• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

NYC may loose Air America but not LibTalk

S

skyeye

The Radio Equalizer article mentioned further down suggests Air America may loose its lease on WLIB. This is not the whole story (at least as reported by Brian Maloney).

Maloney says the station license, now owned by Inner City Broadcasting, may be taken over by a group headed by former Clear Channel Radio CEO Randy Michaels (who was also former WNBC General Manager during the Don Imus - Howard Stern era). Michaels now owns and syndicates Ed Schultz' lib talk program and may retain some interest in Clear Channel's Jerry Springer show (which Air America currently distributes).

______________________________________________
Taking control of Inner City Broadcasting Corporation (ICBC)- owned WLIB is said to be a consortium of industry heavyweights, including former Clear Channel executive Randy Michaels and Boston-based broadcast investment firm Alta Communications, in partnership with ICBC.


Since leaving Clear Channel, Michaels has been determined to build his own broadcasting empire, purchasing stations, bidding on station licenses and syndicating programs (including liberal talkers Jerry Springer and Ed Schultz). With a portfolio of investments in smaller television and radio operators, Alta would seem a perfect fit for his plans.
_______________________________________________

Maloney describes the payment terms for Air America's lease on WLIB and suggests (without specific evidence) they may have defaulted, and this provided the opening for Michaels to move in.

Maloney does not seem to think continuing Lib Talk on WLIB is what Michaels would likely do, it seems to be the most logical step. Michaels is already involved in LibTalk programming and it makes more sense for him to build on WLIB 's current schedule than start from scratch. He might replace all or some of Air America's LibTalk shows with Ed Schultz, local programming and other shows he hopes to develop for syndication. He might make a deal to continue some shows from Air America, too. Besides, what other AM format makes sense for him try? He has a clear field in LibTalk.

http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com/
 
>
>
> can't find this part in there
>

__________________
While the odds of salvaging Air America's programming in New York City aren't good, it does have some very unappealing options:

1) Kiss Randy's rear and hope he will allow Air America programming to remain for the time being. Since Michaels is determined to build his own empire, saving Air America is probably his lowest priority, or even something he wants entirely off the air.
___________________
Options 2 and 3 amount to find another station for Air America but he talks like he doesn't think another station would want it.

Maloney is too busy gloating over how loosing WLIB might hurt Air America to look into what this deal might mean and what Randy Michael's - Ed Schultz' producer and the guy who got Jerry Springer into LibTalk - might be planning to do.

What makes the most sense to do LibTalk more in the mold of the more successful Clear Channel LibTalk stations, with local and outside LibTalk shows in two, three or four dayparts. Michaels has to welcome the chance to get Ed Schultz cleared in New York. He'd likely go local in morning drive (this is New York and he is former GM of the late-great 66 WNBC). Big question mark is whether he'd stay with Jerry or take Steph in late morning.
 
Why would Michaels go for WLIB instead of WOR?

He could then tap Lionel for local mornings...

Better signal...

Also a stand alone in NYC...
 
Be Serious!

Because WOR is not available.

Because he couldn't afford it if it were.

Because he already has an interest in Inner City Broadcasting. Because he can get a better deal through a corporate take over.

Because if he wants to do LibTalk LIB already has brand equity (not to mention the call letters).

Randy Michaels:

Former GM WNBC.
Told Imus to stop playing records. Brought in Howard Stern and Soupy Sales in a Blockbuster comedy talk format (precursor to Free FM).

President of Jacor.
He acquired Rush and brought the program to a dominant position.

When Clear Channel acquired Jacor, CC made him president of Clear Channel Radio.
As president of Clear Channel Radio, he embraced the progressive talk format and CC now owns most the stations that have been successful with the format.
Produced and developed the Jerry Springer Show.

Started P1 Radio.
Acquired the Ed Schutlz Show from Democracy Radio.

Given his background, what would you expect him to do with WLIB.
 
Re: Be Serious!

> Randy Michaels:
>
> Former GM WNBC.
> Told Imus to stop playing records. Brought in Howard Stern
> and Soupy Sales in a Blockbuster comedy talk format
> (precursor to Free FM).

The GM of WNBC was Randy Bongarten, IIRC, who currently works for Emmis, not Michaels.

>
> President of Jacor.
> He acquired Rush and brought the program to a dominant
> position.
>
> When Clear Channel acquired Jacor, CC made him president of
> Clear Channel Radio.
> As president of Clear Channel Radio, he embraced the
> progressive talk format and CC now owns most the stations
> that have been successful with the format.
> Produced and developed the Jerry Springer Show.

CC didn't begin launching progressive talk stations until well after Michaels' departure from the CC presidency.

>
 
Re: Be Serious!

>
> The GM of WNBC was Randy Bongarten, IIRC, who currently
> works for Emmis, not Michaels.

>
> CC didn't begin launching progressive talk stations until
> well after Michaels' departure from the CC presidency.
>
> >
>


You beat me to it!

It's amazing how much misinformation is attempted on this board.
 
Well this has been a rumor in liberal circles for a while on the web (thanks anyway to mr. equalizer). WLIB cancels Malloy and plays too much preacher shows at night, etc. For the flagship they haven't been going for much of a mast lately. There is a lot of water under the bridge when it comes to WLIB and AAR as we all know...

It has been discussed in this forum that there are many NY stations that are getting little or no ratings, some of them with the same or better signals than WLIB. Any of them might consider moving to liberal talk. And with NYC's reputation as a liberal town, they shouldn't have trouble getting ads.


