Hood: AM 1090 Programming Comment Board

[mwebster]

You Need to Check Your Facts

Last time I looked, of the progressive talk stations with websites, only WLIB, New York, and WXXM-FM, Madison, WI reported they took the entire weekday schedule from AAR. None of the Clear Channel progressive talk stations, the largest group, clears the entire AAR line-up.

Last winter, AAR was hemmoraging clearances in mid-morning. Stations mostly replaced AAR's Unflitered (since cancelled) with Democracy Radio's Stephanie Jones.

And why your bias toward Air America Radio and against Democracy Radio (and other progressive talk program providers)? If you want the progressive talk format to succeed, you need the stations to do well. And stations fine-tuning their schedules, especially adding local programming, is a good sign.

>
> You need to clarify that only a small handful of AAR
> stations are swapping out programs. Most haven't changed
> their lineup at all. Implying that this is somehow a
> "downward turn" for AAR at a time when they are still adding
> new affiliates and maintain an overwhelming majority of
> stations that have made few, if any changes since launch is
> questionable.
>

 

[dampier]

Re: You Need to Read the Messages

> Last time I looked, of the progressive talk stations with
> websites, only WLIB, New York, and WXXM-FM, Madison, WI
> reported they took the entire weekday schedule from AAR.
> None of the Clear Channel progressive talk stations, the
> largest group, clears the entire AAR line-up.

You didn't read my message evidently. If you reread it, you will see my point is that the program schedules for the majority of AAR stations hasn't changed significantly since launch. When CC stations launched AAR, most them took Schultz and, often, Lionel to time shift Randi Rhodes and bump Majority Report. That has been the case since the network launched. There is no real movement there.

> Last winter, AAR was hemmoraging clearances in mid-morning.
> Stations mostly replaced AAR's Unflitered (since cancelled)
> with Democracy Radio's Stephanie Jones.

I think you mean Stephanie Miller, and her show really didn't clear a lot of AAR stations. Her show is just celebrating one year. I love Stephanie personally and think she would be a better use of the 9-12ET time slot than Springer. Unfiltered's downfall occured because several AAR stations ran local morning shows during their timeslot, again - many since day one. The ratings never caught fire, but what ultimately killed it was AAR signing Springer. Lizz Winstead refused to renew her contract with AAR if Springer had anything to do with the network - she has said so on her own blog. She loathes the man. When AAR did it anyway, she was gone when her contract expired, and three hours of Rachel Maddow alone wasn't something AAR was willing to run when Springer was available. Most AAR stations clear Springer, not Stephanie.

> And why your bias toward Air America Radio and against
> Democracy Radio (and other progressive talk program
> providers)? If you want the progressive talk format to
> succeed, you need the stations to do well. And stations
> fine-tuning their schedules, especially adding local
> programming, is a good sign.

You are wrong if you think I have a bias against Democracy Radio. I think Stephanie is the best libtalk show on the air today, better than anything on AAR. I am more concerned about Ed Schultz and the financial ties Democracy Radio has with the Democratic Party.

 

[talkjim]

Re: You Need to Check Your Facts

>You, my man, are the one who desperately needs to do some fact-checking. WXXM has been carrying both Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller for months. Check it out, and as they say, update your files.

Last time I looked, of the progressive talk stations with
> websites, only WLIB, New York, and WXXM-FM, Madison, WI
> reported they took the entire weekday schedule from AAR.
> None of the Clear Channel progressive talk stations, the
> largest group, clears the entire AAR line-up.
>
> Last winter, AAR was hemmoraging clearances in mid-morning.
> Stations mostly replaced AAR's Unflitered (since cancelled)
> with Democracy Radio's Stephanie Jones.
>
> And why your bias toward Air America Radio and against
> Democracy Radio (and other progressive talk program
> providers)? If you want the progressive talk format to
> succeed, you need the stations to do well. And stations
> fine-tuning their schedules, especially adding local
> programming, is a good sign.
>
> >
> > You need to clarify that only a small handful of AAR
> > stations are swapping out programs. Most haven't changed
> > their lineup at all. Implying that this is somehow a
> > "downward turn" for AAR at a time when they are still
> adding
> > new affiliates and maintain an overwhelming majority of
> > stations that have made few, if any changes since launch
> is
> > questionable.
> >
>

 

[mwebster]

Re: You Need to Read the Messages

Thanks for the clarification. And, Jim, thanks for the update on Madison.
Sorry for the typo. I typed the name of a girl who lived in my fantasies a few years ago.

It's my understanding that in Pacific Time Zone, Unfiltered lost out to local shows. In the East, stations picked up Miller or Springer (before his AAR syndication deal). At the end, Unfiltered did not have many stations left.
I was not aware that Liz left because of Springer. Even though Unfiltered was doomed, she had a management job at AAR and the company went out of their way to find new slots for her co-hosts (to their credit). As I recall, NBC in Chicago wanted to put Jerry on the local news as a commentator a few years back and several of their on-air people threatened to walk.

> I am more concerned
> about Ed Schultz and the financial ties Democracy Radio has
> with the Democratic Party.
>

Me, too. Progressive talk needs to be about progressive talk, not about promoting the Democratic Party. About ideas, not about winning elections.

 

[dampier]

Re: You Need to Read the Messages

> As I recall, NBC in
> Chicago wanted to put Jerry on the local news as a
> commentator a few years back and several of their on-air
> people threatened to walk.

Yes, the actual "news" people. That's my problem with Springer. He brings more baggage than USAir along with him. I just don't find him that entertaining myself, and I have a hard time accepting the credibility of someone than wouldn't nix the infamous "I Sleep With My Horse" TV episode that Universal thankfully never let air.