The continuing adventures of Air America

This weekend, Time Magazine announced their much-anticipated recipient of "Person of the Year" for 2006. The choice? You, silly. No seriously. It's you. And me. All of us. Or at least the ones who actively use the internet for things like blogging, MySpacing, YouTubing, Facebooking and whatever else. In short, the people have become the New Media, further pushing the 'professionals' into the background. A flurry of articles regarding Air America Radio over the weekend sheds some interesting light on this notion somewhat.

The blogosphere, including your favorite Liberal Talk Radio blog (ahem!), has been all over the goings-on at Air America for months, with traditional news sources giving a recap every so often, sometimes with actual fresh information provided. And the relationship between the open source internet media and the press do often create a neverending cycle of sorts.

Giving credit where credit is due, there was some original information given in major articles about the struggling network in articles from the New York Times, Newsweek and the Associated Press, though much of it has been floating around the blogosphere for several weeks. To their credit, though, the Newsweek and NYT articles are both examples of some of the better writing about Air America as of late. Both rely more on actual reporting and less on lazy bias or just repeating tired rumors and untruths. The AP article consists of five paragraphs of the same 0l', same ol', which we have more or less grown to expect.

Unfortunately, one problem with 'Web 2.0' is that the internet media often regurgitates relatively old information, creating an 'echo chamber effect'. The Drudge Report cited the Times article, and pulled out of it the tired rumor about Al Franken leaving his radio show. Drudge should just stick to reproducing GOP talking points releases and gossipy tidbits about catty celebrities, since that part of the Times article is just a regurgitation of what we already know, in essence creating that 'news echo'. Of course, look for the whole cycle to repeat itself, as more reports about Franken's radio retirement make the go-round once again. Gotta love Drudge.

As regular readers of LTR know, a sale agreement is still being hashed out, and due to the sensitive nature of the whole deal (not to mention the ridiculously secretive atmosphere of Air America itself), nothing has been officially announced as of yet. Spokeswoman Jaime Horn says the company had reached a tentative agreement with a buyer, but a final deal was not in place. Douglas Kreeger, an initial investor and former chief executive who has been rumored as of late to be one of the network's buyers, confirmed to the Times that there is “a signed letter of intent” and that he is “likely” to be a part. The lead equity position would be taken by Terry Kelly, of Madison, WI, a former board chairman and one of the network's original investors.

Kelly said that the investor group included a new strategic media partner he declined to name, and both men would not predict when a deal might come to fruition.

"Any number of things can happen," Mr. Kreeger said.

The article in Times is recommended reading, as it goes into more specifics about the troubles and trials of Air America. It also gives a good assessment of the entire format. Newsweek shows the many ways that the network screwed up, including being too top-heavy with executives, the lack of a program director, squabbles between staffers, the cancellation of shows such as Morning Sedition and Mike Malloy, and various front office clashes between people who saw strong business potential and ones who pushed it as merely a political cause.

As for the future of Air America, all connected see the future of the network in a positive light. Kreeger cites Air America's deal with XM Satellite Radio and the network's web site, which he said had "absolute untapped potential for 24/7 online streaming that has never been effectively monetized." "It will be up to us to really create compelling content," he said. Kelly agrees, saying he would like to see the new ownership group expand the Air America brand into other areas, such as television.

Kreeger disputes the idea that Air America “was a vanity project,” but acknowledged that things may be done differently in the future. “I have come to understand very clearly that the radio component of this requires a radio professional,” he said.

In closing, I'd just like to say that it is indeed an honor to be chosen as Time Magazine's "Person of the Year". I couldn't have done it without all of you. Thanks.

"Changes are Coming" to WTPG

For the past week or so, strange things have been occurring on the Columbus AM dial.

Recently, WTPG, with no explanation, dropped the Ed Schultz Show from their schedule, and replaced Al Franken's midday show with Thom Hartmann. As of now, the station's roster consists of Stephanie Miller, Lionel, and the rest shows from Air America Radio. The station's website has also been rather difficult to load as of late (then again, so is WTVN's), and slow to be updated (par for the course with many radio stations). And now there is an interesting banner on their webpage, saying "Changes are Coming".

Of course, this would not usually raise an eyebrow. But the interesting thing is, their sister station, WTVN, which airs a roster of conservative-leaning talk, has a similar banner on their site.

