"Air America Losing It's Flagship Station????"

Remember all the media hype for Air America when it first launched a couple of years ago? Before even the first broadcast, the MSM gave us adulatory stories about how Air America would give conservative talk radio, namely Rush Limbaugh, a run for their money. Actually make that NO MONEY. Air America has had such LOW RATINGS that they have to rely on either leftwing moneybags like George Soros to come up with their revenue or raid Boys and Girls Clubs charities to pay for Al Franken's inflated salary. In fact, this year Al Franken demanded his years salary IN ADVANCE before jumping ship from the Air America Flagship Station to move to Minneapolis to originate his broadcast from where he hopes to initiate his Senate run in a few years. Did Al Franken know something that his Air America colleagues didn't? Apparently he did. First by cashing out right away when the loot was still available and finally by splitting from New York. You see, it now turns out that Air America is LOSING it's Flagship Station as you can see in this DUmmie THREAD titled, "Air America Losing It's Flagship Station????" So where do all the other Air America hosts like Randi Rhodes or Janeane Garofalo go when the New York Flagship Station is gone at the end of August? Apparently Splitsville since there is no other New York Flagship Station in sight mainly due to the fact that there is NO MONEY to purchase or lease one in the Big Apple. And without hosts to broadcast shows, there is NO Air America. It's a lose-lose situation for all of Air America except for Al Franken who got his millions of Boys and Girls Club money UP FRONT at the beginning of the year. So let us now enjoy the spectacle of the DUmmies actually acting shocked at this impending loss of America in Bolshevik Red while the commentary of your humble correspondent, noting that the sound of static is more exciting than listening to Al Franken, is in the [brackets]:

Air America Losing It's Flagship Station????

[Terrible ratings and almost no ad revenue and you're acting surprised?]

I can't believe this! Is this true? I haven't seen anyone post about this yet.

[Go ahead and post the Air America obituary.]

"Air America Radio will lose its New York flagship station, WLIB-AM, on Aug. 31. While the left-leaning radio network’s original lease for the Inner City station ran out March 31, AAR managed to get an extension which only lasts until Aug. 31, according to an informed source."

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/tvstations/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002424337

R.I.P. And now to have FUn watching the DUmmie FUneral Party!]

Believe it. It's true.

[I BEEEEEEEELLLLEEEEEEEEVE!!!]

ugh this sucks.. I knew they were in trouble when they yanked Malloy from NYC in favor of local programming... Sucks sucks sucks.... And it seems, from reading that article, that Ed Shultz is the one bouncing them... Or at least who the owners want to be on... ughhhhhh

[You have to really suck bad if Blowhard Ed Schultz can bounce you from the airwaves.]

AAR has been badly managed from the start.
They bring in film people and television and record industry people... NO radio people. This is why they are still losing money.

[Al Franken's SOLE qualification for radio broadcasting is that he wrote a book noted ONLY because he included Rush Limbaugh's name on the cover. Even the DUmmies find Al Franken to be incrediby BORING]

I've often thought about that same thing. Especially when their last CEO left abruptly. I can't remmber the name, but i know he used to own a record company.

[Was that the CEO that looted the Boys and Girls Club?]

I am not sanguine about AAR's continued operation. They are on a knife-edge now, and it might turn bad rather quickly.

[MIGHT turn bad? I think that already happened.]

I really hate hearing this kind of news about AAR, but IMO, the writing has been on the wall for a few months, for those who care to look closely at the situation. Dammit, why can't the liberals with money help out? The rethugs can manage to bring Fox News to national prominence. I wish we could get a group of ppl to handle AAR properly...

[Dammit, why can't liberals produce radio shows with high enough ratings to actually GENERATE ad revenue? The "rethugs" didn't bring Fox News to national prominence. It was RATINGS due to high viewership that translates into AD REVENUE.]

They have taken in a lot of money, though. So much so that those of us with other efforts to promote ( in my case White Rose and Head On Radio Network) have found the well to be dry. Worse, many of their investors are under non-compete agreements! You can go to the money guys a couple of times... But after a while it looks like good money after bad to them. You have to make a profit. That's why we call what we put together a business plan rather than a grant application.

