Buh Bye, Air America

[X-14]

On another forum elsewhere a poster opined that the reason for Air America's going dark was because their listener died.

;D

 

[OgOgglby]

Radio survived just fine in the WRNG days because broadcasters used to have more pride than to be pimps for a political party. They talked about ideas, but didn't stoop to endorsing candidates or doing fundraisers for candidates on-air. And the few who did were in 1kw AMs that noone complained about since the only audience in their city grade contours were cows and still operators. I know...I volunteered as a driver for 7th District congressional candidate in the 70's and visited every station from Marietta to Chattanooga. Those stations interviewed all candidates who would show up, and it didn't hurt them a bit. But the Fairness Doctrine won't come back 'cause the Supremes would knock it down immediately.

 

[RhubarbFan]

From the reports i heard is that they will go off the air at midnight on Monday,they will run repeats through out the weekend. They were always losing money,Al Franken started it,no wonder they stunk. If they wanted a new home they could go to WGFS,their call lettrs stand for We've Gone F Stupid,ever since they put that half wit Pat Bacus on.

 

[Bengalsfan]

LIberals don't understand the marketplace. If you make compelling, interesting programming that people want to listen to, they will come. Regardless of whether you like it or not, radio stations will clear your show if they can make money from it. Radio is a business. I tried listening to AAN on XM a few times. I couldn't get past the namecalling, anger and vitriol that was coming out of my speakers from people like Randi Rhodes and Al Franken. If you want me to agree with your point, explain it to me without all the adolescent chatter.

AAN failed in that one missive, to make programming people want to hear. They were too angry with George W Bush and could not see past their myopic views of him.

 

[TheBigA]

AAN failed in that one missive, to make programming people want to hear.

I don't think so. The mistake they made was thinking they could fund a radio network with low rated, poor signal AM stations. Lots of similar networks have failed in the last few years. An all-female network comes to mind. The only "success" is the Talk Radio Network, which is mainly done as a series of successful individual shows, rather than as a single network brand. That could be the lesson here: The network brand name is far less important than the brand names of its shows. Once Randi Rhodes and Al Franken were gone, there was no Air America.

 

[lilburncommunityradio]

On another forum elsewhere a poster opined that the reason for Air America's going dark was because their listener died.

;D

I vote for post of the year on this ONE!!!!!!! LOL LMBFOAO

 

[gr8oldies]

They did manage to get their brand established to the point that other libtalkers have to remind people that they aren't part of AAR. They were TV people doing radio and the agenda was more important than doing good radio.

 

[jabba17]

They were TV people doing radio and the agenda was more important than doing good radio.

Your last clause pretty much says it all. From day one it was all about getting back at Rush et al., not trying to build a business in radio (insert liberal joke or commentary here).

Indeed, as BigA said, if AAR had positioned themselves as a syndicator (Dial, TRN, Premiere, etc.) dedicated to finding and growing progressive talent, they would have had much more success. But they let their egos and agenda get ahead of their money.

From what I understand the better half of their talent did well in markets suited for that POV.

 

[trusty]

In the beginning AAR was said to have so many writers on staff they didnt have room to sit.

No chairs.

No, really. Instead of taking the grassroots "what the people want" approch, they took the "what we think the people need" aproach with the "big" network thing (impressive?). The only thing is - you've got to literally MAKE money to do that - like (ahem) the government. They didn't know how to start small and grow. And buy chairs.

 

[Bengalsfan]

AAN failed in that one missive, to make programming people want to hear.

I don't think so. The mistake they made was thinking they could fund a radio network with low rated, poor signal AM stations. Lots of similar networks have failed in the last few years. An all-female network comes to mind. The only "success" is the Talk Radio Network, which is mainly done as a series of successful individual shows, rather than as a single network brand. That could be the lesson here: The network brand name is far less important than the brand names of its shows. Once Randi Rhodes and Al Franken were gone, there was no Air America.

