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

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

"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

It's true.

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

They bring in film people and television and record industry people... NO radio people. This is why they are still losing money.

Especially when their last CEO left abruptly. I can't remmber the name, but i know he used to own a record company.

They are on a knife-edge now, and it might turn bad rather quickly.

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...

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.

EDIT: Never type a message while holding a dachshund.

and never seeing a return on the investment..

What really sucks is the non-compete agreements.... I had no idea about that. That really stifles anything else any people, such as yourself, would like to accomplish... *sigh*

I hope it works out ok.

But it would require some major changes to the way they do business. Changes I simply don't think they are prepared to make.

"Bake-Sale Radio". Does that also apply to NPR and public television?

Shultz is a jackass...

And White Rose too.

Head On Radio Network, however, is intending to fund itself like a proper business.

aand killed Morning Sedition.

I haven't listened to AAR morning shows since they got rid of Maron... That was a stupid move.

Mark

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.

I love that her show is on while I drive home from work. She has an amazing voice and presence.

I am an npr junkie, but it's been months since I heard morning edition. I never listened to Just Another Yuck Monkey (TM) ("but he's liberal!"). I don't have the patience for that in the morning.

I podcast it every day, and it's the first thing I listen to.

i think she is just terrific. I get up to listen to her even when I don't have to work.

And I've said that since the beginning. Functioning as a threesome, Rachel would have been the perfect counterpoint to Maron's comedy, and Reily would have been the fulcrum they balanced on. I honestly think that Maron would still have his job if they done that.

:headbang:
rocknation

I never really liked it, altho the politics were just fine. The two Marks sounded so smart ass, it turned me off. Stephanie Miller's show is so much more entertaining and zany. Al Franken does a great service to his audience having on Norm Ornstein, Tom Oliphant and Joe Conason. REally a treat to hear those guys since I feel they know what they are talking about.

I'm older than what they probably think is their demographic, too, and it was always fun for me.

I podcast Marc's new show, but I think I liked the morning mix better.

Still, I feel all warm and snug when Marc signs off with "G'night, Sheeple". :)


(Edited to fix smiley)

I just got going with Stephanie Miller and then Al Franken on my local progressive station in New Haven. The contrast between STephanie and Mark's show was just incredible to me. She was so much more funny and relevant and they were so much more smart ass guy stuff. I just disliked them.

I listen to them on my commute and I hope nobody's looking in my car, because I'm get the out-loud giggles every now and then.

Do you like Crony MacSnowjob or Baloney MacSnowjob better? :)

That's what I think I've heard, at any rate.

NGU.

It's Satellite Sisters which is syndicated from ABC radio.

It's broadcast from LA with the other sisters from various other cities.

Its basically "The View".... except that they are all REAL....LIFE.....SISTERS.

I used to find the show charming when i'd catch it on the weekends....now they took Malloy off and I sorta hate them now.

that I have no real clue about how the radio biz works. :think:

It's just one radio station out of their whole network, what's the big deal?

Their studios are there...

And they CALL it their flagship station.

NY station.

I see now.

they are probably going to switch to a station that can deliver a stronger signal and a bigger audience.q

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. :)

this is for real, bad enough they took off mike off WLIB. can we do anything to prevent this. or should I just break down and buy a satellite radio.

and deficit too.

You cannot continue that way.

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.

That is the rub here.

Drobnys Nova M Radio Starts Broadcasting Air America In Little Rock

READ MORE: 2006

On April 3, 2006, the NY Times announced that Nova M Radio had started its first radio station broadcast in Phoenix, Arizona. Shelly and Anita Drobny, the co-founders of Air America Radio founded Nova M Radio as the second leg of their goal to bring liberal talk radio to communities that do not presently have Air America Radio.

Further information about Nova M Radio can be gotten at www.novamradio.com . The following appeared in today's Arkansas Time Daily Blog:

ARKANSAS TIME DAILY BLOG

Thursday, April 27, 2006 - 11:52:38

Air America arrives begin broadcasting in Central Arkansas on Monday with appearances by former president Bill Clinton and retired general Wesley Clark.

The national network broadcast will be carried by Little Rock-based KXDE 1380am, which Nova M Radio recently acquired through LMA with an option to purchase.

"We're about giving people another voice to hear," said Nova M's president and CEO Anita Drobny in a telephone interview today. "We want people to digest, compare, discuss, and have an open forum."
Nova M is buying stations around the nation to carry the Air America feed, and the move into Arkansas is part of its "quest to be as spread out as possible," according to Drobny.

