Time: Why Air America Will Be Missed

[radiotower40]

The latest ratings from Chicago's Progressive talk stations,(they are on 4 frequencies) WCPT AM 0.2. 43rd place,
WCPT FM 0.1, WCPQ FM 0.1, tied for 49th place, WCPY FM 0.0.

This is in the hometown market of President Obama. Does that not speak volumes? Statistically speaking there is
virtually no one listening.

WLS AM which carries Rush, Hannity, and Levine, 5.1 second place. Second/third tier talker WIND AM which carries
Beck, Miller(Dennis), Medved, Prager and Savage 1.0 tied for 30th. WIND is on one frequency, and not that their
ratings are anything to brag about, yet there still beating WCPT.

Just saying ???

 

[quadraphonic]

Your scenario there just seemed to give progressive talk a lot of "outs" on the blame there.
"Nobody tries it, and when they do they don't promote it so it fails."

Most programs fail because of the program, whether it's conservative or progressive. If it doesn't make people want to listen, it fails. If advertisers don't buy it, it fails.

Why is it then that there's so much second-tier conservative talk kept on the air with ratings so dismal that if they had been liberal they would have been booted off the air long ago. Look at the markets where liberal talk prospers - the stations commit to it and promote it, as any good business would. We all know there are companies like Salem that wouldn't air liberal talk for doctrinaire reasons, even if it made them a ton of money.

Apparently most radio programmers and sales managers don't believe in the potential of the progressive talk product as they do in the track record of their conservative talk shows.

 

[ctkatz]

The latest ratings from Chicago's Progressive talk stations,(they are on 4 frequencies) WCPT AM 0.2. 43rd place,
WCPT FM 0.1, WCPQ FM 0.1, tied for 49th place, WCPY FM 0.0.

This is in the hometown market of President Obama. Does that not speak volumes? Statistically speaking there is
virtually no one listening.

WLS AM which carries Rush, Hannity, and Levine, 5.1 second place. Second/third tier talker WIND AM which carries
Beck, Miller(Dennis), Medved, Prager and Savage 1.0 tied for 30th. WIND is on one frequency, and not that their
ratings are anything to brag about, yet there still beating WCPT.

Just saying ???

actually, no it doesn't. wcpt am is a part-timer that has to shut off it's stick at night. from what i understand with the other 3 fm-sticks, that time is leased and airs dance/club music until the am stick goes back on. i don't live in chicago, so reception also may be an issue (and something that many people have said about progressive talk that they are relegated to the worst frequencies). meanwhile the other two stations you listed are on 24/7 on the same frequency and don't lease out major parts of their time to air music. i can pick up wls on clear nights and probably could get it in my car during the day if not for one 50000 watt clear channel in 840 whas and a catholic station at 900. it also isn't very fair to include an fm simulcast of an am station and put all of that on the am station. we have one in louisville, wkrd am and fm. the fm signal doesn't cover all of the area the am does and it gets lower ratings. is that the fault of the station (which does okay on the am) or the frequency and stick its broadcasting from?

fact is this is an apples/banannas case. i would try to make another example.

 

[raccoonradio]

WWZN Boston not showing up in ratings. Either they don't subscribe or the numbers just aren't there.

Clear Channel's WXKS Boston (once WKOX) ran progtalk from 04-06 on what was then a weaker, further-
from-Boston signal. No daily show. Got 0.7 or 0.8 at best, maybe not even. Just launched "Rush Radio 1200"
on same freq. may do slightly better at least--stronger signal, xmtr closer to Boston, presence of Beck,
Rush, Hannity, and now local morning man Jeff Katz. Not sure how they will do in ratings (have been on
as Rush Radio just a couple weeks) but they should sell a few ads at least. Not sure how prog talk would have done if they were given stronger signal, local host, etc.

 

[radiotower40]

The latest ratings from Chicago's Progressive talk stations,(they are on 4 frequencies) WCPT AM 0.2. 43rd place,
WCPT FM 0.1, WCPQ FM 0.1, tied for 49th place, WCPY FM 0.0.