[DUmmie benburch actually making sense for a change. Of course, he has an ulterior motive. He wants liberal startup money for his own White Rose radio "empire." I guess the "lightening-destroyed-our-equipment" shtick didn't quite work out.]

Yeah that makes sense. It would be hard to keep handing out the cash and never seeing a return on the investment..

[A return on investment would be dependent on RATINGS of which Air America was sorely lacking.]

I've heard Ed Schultz use that term "Bake-Sale Radio". Does that also apply to NPR and public television?

[It also applies to Blowhard Ed Schultz's own show. I mean where do you think his radio startup money came from? Directly from the Democrats who financed their personal radio hack.]

Rachel's show is great. I think she's the best of the AAR personalities. Her show is smart, funny, and accomplished--to say nothing of the fact that she has a great radio voice. I frankly wish she would take over Franken's slot.

[Another DUmmie show of "support" for Al Franken.]

What makes it the "flagship" station? It's just one radio station out of their whole network, what's the big deal?

[The "big deal" is that without a flagship station there is NO studio for the hosts to broadcast out of. Do you expect Randi Rhodes to broadcast her show al fresco in Central Park while peddling generator bike pedals to power the signal? Actually, on second thought, not such a bad idea.]

AAR is fine, the audience is growing they are probably going to switch to a station that can deliver a stronger signal and a bigger audience.

[Is that you, Pollyanna?]

I hope you're right. But honestly, your post reminds me of the cop in Naked Gun telling people "There's nothing to see here", as the fireworks factory is exploding behind him. No offense intended. IMO, it just isn't looking great for AAR at the moment. I SERIOUSLY hope I'm wrong... This is one time I would LOVE, and welcome, to be wrong.

["The Air America fireworks factory is exploding. Please move along. There is nothing to see here."]

All this means is AAR is finding a new station in NY- no big whoop. Kharmatrain explained that since AAR does NOT own the radio stations they will have to move occassionally in different cities. There is nothing alarming or abnormal about this. AAR made a wise business choice in NOT buying radio stations across the country.

[Baghdad Bob auditioning for an Air America gig.]

All the frequencies in New York are spoken for, and I haven't read, seen, or heard anything anywhere about a jump from LIB to another station.

[Thank you for that cold splash of reality.]

I think *we*do* have to expect to provide regular grants to AAR... The big advertizers are boycotting their liberal, anti-corporate shows no matter how many people listen. AAR and DemocracyNow! are *ours* and we have to support them.

[When a station fails to get ratings, it gets "boycotted," if you prefer to use that incorrect term.]

I don't believe there is a boycott. AAR simply does not do what is required to market themselves effectively.

[DUmmie benburch acting surprising realistic for a change. (Of course he has an ULTERIOR motive for doing so.)]

I'm trying to start a radio network with about 0.001% of the money they have spent, after all.I just wish I had a tiny fraction of the money they have wasted and the opportunities they have let slip.

[Why don't you just make up an incredible story about lightening destroying your broadcast equipment, benburch, and they try to shill for bucks that way?]

AAR has always had low ratings in NY. In other areas of the country they have very high ratings. Their audience continues to grow nationally, so I wouldn't worry about them folding just yet. But this is too bad. I really hope they get their act together.

[You mean in other areas of the country like CHATTANOOGA where the Air America ratings are so DISMAL that they don't even show up on the charts?]

Don't worry, it is only one station, they will easily move to another. Thats' all, it goes on all the time in radio. Overall, AAR is doing just fine, thank you.

["Please move along. There is nothing to see here except for the Air America fireworks factory exploding."]

I'm glad they're getting off WBLI. The reception is awful. That's one of the reasons they aren't getting listeners. It was worse a few months ago. You had to be really dedicated to stay tuned in because of all the interference. I am not in NYC, but on LI. They used to be 1299 on the dial, maybe they still are, but I can't get them there anymore. There's a better reception on 1300 but that carries Ed Schultz instead of Randi ~ and after 6PM you really can't get a good reception until about 8PM in the morning ~

[The Air America signal dies somewhere over the East River.]