Air America, which started in March 2004 broadcasting in only three U.S. cities, bills itself as a liberal alternative to conservative talk radio, which dominates national airwaves. The Arkansas station will be close to the 100th Air America affiliate nationwide, and Drobny calls the network's expansion "the biggest rollout of a network since CNN."

Its Arkansas debut on Monday will feature Clinton and Clark as guests on both the Al Franken Show (which airs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and the Randi Rhodes Show (2 p.m. to 5 p.m.).
http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog /


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1041675&mesg_id=1041675

Sheldon has been working on this for about a year now.

Where are you going to get the capital to buy stations?

You lease something when you don't have the capital to buy something. That's a smart decision.

Ben I can't help but think that you have a chip on your shoulder related to Air America Premium.

Thats your projection, clearly.

but the lineup will be chopped up like most stations

their most popular shows.

And get out of the business of leasing and operating stations.

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.

http://saveairamericaphoenix.com/

If PHX can do it - so can NY!

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.

:toast:

AAR simply does not do what is required to market themselves effectively.

you've been in the business for a few years now, no? I hate to see such a good thing doing so badly because of inept businessmen

And maybe they are right? I don't know.

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.

Like AAR has.

SO easy to be a monday morning quarterback.

Let us know when you get that radio network going.

Furthermore let us know when your web site isn't a complete eyesore and hard to use.

Let me know when you have done something so that people can get access to liberal media?

I won't hold my breath.

in radio or even on the message boards. We forget so easily how high the stakes are, and so often let our egos get in the way of our own potential.

Best of luck with the Society, Ben. You have a new fan today...

Working together is all I want. I think there is a lot of room for everybody.

Constantly second guessing thier decisions.

I want to see them succeed more than you know.

We have an ELECTION to win.

And if I am critical, it is because I see (I think) how they must change.

And if they are strong, how can criticism hurt them?

And if they are weak, how can it fail to make them think?

And if you are threatened by my network effort (or think they are) how pitiful is that? A bunch of old radio guys who hope to make a bare living doing what they love; No millionaires backing us, no hollywood stars to give us credibility, just some guys who have run tiny stations over the years hoping to make a difference.

I'm so glad that you are supportive of that.

I see the value you provide with White Rose. And the way I made my criticism was rude and I apologize but I offered in the past to help you come up with a more user friendly design and you blew me off...... anytime I see a site (like yours or Canonfun, or Americablog) that has great content but with a less then optimal presentation, layout, user interface, I try to help out but nobody wants to take me up on it.

Anwyay......this is offtopic. SOrry for being rude earlier.

And I have had several people offer to help with it, but honestly have been so busy making it happen that I have not had the time to pursue that with anybody!

For example, I got a new, faster main computer on Monday, and have been transferring files, reconfiguring, and problem solving since.

New computer replaces the 1GHz eMac.

That machine replaces the 800 MHz iMac DV.

The IMac replaces the 233 MHz G3 I've had since 1999.

And I had to transfer the functions from one machine to the next as I went and sill manage to get everything recorded at the same time.

I am finally done just this hour, and I work 16 hour days...

And even when all my systems are perfect, the streams are not. They are always stalling or getting changed to new addresses or discontinued with some weird and wonderful popup player replacing them (those are hard to record!)

So, if you still feel like helping with a redesign, let me know. I want to squeeze it in somewhere.

Is make the first objective of the redesign to make administration of the site easier and more efficient.

Something I think you should do is make it more of a community site. Maybe you could get 3 people per show to be deputies and record the shows for you and upload them to your server.

The name of the game in web technology is collaboration.

I'll look over your site this weekend and send you a screen shot of my suggested layout.

What happens is that I wind up trading hands on hassles for remote tech support hassles.

And currently I have archives up well before anybody else that archives the same shows because I do this hands on and have large parts of it automated.

BTW, a new archive will appear some time to day; "Keeping It Real with Will Durst and Willie Brown"

But I do want to have some collaboration in the form of blogs about Liberal Media anchored at the site, and we should look into that. I have NO time to blog and do everything else here.

I have three fast Linux servers in a co-lo facility that would be available to install whatever blogging system seems most reasonable. I control the systems, and so can install whatever I like. (I have five servers, but two are dedicated to streaming for specific clients)

NY could do it also.