This is in the hometown market of President Obama. Does that not speak volumes? Statistically speaking there is
virtually no one listening.

WLS AM which carries Rush, Hannity, and Levine, 5.1 second place. Second/third tier talker WIND AM which carries
Beck, Miller(Dennis), Medved, Prager and Savage 1.0 tied for 30th. WIND is on one frequency, and not that their
ratings are anything to brag about, yet there still beating WCPT.

Just saying ???

actually, no it doesn't. wcpt am is a part-timer that has to shut off it's stick at night. from what i understand with the other 3 fm-sticks, that time is leased and airs dance/club music until the am stick goes back on. i don't live in chicago, so reception also may be an issue (and something that many people have said about progressive talk that they are relegated to the worst frequencies). meanwhile the other two stations you listed are on 24/7 on the same frequency and don't lease out major parts of their time to air music. i can pick up wls on clear nights and probably could get it in my car during the day if not for one 50000 watt clear channel in 840 whas and a catholic station at 900. it also isn't very fair to include an fm simulcast of an am station and put all of that on the am station. we have one in louisville, wkrd am and fm. the fm signal doesn't cover all of the area the am does and it gets lower ratings. is that the fault of the station (which does okay on the am) or the frequency and stick its broadcasting from?

fact is this is an apples/banannas case. i would try to make another example.

Maybe there are some different factors involved with the different signals, I agree with you. I should point out
a few other things because I live in Chicago.

WCPT AM changed their COL to Willow Springs to make it easier to get a nighttime signal. They have a CP for 1.5 Kw
from six towers southwest of the city, near Joliet, Il. This will not be the best signal in Chicago mind you, but: hopefully
it will allow them to cover most of the area at night. I guess only time will tell. WBAP in Fort Worth comes in rather strong
some nights in Chicago. The towers have been up for a few months now, I'm not sure how long it will be to they will be up
and running, if anyone knows please let us know.

Now, on the daytime signal for AM 820, it is one of the best AM signals inside the city. They are only 5,000 watts, that is
true, but; there tower is located on the North side of the city, inside the city limits. So when you are in the downtown area
the signal actually tunes in much better than there 50Kw competitors, due to the fact that they are all located some 35 miles
or more outside the city limits. WCPT AM also does not have to sign off until Fort Worth sunset, so in the winter that means
they are on until 5:30PM CT in the winter, as opposed to 4:15PM for the other daytime stations. By the time 5:30 hits most
people are already commuting home and can receive a reliable signal from 99.9 and 92.7 on a car radio. In the summer
months they are on until almost 9:00 PM CT.

They do broker out the FM signals at night from 9PM until 5AM to a dance music company called Dance Factory. Which
most people suspect is where most of the ratings and revenue are coming from to pay for them to stay on the air.

I must make the point that no matter what was on those FM frequencies prior to the simulcast had better numbers than
they do now.

They are on 92.5 in DeKalb, Il, west of Chicago, and can be picked up rather well in all of the western suburbs of Chicago.
This station has shown up with a 0.0 share for almost the whole time as progressive talk. This station was a rather
popular local station in De Kalb years ago and always showed numbers with any other format they were airing.

I know their are a lot of different variable's involved in this equation. I can see how they might not be able to pull the
number's that a 50Kw signal would, but: if people really wanted to listen the numbers would not be as low as they are.

The FOUR station's combined cannot beat some small 3Kw stations in the suburbs. I am not trying to knock
you when I say these things, please don't take it personally. I really can't see how you can justify these absolutely
horrendous ratings.