> The Radio Equalizer article mentioned further down suggests
> Air America may loose its lease on WLIB. This is not the
> whole story (at least as reported by Brian Maloney).
>
> Maloney says the station license, now owned by Inner City
> Broadcasting, may be taken over by a group headed by former
> Clear Channel Radio CEO Randy Michaels (who was also former
> WNBC General Manager during the Don Imus - Howard Stern
> era). Michaels now owns and syndicates Ed Schultz' lib talk
> program and may retain some interest in Clear Channel's
> Jerry Springer show (which Air America currently
> distributes).
>
> ______________________________________________
> Taking control of Inner City Broadcasting Corporation
> (ICBC)- owned WLIB is said to be a consortium of industry
> heavyweights, including former Clear Channel executive Randy
> Michaels and Boston-based broadcast investment firm Alta
> Communications, in partnership with ICBC.
>
>
> Since leaving Clear Channel, Michaels has been determined to
> build his own broadcasting empire, purchasing stations,
> bidding on station licenses and syndicating programs
> (including liberal talkers Jerry Springer and Ed Schultz).
> With a portfolio of investments in smaller television and
> radio operators, Alta would seem a perfect fit for his
> plans.
> _______________________________________________
>
> Maloney describes the payment terms for Air America's lease
> on WLIB and suggests (without specific evidence) they may
> have defaulted, and this provided the opening for Michaels
> to move in.
>
> Maloney does not seem to think continuing Lib Talk on WLIB
> is what Michaels would likely do, it seems to be the most
> logical step. Michaels is already involved in LibTalk
> programming and it makes more sense for him to build on WLIB
> 's current schedule than start from scratch. He might
> replace all or some of Air America's LibTalk shows with Ed
> Schultz, local programming and other shows he hopes to
> develop for syndication. He might make a deal to continue
> some shows from Air America, too. Besides, what other AM
> format makes sense for him try? He has a clear field in
> LibTalk.
>
> http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com/
>
 
> And with NYC's reputation
> as a liberal town, they shouldn't
> have trouble getting ads.

You might think so, but as a WLIB listener, I find it remarkable how few local spots air on WLIB, compared to CCR's libtalk stations, which seem to be doing much better on this score.

Most of what local spots do air on WLIB seem to be ads for Broadway shows or local news shows during Sweeps periods, and based on when they appear, I believe that the latter (and maybe the former as well, I haven't heard any in a while) are usually paying Traffic.com, not AAR/WLIB.

I wonder sometimes whether AAR even has anyone trying to sell local spots.<P ID="signature">______________
also known as tombetz.</P>
 
Re: Be Serious!

> You guys sure about Randy Michaels being GM at WNBC? When?
>
Good question. Randy Michaels is certainly a man of much accomplishment in this business, but so far as I am aware he has been continuously based in Cincinnati since the late 70's--working first with the old Taft chain, and then leaving to co-found Jacor, in which he had a large financial interest. He also did some major-league consulting through a consulting firm known as Critical Mass, which has since been absorbed by Clear Channel.

I believe Skyeye may be confusing Michaels with Kevin Metheny, who programmed WNBC in the Imus-Stern era, and has since worked with Jacor/Clear Channel, and in those capacities, worked with Michaels.
 
Mea Culpa

You are correct, sir. I did confuse the two Randy's. Randy Michaels was still with CC when the company became involved in LibTalk, however, he was not in charge of the radio division at the time. I apologize for the error.
Kevin Metheney was with WNBC and worked uder Michaels at CC. He is now at CC's WTAM, Cleveland.

>
> The GM of WNBC was Randy Bongarten, IIRC, who currently
> works for Emmis, not Michaels.
>
 
Re: Be Serious!

> It's amazing how much misinformation is attempted on this
> board.

And much of that misinformation somes from Brian Maloney, either directly or indirectly. A good rule of thumb is to disbelieve anything he says about Air America.
 
Imus and Jack Thayer?

> > You guys sure about Randy Michaels being GM at WNBC? When?
>
> >
> Good question. Randy Michaels is certainly a man of much
> accomplishment in this business, but so far as I am aware he
> has been continuously based in Cincinnati since the late
> 70's--working first with the old Taft chain, and then
> leaving to co-found Jacor, in which he had a large financial
> interest. He also did some major-league consulting through a
> consulting firm known as Critical Mass, which has since been
> absorbed by Clear Channel.
>
> I believe Skyeye may be confusing Michaels with Kevin
> Metheny, who programmed WNBC in the Imus-Stern era, and has
> since worked with Jacor/Clear Channel, and in those
> capacities, worked with Michaels.
>
Are you folks forgetting Jack Thayer and Don Imus at WNBC and WGAR before that and at KXOA-1470 in Sacramento before that? Did Randy Michaels come after Jack Thayer at WNBC?
 
> > And with NYC's reputation
> > as a liberal town, they shouldn't
> > have trouble getting ads.
>
> You might think so, but as a WLIB listener, I find it
> remarkable how few local spots air on WLIB, compared to
> CCR's libtalk stations, which seem to be doing much better
> on this score.
>
> Most of what local spots do air on WLIB seem to be ads for
> Broadway shows or local news shows during Sweeps periods,
> and based on when they appear, I believe that the latter
> (and maybe the former as well, I haven't heard any in a
> while) are usually paying Traffic.com, not AAR/WLIB.
>
> I wonder sometimes whether AAR even has anyone trying to
> sell local spots.
>


Sounds like they need a new sales manager if they have one. How can you not sell AAR in New York??
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom