MediaWeek: Air America to Lose NY Flagship on Aug. 31

Katy Bachman

APRIL 27, 2006 -

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.

Through an agreement with ICBC, WLIB will be operated as a joint venture and programmed by P1, a company run by former Clear Channel and Jacor Communications executive Randy Michaels. Michaels is expected to program a progressive-talk format, but replace AAR’s network programming with more local programming. A likely addition to the new lineup: Ed Schultz, the left-of-center talker syndicated by P1.

“To be clear, Air America will not go silent on the New York City airwaves. We do not, however, comment on hypothetical speculation,” said an AAR spokesperson.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/tvstations/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002424337
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While I'll wait for a formal response from AAR on what the real story is, Media Week is a very respectable trade publication for the media industry

Bad enough they have those bimbos on at night instead of Malloy. Now this!!??
I sure hope it is just a rumor, and they will squelch it soon.

broadcast out of NJ or Philadelphia, anyway, to reach the whole tri-state area.

we need them back in Philly!

It's been in the works for a while

in various cities periodically.

Apparently, this is normal.

Kharmatrain is a DU'er who worked in radio for a while. It can be considered economically to AAR's advantage NOT to own actual radio stations (too much capital required to keep infrastructure going).

> Michaels is expected to program a progressive-talk format, but replace
> AAR’s network programming with more local programming. A likely
> addition to the new lineup: Ed Schultz, the left-of-center talker
> syndicated by P1.

Schultz is syndicated by Jones, not AAR. But his show is carried on a lot of AAR stations already. And WLIB's desire to have more local programming addresses a gripe I've had with the local AAR affiliate. Locally produced progressive talk radio is the right idea, and this looks like a step in that direction.

finds a new station.

and other real AAR commentators are not. That may be what's going on.

But it's pretty funny thinking of Ed Schultz as "more local" in New York City. He's this folksy, cloying, Midwestern-type talk show host, that I don't think will go down well with New Yorkers. His politics are center/right Democratic, much like Al Franken's politics. Establishment. Part of the problem.

I hope the real leftists at AAR fights back!

For the record, I think "Big Ed" is very useful for us on the left -- his style and personality appeal to the "Joe Sixpacks" and NASCAR dads who would normally gravitate to Rush et. al., but all the while promoting leftist (even if "safe" leftist) talking points. He proves that it is possible to be a down-home middle-American who likes to talk about hunting and football, while still being an outspoken liberal. That's invaluable when those on the right would push the meme that having rural working-class (or, as they would put it, "real American") values necessarily includes holding conservative (or, more specifically, "anti-liberal") views.

But Ed in NYC? That's even more of a mismatch than, say, Randi Rhodes in Tulsa. And especially on a station whose beef with AAR has been that the latter didn't carry enough local and minority hosts. :crazy:

in my daily driving home after work. She is a great political comedian. I love her way of making fun of Bush.

Corporate media tripe.

They'll find somewhere else.

This is AAR's city. And there are Plenty of stations in the market.

Non-news. Yawn.

Those in NYC could always get satellite radio or do what I do and pay a monthly (or once a year) fee and be able to download all the AAR shows as podcasts.

is very good. Not many people can hear it because AAR's podcasts are a bit complicated and he hasn't been syndicated yet. But if you can figure it out, it's well worth the change. A fitting successor to Morning Sedition.

I'm glad they're finally bringing in a radio executive. And maybe this is what Mike Malloy meant when he said that he expected to be back on the the air in New York "in a few weeks."

:headbang:
rocknation

All these conservatives can do is post the 12+ overall numbers, but notice they never post the men 25-54 in New York city ratings:

Men.. 25-54.. Randi Rhodes.. 3.3
Sean Hannity.. 3.0

Men 25-54... Al Franken...2.3
Bill O'Reilly..2.1

Rush is declining, Franken is rising. This may or may not be a minor set-back, but we'll still hear them in New York. There is victory.