The fact that these stations are about the only locally owned stations in Chicago anymore. They are owned by Newsweb
Corp., which is owned by a man who donates a great deal of money to the Democratic party. I would say if not for his
personal belief's these stations would not be able to waste away like this. They are his property though and he is free to
do what he wishes with them. My biggest problem with this is not the fact that he is running progressive talk on them.
I believe that everyone should be entitled to hear their point of view on the radio. My real problem is that Newsweb also
owns 4 more AM's in the market, and they all run brokered programing. When these stations were purchased we were told
they would be local radio for Chicago, not the same old radio we were getting from the big owner's. They are not.

All in all, maybe some of the comparisons are a little lopsided, however the ratings, no matter how you twist them are
abysmal.

 

[SeanMGilbow]

The ACORN story .

I respectfully disagree. It was a very worthy story as ACORN was proven to be worse then first thought. It was important to ferret out these illegal occurrances as ACORN would surely use illegal tactics in working for their candidates. The video footage only mislead the evildoers at ACORN.
Some might call that investigative reporting.

John, it may be considered investigative reporting at a college like Baldwin-Wallace, but it would be considered laughable, if not unethical, by those of us who graduated from accredited journalism schools such as Kent State.

James O'Keefe is not an investigative reporter. He is a common criminal. He is pleading guilty to attempting to wiretap U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu's office in New Orleans in January. Even with the guilty plea to a misdemeanor, he still faces six months in prison.

And let's consider the premise that was promoted in the videos that O'Keefe was dressed as a pimp in his visits to two ACORN officers. California Attorney General Jerry Brown's investigation was one of two that showed the video was doctored, and that O'Keefe was wearing a dress shirt and khakis (along with a tie in one of the visits).

As a result of the witch hunt, an organization which has advocated for the poor for 40 years is now pretty much non-existent.

My blog has been following O'Keefe because of his ties to Amway, and we are talking less than six degrees of separation.

Quoting from Media Matters:

On January 27, 2010, Talking Points Memo reported that three of the four men (including O'Keefe) arrested for allegedly attempting to wiretap Sen. Mary Landrieu's office were involved with conservative student newspapers. All three of those conservative papers were supported by the conservative Collegiate Network, administered by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.

Media Matters reports the Rich and Helen DeVos Foundation has donated $1,525,000 to the Intercollegiate Studies Institute since 1985.

http://outsidethepyramid.blogspot.com/2010/01/exclusive-amway-co-founder-rich-devos.html

If, John, you really consider what James O'Keefe did as investigative reporting, you are a perfect candidate to be an Amway distributor.

As for Air America...I have repeatedly said in previous postings that Air America lost its title as the leader in progressive talk within the last couple of years, especially after Dial Global picked up Thom Hartmann to join its progressive lineup of Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller and Bill Press. Add to that Randi Rhodes' being picked up by Premiere, and the writing was on the wall.

This is one progressive who does not miss Air America.

 

[johnbasalla]

My comments here represent my opinions only and do no represent any company or institution.

 

[amfmxm]

Air America won't be missed by progressives for its performance over the long haul, but it will be missed for its pioneering role as a national platform for liberal talk.

AA helped launch, or at least propel, the careers of several strong players on the national progressive stage. Yes, it established Al Franken as a national liberal spokesman, and in doing so, helped position him for his senatorial run. Franken will most likely be a star in the Democratic party for decades to come. AA also helped estabish Rachel Maddow as a media star and probably deserves a little credit for giving a boost to Thom Hartmann's national profile. Hartmann, like Ed Schultz, was already well-established as a strong local lib-talk performer.

Air America did one thing pretty well: it established its brand--as "the" national network in progressive talk. It was the first such radio brand in the U.S.

AA showed that liberal talk had a place in American radio. That's a big deal.

Now, Jones/Dial Global did a much better job of actually making the whole network/syndication thing work--though nobody in the non-radio world has ever heard of Dial Global.

Internally, Air America was a clusterf*ck from Day One and despite shuffling investment groups, CEOs and everything else they could shuffle, they really never got it working right. But they did raise the entire concept of progressive talk to a level of prominence on a national scale.

Ultimately what we will truly miss about Air America is its potential.

