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Evan Cohen Interview

M

mwebster

Guest
From All Access:
<blockquote>Former Air America Head Speaks to K-57/Guam
Embattled former AIR AMERICA RADIO topper EVAN MONTVEL-COHEN has given an interview to host JON ANDERSON of SORENSEN PACIFIC BROADCASTING Talk KGUM-A (K-57)/AGANA, GUAM in which he talks about the formation and subsequent troubles at the liberal talk network and his role in the GLORIA WISE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB loan scandal.

About the scandal, MONTVEL-COHEN asserted that "I indeed, alone, without the knowledge of anybody but the person who saw the deposit slip, borrowed the money... I was a fundraiser for them (the club), they were a substantial organization... and I asked the Executive Director (CHARLES ROSEN) for a loan." He says he was unaware that at that time, there had been a 19 month investigation of ROSEN and the club's finances, and added that the loan was for AIR AMERICA and not for himself personally.

In the interview, MONTVEL-COHEN, who said he was "going up a few weight classes" by going from limited GUAM radio experience to launching a national network, described the HBO documentary "LEFT OF THE DIAL" that depicted the early days of the network as chaotic as leaving "a lot" out (he notes that it was edited to show him in a particular light but "I made my bed").

The interview is available for download and radio use at http://www.k57.com. Stations can download and use the interview for free; MONTVEL-COHEN's former AAR partner REX SORENSEN is a co-owner of K-57, but the station and K-57 President ANDERSON are not related to and were not part of AIR AMERICA RADIO. </blockquote>

The article contains a link to the station website. The interview is available on three mp3 files. I am listening to it now. Interesting so far. So far it sounds like a bunch of people just walked in off the street and - just like the Mickey Rooney - Judy Garland movies - decided to start a radio network.
 
> The article contains a link to the station website. The
> interview is available on three mp3 files. I am listening
> to it now. Interesting so far. So far it sounds like a
> bunch of people just walked in off the street and - just
> like the Mickey Rooney - Judy Garland movies - decided to
> start a radio network.
>
bingo baby---and it never got any more sophisticated than that.
 
Just curious, did you listen to the interview, or don't you need to because you already know what to think about all of this? A mind is a terrible thing to close.

> bingo baby---and it never got any more sophisticated than
> that.
>

I've finished listening (long interview - close to two hours).
Some observations.

They have traffic reports on Guam! (Who'd have thunk it.)

Cohen's main talent apprently is making friends and getting people to give him jobs/money.

He comes off as a nice guy, well intentioned, who stumbled into something and got in way over his head.

He says asked the head of Gloria Wise Boy's/Girl's Club for the money, and the head of the club gave him the loan. He says the Club and it's management were under investigation long before he started working as a fund raiser.

Cohen dropped the names of some very, very, very rich people he says were behind Air America Radio at the outset. Some I'd heard of (Norman Lear, Soros) and a bunch I never heard of. The unaswered question was with all these rich people, how come they ran out of cash and had to borrow from the Boy's/Girl's Club?

Rough start for the interview; he did not sound like he knew his away around a radio studio - not even as an experienced guest. He either does not understand ratings or was spinning.

He intimated he expects progressive talk to succeed, allowing that AAR may not.

Interviewer did his homework and ask some good questions. He took it a little too easy on doing follow-ups or challenging Cohen on certain points.

Interview provides a look into AAR at the beginning - better IMHO than the HBO documentary. Worth listen to. Grain of salt recommended.
 
> Interviewer did his homework and ask some good questions.
> He took it a little too easy on doing follow-ups or
> challenging Cohen on certain points.

Anderson knows who signs his check. Give that man the softball of the year award.<P ID="signature">______________
...co-moderator of the Satellite Radio, Phoenix, and San Diego boards...</P>
 
I won't judge Anderson's motives. I don't know him. Do you?

I do know a Perry Mason - Mike Wallace style interview is not the best way to generate candor and to get people to open up. Some points could have been covered more, but that's always the case. It's easy to second guess. It sounded to me like Anderson was actually listening to Cohen's answers rather than trying to think up his next question or come up with some clever comment to show up his guest. Bottom line: Evan Cohen sat down for two hours in a radio studio and got into some personal stuff.

Before you give out softball awards, be sure to consider other candidates like Larry King and Bawa Wawa.

Did you listen to the interview?


>
> Anderson knows who signs his check. Give that man the
> softball of the year award.
>
 
> Former Air America Head Speaks to K-57/Guam
> Embattled former AIR AMERICA RADIO topper EVAN MONTVEL-COHEN
> has given an interview to host JON ANDERSON of SORENSEN
> PACIFIC BROADCASTING Talk KGUM-A (K-57)/AGANA, GUAM in which
> he talks about the formation and subsequent troubles at the
> liberal talk network and his role in the GLORIA WISE BOYS
> AND GIRLS CLUB loan scandal.

Slick Evan decides to go on the record on a station in GUAM?!?!?

> The article contains a link to the station website. The
> interview is available on three mp3 files. I am listening
> to it now. Interesting so far. So far it sounds like a
> bunch of people just walked in off the street and - just
> like the Mickey Rooney - Judy Garland movies - decided to
> start a radio network.

There was plenty more to it than that. The big problem here is that Cohen is probably not anyone's first choice for accuracy in reporting.
 
> Cohen dropped the names of some very, very, very rich people
> he says were behind Air America Radio at the outset. Some
> I'd heard of (Norman Lear, Soros) and a bunch I never heard
> of. The unaswered question was with all these rich people,
> how come they ran out of cash and had to borrow from the
> Boy's/Girl's Club?

You are so right. According to Evan Cohen, (who is not afraid to exaggerate) AAR had access to between 3 and 7 million dollars. This is chump change for starting a national talk radio network. If all these billionaires were hanging around why did they run out of cash so soon?

One of the billionaires (according to Cohen) was Rob Glaser, currently a top executive at Air America. Sounds like the sharks were waiting along the shore for Cohen and Sorenson to self-destruct so they could take over.

Another interesting point raised by Cohen is that Jon Sinton, AAR President, is on his way out the door. Sounds likely now that Gary Krantz is on board.
<P ID="signature">______________
http://talkingradio.blogspot.com/</P>
 
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