No-Air America

I guess this venture was fueled more on zeal and emotion rather than good planning and—judging by the few broadcasts I was able to endure—talent.

The chairman and vice chairman of Air America Radio have resigned, dealing the latest setback to the fledgling liberal radio network headlined by comedian and author Al Franken.

The departures of Evan Cohen and his investment partner Rex Sorensen came just one week after the company said that co-founder Mark Walsh had stepped down as CEO to take a smaller role at the company. Last week the company also said it had forced out David Logan as head of programming.

I wonder what the bank fees are for one million dollars worth of hot checks. (Don’t they put some people in jail for fraud for this sort of thing? Oh wait. Nevermind.) Then again, it’s probably better for all my systems if I leave such a thing to someone else’s imagination.

Another evil corporation mismanages its money, puts out an inferior product and goes under. ;-)

Comments

[Tiger]

Ain't that a cryin' shame?

Oh, Juliette, you might want to adjust my link ... I have moved my blog to http://tig.mu.nu/and changed the name of the blog to Read My Lips. ;)

[Shawn Lee]

I love how they said that once they'd get up and going, people would turn in and fight back the conservatives on talk radio. And once they got up and running, they stopped, and walked a few laps before going in for some water... It'd be sad if it weren't so funny.

[baldilocks]

Tiger: Done! Glad you're back.

Shawn Lee: It's both funny and sad.
I still wish there were a liberal/leftist talk show host that was able to draw the type of audience that many of their opposite numbers are. Marketplace of ideas, and all that.

[S-Train]

All they had to do was call me and ratings would have blew up! Thug Radio Central: Where we spin it at gunpoint! ;)

[Helen]

So, it's safe to say that the radio station headlined by a comic is a joke.

[shay]

I heard it a few times, and noted that they had no real advertisers (beyond non-profit or lobby groups) like other stations do. That's when I knew that it would be headed for deep trouble. However, I thought Air America would at least last through the autumn off funds that I assumed it had already raised. It looks like it won't even last through the summer.

The only liberal talk radio that does well is urban (predominantly black) radio, partly because of the cultural music element. These talk show host do well in my city, as well as many others. How Air America thought it was going to churn a profit by poaching off NPR's base and ignoring urban radio listeners is beyond me. It goes to show you that an actual consumer market, talent, financial management, talent are the keys to talk radio success. Anger alone ain't gonna cut it.

[Mike Boelter]

The reason Air America, and probably any similar liberal talk radio show done in a like manner will fail is that it is being set up from the top down.

The 'Liberal Establishment', as opposed to the VWR, is attempting to develop this from the top down, big successful and huge all from the start.

Rush Limbaugh (to use the primary example) is currently on over 600 stations daily. But he started off small and added to that number a few stations at a time. While his EIB network grew he went out every weekend and did personal appearances,and pressed the flesh, at all sorts of venues, ranging from a Bake Sale to help a listener get enough money for a subscription to his newsletter, to State Fairs or whatever.

The Air America venture has tried to become big without that underpinning of personal involvement seeming to think that if they are on the air during the same times and in the same markets then gosh darn it they should just be successful too.

But unless they do the amount of behind the scenes work and build it up from the ground up they are not going to have anything resembling the success of the Rush Limbaughs, Sean Hannitys or G. Gorden Liddys.

[Dean Esmay]

Let me point out that if they survive this, then this will all be a part of the romantic, epic tale of the fledgeling network's heroic struggles.

So don't be gloating 'til the goose is fully cooked, you know what I'm sayin'?