AIR AMERICA MISSED A GREAT OPPORTUNITY - STACY TAYLOR

[ABQTom]

Just learned that STACY TAYLOR, formerly of CC's liberal talker KLSD-AM 1360 San Diego, is now on XEKTT-AM 1700 (Broadcast Co. of the Americas), transmitters in Tecate, Mexico, serving San Diego and all of Southern California. Afternoons 3pm-6pm PT

Why didn't Air America hire Stacy? They missed a huge opportunity. Veteran talent, and substitute for their own Randi Rhodes. I only heard Stacy once but was very impressed with his talents.

1700 is a great signal. 10kW day, and also allowed to operate at 10kW night. They don't have to lower power to 1kW at night, because it's in Mexico, presumably?

I've picked up 1700 everywhere...in the SW and the West Coast from New Mexico to Seattle. It's the top of the AM dial, so skywave distance is tremendous. In Seattle I got a Brownsville, Texas 1700kHz at night along with XEKTT. While it's still winter, try getting AM 1700 to hear Stacy Taylor 2 hours before local sunset time. -T

 

[ajhenderson]

That daytime signal isn't as impressive as it's made to sound. It may hug the coast a bit during the day, but you can't hear jack squat by the time you get to Ontario.

 

[ABQTom]

That daytime signal isn't as impressive as it's made to sound. It may hug the coast a bit during the day, but you can't hear jack squat by the time you get to Ontario.

I wouldn't expect XEKTT 1700 to be heard in Ontario, Canada because there are other 1700's. It's directional at night and most of the energy is out to sea. However, it's so high on the dial (just below the shortwave bands), that outside of any other local 1700's, you can hear it nightly in the places I mentioned. -T

 

[gr8oldies]

You're not going to get that impressive of a groundwave on 1700. Stacy taylor was formerly on WLS in Chicago; he had more of a libertarian lean then. As I recall, inthe beginning AA had a litmus test for hosts as in never criticiing the Democratic Party and I'm told several potential hosts passed on AA for that reason.

 

[Ultimajock]

...XEKTT comes in here in Phoenix fairly well after sunset (I listened to them for coverage of the wildfires last autumn). As for AAR "missing an opportunity," do I dare suggest that the Greens aren't willing to spend enough money to make such an opportunity legitimate in the first place? Past Randi Rhodes and Rachel Maddow, and the pick-up of the independently-produced Thom Hartmann, AAR is merely limping along and the Greens aren't doing a damned thing to pull AAR out of its funk...

 

[NewsVet]

Why didn't Air America hire Stacy? They missed a huge opportunity. Veteran talent, and substitute for their own Randi Rhodes. I only heard Stacy once but was very impressed with his talents.

Why do you assume that Air America could have hired Taylor, Brinker, or anybody else? Taylor has said that he's not interested in being syndicated and turned down an offer to do evenings at Clear Channel's KOGO in San Diego. Brinker makes a fortune with his newsletter, promotes it on his weekend shows, and presumably doesn't want to work seven days a week. As long as you're fantasizing about who Air America should hire, how about Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, and Keith Olbermann? They wouldn't go for it either.

 

[NewsVet]

As I recall, inthe beginning AA had a litmus test for hosts as in never criticiing the Democratic Party and I'm told several potential hosts passed on AA for that reason.

You're "told" that by whom? And in any case, the management of AAR "in the beginning" is long gone. And I've heard plenty of criticism of the establishment Democratic Party types on AAR, including attacks on Nancy Pelosi for taking impeachment "off the table."

 

[ajhenderson]

That daytime signal isn't as impressive as it's made to sound. It may hug the coast a bit during the day, but you can't hear jack squat by the time you get to Ontario.

I wouldn't expect XEKTT 1700 to be heard in Ontario, Canada because there are other 1700's. It's directional at night and most of the energy is out to sea. However, it's so high on the dial (just below the shortwave bands), that outside of any other local 1700's, you can hear it nightly in the places I mentioned. -T

Ontario, California, Tom. In keep with your mention of California.

 

[ABQTom]

Why didn't Air America hire Stacy? They missed a huge opportunity. Veteran talent, and substitute for their own Randi Rhodes. I only heard Stacy once but was very impressed with his talents.