It could have been a contender.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

I am currently attending a lecture series. Last night a college professor analyzed "peacemaking", "peace-building" and other related efforts as something of a new discipline in international relations since 1990 or so.

(He handled it very well, very academically, with almost nothing said that sounded like a political statement.)

The one thing he said that I thought was the most tooth-grinding statement of the event was this: If you have to go back in a second time, the second trip is always more costly. (In money, in lives lost, in lost confidence among the nations of the world.)

amfmxm: Excellent commentary of Air America. They were doing something new and different and some things had to be tried to see if they worked. There was no previous pattern to guide them. I have Good News and Bad News: When the next group launches the next effort to do Progressive programming on the radio, the good news is that Air America tells us some things are not a good choice. The bad news is that bypassing those things now known to be weak links will make the next effort more costly in initial financing.

Then again.... the guy last night is a college professor. Maybe he doesn't know after all.

 

[Mike Schwartz]

I agree with much of what amfmxm wrote above. When AAM first began in 04, there were many radio professionals who openly questioned the business model of a 18 hour a day political network. Many even suggested that the company might eventually morph into a syndicator. The real problem with AA was the fact that they wanted to do something no one else ever tried-not just a progressive network but a round the clock politalk format. In spite of the success of conservative talkers, to this day, no one has seriously proposed a day long network. Congratulations to Dial Global for taking the AA theory and turning it into $$$$.

 

[amfmxm]

I have Good News and Bad News: When the next group launches the next effort to do Progressive programming on the radio, the good news is that Air America tells us some things are not a good choice. The bad news is that bypassing those things now known to be weak links will make the next effort more costly in initial financing.

Just as Ray Kroc didn't invent the burger chain nor repeat mistakes his predecessors had made, neither does the next effort at a national progressive radio network have to make AA's mistakes OR spend more money. In fact, overspending on things not critical to the task was one of AA's obvious errors.

The next major effort should focus on station ownership. For now, at least, Jones/DG has the necessary content. Ownership needs to be rooted in wealthy dedicated progressives who place mission above profit (see EMF). It should be structured as a non-profit commercial enterprise (see St. Petersburg Times)--utilizing both ad sales and NPR-style "development." Focus should be on strong liberal markets (northeast, north central & west coast) and big-coverage sticks. Many, many big-signal AM rigs are undervalued--if valued at all--and "access" is the product of signal. (If they can't hear it, they can't listen... and won't get the message). As a non-profit, it may (not must, but may) be able to utilize non-commercial sticks along with commercial channels (again, see EMF). The goal is reach.

No, this isn't the way conservative talk radio developed. As has been discussed periodically on this board, rightwing talk was born of desperation during a time when AM had been declared dead & was hanging by a thread. AM has been proven to be a perfectly good distribution system for talk radio programming, and can be effective for liberals, too--along with FM, online radio, cellphone radio--whatever.

Air America choked on its own ego--the ego that said (essentially) "we don't need no stinking radio professionals"--until it was too late.

But the death of AA is not the death of liberal talk radio. Not by a long shot.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

I suspected that "second time in" concept was probably not well presented.

This isn't about making the same mistakes all over again.

This about talent who trusted the first effort and came on board at reasonable wages and without kicking and screaming about termination conditions. The group going in for the second attempt will find the talent folks holding out for pay and benefits up front rather than betting on the come.

The same will be true for station owners, for the owners of property for studios. They will all have a higher sense of skepticism that their 10-year lease will go south in 21 months and they will not be throwing in decoration and remodel at bargain rates.

The first group may have begun their venture by purchasing the bargain package on consulting for everything from programming to accounting and HR policy. The second group going into Progressive programming will know from their initial meetings that they will have to buy more comprehensive consulting and may from a higher level of vendors.

Utility companies may be more demanding.

Insurance companies may quote higher rates for liability, workers comp, etc.

City code enforcement may not be as lenient about giving grace periods to meet compliance on ADA ramps, etc.

