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It's been a rough week for the DUmmies. In a span of three days, Brown wins "Teddy's seat," the Supreme Court strikes a blow for free speech, and Air America announces it is going off the air. The DUmmies are in deep, deep depression! Up the meds! It's been a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week! Sample the despair and the anger here in this THREAD, "Air America Ceasing Live Programming This Afternoon." The DUmmie downers are in Radical Radio Red, while the commentary of your humble guest correspondent, Charles Henrickson, looking forward to the day when the...

On her MSNBC show last night, the left-wing Air America host Rachel Maddow took a swipe at the conservative Shirley & Banister Public Affairs firm, specifically President & CEO Craig Shirley. Maddow accused Shirley of being behind a grassroots Web site funded by the group Grassfire.org, based on research provided by the "independent watchdog group Public Citizen," and she showed still images from an incendary "Obama=Hitler" video that's still posted on the Grassfire's ResistNet.com Web site. BUT MADDOW WAS WRONG. THE PUBLIC CITIZEN WEB PAGE SHE CITED IS SEVERAL YEARS OLD. Shirley & Bannister hasn't represented Grassfire.org since 2004, and...

Air America Media (www.airamerica.com) has signed a multi-year deal with Montel Williams to host “Montel Across America,” debuting April 6. The program will air weekdays from 9am-12pm ET on radio stations across the country, and streamed live online. “Montel is a multi-media star and a familiar name to millions of people across the country,” said Bennett Zier, Air America Media CEO. “The addition of Montel to our talent line-up is an important step for the continued growth of Air America, as we look to distribute Montel’s show across America.” “After being on television for more than 17 years, I’m looking...

Senate candidate Al Franken says he will pay about $70,000 in back income taxes in 17 states going back to 2003. The Minnesota Democrat has been under attack by Republicans for failing to file tax returns in California for several years when the comedian-turned-candidate earned money there. Franken tells The Associated Press he never intended to avoid paying taxes.

Radio talker Randi Rhodes, who last week was suspended from Air America for obscene language at a public appearance, has switched to Nova M Radio, a competing syndicator. Clear Channel Denver announced Thursday that Rhodes will be reinstated in her afternoon timeslot (1-4 p.m.) on KKZN 760 AM, under a new contract with syndicator Nova M Radio, effective Monday. Nova M Radio, another progressive radio outfit, was founded by some of the originators of Air America. Celebrity voices will fill in for Rhodes until a replacement is named. According to Kris Olinger, who manages Denver's Air America affiliate, Rosie O'Donnell,...

Last week Air America suspended Randi Rhodes for abusive, obscene language at a recent public appearance in San Francisco which was sponsored by an Air America affiliate station. Air America Media was informed last night by Ms. Rhodes that she has chosen to terminate her employment with the company. We wish her well and thank her for past services to Air America. We will soon announce exciting new talent and programming that will accelerate Air America’s growth in the future.

Randi Rhodes, an afternoon host for the progressive Air America radio network, was suspended Thursday after repeatedly insulting Hillary Rodham Clinton at an event last month. Ms. Rhodes used vulgar language that likened Ms. Clinton to a prostitute at an event sponsored by KKGN, the Air America affiliate in the San Francisco area, on March 22. A video of Ms. Rhodes’ remarks was published to the video-sharing Web site YouTube on Tuesday, prompting condemnations by some bloggers.

A liberal talk radio network founded more than three years ago as an alternative to conservatives such as Rush Limbaugh is undergoing a "relaunch" this week, though media analysts say "the marketplace will tell the story" of whether the revamp will succeed in the long run. The Air America Radio Network this week began syndicating on 64 stations nationwide and XM satellite a retooled lineup of programs, introduced a more interactive website and launched an "I'm an Air American!" advertising campaign involving liberal celebrities. It's all part of what the network in a press release called "the official relaunch of...

New York -- A federal bankruptcy judge approved on Friday the sale of the liberal talk radio network Air America Radio for $4.25 million to Stephen L. Green, founder of a New York real estate firm. The approval of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain essentially transfers all the assets of Piquant LLC, parent company of the New York-based Air America, to a group including new and current investors. It gives a majority stake to Green Family Media LLC, an entity controlled by Green, and a minority stake to Democracy Allies LLC. That group includes RealNetworks Inc. Chief Executive Robert Glaser...

