don't have FoxNews. We don't have Rush Limbaugh... But we have something almost as powerful, if recent events tell an accurate story. We have synergy. Coordination. Call it what you will.
He goes on to relate how he started a new site called The Real John McCain (therealmccain.com). Now, since Schecter doesn't have access to Fox News or Rush, he had to do a lot of work to overcome the massive right-wing bias of the news media.
First, he broke open his piggybank and used what little money he had printing up some mimeographed copies of a screed describing the site. Then, working with his partner in the venture ("filmmaker Robert Greenwald and his fantastic team at Brave New Films"), he was "mentioned on almost every medium-sized and high-traffic progressive blog". He was featured on the Young Turks show on Air America. He was featured on Alternet. The Los Angeles Times did a front-page story on his effort. They got mentioned in a San Francisco Chronicle blog.
Now, if you're thinking that that's prima facie evidence of a liberal media bias, you're completely wrong. If there were liberal bias, they would have gotten the front pages of the WaPo and the NYT, and they haven't (yet). And, of course, they don't have Rush or Fox News, so liberals don't control everything. Yet.
Posted at 04:09 AM | Comments (0)
Air America bought by Stephen Green?
The latest twist and turn in the Air America saga is that they're going to be bought out and taken out of bankruptcy not by the French family (thank you Drudge and WSJ, no really, thank you), but by New York real estate baron Stephen L. Green. He's the brother of long-time NYC politico Mark Green, who's a frequent guest on the network and an occasional fill-in host. The latter was the NYC public advocate and ran for mayor against Mike Bloomberg in 2001. AAR has confirmed this tentative agreement, but it still needs to be approved by the bankruptcy court.
Posted at 10:26 AM | Comments (7)
Air America bailed out by French family of Westchester...
Breaking hard... Developing... Must credit Bore America...
UPDATING: This breaking story - first announced here - is burning up the wires, as new details emerge... French family owns New York TV station WRNN... consortium involved, will buy Piquant LLC, owners of Air America... if deal collapses, AAR might be forced into immediate liquidation... But:
If the acquisition does go through, it could lead to several programming changes at the liberal talk-radio network. Richard French, son of WRNN owner Dick French, will likely get his own show in prime time on Air America. Richard French, formerly a New York State Democratic Party official, already has a nightly show on WRNN, "Richard French Live," where he has hosted guests including Sen. Hillary Clinton (D., N.Y.). Richard French couldn't be reached to comment. Currently Air America runs a political show hosted by David Bender at 8 p.m. EST and an environmental show hosted by Betsy Rosenberg at 9 p.m... [Marc Maron] says Air America executives have been in touch with him to discuss a possible show, pending the signed deal with the Frenches.
UPDATE: Frigging WSJ via Drudge: Air America bought by Stephen Green?
Posted at 09:38 PM | Comments (4)
"Media Reform", Dennis Kucinich and the Fairness Doctrine
The National Conference for Media Reform was held last weekend in Memphis and as previously discussed featured a constellation of stars from the far left side of the sky. Even Air America broadcast live from the event.
A surprise attendee was Dennis Kucinich, who announced that he's focusing his efforts on the FCC and an attempt to bring back the "Fairness Doctrine". That would presumably mandate that stations that offer four hours of Rush Limbaugh would have to offer four hours of Randi Rhodes as well. Since the market hasn't treated "progressive" radio that well, might as well try government fiat. Hey, things like that have worked well where they've been tried.
The Presidential candidate said that the committee would be holding "hearings to push media reform right at the center of Washington." The Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the House Government Reform Committee was to be officially announced this week in Washington, D.C., but Kucinich opted to make the news public early.
There's more on the confab in "The Plan To Silence Conservatives", including the news that said confab was funded by a group that's received at least $400,000 from George Soros' Open Society Institute. That connection wasn't disclosed in the official program. Manning and womyning one of the booths were comrades from the Revolutionary Communist Party, an Air America advertiser. And:
[Webster Tarpley, a former associate of Lyndon LaRouche], an "expert" on how 9/11 was a U.S. plot, was a featured guest for two hours on Air America, the liberal radio network now in bankruptcy because of bad management and dismal ratings.
And:
Reaching new levels of hysteria, Rep. Maurice Hinchey said the survival of America was itself at stake because "neo-fascist" and "neo-con" talk-show hosts led by Rush Limbaugh had facilitated the "illegal" war in Iraq and were complicit in President Bush's repeated violations of the Constitution, such as by detaining terrorists. He warned that the "right-wing oriented media" were now preparing the way for Bush to wage war on Iran and Syria... His answer, a bill titled the "Media Ownership Reform Act," would reinstate the federal fairness doctrine and authorize bureaucrats at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to monitor and alter the content of radio and television programs.
Later, he spoke on Air America.
While this site usually laughs at, scoffs, makes fun of, and generally mocks Air America, it's meetings like this that reveal their more ominous side.
Posted at 12:15 AM | Comments (0)
Bright spot: gospel doing worse than Air America!
Raise a glass of organic champagne and celebrate, because:
...the gospel format at WLIB (1190 AM)... is down from the previous Air America format.
Trivia question: is this the first piece of good news Air America has ever had?
Posted at 09:01 AM | Comments (0)
Media Reform Conference in Memphis Jan 13 and 14
Bill Moyers and a veritable constellation of lefties will be conducting their annual cry-in/whine-o-fest/Media Reform Conference in Memphis this weekend. Their full schedule is here, and here's a map of the conference center.
This site has a list of the speakers. In addition to two current and one former FCC commissioners, here are a few names at random:
Duncan Black, "Atrios" blogger
David Brancaccio, PBS
David Brock, Media Matters for America
Adrienne Maree Brown, Ruckus Society
Phil Donahue, television host
Laura Flanders, Air America
Jane Fonda, actor and co-Founder, Women's Media Center
Kim Gandy, president, National Organization for Women
Danny Glover, actor and activist
Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
Maurice Hinchey, U.S. representative
Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader
Mark Lloyd, Center for American Progress
Ed Markey, U.S. representative
Joan "McJoan" McCarter, Daily Kos
Alex Nogales, National Hispanic Media Coalition
Bernie Sanders, U.S. senator
Helen Thomas, Hearst Newspapers
Cenk Ugyur, The Young Turks
Noah Winer, MoveOn.org Civic Action
Posted at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)
WTPG/WYTS protest to be held
On Monday, a group of ardent Air America Radio fans will protest Clear Channel's decision to remove AAR programming from Columbus, Ohio's WTPG (AM 1230). That station has since switched its call letters to WYTS and on the same day as the march it will begin offering sports, consumer shows, Laura Ingraham, and... Michael Savage.
Oh, the horror!
Tom Thon, Clear Channel's Columbus market manager, reveals the conspiracy thusly:
"Far and away, the communiques have been in opposition to our changes... It's really nothing more than human nature and human emotion taking over and not liking change... Unfortunately, central Ohio listeners did not respond to the progressive format... It's been very underperforming in ratings and revenue."
I would hardly call tying for 23rd "underperforming". After all, there were eight stations doing even worse!
Posted at 12:09 PM | Comments (1)
Which Air America stations are still broadcasting AAR? (Part 1)
Air America's list of stations is quite entertaining for those of us who follow their various antics. For instance, WDOD in Chattanooga, TN stopped broadcasting AAR in August, but it's still on the list. It would be interesting to see which other stations are in a similar position. Initially I thought about building a Google Maps mashup, perhaps with a Drupal backend that would enable visitors to this site to investigate each station and determine which format they've switched to.
Then, I realized that that would be a lot of work relating to AAR, and I decided to copy and paste instead.
So, here's about the first quarter of their list. Those that have dropped - or are about to drop - AAR are preceded by "OFF!" If you know that one of the other stations has switched, please leave a comment:
Akron, OH - WARF-AM
Ann Arbor, MI - WLBY-AM
Asheville, NC - WPEK-AM
Atlanta, GA - WMLB-AM
Bennington, VT - WBTN-AM
Binghamton, NY - WYOS-AM
OFF! Boston, MA - WXKS-AM
OFF! Boston, MA - WKOX-AM
Brattleboro, VT - WKVT-AM
Buffalo, NY - WHLD-AM
Burlington, VT - WVAA-AM
Chapel Hill, NC - WCHL-AM
Charlottesville, VA - WVAX-AM
OFF! Chattanooga, TN - WDOD-AM
OFF! Cincinnati, OH - WSAI-AM
Columbia, SC - WOIC-AM
OFF! Columbus, OH - WTPG-AM
Detroit, MI - WDTW-AM
Grand Rapids, MI - WTKG-AM
Greenfield, MA - WHMQ-AM
Huntington, WV - WRVC-AM
Ithaca, NY - WNYY-AM
Miami, FL - WINZ-AM
Montpelier/Barre/St Johnsbury, VT - WDEV-AM
New Haven, CT - WAVZ-AM
New York, NY - WWRL
Northampton, MA - WHMP-AM
Petoskey, MI - WWKK-AM
Pittsburgh, PA - WPTT-AM
Pittsburgh, PA - WURP-AM
Portland, ME - WLVP-AM
Poughkeepsie, NY - WKZE-AM
Rochester, NY - WROC-AM
Springfield, MA - WHNP-AM
State College, PA - WBLF-AM
Washington, DC - WWRC-AM
West Palm Beach, FL - WJNO-AM
Posted at 10:07 PM | Comments (11)
Air America Madison Mic 92.1 FM stays on air!