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.

http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRRatings/DetailsPage.aspx?MID=184&RY=2006&RQ=1&MP=0&OTHER=2&MN=New%20York&MS=NY&MR=1&12P=15332000&UP=4/26/2006&SU=CM&BPER=17.5&HPER=19.1&OPER=&NSD=5/22/2006&CE=0

This is 12+ numbers and AAR really hasn't changed much in it's numbers. They will find a new NYC home

If I'm not mistaken, among the 25-54 market--the segment advertisers like because they buy the most--WLIB is actually quite strong, and Rhodes and Franken are in the top 5 in their time slots.

we can't see the 25-54 numbers. Only those how pay Arbitron a gazillion dollars can see the individual demo breakdowns. 12+ don't mean diddly to a media buyer.

The first source is a Wikipedia article about Air America. I generally don't trust Wikipedia for a lot of reasons but if you scroll down to the section about ratings, they will state that as of Spring 2005 Air America reported as a whole that the network had a cume of 3.1 million listeners. This was for a total of 67 stations at the time. Air America I believe now has 86 stations running now, so I would imagine that their total is higher now, and another article below verifies that. They also state Air America's flagship station beat out Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly in the 25-54 demographic, and that Al Franken's show was one of the most popular downloads from the iTunes website.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_America_Radio

Now, the total of 3.1 million listeners was up from 1.5 million the year when they first started. This is verified in this link below, although this article claims that their total now is actually 3.3 million. It also states that so far this year, AAR has earned 85% of it's total ad revenue that they did all last year.

http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=oid%3A48407

And if you don't trust that particular article given it's obvious bias in favor of Air America, here is an article from last year from Time magazine stating it's total audience at 2.1 million with 52 stations at the time. Now that was last year, and it shows a large increase from the year before. The article above was written last month, and it again shows a large increase.

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1045633,00.html

Either way, the trend for Air America seems to be consistent growth year after year. Now as I stated above, Air America tends to do better in certain markets than in others. New York has always been one of their lower markets. Why? I have no idea. Some people here have suggested that it may be because WLIB has a weak signal that doesn't reach the suburbs. I've heard others suggest that since New York is already liberal, it's preaching to the choir. I don't have a definite answer. The best article I've ever seen on Air America ratings in one that unfortunately I haven't been able to find again. It appeared on dailykos and listed the ratings for different markets across the country. I wish I could reproduce it for you here, but alas, I can't find it. But it showed NY as being one of their weaker markets while other areas such as Portland, San Diego, and Colorado as being very strong. Here are a few articles I was able to find as to how AAR does in other parts of the country. Remember that when the right likes to bash AAR, they always use the WLIB station as being representative of how the network is doing as a whole. As these articles show, this is not the case.

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/07/27/133632.php

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/07/11/152204.php

http://forums.therandirhodesshow.com/index.php?showtopic=78393

Granted, these articles are from last year, but given the fact that Air America has increased it's reach and scope since then, plus info from the articles above, I think it's safe to assume that AAR is still doing pretty well and experiencing growth. The problem is that they seem to keep running into problems with keeping their stations. Their seems to be a variety of reasons for this: the financial problems that they had when they first started, a Christian group buying out their Phoenix station (AAR later found a new home there, as I'm sure they will do in NY), and now this little bit about their NY station. But I guess these things do happen in radio and if what people are saying about the weak signal from WLIB is true, maybe this will be a good thing for AAR if they can get on a better station. Also, their flagship station has not been a total loss. Just last fall they experienced a huge ratings burst, as this press release states.

http://www.airamericaradio.com/node/1488

As someone who has worked in media I can tell you it's not uncommon for ratings to experience ups and downs from season to season. Granted I worked in TV not radio, but I would imagine the principle is the same. So there very well might be some behind the scenes stuff going on here that we don't know about in terms of the station being lost. Who knows? In any case, Air America radio seems to be doing pretty good overall. It has a long way to go before it overtakes conservative radio, but it has made strides, and these kinds of setbacks, although unfortunate and a boon for the wishful thinkers on the right who have been unsuccessfully predicting AAR's imminent demise any day now, are just bumps in the road. I really think it's here to stay, and even if it isn't, the success of people like Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller have proven that there is a market for liberal radio, and it doesn't matter if it comes from Air America or someplace else.

That was a really informative and well-written post that must have taken you some time to pull together. Thanks for the good work!

Thats' all, it goes on all the time in radio.

Overall, AAR is doing just fine, thank you.