Both stations are owned by Clear Channel, which has flipped or announced a flip of several progressive talk stations across the country. And the Columbus cluster is overseen by a regional office in Cincinnati. The regional manager, David Crowell, has also overseen the dropping of the format in his own home market (WSAI), and another station he oversees, the relatively successful WXXM in Madison, will switch to sports after January 1. Is Crowell on a vendetta to rid his stations of progressive talk?

The company has been griping about the format in some markets as of late, claiming that it is a tough format to sell. Of course, the majority of these complaints have come from Madison and Cincinnati, which are operated by the same regional office. There have been many things said about the ability to sell the format on this site, so I will go no further here.

As for what's next, Ohio Media Watch is wondering if they'll pull a move similar to what Entercom did in New Orleans, when they flipped progressive talker WSMB to WWWL, airing delayed shows from its sister station, WWL. Will Clear Channel make WTPG a dumping ground for their Premiere-syndicated talk shows, or delayed programming from its more successful sister?

The talk radio landscape is currently in a state of flux. With the election over, some broadcast owners are preparing for a slump in the format on both sides of the ideological spectrum. Clear Channel, which is in the process of slimming itself down for its pending sale, has even turned their regular talk stations upside-down. In Atlanta, they fired all local hosts from WGST, replacing them with much cheaper syndicated shows. In Providence, RI, they did likewise with WHJJ.

Of course, this is all mere speculation. WTPG might not even change formats. After all, ratings-wise, 1230AM has done better with progressive talk than with their last several formats. During the 1960s and 1970's, WCOL ruled the Top-40 roost in Columbus. As music-formatted AM stations were eclipsed by more powerful and better sounding FM signals, many of the abandoned AM facilities were in a rut. They tried conservative talk and all-sports, with poor results. The station returned the WCOL call letters in 2003, complete with an oldies format, but the automated station was a shell of its former self.

Since September 2004, when they flipped to progressive talk and even became the first affiliate for Miller's current radio show, ratings have tripled. While ratings have been mediocre at best, WTPG's progressive talk format has given the station its highest ratings in years. Then again, it seems the braintrusts at the Clear Channel fire sale don't really care about ratings, just so long as they can do it as cheaply as possible (though syndicated progressive talk is an outrageously cheap format to run). So, whatever happens to WTPG, who knows?

As for the other progressive talk station in Ohio, WARF has recently adjusted its schedule, and program director Keith Kennedy has vowed to keep the format. As of late, ratings for the station have been on the rise, and have been the best the station has seen in years.

Radiopower.org signing off

Shelby LaPre, founder and owner of Radiopower.org, announced today that they will fold the online streaming service. The end will come January 7, 2007, just two days after the five year anniversary of the service.

"We have been struggling topay our bills for a while but it meant something to me to reach this milestonebefore we make as graceful an exit as possible. Now, alas, we've run out of resources to operate on, so the time has come," LaPre said on a message posted on the organization's website.

"These were some of the best years of my creative life. Every day brought some new challenge and reward. Thenetwork was growing at a rate of 20% per month! and seemed as thoughit would never end. Then came, Air America.

"RadioPower was more than just another network, it was born of my vision that someday people could communicate without any assistance or influence fromgovernments or corporations. We managed to operate for 5 years from listener donations, reaching on average between 2.5 and 3 million listeners per month with our music and talk radio streams. Many of our listeners experienced music and points of view that they had never experienced before. I know this because many of our extended family have taken the time to send us an email and thank us for the experience. This of course in turn supported the artist's exposure and contributed to making more people aware of their talents. As an artist this is my personal satisfaction, to know that we did in fact help spread new and different voices, views, ideas, and genuine expressions.

"Perhaps we were slightly ahead of our time."

In addition to syndicated progressive talk from the likes of Thom Hartmann, The Young Turks, Jeff Alan Wolf and Peter Werbe, Radiopower also programmed three music streams, dedicated to electronica, blues and punk rock.

You can read more of LaPre's farewell statement, in addition to ruminations on the future of webcasting, problems with corporate control of our society, and the trials and tribulations of running four webcast streams at Radiopower.org or at OpEd News.

UPDATE: Malloy's joining Sirius Left

Good news for truthseekers, as it looks like the rumors I posted yesterday were correct.

Nova M host Mike Malloy announced on Alex Bennett's show this morning that he will be joining the Sirius Left roster starting next Monday December 18, live 9-Midnight ET.

