Air America: Chapter 7

[YankeeFan]

Tough week to be a liberal.

Air America, the Talk Radio Network, Will Go Off the Air

By BRIAN STELTER
Published: January 21, 2010

Air America, the long-suffering progressive talk radio network, abruptly shut down on Thursday, bowing to what it called a “very difficult economic environment.”

The chairman of Air America Media, Charlie Kireker, said in a statement that the company would file under Chapter 7 bankruptcy “to carry out an orderly winding-down of the business.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/22/business/media/22radio.html

 

[dixiehack]

 

[Michael_ Gee]

YF, if it's the only radio company to go tits up this year, I owe you a beer. Only media business that makes newspapers look good.

 

[cjericho]

Think Franken just used it to get elected?

 

[YankeeFan]

YF, if it's the only radio company to go tits up this year, I owe you a beer. Only media business that makes newspapers look good.

True. And just a couple of years ago they were riding high and there was consolidation.

Everyone wanted to own a radio station.

Besides the debt they accrued, they also killed the goose that laid the golden egg by selling too many commercial minutes per hour. They basically ruined radio.

 

[Small Town Guy]

I don't know how high they were riding a few years ago. But I know one of my best friends was telling me in 1998, when she had gotten hired at the paper after being laid off from the radio biz after 20 years in it, that radio was doomed for failure and it was happening then. She was subsequently laid off twice from papers, but refuses to even consider a return to radio.

 

[YankeeFan]

I don't know how high they were riding a few years ago. But I know one of my best friends was telling me in 1998, when she had gotten hired at the paper after being laid off from the radio biz after 20 years in it, that radio was doomed for failure and it was happening then. She was subsequently laid off twice from papers, but refuses to even consider a return to radio.

Well, radio stock & holding companies. But maybe not jobs.

Consolidation, syndicated shows, stations programmed from elsewhere all affected the number of jobs.

 

[Football_Bat]

That Air America made it this long (almost six years) with a horrific business plan to start and the continual turnover of talent (Franken, who left to run for the Senate; Rhodes and Malloy, who went bat**** and got fired; Maddow, went on to bigger and better things on TV) is a major upset.

 

[Bob Cook]

To give you an idea of how radio executives can ruin things, look at what's going on at Tribune Co.

Another example: my brother worked as an accountant for a radio holding company. It had cut people (again), and some executive thought the empty space looked way too depressing. So in went a chair and a Wii. Instant happiness!

 

[fishhack2009]

That Air America made it this long (almost six years) with a horrific business plan to start and the continual turnover of talent (Franken, who left to run for the Senate; Rhodes and Malloy, who went bat**** and got fired; Maddow, went on to bigger and better things on TV) is a major upset.

Apparently, they had the business plan backwards: The road to success is to keep the bat**** crazy hosts.

 

[BYH]

Gonna be no shortage of erections today among the right.

 

[Football_Bat]

Gonna be no shortage of erections today among the right.

After Tuesday's result, that's 48 hours plus, at least. They better call a doctor.

 

[Football_Bat]

The progressive station I listen to hasn't had much of an effect.

3-6 a.m. Bill Press -- Still on.

6-9 a.m. Stephanie Miller -- Still on.

9-noon Thom Hartmann -- Still on.

Noon-3 p.m. Ed Schultz -- Still on.

3-6 p.m. Randi Rhodes -- Still on.

6-9 p.m. Ron Reagan -- Still on.

9-midnight Mike Malloy -- Still on.

-----

Remind me what Air America was again?

 

[Brooklyn Bridge]

Part of the problem with Air America is that many (most) of the affiliates were on small-to-medium 2nd tier stations in their markets. (The New York City affiliate was based in LI) That means it has a small signal and in some cases had to fight with brokered shows (re: religious, money-based talk) for time.

An awful business plan in which big name entertainers: re Franken and Whoppi Goldberg (who maybe were entertaining on TV, could not do radio) were given shows before actual radio people--Lionel, Montel Williams and Ron Reagan.

I think it sucks that anyone in the media loses their job in this economy, but as Bob Cook pointed out, radio has been going down this road for a long time.

 

[Cousin Oliver]

This is shocking. I thought Air America folded years ago.

 

[playthrough]

YF, if it's the only radio company to go tits up this year, I owe you a beer. Only media business that makes newspapers look good.

So true.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

Gonna be no shortage of erections today among the right.

Stroking the underemployed white male demographic to tumescence . . . it's ratings GOLD, Jerry, GOLD.

 

[Armchair_QB]

 

[NoOneLikesUs]

Gonna be no shortage of erections today among the right.

I doubt they fully recovered from the Supreme Court ruling.

 

[Oggiedoggie]

Could it be that most folks who are not angry white males might rather listen to some tunes, humor or sports instead of some egotistical talking head "blah blah blah" all day about stuff with which they already agree?