You think Rush started on 50,000 clear channel AMs? Hardly. Plenty of programming has started on the graveyard stations and after proving itself moved up to the bigger stations. Had AAN programmed what folks wanted to hear, it would have eventually moved off the poor signals to better ones. Air America was more concerned about hating conservatives and attacking George W Bush than they were about compelling programming.

 

[TheBigA]

Air America was more concerned about hating conservatives and attacking George W Bush than they were about compelling programming.

What you don't understand is that to some people, that is compelling programming. Just as the opposite (hating liberals and attacking Clinton or Obama) is compelling to others. But "compelling programming" is not going to change anyone's opinions, or get a conservative to listen to a liberal or vice versa. That's a fact of life.

My point was about funding a 24/7 network as the brand, rather than the shows.

 

[jabba17]

Air America was more concerned about hating conservatives and attacking George W Bush than they were about compelling programming.

What you don't understand is that to some people, that is compelling programming. Just as the opposite (hating liberals and attacking Clinton or Obama) is compelling to others. But "compelling programming" is not going to change anyone's opinions, or get a conservative to listen to a liberal or vice versa. That's a fact of life.

My point was about funding a 24/7 network as the brand, rather than the shows.

I think both of you have half a point. AAR was trying to have this huge radio network to first and foremost serve as a counterpoint to conservative talk radio, to fill what they saw as a void in the marketplace of ideas (if not the marketplace of radio), to give those ideas more exposure. AAR's backers thought that conservative talk radio drove The Right's thinking, rather than the other way around.

Premiere (et al.), OTOH, just wants to sell shows and spots. Period. They'd probably put the president of NAMBLA on if they thought it would sell.

 

[bnaivar]

On another forum elsewhere a poster opined that the reason for Air America's going dark was because their listener died.

;D

I vote for post of the year on this ONE!!!!!!! LOL LMBFOAO

It would be a good way to honor Ted Kennedy's memory. ;D

 

[Bengalsfan]

Air America was more concerned about hating conservatives and attacking George W Bush than they were about compelling programming.

What you don't understand is that to some people, that is compelling programming.

That very well may be, it just wasn't compelling enough to enough people. Welcome to the free market, which is why liberals hate it.

 

[TheBigA]

That very well may be, it just wasn't compelling enough to enough people.

Or rather...to enough people who listen to the radio at the same time.

It's been my experience that liberals, for the most part, don't like to swim in packs. They prefer to hang with smaller groups than one big mass. Which is why they have so much trouble winning elections. Just compare the two political conventions. The Democrats are pushing diversity, while the Republicans promote unity. It's hard to reach consensus with liberals. Read the book "Primary Colors." Some great analysis of the liberal mind from an insider.

 

[X-14]

The Democrats are pushing diversity...

Uh, yeah?

Until you disagree with them. Then so much for independent thinking and 'diversity'. Look at the reception that conservative speakers tend to get when attempting to speak at predominately liberal campuses.

BTW, I lean towards libertarianism, so this isn't coming from a hard right perspective.

 

[agentUrge]

The Democrats are pushing diversity...

Uh, yeah?

Until you disagree with them. Then so much for independent thinking and 'diversity'. Look at the reception that conservative speakers tend to get when attempting to speak at predominately liberal campuses.

BTW, I lean towards libertarianism, so this isn't coming from a hard right perspective.

Going off topic, but I'll toss in my .02. The same can and has be said about conservatives. It wasn't exactly the left wing yelling and talking over the representatives at the town hall meetings.

And like you, I'm not coming from far left angle...I consider myself a centrist...actually, I took a test and discovered that I'm libertarian thinker leaning a little left of SELF-center. ;D

interesting quote from http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=120386.0

'm glad you offered this topic for discussion, because I've got a theory that has absolutely nothing to do with politics in general.

I don't suggest this is true in 100% of the cases (so, partisans on both sides - hold your fire, please.)

But, I think it has something to do with AM vs. FM.