Lefty radio listeners are wondering what in the world is going on at KCTC (1320 AM), Sacramento's local Air America affiliate. The morning team of Scott & Sims has been off the air as of Monday, and afternoon drive-time host Enid Goldstein is gone, too.

ASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (Dow Jones/AP) — Air America Radio, the liberal news and talk radio network, has won bankruptcy court approval to sell its assets at an auction Friday, starting with a $4.25 million bid from a consortium of purchasers formed by Stephen L. Green, the chairman of SL Green Realty of New York. Judge Robert D. Drain of Federal Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan said on Friday that the consortium could receive a $150,000 breakup fee if its offer was topped at the auction. Competing bids, which must start at $4.6 million, are due by Thursday with a 10 percent...

Al Franken Leaving Air America by December 10.

Air America Radio is talking to several parties about a possible sale and is hopeful of reaching a deal before Thanksgiving, a lawyer for the liberal talk radio network told a bankruptcy hearing Tuesday. Tracy Klestadt told the court that the privately-held company was in discussions with seven different parties about a sale and was "very hopeful" of reaching a deal by Nov. 22, saying there was a "significant amount of interest." The network, which went on the air with much fanfare two years ago, filed for bankruptcy protection on Oct. 13 after discussions with one of its creditors reached...

The executive producer of Al Franken's Air America Radio show and two others were named on Tuesday to represent unsecured creditors in the liberal talk network's bankruptcy case. The U.S. Trustee's office, a Department of Justice division that monitors bankruptcies, appointed three committee members: William Kimball, the Minneapolis-based executive producer of "The Al Franken Show;" Sacramento, Calif.-based Diamond Broadcasting; and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists, a union that represents 70,000 journalists and entertainers in broadcast, radio and online. Kimball is owed $84,893 in back pay, according to court documents. Diamond Broadcasting is owed $500,000, but its claim...

<p>NEW YORK (AP) -- Air America Radio, a liberal talk and news radio network, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a network official told the AP. The network had denied rumors just a month ago that it would file for bankruptcy, but on Friday Air America said negotiations with a creditor from the company's early days had broken down.</p>

October 7, 2006 New York -- Six officials of the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club stole $1.2 million from the group, money meant for needy kids and seniors, a city probe has found. Investigations Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn calls it "disgusting" - the worst case of wrongdoing by a non-profit contractor she's seen since taking office. Thank goodness the thieves will be going to jail for a very long time - and paying back every cent, and then some. Well, actually, that's not quite true. In fact, nobody is going to jail. Not even for a single day. And...

Two former executives at a government-funded youth organization whose finances were scrutinized after it diverted money to the liberal radio network Air America were charged Thursday with misappropriating $1.2 million of the non-profit's funds. Charles Rosen, a former executive director at the Gloria Wise Community Center, and his former assistant director, Jeffrey Aulenbach, face charges of grand larceny and obstructing governmental administration. Rosen was also charged with forgery. New York City's Department of Investigation, which investigated the nonprofit for two years, said the men improperly took more than $290,000 from the organization for their personal use, on top of their...

NEW YORK - Two former executives at a government-funded youth organization whose finances were scrutinized after it diverted money to the liberal radio network Air America were charged Thursday with misappropriating $1.2 million of the non-profit’s funds. Charles Rosen, a former executive director at the Gloria Wise Community Center, and his former assistant director, Jeffrey Aulenbach, face charges of grand larceny and obstructing governmental administration. Rosen was also charged with forgery. New York City’s Department of Investigation, which investigated the nonprofit for two years, said the men improperly took more than $290,000 from the organization for their personal use, on...

A Bronx charity will pay the city back $625,000 that had been intended for children and the elderly but was improperly lent to Air America Radio... -snip The state attorney general’s office is continuing to look into the misuse of the funds, and the case has been transferred from its charities bureau to the criminal prosecutions bureau, two people close to the investigation said yesterday. City investigators found that the charity, based in Co-op City and formerly known as the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club, lent $875,000 to Air America Radio. At the city’s request, the network put the...

Financially strapped Air America Radio, after star commentator Al Franken said his paycheck had stopped coming, acknowledged Thursday that it had laid off a few employees but insisted it has no plans to declare bankruptcy. "If Air America had filed for bankruptcy every time someone rumored it to be doing so, we would have ceased to exist long ago," Jaime Horn, a spokeswoman for the liberal talk show network, said in a statement. "It may be frustrating to some that it hasn't happened." Horn, without getting specific, said there were "a handful of layoffs" that followed a move of the...