DUmmie FUnnies 05-01-06 ("Air America Losing It's Flagship Station????")

DUmmie FUnnies ^ | May 1, 2006 | DUmmies and PJ-Comix

[PJ-Comix]

Remember all the media hype for Air America when it first launched a couple of years ago? Before even the first broadcast, the MSM gave us adulatory stories about how Air America would give conservative talk radio, namely Rush Limbaugh, a run for their money. Actually make that NO MONEY. Air America has had such LOW RATINGS that they have to rely on either leftwing moneybags like George Soros to come up with their revenue or raid Boys and Girls Clubs charities to pay for Al Franken's inflated salary. In fact, this year Al Franken demanded his years salary IN ADVANCE before jumping ship from the Air America Flagship Station to move to Minneapolis to originate his broadcast from where he hopes to initiate his Senate run in a few years. Did Al Franken know something that his Air America colleagues didn't? Apparently he did. First by cashing out right away when the loot was still available and finally by splitting from New York. You see, it now turns out that Air America is LOSING it's Flagship Station as you can see in this DUmmie THREAD titled, "Air America Losing It's Flagship Station????" So where do all the other Air America hosts like Randi Rhodes or Janeane Garofalo go when the New York Flagship Station is gone at the end of August? Apparently Splitsville since there is no other New York Flagship Station in sight mainly due to the fact that there is NO MONEY to purchase or lease one in the Big Apple. And without hosts to broadcast shows, there is NO Air America. It's a lose-lose situation for all of Air America except for Al Franken who got his millions of Boys and Girls Club money UP FRONT at the beginning of the year. So let us now enjoy the spectacle of the DUmmies actually acting shocked at this impending loss of America in Bolshevik Red while the commentary of your humble correspondent, noting that the sound of static is more exciting than listening to Al Franken, is in the [brackets]:

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

[Terrible ratings and almost no ad revenue and you're acting surprised?]

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

[Go ahead and post the Air America obituary.]

"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_dis...

R.I.P. And now to have FUn watching the DUmmie FUneral Party!]

Believe it. It's true.

[I BEEEEEEEELLLLEEEEEEEEVE!!!]

ugh this sucks.. I knew they were in trouble when they yanked Malloy 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

[You have to really suck bad if Blowhard Ed Schultz can bounce you from the airwaves.]

AAR has been badly managed from the start. They bring in film people and television and record industry people... NO radio people. This is why they are still losing money.

[Al Franken's SOLE qualification for radio broadcasting is that he wrote a book noted ONLY because he included Rush Limbaugh's name on the cover. Even the DUmmies find Al Franken to be incrediby BORING]

I've often thought about that same thing. Especially when their last CEO left abruptly. I can't remmber the name, but i know he used to own a record company.

[Was that the CEO that looted the Boys and Girls Club?]

I am not sanguine about AAR's continued operation. They are on a knife-edge now, and it might turn bad rather quickly.

[MIGHT turn bad? I think that already happened.]

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...

[Dammit, why can't liberals produce radio shows with high enough ratings to actually GENERATE ad revenue? The "rethugs" didn't bring Fox News to national prominence. It was RATINGS due to high viewership that translates into AD REVENUE.]

They have taken in a lot of money, though. 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.

[DUmmie benburch actually making sense for a change. Of course, he has an ulterior motive. He wants liberal startup money for his own White Rose radio "empire." I guess the "lightening-destroyed-our-equipment" shtick didn't quite work out.]

Yeah that makes sense. It would be hard to keep handing out the cash and never seeing a return on the investment..

[A return on investment would be dependent on RATINGS of which Air America was sorely lacking.]

I've heard Ed Schultz use that term "Bake-Sale Radio". Does that also apply to NPR and public television?

[It also applies to Blowhard Ed Schultz's own show. I mean where do you think his radio startup money came from? Directly from the Democrats who financed their personal radio hack.]

Rachel's show is great. 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.

[Another DUmmie show of "support" for Al Franken.]

What makes it the "flagship" station? It's just one radio station out of their whole network, what's the big deal?

[The "big deal" is that without a flagship station there is NO studio for the hosts to broadcast out of. Do you expect Randi Rhodes to broadcast her show al fresco in Central Park while peddling generator bike pedals to power the signal? Actually, on second thought, not such a bad idea.]

AAR is fine, the audience is growing they are probably going to switch to a station that can deliver a stronger signal and a bigger audience.

[Is that you, Pollyanna?]

I hope you're right. 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.

["The Air America fireworks factory is exploding. Please move along. There is nothing to see here."]

All this means is AAR is finding a new station in NY- no big whoop. 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.

[Baghdad Bob auditioning for an Air America gig.]

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.

[Thank you for that cold splash of reality.]

I think *we*do* have to expect to provide regular grants to AAR... 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.

[When a station fails to get ratings, it gets "boycotted," if you prefer to use that incorrect term.]

I don't believe there is a boycott. AAR simply does not do what is required to market themselves effectively.

[DUmmie benburch acting surprising realistic for a change. (Of course he has an ULTERIOR motive for doing so.)]

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.

[Why don't you just make up an incredible story about lightening destroying your broadcast equipment, benburch, and they try to shill for bucks that way?]

AAR has always had low ratings in NY. 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.

[You mean in other areas of the country like CHATTANOOGA where the Air America ratings are so DISMAL that they don't even show up on the charts?]

Don't worry, it is only one station, they will easily move to another. Thats' all, it goes on all the time in radio. Overall, AAR is doing just fine, thank you.

