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Liberal radio network down to 1 major city (NYC)
WorldNetDaily.com ^ | 04/21/04 | Editorial

Posted on 04/22/2004 6:48:18 AM PDT by Phantom Lord

Liberal radio network down to 1 major city
New York only Top 10 market for struggling, new Air America

Despite a court order to return the all-liberal radio network to Chicago, it appears the Windy City won't have Air America by the end of this month, leaving New York City as the sole Top 10 market for the fledgling company.

The Chicago Tribune reports Air America will cease broadcasting over WNTD-AM in Chicago April 30, and will remain off the air for now in Los Angeles, where it was yanked from KBLA-AM last week by station owner Multicultural News Radio.

Los Angeles and Chicago are the nation's No. 2 and 3 media markets respectively, according to ratings service Arbitron.

Besides No. 1 market New York, Air America's next largest region is No. 16 Minneapolis, with other affiliates in Portland, Ore., Riverside, Calif., West Palm Beach, Fla., Key West, Fla., Chapel Hill, N.C.,and Plattsburgh/Burlington on the New York-Vermont border.

Programming also can be heard on XM Satellite Radio as well as the Internet, and the company says "coming soon" markets include No. 4 San Francisco.

Air America features liberal personalities including comic and author Al Franken and actress Janeane Garofalo, and was floated as an alternative to conservative radio talent such as Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage and Sean Hannity.

As WorldNetDaily reported last week, the network was silenced in both L.A. and Chicago during a payments dispute with Multicultural Radio, which alleged Air America had bounced checks, a charge strongly denied by the liberal network.

A Chicago source familiar with the situation told the Tribune "a Multicultural representative showed up at WNTD's offices, ... kicked out Air America's lone staffer overseeing the network's feed to the station from New York, switched over to a Spanish-language feed, and changed the locks on the doors."

Air America has since won a court order to return it to the air in Chicago, but yesterday said that it would stop broadcasting on WNTD at the end of this month as it reached a deal with Multicultural.

"We are pleased that we reached a negotiated settlement," said David Goodfriend, executive vice president of Air America, in a brief statement.

"We've been vindicated," Gene Heinemeyer, general manager of Multicultural's New York stations told the Tribune. "It was a dark day in radio for what they did."

Air America isn't giving up on Chicago, however, and is reportedly in preliminary talks with another station, WONX-AM.

"If their money is green and there's enough of it, OK," station owner Frank Kovas, a self-described political conservative, told the Tribune.

Industry analysts say Air America definitely has an uphill battle in reaching financial success in broadcasting.

"The liberal talkers are not only battling the conservatives for air time, they are up against the sports talkers, on-air counselors, medical advisers, computer talk geeks and so on," writes Jeffrey McCall, professor of communication arts and sciences at DePauw University in Indiana. "This is a tough party to crash."

Previous story: Liberal network yanked in L.A., Chicago markets


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: airamerica; failure; franken; liberal; moneypit; radio; talk
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I remember when O'Reilly started The Radio Factor, the liberals and dolts at DU were on the floor with laughter that he was paying stations to carry his show when it started. Now however, they think paying for airtime is the greatest thing since sliced bread and the way to break into the market.

Seems that Air America likes to write checks, but doesn't have the funds for them to clear!

1 posted on 04/22/2004 6:48:19 AM PDT by Phantom Lord
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To: Phantom Lord
LOL.
2 posted on 04/22/2004 6:50:24 AM PDT by DoctorMichael (The Fourth Estate is a Fifth Column!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
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To: Phantom Lord
You know the really odd thing, Considering the HUGE media fanfare this got when it kicked off, There hasn't been any mention of its quick death....../sarcasm
3 posted on 04/22/2004 6:50:28 AM PDT by hobbes1 (Hobbes1TheOmniscient® "I know everything so you don't have to" ;)
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To: Phantom Lord
figures nyc hangs in..
4 posted on 04/22/2004 6:52:15 AM PDT by The Mayor (Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.)
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To: Phantom Lord
*ahem*

BWAAAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!
These idiots think they can buy (with rubber checks) their way into a market who's top people have EARNED their status.