The professors example was Afghanistan. We went in on the cheap in 2001, thinking we were there for a few months. Round up Alcaida and get out of Dodge. Now that we have decided we have to beef up the staffing and plan to stay longer to make sure we get the country put in order, the cost of the second trip immediately ran into higher costs all the way around.

 

[SeanMGilbow]

Well said, amfmxm. One talker, however, you overlooked was Stephanie Miller. She has proven that one can mix liberal politics with celebrity dirt and fart jokes. And she's served her audience well.

I also agree that Air America got the right talent much too late in the game. Lionel, Ron Kuby, Montel Williams and Ron Reagan have shown how well they can do radio. Both Lionel and Ron Kuby had extensive morning-drive experience with what is now New York's conservative talk behemoth, WABC.

One thing for which we can give credit to Air America is bringing us Rachel Maddow.

And if the success of Ed Schultz' former sub, Norman Goldman (now a host himself), is any indication, there is hope that others subs may get their own shows as well. Coming to mind immediately are Stephanie Miller's subs over the past few years: Frangela, Hal Sparks and John Fugelsang. One also cannot overlook the success of hosts such as David Sirota in Denver/Boulder and Leslie Marshall in Buffalo (the latter nationally syndicated).

I have to go now so I can read the thousands of tweets left for me just today by Lizz Winstead.

 

[smedge2006]

The next major effort should focus on station ownership. For now, at least, Jones/DG has the necessary content. Ownership needs to be rooted in wealthy dedicated progressives who place mission above profit (see EMF). It should be structured as a non-profit commercial enterprise (see St. Petersburg Times)--utilizing both ad sales and NPR-style "development." Focus should be on strong liberal markets (northeast, north central & west coast) and big-coverage sticks. Many, many big-signal AM rigs are undervalued--if valued at all--and "access" is the product of signal. (If they can't hear it, they can't listen... and won't get the message). As a non-profit, it may (not must, but may) be able to utilize non-commercial sticks along with commercial channels (again, see EMF). The goal is reach.

One thing that has been conspicuously missing is the effort to develop a strong local station that can serve as a template for others. The way a WLW set the template for Jacor in the 80's and 90's. A station that is predominantly local and reflects its city, but has elements that can be applied in different markets to create a success story that still has a local flavor.

KPOJ's success was a complete accident -- there was no locally produced show until Thom Hartmann was nice enough to make them one. They keep trying to kill WXXM but the fans won't let them. These are not local success stories. These are successes-in-spite-of-themselves.

The next wave needs to be grass-roots, bottom-up radio. Stations need to be built that have their own energy, not just what is drained off the Dial-Global satellite. At LEAST two local weekday dayparts. For an audience that loves news, find a way to deliver it that's local, NPR-credible and commercially-paced, and that feeds back into your talk the way Fox "News" bounces off Fox "opinion" and vice versa. Not even NPR has figured out how to do that at the local level. If you figure that out, you may have a key to breaking that non-progressive network's alleged lock on progressive audiences. Stations of any ideological bent that are plug-ins to dishes are mostly one-share babies, whether they're on weak AM's, strong AM's, or FM's (see the Truth in Denver).

 

[amfmxm]

Agreed. Great ideas, all in all. I do think the Dial Global stuff can be helpful, particularly if we're talking about an effort in the near term. But for the long haul, a serious progressive radio initiative must develop its own local talent, which of course, also serves as a "farm system" for national platforms. But, more importantly, strengthens the ties of local stations to their respective communities.

I had suggested that the next progressive radio movement may require investment from wealthy progressives, but perhaps the better model might be a non-profit organization instead. On the public front, NPR has worked. PRI has worked. Even Pacifica has worked--for 60 years--despite near-constant internal squabbling.

Air America ran into a difficult stumbling block--that most for-profit companies are led by entrepreneurs who believe that progressives are anti-business, or at the very least that conservatives are pro-business.

That includes most broadcasting companies.