A massive victory for all 200 listeners to Air America's Madison Wisconsin outlet The Mic 92.1 WXXM FM loomed today, as under Congressional and U.N. pressure the GOP-controlled Clear Channel will keep AAR programming on the air and will not replace it with 24/7 cow, corn, and feed programming as previously reported, sources say. This comes on the heels of Cindy Sheehan having announced the construction of "Peace Village - North", a proposed communal village designed to put pressure on Clear Channel to keep Al Franken, Sam Seder, and various even lesser-known personages on the air.
Posted at 09:21 PM | Comments (3)
Terry Kelly doubles down on Air America Radio
Air America Radio investor Terry Kelly of Madison, Wisconsin - already on the hook for at least $460,000 in loans to AAR - is doubling-down, chasing good money after bad, and engaging in other activities related to signing a letter of intent to buy AAR out of bankruptcy, sources say.
The investor group he leads includes "a new strategic media partner he declined to name", according to the NYT. (George Soros? Time-Warner-AOL-Disney-Sun Microsystems? DreamWorks? Ted Turner? Adnan Khashoggi?)
In addition to watching his hometown's affiliate WXXM (FM 92.1) switch to Fox Sports, he can also watch as Boston's WKOX (AM 1200) and WXKS (AM 1430) switch to "La Nueva Rumba".
Posted at 01:36 PM | Comments (1)
Bill Hess / WWRC, WaPo: enemies of Air America Radio
Bill Hess, operations manager of Clear Channel's WWRC (AM 1260) and WTNT (AM 570) is an enemy of Air America and liberalism in general, as is the Washington Post. Do not trust anything you hear or read from either source henceforth.Marc Fisher of the WaPo offers the incredibly biased article "Air America, in the Throes of Victory?", which could have been written by a BushCo flack. We're falsely informed that AAR is in "miserable condition" when in fact they've bounded from success to success.
Furthermore, we're informed that WWRC is dropping AAR shows such as "The Young Turks", which Fisher labels a "rambling roundtable of chatter". That's being replaced with Bill Press. Continuing the bias, he says that the DC outlet has an "almost imperceptible audience". Continuing with the hate speech:
[AAR's] nationally syndicated shows "were more interested in preaching than in entertaining," Hess says. "Look at Limbaugh: It was from the start a fun show, with his parody spots. The left is still hesitant about having fun on the radio; you have people that really care about the ideology."Then, Hess goes on to promote Big Dumb Ed Schultz, as well as the long-discredited meme that AAR loses audience to NPR and such.
Air America's afternoon host, Randi Rhodes, has been relegated to evenings on WWRC, in good part because Hess believes her show is unrelentingly harsh and bitter. "She's got unbridled passion, which is good," he says, "but my ears are going to bleed after 15 minutes. Man, how about a laugh now and then?"
Right after bringing back the Fairness Doctrine, we simply must do something about such hate articles from the WaPo.
Posted at 02:13 PM | Comments (2)
Quad Cities (IL, IA): Christian programming replaces Air America
"Liberals" throughout the U.S. responded with sadness, horror, and an even greater sense of dread as the news was released that yet another Air America Radio station had converted from secular progressivism to... a Christian format! This time it's WKBF (AM 1270) out of the "Quad Cities", which are Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa and Moline, East Moline, and Rock Island in Illinois. (In the Midwest, counting starts at -1).
The format will change with the new year, and right now, in an attempt to exorcise the daemons left behind by the previous programming, new owner Randy Melchert is playing all Christmas music. And, in another apparent slap at AAR, their new website is at truth1270.com.
Posted at 01:08 PM | Comments (0)
WKOX, WXKS: Vaya con Darwin, Air America
WKOX (1200 AM) and WXKS (1430 AM) out of Boston are saying, "Vaya con Dios, Darwin, Sheehan, Zinn, Chomsky, a tree, or whatever" to Air America Radio as well as the Jones Radio Network, as those Clear Channel-owned sister stations are switching to a Spanish format. Not only that, they're considering boosting the wattage of both stations to 50,000 from 10,000 and 5,000 respectively.
