Why does AAR have to pay stations anyway?

Doesn't the station usually pay for the programs?

sometimes the program (ie Rush) pays the station, then makes money off the national ads it sells...can also barter ad time between station and program...

I am sick of not getting it in the car.

:loveya: my heart be still :loveya: Can you see me purtty as all get out lookin all FINE Chillin Tough?

And you are gonna look smoking hot in it.

of money and most of the mHz are taken.

So you lease time on someone elses mHz or you purchase an existing mHz. I'm sure as they get bigger just like Clear Channel they will be able to purchase existing and lobby the FCC to purchase mHz when they become available.

But because the FCC is RW it will be difficult. That is how Clear Channel managed to propagate the RW message and why they will continue to for a long time. That is why it was such a big deal to oppose Clear Channel from purchasing so many stations and building a network. Their obvious RW slant, in so many markets with long contracts with the FCC. The FCC contracts for existing mHz don't come up for review that often.

That is why AAR ad $$$ is so important. Then they can fight the battle over distribution with their Content. They can present AAR content as $$$ and we know how $$$ loves money.

I find that situation very odd. Also, AA would not allow stations to carry just SOME of the shows to leave time for local shows. Most networks allow ala carte programming.

and they couldn't build a NETWORK. The content does need to presented as a whole. They need to be able to show that their entire content is worth $$$ in ads not just 1 or 2 shows. That wouldn't be good for their over all strategy.

Granted, I'm probably wrong. :shrug:

. . .if we had the money we could buy a slot of time.

Everybody assumes liberal radio doesn't make any money. That's why they had to get a bunch of investors to bankroll them until they can actually show an audience.

Why would a radio station pay them to use his station if they have no audience? No advertisers?

Give it a few years... These things take time.

Syndicated programming can take quite a few forms.

The most common is a pure barter system. This is where a show is offered for free, provided they keep, say, six minutes per hour for national ads. They would also provide local ad time for the affiliate.

Some of the more popular ones may use a barter/pay type of system. I've heard that affiliates pay Rush a ton, yet they run a lot of national ads for air mattresses and cheap steel buildings.

And then there's the elite, like Howard Stern, who go for straight cash (lots of it), and allow local affiliates to sell all the ad time.

A popular method is the leasing concept. This is done by smaller, less successful stations. They simply lease out time (usually by blocks) to mostly ethnic and religious broadcasters, as well as infomercial entrepreneurs) and the one leasing the time from the owner controls all content and can sell the ad time. The owner pays the electric bill and the FCC license fees. Kinda like renting an apartment.

This works somewhat for what AAR wants to do. Sure, they could just syndicate all the shows in a very crowded marketplace, but then they'd be fighting it out with the Medveds and Ingrahams of the world. But they are intent on presenting the entire schedule as a whole, not in pieces. And lord knows there are plenty of struggling stations that could use the money. So AAR basically controls the station (to an extent) but do not own it. They make the money back by selling ad time and swag. And they don't have to fight it out in the world of syndication (where they'll surely sink). Simple as that.

Of course, the conservative types ridicule AAR for paying to broadcast their shows, but that is not necessarily true. It is widely known that Westwood One paid some huge sums to get Bill O'Really on in some choice markets. They should pay more, since Bill is stinking it up in the ratings (the Sacramento station just dumped him). Clear Channel continually dumps their hosts on their local stations. Dr. Laura was a notorious example, and even forced Rush affiliates to carry her. This has subsided, since station managers complained about her terrible ratings. So Laura was kicked to the curb, and now they are trying to force Glen Beck's awful show on the public via CC airwaves. Not sure if anyone really cares, though.

And don't forget all the RW religious groups paying obscene amounts to lease time for shows nobody listens to. Some even go on wild buying sprees. Starboard is a Catholic broadcaster buying up every decrepit radio property in the middle of nowhere to broadcast their national format. Not sure where they get the money for all this, nor why they would go through all this trouble. They even bought up several AM stations in the Minneapolis area to broadcast the same format (never mind they overlap like crazy). Salem is a big commercial broadcaster that also buys obscure stations, but unlike Starboard they sell ad time.

So what AAR is doing is nothing to be ashamed of, nor is it unethical or illegal. They are simply renting property and keeping the profits.

I didn't know anything about any of that.

In the Twin Cities, Minnesota, only "The O'Franken Factor" is broadcast (1330 AM), so AAR made at least one exception to demanding all their shows or none be broadcast.

This was a contractual obligation to Clear Channel, who allowed her to shop her show to syndicators outside CC, but CC would carry it.

The Minneapolis situation is kinda weird. A group called the Minnesota Production Network paid WMNN to carry Franken's show in his hometown. They also paid them to carry Ed Schultz. But this is temporary. In May, the aforementioned Starboard takes over the station from the MPR holding company, and Franken is off 1330. Although they could put the whole AAR format on KLBP, a little-used suburban signal simulcasting the standards station at 1400 (hint, hint). The rest of the AMs in the Twin Cities are WCCO, KSTP, Clear Channel, brokered Spanish stations, and LOTS of religious stations (Salem has a hate-talk format called 'The Patriot' on TWO stations, with the shows on each station airing at different times). So the likes of Prager, Medved, and even Savage can be heard on two stations, for your listening displeasure. :puke:

That's big bucks to modulate a high powered electromagnetic wave and propagate it among the people.