In addition, KSAC in Sacramento picks up the show, as does KPTK in Seattle, albeit on a delay, from 11PM-2AM. Other stations have yet to be announced, though Miami's WINZ has claimed on their website that they will add the show as soon as they are able to:

11/27/06 UPDATE! It's going to happen. We just need to be patient. Latest word from the Drobny's and Dr. Newcomb is they are still a couple of weeks away from being able to distribute the program via satellite. The channel is set - it's just a matter of getting the show to the satellite. This would enable the show to be distributed to interested stations like AM940! At this point, we hate to pinpoint an exact date, but we're hoping for mid-December. We know this isn't the news Truth-seekers have been waiting for, but it's posiitve proof everyone is working hard to bring Mike Malloy back to South Florida radio. As Anita Drobny said "The world needs Mike Malloy." We're trying! Thanks for your patience.

This will be a third go-round for Malloy at Sirius. Sirius Left originally carried his show when they started, obtaining the majority of their programming from the now-defunct I.E. America Radio Network. Following that network's demise, Malloy, unable to self-syndicate or distribute his own show, sat in the wings until Air America Radio picked him up for nights in the fall of 2004. At the time, they were carried as a seperate channel by Sirius, until the network signed an exclusive deal with XM Radio. Now Malloy has come full-circle as he is back on Sirius Left.

To make room for Malloy, Stephanie Miller's delayed show will move up a few hours, airing from 6-9PM ET. The replay of Bill Press' morning show, which aired in the 6-9 ETslot following the departure of The Young Turks to Air America, will cease, though Press' show still airs live in the 6-9AM ET morning drive slot. A replay of Lynn Samuels' show will also air from 3-5AM ET early mornings.

Full house of listeners, advertisers on hand to save The Mic

Check out Kristian Knutsen 's articles at The Isthmus for more extensive detail on the rally and the grassroots drive, as well as pictures from the event.

In the crazy business known as radio, it seems like not a day goes by that at least one of several thousand radio stations across the country change formats. Quite often, change happens with hardly any protest. In some cases, listeners are more vocal about the loss of their favorite station. But it's highly doubtful that any format flip in recent memory has garnered the attention or the grassroots protest that the pending flip of WXXM (92.1 The Mic) in Madison has.

A crowd of roughly 490 listeners and advertisers gathered at a rally Tuesday night at the High Noon Saloon. Speakers consisted of various advertisers, activists, a former mayor and Madison native Terry Kelly, an original Air America investor. Statements from Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Rep. Tammy Baldwin were also read. The hour-and-a-half event was organized by Valerie Walasek.

The events of the last few weeks have been a tour-de-force of activism in support of the format. Since WXXM announced its intent on November 9 to change the station's format from progressive talk to sports (via FOX Sports Radio, a network operated by Premiere, the syndication arm of Clear Channel) on Jan. 1, 2007. Many listeners and advertisers were displeased with this change, voicing protests to Clear Channel and pointing to the station’s relatively healthy ratings in the market, particularly when compared to other progressive talk stations around the country.

As it became apparent that Clear Channel was going through with the format change, Walasek, a disabled veteran and fan of The Mic, set in motion a campaign that has grown massively in the last four weeks. She launched an online petition on Nov. 10, to present to Clear Channel Madison market manager Jeff Tyler. Over 5,000 signatures later, the impact has made news across the nation.

Walasek and others organized ad hoc committees over the next few weeks, including not only listeners but station advertisers as well. The group is pushing forward an advertiser-based campaign to convince a local broadcaster to pick up the progressive talk format. Also under consideration are the filing of complaints with the FCC and in entries to the station's public file, as well as possibly working to pool money to purchase a station. In the meantime, the group, known as "Long Live Progressive Radio" have started a website to draw attention to their cause.

Barbara Wright, a local restaurant owner, is one of the key organizers of the drive. "I'm upset I'm losing the best vehicle for advertising I ever had," says Wright. Other local business owners have echoed the same sentiment. They have gone so far as to criticize station management and their advertising reps.

The decision to change the format came from Clear Channel's regional manager in Cincinnati, which oversaw the flip of their own local progressive talk station, WSAI, to a different format last week. The regional manager has claimed that attracting advertisers to the format has been difficult, and some advertisers haven't realized the full potential of their ad buys. Clear Channel/Madison, however, claims to be looking into broadcast options to placate listeners and sponsors of the station. Even with the success of the rally, Clear Channel still plans on changing the station's format.

Dane101 captured video of the rally last night, including this one of Walasek speaking to the crowd at YouTube. More speeches from the rally are available as well, and can be seen linked from the LTR group page.

Thanks again to Kristian Knutsen and the gang at The Isthmus for the information (and the emails). You can read more about the rally and the grassroots effort here and here. The Capital Times also has an article about the event.