> And now for a little balance:
>
>
http://tinyurl.com/o6r9e
>
> RESPONSE TO MACEACHERN
>
> I had the honor of being the station voice (promos/liners)
> for KXXT for the 17 months it was on the air.
>
> Doug MacEachern's blog post is filled with all the typical stereotypes
> that conservatives loves to push about progressives.
>
> To say that we detest market forces is pure crap and an
> insulting cop-out.
>
> Believe me, as a broadcast professional here in the Valley,
> and as a sworn liberal, I'm well aware of how the
> broadcasting business works.
>
> In that vein, I would ask you to remember a few things:
>
> -- There is an almost universal dissatisfaction with radio today that
> extends not only to the listeners but to inside the industry
> as well. It is rare to find a truly happy (much less secure)
> radio broadcaster working today. In other words- radio, on the whole, has disappointed
> not only its audience, but its workers. Don't mistake that dissatisfaction with
> detesting "market forces."
>
> -- It needs to be said that the company that bought KXXT has
> NEVER NOT OWNED a Christian station. What kind of business sense does
> it make to turn KXXT into another one?
Many, if not most, christian radio stations don't put making money at the top of their list of priorities any more than your local minister does when he runs his church. I'm not 100% sure, but I'll bet Salem's secular talk stations prop up their religious stations financially.
> As of Tuesday at midnight,
> KXXT became the 9th(!) Christian station in the market. Also, KXEG was
> also acquired in the sale. They are ALREADY Christian. How
> smart is it to have TWO Christian stations under the same
> roof?
Depends on what their programming is. KXEG 1280 carries a lot of Spanish-language programming as well as English. I'm not aware of what Communicom plans to do differently on 1010 than on 1280, though. Nor do I care. I won't be listening to either one. Besides, religion on 1010 is nothing new. They've been preaching for most of their existence, from about 1971 to 2001, when KXEG moved to 1280 (a frequency that has been religious for almost 100% of its existence, except for 1999-2001).
> Would you buy a donut shop, and then open another one
> right next door to compete with yourself?
If they're selling different kinds of donuts, why not? Besides, religious stations don't exactly "compete."
> Our corporate owner sold us.
No, James Crystal Radio sold the radio stations it owned to Communicom. It had absolutely every right to do that. No one sold Air America Phoenix. If they want to continue as a separate business, they can.
> We (the Phoenix staff) didn't give up. We
> would never roll over like that. So, in that sense, I would
> say: YES, Air America Phoenix was TAKEN from us. I'm not
> arguing their right to do it, but we had no say in the
> matter. And to turn KXXT Christian, the new company has
> turned its back on a growing listenership and a pile of
> potential revenue. How does THAT make sense?
Communicom has every right to do whatever it pleases with KXXT and KXEG. Nobody else has the right to bitch. Like I said, they won't be having me as a listener in either case.
> -- Air America Phoenix was making serious inroads in the market- both
> in ratings and revenue. We were profitable in less than a year. We
> had a loyal audience and a loyal client roster. And both their ranks
> were growing- all on a station that didn't spend A SINGLE
> DIME on outside promotion. Every single new listener we
> gained was from word of mouth, or accidentally "finding" us.
Air America Phoenix may have been profitable, but they were renting your "store" from James Crystal Radio, who decided to sell the "building" they were renting. Happens all the time. If Air America Phoenix can find a new home, either to buy or rent (LMA or otherwise), then more power to them. So far, nobody wants to sell, or wants more money than Air American Phoenix is willing to pay.
> At every event we held, including a packed house at The
> Venue of Scottsdale for our birthday party in
> September, or a Randi Rhodes appearance-both of which I had the
> pleasure of hosting, I have never experienced the kind of loyalty and
> enthusiasm for a radio station as I did that night- and I have 14 stations
> on my resume.
And I hope she finds other broadcasting work in Phoenix. She and the others found themselves out of work because they have noplace to broadcast from. That's unfortunate but it does happen.
> -- It's an invalid argument to compare Air America to
> individual hosts like Rush/O'Reilly/Hannity/etc. Remember,
> to be an Air America affiliate, you have to literally BLOW UP your radio station.
> It's a 24-hour/7-day a week commitment. What would Rush's numbers
> have looked like, and where would he be today if his first
> station had done ZERO promotion, and allowed only a 17-month run?
Huh? Then why did KXXT go local (Mike Newcomb, Charles Goyette) during some dayparts instead of running AAR network fare 24/7?
> As usual, conservatives have missed the entire point with Air America and
> KXXT. There is a growing number of people (notice I didn't
> say Democrats) that are waking up to what we have become as
> a country. And they are not liking what they're seeing. This
> is happening independently of Air America. We gave a voice
> to that dissatisfaction and frustration. It is far too
> simplistic to say that we were only about Bush-bashing. It's
> also wrong to say that we were only about liberalism. We are
> ALL Americans. And we believe in giving voice to that
> dissent. It's debate that makes us STRONGER as a nation.
Any comment to this will probably get this whole thread moved to the Off The Air Board or deleted completely.
> Conservatives should be mourning Air America Phoenix's departure as
> much as liberals and progressives. Without it, on the radio at least, the
> American conversation becomes one-sided and weak (yet again)
> because there's nobody there to argue the other side in the
> public square. The Valley has lost a voice that challenged
> the wisdom of popular opinion. How can you take pride in
> your ideals when they've never been tested?
If they can find another station willing to sign them, then they can broadcast to their heart's content. There are plenty of AM stations in Phoenix that aren't doing well (read: All of them not owned by Clear Channel or Bonneville). If Air America Phoenix can come up with enough dough, then they'll have a new home. They haven't been able to do that yet.