Posted at 01:02 PM | Comments (2)
Air America bankruptcy hearing today...
Will Air America recover from recently going bankrupt? Will they be bought out? Or, will George Soros liberal investors decide to spend their money on a new yacht or something? Will they be forced into Chapter 7 bankruptcy and all their assets frozen and sold off to pay off creditors such as Mike Piazza?
Developing...
UPDATE: There is no update.
Posted at 12:10 PM | Comments (1)
WCPT "Chicago": Springer out, Miller in, Franken going...
According to our sources, starting on December 11, Air America Radio's "Chicago" outlet WCPT (AM 850) will be changing their schedule around to be less AAR-y and more Jones Radio Network-y.
Bill Press: sign-on to 8am
Stephanie Miller: 8am to 11am (NEW!)
Ed Schultz: 11am to 2pm
Al Franken: 2pm to 5pm (new time, tape delay)
Randi Rhodes: 5pm to sign-off (also tape delayed)
Miller will be replacing Jerry Springer.
According to them:
WCPT shifts Al Franken's guest-intensive show to afternoons. Nobody gets better guests or offers more insight than Al... Some of you may be wondering why move Al to the later time slot. The truth of the matter is that we are uncertain of Al's future along with Air America's. We will continue to carry his show as long as we can, with the hopes that he will continue on, however we have no indication of Al's future.
Nothing like a vote of confidence!
On the wider issue, this site speculates:
If Randi lost her radio syndication home [due to AAR folding], we're wondering if Jones Radio would pick her show up as part of this move. That would certainly give them a very solid liberal talk block from 6 AM until 6 PM weekdays. As it turns out, Jones would then become the, well, defacto "liberal talk network" that AAR has tried to be all along!
Posted at 12:03 PM | Comments (1)
Air America to be bought out or go away soon
Sadly, it looks like a critical point for Air America is coming soon, as due to the legalistic requirements of their bankruptcy filing they must find a buyer soon.
All of this occurs against the backdrop of the current time of the year. Even with this unseasonably warm weather, Foliage Season is over save for the southern reaches of New England. The weather has indeed turned, with flurries of snowflakes blurring the views from Air America Radio's windows in The Big Apple. The leaves have indeed fallen onto the ground, whether maples or elms, even blowing through the Concrete Canyons of New York City. The season of candied apples - which I once enjoyed on the porch of the Mount Washington Hotel and Resort while pondering the Bretton Woods agreement and then again in Connecticut - has long passed. As has the season of roasted turkeys, roasted chestnuts, and cranberry sauce - not from a can. The season of Santa and his reindeer is soon upon us. There may be no presents - whether a tie, a pony, or simply a $178 gift certificate - for AAR this year.
Posted at 06:58 AM | Comments (3)
Comrades question Air America off in Madison (WXXM the Mic)
Comrades, sotrudniki, and Air America supporters have risen in righteous anger over Air America Radio being taken off WXXM in Madison Wisconsin in order to be replaced with sports talk from Fox Sports.
In a sharply worded Letter to the Editor of The Onion The Capital Times, AAR supporter Rosanne Ehrlich wonders "if others, as I do, find it suspicious that Air America radio in liberal Madison is being canned... Did they suddenly realize that The Mic was possibly making an ever so subtle difference in voter perceptions? Did the stunning Democratic landslide leave them with egg on their faces? Could the motive now be vengeance?"
And, Xavier Casto urges all to show "support of progressive radio now":
...Some may feel we need to return to the blissful ignorance we once had before names like Randi Rhodes, Stephanie Miller, Al Franken, Mike Malloy and Lee Rayburn greeted us with progressive thoughts and humor, but anyone who has tasted the sweet fruit of knowledge should be infuriated (or at least have a feeling of betrayal) by the corporate giant that has teased us with a droplet only to yank it from us before we realize the full strength it could give us...
Posted at 12:38 PM | Comments (0)
Air America off in Madison, New Orleans, Huntington, Binghampton...
Like a circus leaving town on an early morning train, Air America Radio is being taken off the air in Madison, Wisconsin and New Orleans, Louisiana.
In Madison - the beuddered version of Berkeley - WXXM (92.1 FM) aka "The Mic" is replacing them with all sports... from Fox! That station is owned by... Clear Channel!
Says AAR investor and heavy debtor Terry Kelly:
"I find it puzzling as to the timing given the election results... There is no business reason that is apparent to me (for the change), therefore, one wonders what the real reasons may be."
And, even more puzzling still, they had moved up to 11th in their market...