Why do you assume that Air America could have hired Taylor, Brinker, or anybody else? Taylor has said that he's not interested in being syndicated and turned down an offer to do evenings at Clear Channel's KOGO in San Diego. Brinker makes a fortune with his newsletter, promotes it on his weekend shows, and presumably doesn't want to work seven days a week. As long as you're fantasizing about who Air America should hire, how about Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, and Keith Olbermann? They wouldn't go for it either.

You and others in this thread, except for ultimajock from Phoenix, are misinterpreting what I'm saying. I am not assuming or fantasizing about anything. I am suggesting what the struggling network could do to improve their financial status. If you look at the AAR ratings, they aren't that good. They clearly need to change their lineup, there are several possibilities - Peter B. Collins, Stacy Taylor, Bob Brinker, Jay Diamond, Alan Colmes, Basham and Lydia Cornell, Erin Hart, etc. The problem is that some of these hosts have contracts with other networks and aren't available.

The TV comedians you mention are not talk radio hosts. Hiring them would be like hiring Al Franken, which was a disaster.

At present, the Greens don't appear to be doing anything to improve ratings and revenue, as ultimajock also points out.

As for the 1700 signal, I never claimed it had a great groundwave! That high on the dial, the *SKYWAVE* is phenomenal. In Las Vegas, you can hear 1700 fading in and out at the beginning of Stacy's show around 3pm. That high on the dial, stations will oscillate from completely listenable, to nothing at all, very quickly...compared to 540~800kHz. Around 5:15pm, reception was steady, at least at 5mV/m.

Stacy acknowledged his Arizona listeners today in Tucson and there were Arizona callers. -T

 

[ajhenderson]

listeners today in Tucson and there were Arizona callers. -T

That's great for doing a live and local show.

Let's face it; 1700 can't sell time to save their lives, so they're now reinventing themselves as a 3rd-tier talk station that will never show up in the book.

 

[NewsVet]

I rarely if ever hear about organized labor on AAR. I also hear nothing of localism, consumer actions or other issues common to progressive politics. AAR seems to think the one token Westerner Thom Hartmann (who is really from Vermont) fulfills all the needs of western listeners.

In truth, AAR appeals to a small segment of liberal listeners because they are not in the mainstream. They have always from the very beginning been east-coast intellectual pro-Israel Liberal Jews.

Thom Hartmann was born in Michigan, grew up in Michigan, and worked in Michigan radio for a number of years. He spent a few years in Vermont (and in New Hampshire, Georgia, and West Germany), but he is NOT "really from Vermont' and regularly speaks to labor leaders and addresses labor issues. He's also not Jewish. The Young Turks came out of California, as does Jon Elliott. Randi Rhodes may be Jewish, but I wouldn't call her an "intellectual." Rachel Maddow may be Jewish, but she's not "pro-Israel." And Lionel is NOT Jewish and I've never heard him express any "pro-Israel" views.

 

[NewsVet]

The TV comedians you mention are not talk radio hosts. Hiring them would be like hiring Al Franken, which was a disaster.

Keith Olbermann is a "comedian?" I don't think so. Olbermann, Stewart, and Maher will never be on Air America, but they're all much better interviewers and ad-libbers than Franken. Franken is a writer, who was a mediocre talk show host. Olbermann, Stewart and Maher are much better hosts and hiring them would NOT be "like hiring Al Franken."

 

[ABQTom]

Keith Olbermann is a "comedian?" I don't think so. Olbermann, Stewart, and Maher will never be on Air America, but they're all much better interviewers and ad-libbers than Franken. Franken is a writer, who was a mediocre talk show host. Olbermann, Stewart and Maher are much better hosts and hiring them would NOT be "like hiring Al Franken."


You're the one who suggested these in the first place for Air America, so I don't know what your issue is with my comments. These guys do a great job on TV, but they're not talk radio hosts. Al Franken is a comedian, and did a good show on Air America, but not good enough to get enough ratings. If you hired Olbermann, Stewart, or Maher for Air America, you would have to train them as talk hosts.

 

[ABQTom]

That's great for doing a live and local show.

Let's face it; 1700 can't sell time to save their lives, so they're now reinventing themselves as a 3rd-tier talk station that will never show up in the book.
[/quote]

What evidence do you have to support this sweeping statement? The market just lost 1360, where Stacy Taylor had a good following. The 1700 signal is amazing, it was coming in at NOON today in Vegas, but that will change as the sun angle increases.

Their entire program schedule isn't posted on their web site yet. Does anyone know their pgm schedule?