["Please move along. There is nothing to see here except for the Air America fireworks factory exploding."]

I'm glad they're getting off WBLI. The reception is awful. That's one 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 ~

[The Air America signal dies somewhere over the East River.]

[Charles Henrickson]

SOMEBODY SHOOK UP THE ANTS!

PJ, these latest Pitt-centered, Drama Queen threads could be quite DUFUable:

I have a humble request and some questions for my friends at DU.

kpete: Why are we fighting one another when our goal is the same? I have a humble request and some questions for my friends at DU. Please have respect for those who are TRYING to get info out to all of us! Is it just me, or has DU become a tad bit hostile lately? Why the negativity? Why pick on Truth Out or Raw Story or fellow DU'ers for not getting it 100% right?

72. A humble answer

WilliamPitt: Somehow, I managed to become central to a DU flameout that I have since completely missed. . . . One thread from a man I once considered an ally sh*tting on me. . . . It has been said by many long-time posters that the healthiest thing one can do from time to time is take a break from this place. I seldom do, and when I have tried in the past, I always get sucked back in. But I think the time has come for a real one. I have too much to deal with in my personal life, too many pages to edit for my next book. . . . See ya on the flip-side.

75. This almost made me cry

kpete: William Pitt - I cannot accept this. Please, please give me some hope. Don't we need you, Larisa, Leopold and each other now more than ever?

Dear William Pitt: please don't leave DU.

femmedem: Your presence at DU is valuable in a different way. First, if reading Truthout is like attending a great lecture, then reading DU is like attending a great seminar. Okay, maybe it's not always so great. . . . I would really miss reading your journal if you left. Your journal entry about meeting Cindy Sheehan filled me up and made me cry. . . . Maybe you can keep posting your journal entries without reading the comments if things get to be too much? Or maybe, maybe, lots of other folks will chime in and tell you how much your work here means?

107. How ironic that a "Don't go Will" thread is turning into . . .

LittleClarkie: . . . just the kind of thing that makes Pitt wanna leave. Oye.

[PJ-Comix]

Just curious to see if I can post pics DIRECTLY from my Blog. This is a test. Just a test:

[Purrcival]

The only economic system they know anything about is socialism, i.e., MSP (mutual shared poverty).

"Mutually shared poverty" -- unless you're part of the privileged governing class, or one of their chosen beneficiaries.

[Purrcival]

"2100 UTC WED JUN 08 2006"

Huh? Someone is looking into their crystal ball here?

[KJC1]

Ooh, looks like you found some juicy material for our examination.

Somebody shook up the ants! LOL. There's a phrase that brings back many memories!

[PJ-Comix]

I'm trying to check it out but everytime I click on one of these PItt DUFU threads, nothing happens. The DUmmie page doesn't open up. Oh well, I'll keep trying.

[CAluvdubya]

Oooh, is someone preparing for a stint in the "Big House"? Is this just a cover story in preparation of a conviction of touching little girls? Hmmmm......."The Pittman of Alcatraz"

[Purrcival]

Wasn't there some talk a few months ago about NBC dumping MSNBC?

[PJ-Comix]

Strange. I still can't get into DUmmieland at all. Can anybody else access it right now?

[KJC1]

Hmm. I can't get to the DUmp either, via the links or just trying to go straight there.

The DUmp is DOwn I think.

[CAluvdubya]

I tried too, PJ. I can get in either. Pitt says he's leaving and the DUmp shuts down. Hahahahaha

[Ditter]

I am cracking up over that picture of Hillary and Al. Look at her expression, even Hill wants Al to go away.

[CAluvdubya]

oopsie....can = can't

[JCEccles]

NPR is the only slinger of left wing slop on the radio that will still be on the air in five years. And that's only because Congress won't shut off its money spigot. If it had to contend in the marketplace without taxpayer money it would be off the air in a year.

[roaddog727]

Good copy on test message - read 5x5. over.

[Mr. Silverback]

benburch claimed recently that a lightning strike destroyed the equipment of his radio "empire" and used that as an excuse to hit up the DUmmies for $$$.

I know. I was poking fun at your use of "lightening" in place of "lightning."

[PJ-Comix]

Hmmmm.... Did Pitt's departure announcement cause DUmmieland to melt down? I still can't seem to access that site.

[Dont Mention the War]

Can anyone explain this to me(?), because I'm baffled. The FCC would never hand out two AM stations 1kHz apart (1299 and 1300 on the dial), +they're done in 10kHz increments, and usually even then with space between them. And what kind of equipment did this guy use to tune to 1299kHz?

I'm presuming the answer involves an ancient vacuum tube-powered analog receiver with its tuning knob out of alignment, and a hell of a lot of drinking.

If he's on Long Island, he's probably listening to WAVZ on 1300. It's a little pissant station out of New Haven, but the signal makes it to about half of LI in the daytime. And they do bump Randi Rhodes to 6pm in order to make room for Blowhard Ed at 3, just as he complaints about.

I can't find any station on 1290 anywhere near New York offering liberal talk; he was probably listening to WAVZ then too and just didn't realize it. Maybe they changed their jingle package or something and it threw him off, LOL.

[Choose Ye This Day]

Geschfincto. I can't access the DUmp.

I think they knew you'd be coming.

William Rivers Pitt announces his departure from Moonbat Central. Can you imagine the substance abuse going on over there right now? It's all so incoherent that nobody could understand a thing...maybe Skinner just shut it down to save himself the bandwidth and the embarrassment.

[Charles Henrickson]

Try the links in #101 again. I think DU is back now.