And, WSMB (1350 AM) in New Orleans is replacing Al, Randi and the gang with:
"The Food Show," live local gustatory gab hosted by Tom Fitzmorris... Bob DelGiorno, Monica Pierre, John "Spud" McConnell and Garland Robinette.
In more hopeful news, KCAA (1050 AM) in California's Inland Empire (somewhere out near Riverside or something) is hoping to be able to broadcast during the nighttime beginning at the start of the year.
I know this looks like some vast conspiracy considering the recent elections and all, but I can assure my liberal readers that these are just business decisions.
17 AUTH 5: C&C 2A! AUT383: 12 943 8573 OP CNVRT GO
UPDATE: Look, I realize that this is starting to look like some kind of conspiracy, but it isn't. Via this, we learn that AAR is also going off the air in Huntington, West Virginia (WRVC-AM) and Binghamton, New York (WYOS-AM). All four stations listed above are still on AAR's list of stations. They'll remove them in good time, perhaps around the same time they get around to deleting other stations such as Chattanooga TN, which they lost back in August.
UPDATE 2: I see that Raccoon Radio also noticed the NY change. And, Wally Pike brings the news that the WV station was reportedly "flipped" with WCMI (1340 AM) out of Ashland, Kentucky. WCMI is a massive local powerhouse with a whopping 700 Watts of power. Meaning that Huntington residents might be able to continue to hear AAR just so long as no one in town is using their microwave oven.
Posted at 06:10 AM | Comments (4)
Air America blacklist; "offensive programming"?
As previously discussed, mysterious forces have encouraged around one hundred very large advertisers to avoid advertising on Air America Radio. Tin-foil hat wearers claim this is a "blacklist" and is part of a "conspiracy", despite Jim's Bunch disclaiming all responsibility (XE83-371P).
Now, the MSM - in the person of the free Pasadena Weekly - has dug into this story. According to them, AAR flack Jamie Horn says:
"This is nothing new. We have been dealing with this since we launched two years ago. It is unfortunate that some advertisers are afraid of supporting the progressive voice in this country."
A Navy spokesman says:
"The US Navy employs a media strategy to leverage programming that effectively reaches the Navy's target market -- potential recruits -- and that type of programming typically does not include 'All News,' 'All Talk' or 'News/Talk' radio formats."
Nestle says:
"It is our policy to ensure communications are associated with neutral positions. Our policy does not single out Air America, but applies to political programming in general."
And, Hewlett-Packard responds titularly:
"Media relationships are chosen to extend HP's reach to certain target audiences and not based on media content. The relationships should not be construed in any way as endorsements of such content. As a general practice, HP strives whenever possible to avoid ad rotations that include offensive programming."
ABC told the PW that such blacklists are common, but didn't provide them with any similar lists for Sean Hannity or Larry Elder. Note, of course, that the original memo was apparently smuggled out of somehwere.
The PW couldn't reach eHarmony for comment, and we didn't even bother trying.
Posted at 07:17 AM | Comments (0)
Details on Air America's role in the Big Democratic Win
Posted at 10:07 PM | Comments (4)
Air America Radio smear reporter detained (George Allen)
As if taking a "loan" from a Boys & Girls Club wasn't bad enough, Air America Radio has apparently been trying to reach a new low by employing sleazy "liberal" blogger Mike Stark as a "reporter". Stark is the person who tried to ask Virginia senatorial candidate George Allen a despicable question earlier in the week and ended up being wrestled to the ground. However, that appears to have taken place after Stark had pushed past an Allen supporter. The pictures at the last link make it look like Stark is a physical threat to the candidate rather than the sympathetic victim that he's been portrayed as.Now, he's been detained, handcuffed, and released after allegedly pushing an Allen supporter to the ground. And, this time he claims he was a reporter for the Young Turks.
On Saturday, Allen supporters formed a human wall to block Stark's access to the senator, who is in a tight election race with Democrat Jim Webb. As Stark tried to sidestep the wall, he brushed the side of a supporter, who fell. A deputy sheriff grabbed Stark, put his arm behind his back and led him away to the cheers of about 100 Allen supporters.This is truly "reporting", Air America Radio style. This isn't real reporting in any way, shape or form. It might be therapy for Stark and other "progressives", but is not a real debate about issues.
Stark said that he had little contact with the man and that he overheard him tell another supporter that he planned to "take a dive."
The supporter who fell refused to give his name or talk about the incident.
Senatorial aide Dan Allen said his boss was concerned by Stark's presence because his daughter, a student at nearby James Madison University, was at the event and "he wanted to make sure she was safe."