What? (you say). Let's look at fact:

It is said (though not in all cases) that one tends to become more conservative as they get older. And, it's also fact that few people under the age of 45 ever listen to AM radio! (Case in point: I have a good friend in his early 40's. The only time he listens to AM radio is over Memorial Day weekend to catch the broadcast of the Indy 500, which is on a local AM station.)

Is it just possible, these prog-talkers (in an attempt to go "head to head" with Hannity, Limbaugh, etc.) have been talking to an audience that would, largely, never be receptive to their ideas?

No, the under 45 crowd listens to FM. (Duh!!!) Look at that sea of youthful faces of all races that we saw on our TV's on Inauguration Day. How many of them do you think listen to AM radio? Hmmmm?

Case in point (and I know this is only anecdotal): that FM progtalker in Madison, Wisconsin that's #6 overall age 12 plus. I don't care how you splice it and dice it, those are serviceable ratings, if the demos are right.

Is is possible: the progressive audience is more on FM, than AM? We know listeners will go from AM to FM, but few will go from FM to AM for any reason. (other than a specific program).

I realize this doesn't fit all cases, but perhaps progressive talk is made for FM.

Far as AM goes: you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink..

I would venture to guess that geography plays a role in this as well. I can't see any of the local AM stations taking in a progressive talk show like Stephanie Miller or Ed Schultz because of that...but go up to Asheville and and you'll find them on AM 880....head down to Jacksonville and you'll find them on 105.5 FM. I don't know much about Asheville, but i've lived in Jax for many years and have known it to be a pretty conservative town.

 

[jabba17]

I'm not going to quote AgentUrge, but this is in reference to his post.

You may have a point. Case in point: NPR.

Now, Madison, WI is a liberal market, so YMMV in other markets. Asheville is very liberal, too--lots of liberal money up there, living out their John Denver fantasies.

The real question is, can someone in a large market afford to give up a powerful FM signal to progtalk? Alternatively, would conservative talk be more successful still on FM as well? Then there is the issue of cannibalization between AM and FM (see the old WGST simul), as well as efficient matching of programming and signals. You can't swap an AM talker with an FM CHR.

I know that progtalk would NOT have been as potentially successful when GenX was in the better part of 18-34 (GenX only goes as young as about 29 or 30 today), considering how conservative GenX was at that age compared to the generations that came before and after (the boomers and the millennials). Today, who knows? This gets back to the old discussions and arguments about whether anyone under 30 listens to AM anymore, or even FM for that matter. Should progtalk be relegated to Internet radio?

What would it take for, say, RadioOne to put progtalk on one of their Heathkit FMs?

 

[MickeyD]

On another forum elsewhere a poster opined that the reason for Air America's going dark was because their listener died.

;D

This is like a breath of fresh air. I live in the northeast and the friggen liberals were crying over it. They had no advertiser base probably because liberals believe the government should pay for everything.

They have that circus clown Franken in the Senate now. I worked with him at NBC and we used to call him the Clown in the HAllway. He is a jackass.

 

[lilburncommunityradio]

AAN failed in that one missive, to make programming people want to hear.

I don't think so. The mistake they made was thinking they could fund a radio network with low rated, poor signal AM stations. Lots of similar networks have failed in the last few years. An all-female network comes to mind. The only "success" is the Talk Radio Network, which is mainly done as a series of successful individual shows, rather than as a single network brand. That could be the lesson here: The network brand name is far less important than the brand names of its shows. Once Randi Rhodes and Al Franken were gone, there was no Air America.

You think Rush started on 50,000 clear channel AMs? Hardly. Plenty of programming has started on the graveyard stations and after proving itself moved up to the bigger stations. Had AAN programmed what folks wanted to hear, it would have eventually moved off the poor signals to better ones. Air America was more concerned about hating conservatives and attacking George W Bush than they were about compelling programming.

So True So True... Thats the reason it failed oh and extremely poor show hosts..