Two Cassandras, followed by "They're doing OK" then the two Cassandras again, then "They're doing OK".

Yikes. My neck hurts. :)

“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.


They will land somewhere else in NYC. Randy Michaels is a DICK and he's partners with Ed Schultz. Shultz doesn't care for AAR. He and RAndi Rhodes hate each other.

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 ~

Rush Limbaugh, Hannity et al are all on ABC which has perfect reception ~

I just read an article today saying that 'corporate America LOVES AAR' I can't find it now, but it said that they are reaching a huge market and that Clear Channel is jumping on the 'gravy train' now.

I'll try to find it again. It doesn't sound at all like they're having problems.

I hope they get a new channel way before August ~ many of my friends want to listen but can't take the interference.

As far as NY, I read about a year ago, that Randi Rhodes beat Rush Limbaugh in NY and as I recall, another of the NE states got rid of Rush altogether in favor of AAR. So I'm not worried about them being NY, I think they will be and hopefully with a better reception.

The right keeps spreading these rumors that 'liberal radio' doesn't have an audience, then we hear that they have new station in another state. Each time I heard dire predictions like this, it turned out not to be true ~ just wishful thinking from Drudge or someone else. So, I'm not worried about it at all ~ actually I'm happy, WBLI stinks. And now on Wednesdays they replace AAR with some kind of highschool sports for about four hours.

No wonder the conservatives run circles around us.

nt

It is NOT that AAR is losing money, it's that Clear Channel is a billionaire conglomorate that has gone into every market and done this with every type of radio program. They want to control the left by making us think we have our market segment.

It's like 77% of US trying to fight the top 1% with our "disposable income" that we have after buying frivilous things like food and paying through the nose for GW's oil boys to have multimillion dollar retirements.

Clear Channel is a monopoly with huge backing. Air America would be fine if it weren't being stalked by a beast of this magnitude that shouldn't be allowed to exist if our Constitution weren't going down in a firey swirl in the toilet of this administration's attempt at humoring the left.

i'll listen to randi and mike wherever they end up

And supposedly it's not pulling in the ratings so if they lose the station and don't have to make the least payments it might be good for AAR from a cash burn rate perspective.

The whole term : "flagship station" has been used in this post to make it seem as if this would be the death knell to AAR but the fact is that Randi can broadcast from Flordia.....and Sam seder won't have a problem finding a place to broadcast from either. Same thing for Air American mornings. If nothing else they could probably go to the Center For American progress in D.C. for a little while.

This post is chicken little bullshit. Air America isn't going anywhere. This business can operate at a loss for a while because it is one of the best things going for the left-wing right now.

I don't know about the NYC station (although I listened to it when I was there) but AAR is debuting, FINALLY, in Little Rock, Arkansas on AM 1380 next Monday and the inaugural broadcast will have Wes Clark and Bill Clinton on Al Franken's AND Randi Rhodes' shows! A couple of GREAT home-staters!! Yipee!!! :woohoo:

Sheldon Drobny (see above) started a company to buy rural and small market stations to be vehicles for AAR.

And I am so glad he is succeeding!

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.

One of the Bluest of the Blue cities in the Country....

and yet....

Nothing but Right Wing Babble....

They tried Springer on the local Clear Channel and the other jocks and I think the Indians, the Cleveland kind, not the native, wanted him off the air....

It is the "sports" station... The station with all the "Balls... Cute, huh.....

Now they have a very lame local show on...

The markets are sown up tight with corporate ownership....

They need to concentrate on internet radio....

Keeps the costs down...

Radio over all is loosing money...

CBS is wanting to divest from their radio stations ASAP!!!

Corporate Broadcast radio is going the way of the Giant sloth....

Seriously, they paid too much money for the stations during the 90's when they wanted to control the world....

And now....

They are stuck with high debt, static advertising revenue and high priced "talent" that is not attracting a new or growing audience....

Where is the OP?

I can't say I really care.

AAR has proven there is an alternative to the right. If the network crashes, Ed Shultz will still go on and Randi Rhodes will be picked up immediately. The rest aren't really ready for prime time anyway (except for Malloy who does best when competing with Art Bell).

ANY liberal content isn't good enough. It has to be ENTERNAINING more than informative. Randi and Rachel are the only entertaining hosts on the network. The rest are way too wonky (Al), unfocused (Majority Report), or angry (Mike).

has no strength. The way the Chicago area has been handled from the start makes me feel like this big blue market is taken for granted.