"He's hoping authorities can handle it, and he's not going to allow incidents like these to distract him from discussing the issues that matter most to him," the aide said...
Allen supporters could respond by going to Webb appearances and using signs, flyers, and shouting if necessary to peacefully ask Webb tough policy questions. If they ask the right questions, that might show up both Webb's policies as well as Stark's smear attempts.
On a lighter note, Cenk Uygur of the Turks announced the hiring on the HuffPost, and one of the comments says:
Well, since it's Air America Radio...the first tough question Mike should ask is....
"Am I going to get paid anytime soon?!?!?!"
Posted at 07:47 PM | Comments (4)
"Air America hopeful of finding buyer"
From the AP:
Air America Radio is talking to several parties about a possible sale and is hopeful of reaching a deal before Thanksgiving, a lawyer for the liberal talk radio network told a bankruptcy hearing Tuesday... ...Under the agreement finalized Tuesday, the company needs to have a deal in place with a buyer and have filed a motion with the court by Nov. 22 seeking approval of the sale to guarantee that financing continue that date.
There's always this:
Posted at 05:30 AM | Comments (3)
Air America Radio advertiser blacklist?
Media Matters for America - a George Soros-funded group that occasionally gets things very wrong and which has deleted several non-abusive, fact-filled comments I left there - has released a supposed [JPEG file] "blacklist" of advertisers who do not want their commercials played on Air America Radio. The main company that requested that is Hewlett Packard, and a list of a hundred others is provided below: Allstate, American Heart Association, GE, Frito-Lay, Office Depot, NYSE, Procter and Gamble, Pier 1 Imports, Red Lobster, the list goes on and on. The letter is dated October 25, 2006 and covers October 30 to December 24. And, it covers all affiliates, not just on AAR shows run on those affiliates.
Our liberal readers should note that this is just a business decision, perhaps relating to AAR's recent bankruptcy filing, and no doubt has nothing to do with politics.
OPCEN AUTH 19: FARGO ALPHA BAKER GO X18 873 Z981
Posted at 12:45 PM | Comments (1)
Air America: a campaign finance workaround?
Now comes this John Lott/Bradley Smith column entitled "Special treatment for Air America". It makes a rather curious claim that all AARologists should immediately spot:When is a campaign donation not a campaign donation? Apparently if you spend the money to run a radio program instead of paying for campaign ads that run on that same program. Just look at Air America. With $41 million in losses since 2004, and $9.8 million owed just to Robert Glaser, RealNetworks chairman, Democrats who bankrolled this "company" weren't so much investors as campaign contributors. The losses are seen as simple business ineptitude,but Air America effectively, and perhaps intentionally, cleverly avoided the campaign finance limits which Democrats had worked so hard to pass.Of course, AAR is completely innocent of all charges: this is clearly not such a "vehicle" because many of AAR's listeners were not people but cows in fields in Crystal Lake IL or Karnes City TX. And, even they weren't able to listen at night.
With McCain-Feingold's "hard money" donation limits of $2,000 per candidate and "soft money" limits to party campaign committees of $57,500, there is no way that Mr. Glaser or other wealthy Democratic donors could have legally given such large sums directly to Democrats. But Air America provided a vehicle for their multimillion-dollar political campaigns...
Given all of the money they invested in AAR, Rob Glaser et al could have started a foundation to find workarounds for campaign finance reform, bought hundreds of TV ads, rented the Goodyear blimp to fly over the Superbowl (twice), and still have enough left over to send Al Franken a nice gift from Shinder's.
Posted at 04:57 PM | Comments (0)
Air America not in big White House tent
Given their history, is it any surprise that Air America wasn't invited to the Big Tent On The White House Lawn from which a couple dozen radio hosts broadcast the other day? Says Rachel Maddow:
"Nobody from Air America was invited... We've been calling and they didn't return our calls."
She reached a WH staffer while on the air who said she'd get back to her:
Later, she said she was told the lineup has been set "for weeks," but if there were a late cancellation, she might be able to take that slot... As of yesterday afternoon, said Air America, no offer had arrived.
Maybe next year. Oh, sorry, I forgot. Maybe next year Nova M will be the one trying to get an invite.
Posted at 07:10 PM | Comments (1)
Air America silences Green Party voices
While the Green Party doesn't receive many votes, all Democrats must acknowledge the influence that party's positions has on the Democratic Party. To many Dems, they are that party's conscience, the ideological rudder in the sea of liberalism.