 

[ABQTom]

[EDIT-deleted content]

Jay Diamond lives in NYC, and understands workers protections, and health care, and he would be an excellent host for Air America. If you've heard Jay on the Alan Colmes program, in recent months, he has discussed health insurance and workers protections on nearly every substitute program.

Ed Schultz already discusses unions and workers issues extensively. You are correct that we need more hosts to discuss economic issues facing the Middle Class. As Hartmann says ... it used to be the LABOR section in the paper ... not the business section.

Laura Lee would make a good host for Air America to discuss consumer protection issues like mercury. Laura was on Brian Jennings' KVI and KING in Seattle in the early to mid 1990's, and eventually syndicated to KOB,KOH,KXL,KGA, and others. Not sure what happened to her show.

 

[ABQTom]

And I have nothing against Jewish oriented shows. But the target demographic is not primarily Jewish. AAR needs shows that appeal to average working Americans, otherwise they are losing stations to ESPN.

Indeed, another station with Progressive programming is flipping to ESPN on Feb 1st.


Source: the YAHOOGROUPS Talk Radio forum that I moderate:

[OPUS BROADCASTING] KEZX-AM 730 Medford/Ashland
will soon cancel *ALL* progressive and
conservative shows and go to 24/7 sports. Liberals in the
very liberal college and tourist town of Ashland
are not happy with this move! Medford is more
conservative / blue-collar.
Progressive hosts that will lose their clearances
include Ed Schultz, Thom Hartmann, and Stephanie
Miller. PD Roger Heaton has left the station.
Previous Oregon liberal station cancellations have
included Eugene/Springfield and
Albany/Corvallis.

Info:

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080124/SPORTS/801240336

Premeire RN Press Release:

http://www.premiereradio.com/news/view/468.html

 

[Ultimajock]

The TV comedians you mention are not talk radio hosts. Hiring them would be like hiring Al Franken, which was a disaster.

Keith Olbermann is a "comedian?" I don't think so. Olbermann, Stewart, and Maher will never be on Air America, but they're all much better interviewers and ad-libbers than Franken. Franken is a writer, who was a mediocre talk show host. Olbermann, Stewart and Maher are much better hosts and hiring them would NOT be "like hiring Al Franken."

...well, by his own admission, Olbermann mixes straight-up journalism with satire (the "Worst Person in the World" and "Oddball" segments), so the tag "comedian" isn't so far out of legitimate range to pin on him. The other "comedian" hire AAR made at the outset, Janeane Garofalo, was a snafu not because of Janeane's chops (she indeed has 'em) but because she was saddled with Sam Seder as a partner. Had AAR given her a show where Janeane was clearly in front rather than dealing with a sidekick (especially one like Seder), her show would have worked a helluva lot better...

 

[Ultimajock]

Keith Olbermann is a "comedian?" I don't think so. Olbermann, Stewart, and Maher will never be on Air America, but they're all much better interviewers and ad-libbers than Franken. Franken is a writer, who was a mediocre talk show host. Olbermann, Stewart and Maher are much better hosts and hiring them would NOT be "like hiring Al Franken."


You're the one who suggested these in the first place for Air America, so I don't know what your issue is with my comments. These guys do a great job on TV, but they're not talk radio hosts. Al Franken is a comedian, and did a good show on Air America, but not good enough to get enough ratings. If you hired Olbermann, Stewart, or Maher for Air America, you would have to train them as talk hosts.

...something tells me you hadn't heard Olbermann's work alongside Dan Patrick on ESPN Radio...

 

[jaymarvin]

Why no Stacy Taylor on AAR? Why put on a radio pro like Taylor when you can have failures on like Tom Hartman, and others who think radio is about getting Dems elected instead of doing good radio. Same old story line as always.

 

[NewsVet]

You're the one who suggested these in the first place for Air America, so I don't know what your issue is with my comments. These guys do a great job on TV, but they're not talk radio hosts. Al Franken is a comedian, and did a good show on Air America, but not good enough to get enough ratings. If you hired Olbermann, Stewart, or Maher for Air America, you would have to train them as talk hosts.

No, I didn't "suggest" those guys for Air America. My point was that it was just as unrealistic to suggest that AAR "hire" Bob Brinker as it would be to suggest that it "hire" Olbermann, Stewart or Maher. Why do you assume that anybody with a good job would want to cast their lot with a shaky operation like Air America? And again, Stacy Taylor has said on the air that he's not interested in syndication. In context it was clear that he was talking about syndication by Air America.