BTW, How's the Wife and Baby doing, Lord?
5 posted on 04/22/2004 6:52:32 AM PDT by RandallFlagg (<a href="http://www.michaelmoore.com" target="_blank">miserable failure)
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To: Phantom Lord
Am I glad I didn't put money on when they would go feet-up. I thought surely they would last until after President Bush's re-election. What can I say!! Anybody got a picture of the leader of the "A-Team" from TV, with his celebrated smirk? It would fit good right here.
6 posted on 04/22/2004 6:52:34 AM PDT by vandykelastone (I'm so glad Goober Pyle is the Governor of New Mexico, aren't you?)
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To: Phantom Lord

7 posted on 04/22/2004 6:54:22 AM PDT by TomGuy (Clintonites have such good hind-sight because they had their heads up their hind-ends 8 years.)
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To: Phantom Lord
This is all a plot by NPR to stop the competition.
8 posted on 04/22/2004 6:54:42 AM PDT by Wheee The People (Oo ee oo ah ah, ting tang, walla-walla bing bang. Oo ee oo ah ah, ting tang, walla-walla bing bang!)
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To: Phantom Lord
I'm surprised it's lasted this long.
9 posted on 04/22/2004 6:58:24 AM PDT by Bosco (Remember how you felt on September 11?)
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To: RandallFlagg
They are doing great. Thanks for asking. We enjoy putting him in his Metallica Onesie and wearing Metallica T-shirts and going out together.
10 posted on 04/22/2004 6:59:31 AM PDT by Phantom Lord (Distributor of Pain, Your Loss Becomes My Gain)
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To: Phantom Lord
and was floated as an alternative to conservative radio talent

And we ALL know what floats, don't we?

11 posted on 04/22/2004 7:00:07 AM PDT by N. Theknow
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To: Phantom Lord
On a whim, I decided to listen to this yesterday. I live 30 miles north of NYC. I couldn't even tune the station in. So much for their last major market.
12 posted on 04/22/2004 7:00:55 AM PDT by CaptRon (Pedecaris alive or Raisuli dead)
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To: Bosco
I'm surprised it's lasted this long.

Since they can get tens of millions of dollars from socialists like Soros, and from others who want to circumvent the campaingn finance laws; I am surprised they are having trouble buying their way into the market.

They only have to stay on through the election as an ongoing Bush Bash commercial. - Tom

13 posted on 04/22/2004 7:06:26 AM PDT by Capt. Tom (Don't confuse the Bushies with the dumb republicans. - Capt. Tom)
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To: Phantom Lord
Heh! I'm guilty of doing the same. I love going to librat infested malls and just walking around with my Sons, my hair down to my belt, my leather jacket, making the snobbish populace nervous.

Occasionally, my ears pick up a whisper: "Those can't be his kids. They're too cute. I'll bet he kidnapped them."

Sometimes security follows me -which is a real treat and an added bonus.
14 posted on 04/22/2004 7:06:33 AM PDT by RandallFlagg (<a href="http://www.michaelmoore.com" target="_blank">miserable failure)
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Al Franken sounds like fizzies in a septic tank.
Garofalo is working with a mind that's blank.
In a liberal’s mind.
The gears just grind.
The froth they spew
is very seldom true.
More often that not it is mean, spiteful, and rank.

~~<8-Q
15 posted on 04/22/2004 7:07:31 AM PDT by Cyber Ninja (His legacy is a stain on the dress.)
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To: Phantom Lord
fledgling

that's being kind

16 posted on 04/22/2004 7:09:55 AM PDT by InvisibleChurch (I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it)
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To: CaptRon
Air America started broadcasting on a station in Chapel Hill NC Monday. Local radio people mentioned it and in discussion among hosts, none of them had ever heard of the station. Turns out it is a campus station and the signal is almost impossible to pick up once you leave the campus.
17 posted on 04/22/2004 7:10:31 AM PDT by Phantom Lord (Distributor of Pain, Your Loss Becomes My Gain)
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To: Phantom Lord
To paraphrase the song "New York, New York", if they can't make it there (the Mecca of Liberalism) they can't make it anywhere.
18 posted on 04/22/2004 7:12:47 AM PDT by pawdoggie
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To: Phantom Lord
It's a conspiracy !!!
19 posted on 04/22/2004 7:15:11 AM PDT by Guillermo ("Oh yeah? Well if you do it again, I'm gonna have only one word for you: 'Outta here.'" - Paul Sr.)
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To: RandallFlagg
I love jewelry. I have quite a collection of rings, necklaces, and watches. We don't need to talk about all the stuff my wife makes me buy her.

I have been shopping for a new Rolex and its great to walk into an upscale, snooty jeweler with Metallica shirt, jeans, boots, and a leather jacket and be ignored. Someone will usually end up coming over and asking if I need help. When I ask to look at a Submariner or Presidential they look at me funny, hesitate and finally bring it out. When I take off my Rolex to try on the new one a look of relief comes over their face.

We have been dealing with the same jeweler for the past 8 years and buy all our stuff from them and get our watches serviced by them. They are surprised when I come in looking respectable.

20 posted on 04/22/2004 7:15:29 AM PDT by Phantom Lord (Distributor of Pain, Your Loss Becomes My Gain)
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