Thus, it's quite disturbing to say the least to read the news that the Green Party candidate for governor of New York, Malachy McCourt, has been given the cold shoulder by his ideological allies, and they won't allow him into their debates:
I've been getting the run around from the Brian Lehrer Show, I've been getting run around from the Amy Goodman show, I've been getting the run around from Air America and even those folks are on our side so I don't know what the hell is going on here....
Can it be true that AAR has become part of the "mainstream" media, and refuses to acknowledge their cousins in the Green, Working People's, Socialist, and Revolutionary Communist Party?
Posted at 01:02 PM | Comments (1)
"Credible alternative to Air America" begins (Talk USA Radio)
Mr. Debbie Stabenow aka Tom Athans - previously the head of Democracy Radio (spawnplace of Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller) - is starting a "credible alternative to Air America" called Talk USA Radio. After shuttering DR, he became an executive vice president with AAR.
Just in case you missed it the first or second time, he says:
"Progressive Talk Radio is a viable format that has great commercial potential... There simply needs to be a credible alternative to Air America to ensure that Progressive Talk has a chance for success... For progressive talk to expand beyond its current audience, programs need to be developed with experienced broadcasters as hosts that focus on entertaining an audience first and informing second. With a strong offering of entertaining and compelling programs, progressive talk can grow and thrive despite the overwhelming presence of conservative talkers."
He hopes to launch at the start of the year, and he presumably hopes not to shut down shortly thereafter.
Posted at 01:16 PM | Comments (0)
Zogby backtracks; Horn flacks; Drobny attacks
It's a "Zig-Zogby", as pollster John Zogby has sent special people (but not us) an email clarifying that his new show ("Pulse of the Nation") on the "Nova M Radio Network" will be a "nonpartisan discussion". He stresses that his company is "independent" and is "not tied to the Democrats or the Republicans". And, the title of the email was... "Zogby Radio: A Fair and Balanced Look At What People Are Really Thinking".In other news, Variety's article on the new network has nothing you don't already know, except for a couple interesting quotes. This one from Air America Radio spokeshole Jamie Horn made my day:
"Their attempt to start this company only validates Air America's mission and the need for a progressive voice in this country."And, Sheldon Drobny gets a few digs in:
"Air America had a 'Field of Dreams' concept -- if they build it, they will come... The Chapter 11 filing speaks for itself."And, there comes the news that Nova M will fight the power, whatsoever the power may be:
While Air America has positioned itself largely as an anti-President Bush network, Nova M Radio will be positioned as antiestablishment.
"They don't have to be left or right wing -- they just have to be truthful," [Drobny] said. "We want to be a balance and represent what the fourth estate should be doing to who's in power."
Posted at 08:32 PM | Comments (0)
Nova M Radio Network issues statement
Sheldon Drobny's new radio network has issued completely voluntary statement.
It includes this "quip" from Mike Malloy, their top star:
"Yikes! That was close. To not be on the air during perhaps the most critical election in modern U-S history would have been a real bummer. But, we're back and here it is: The Nova M Radio network. Another crack in the wall of right-wing drivel that saturates the airwaves. Join me nightly, truth-seekers and goodbye Air America - hello Nova M!"
And, we're informed that the one-hour per week show from "renowned pollster" John Zogby will be a fun game:
At the end of each show John will reveal the secret results of the poll and each listener will then know whether or not they have their finger on "The Pulse of the Nation"!
Perhaps they could give away tote bags and bumper stickers to the winners.
And, we're informed that another host will be Peter B. Collins, "San Francisco-based syndicated talk show host [...who's a] veteran radio personality".
Caught in an off moment, CEO & Chairman Mike "Doc" Newcomb M.D. stated:
"We will continue to build upon the foundation laid by our predecessors and will work tirelessly to fulfill our fiduciary responsibilities to our investors. Equally important, we will with the millions of faithful progressive listeners uphold our vision to promote freedom, social justice, economic justice and peace worldwide."
Or, as an alternative, they'll crash and burn just like Air America.
Posted at 01:58 PM | Comments (0)
Air America's real enemy identified!
Is the real enemy of Air America not The Conspiracy - aka the VRWC or "Jim's Bunch" (X9-OP) - nor their creditors, but centrist, "third way" Democrats like "strategist" Laura Schwartz?The latter dares call herself a Democrat while not just dissing Air America, but supporting Rush Limbaugh, Taylor Marsh reports. Why, there's even video of the incident from Fox News. This activity of Schwartz' should encourage Party leaders to investigate her other activities.
I tried to post this following comment on the Youtube link above, but so far the NeoCon Lites at the DLC - apparently working with Youtube - have blocked my thoughts:
That "Democratic Party" "strategist" is so, so wrong. Air America Radio *is* the Democratic Party. Sure, Randi Rhodes had a little problem with an XMas tree a while back. But, she's a supporter of LIHOP. And, Al Franken is good friends with "independent" Bernie Sanders, someone who's basically a real Democrat. And, of course, there's (former host) Mike Malloy with his truthseeking and all like that.I am going to be expanding this comment for a future post at my DailyKos diary, so keep your eyes peeled.
Air America is the Democratic Party, and the Democratic Party is Air America!
In other news, Brent Budowsky - as ever - has ideas.
And, Sheldon Drobny has pictures of the perpetrators of the AAR bankruptcy.
UPDATE: Sheldon Drobny now comments on Taylor Marsh's piece, informing us that "[w]e got no help from any power brokers and strategists either in the DNC or DLC." However, he also says that the "success of Countdown with Keith Olbermann is another example of alternative programming that is taking market share away from Fox." Of course, that "success" is relative, and Olbermann's average viewership is equivalent to everyone in Fontana, California tuning in to watch his rantings.
Posted at 05:59 AM | Comments (0)
Air America Radio goes bankrupt (for real this time)
It's official, and Air America Radio has finally declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. They have assets of around $4 million and liabilities of around $20 million. The list of people they owe runs over 20 pages. It is unclear at this time whether members of AAR's "Associates" program bear any fiscal liability in this matter.
One of the people they owe is "Alan Franken, Inc." You can call him "Al", except when making out a check. They owe him $360,000, which is probably two months' worth of salary. His executive producer Billy Kimball is owed the relatively modest sum of $84k.
Like "liberalism" itself, Air America is all about the "little guy". That's why supposed former employee Betsy Goldman is going to have to fight with Rob Glaser to get the $720 she's owed. Amy Winslow is only out $204.92.
Question: Could John Conyers could push through an Air America bailout bill? Sign the petition!
Others they owe will be listed below:
INVESTORS:
Rob Glaser: almost $10 million + $475k (page 21)
Mike Papantonio: $582k + $100k (page 19) (also a host)
Eugene Keilin: $294k
Doug Kreeger: $378k
Terry Kelly: $360k +100k (page 23) (info)
Citibank: $2.5 million (?)
"TALENT":
ChuckD's Creamwerks company: $10k
Michael Piazza of the Bronx: $306.01 (the Mike Piazza? page 8)
Mike Malloy: $114k
Young Turks: $6.9k
"EXECUTIVES":
Gary Krantz $245k (former president)
Danny Goldberg: $133,333.32 (current vice chairman, former CEO)
Eileen Quigley: $29k (this: "Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the AAR Board")
Jackson Hole Group: $220k; their Jim Wiggett was named Acting CEO; apparently it didn't work out
BUSINESSES:
Arbitron: $161k
Clear Channel's KTLK Los Angeles: $558k
Diamond Broadcasting's KSAC Sacramento: $500k
Coffee Distributing Corp: $2k (they should have tried something stronger)
ICBC Broadcast Holdings: $293k (owners of WLIB)
Multicultural Radio Broadcasting: $550k (settlement of the suit over their first stations)
Press Association Inc.: $16k (the AP?)
Real Networks: $85k (run by Rob Glaser)
Shinders: $398 (site: "Minneapolis' largest collectibles retailer") (maybe a gift from/for Al Franken? Call Sheldon Drobny!)
SOS Locksmith Corp: $270 (changing the locks after Janeane left? Did Al Franken lock himself out of the studio?)
Wade Welch & Associates: $17k (the lawyer who filed the motion to keep AAR on the air... back in 2004. Such gratitude! Such irony!)
Talkers Magazine: $3600
Tri Tech Office Building in St. Paul MN: $5268
UNKNOWNS:
Delusions Inc.: $43k (page 6)
Gregory P. Berenson, who appears to be better known as Paul, a "colorist" and host of a Santa Barbara "progressive" radio show. The figure given is $0, but that's followed by another $0 amount for a Claim Representative from the CA Labor Commissioner...
Posted at 12:34 PM | Comments (1)
Get out your Kleenex: $100 million plan includes Air America
You're going to need your Kleenex and not for crying as you read this splotch of effluvia from WebTV subscriber and HuffPost contributor (which is worse?) Brent Budowsky: "November Proposal: A $100 Million Democracy Venture Fund To Change America".
I couldn't quite figure it out without the accompaning PowerPoint slides, but it apparently involves raising a large amount of money using identity politics/Gramscism. The group would be lead by a Soviet of three "names you know". Some form of MLM seems to be i