What's the deal with this Air America Radio "scandal"?

[zaj]

Anyone know what's going on here?

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/331339p-283184c.html
A Bronx congressman yesterday praised the smooth takeover of dozens of programs serving thousands of youngsters and seniors across the borough after the city yanked funding from two sponsoring agencies that have come under a cloud.

The nonprofit Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club and its affiliate Pathways for Youth found their city contracts, running into the millions of dollars, abruptly ended last month by the city Department of Investigation.

<snip>
In its initial announcement, the DOI said it was probing allegations that program officials "approved significant inappropriate transactions and falsified documents that were submitted to various city agencies."

According to published reports, the allegations involve Charles Rosen, the founder of Gloria Wise who has stepped down as executive director, investing city contract funds in Air America Radio, the liberal talk radio network.

Evan Cohen, Air America's former chairman, had served as Gloria Wise's director of development.
<snip>

[zaj]

1. It's being spun in the RW press as AA on the public payroll...

Ugh.

http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com/

[still_one]

2. is the ny daily news credible?

[Oilwellian]

5. One word....

Scaife

[NYCGirl]

7. No,

Scaife has nothing to do with the NY Daily News.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. I don't get it

City funds were invested in AAR?

[NYCGirl]

4. See earlier post on the subject:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4202385&mesg_id=4202385

[Chicago Democrat]

6. Shit! So Cohen/Weise Stole Boy's Club money to double sabatoge

Air America.

First try todestroy them with the pullout and fuckups.


Then finish the job by revealing the source of their up front con money. 500K wow ...

[ConsAreLiars]

8. Evan Cohen, a Republican, was kicked out of Air America early on

Now widely regarded as a scammer or a saboteur, the difficulties encountered early on are generally regarded as his doing. His five-week tenure could have completely destroyed the network, if not for the tenacity of and sacrifices by the workers and hosts who had joined the effort and the determination of the Drobnys, who initiated to project (see http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=62-1590790650-0 ).

From Wikipededia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_America_Radio :

----------------
Early start-up difficulties

Air America was started as part of Progress Media, which said it had amassed $30 million in venture capital prior to its debut, a claim which later turned out to be untrue (only $6 million was initially collected). Two individuals from Guam, Rex Sorensen and Evan Montvel Cohen, were involved in raising the capital but denied any wrongdoing. <2> Cohen had an unusual history for his position in a progressive-left radio network since he was a Republican political operative in Guam and former chief of staff for Republican Governor Tommy Tanaka. <3> Cohen dismissed concerns by saying he was a committed "progressive" and that Republicans in Guam "are left of Paul Wellstone." It was reported that Cohen had unpaid business debts in Guam, although Cohen denies this. <4> Tommy Tanaka pleaded guilty to corruption charges in 2003.

Two weeks after their debut, Air America Radio was pulled off the air by the owners of two stations the network had licensed in Chicago and Santa Monica, California (near Los Angeles). This was due to a contract dispute between Air America and the station's owner, Multicultural Radio Broadcasting. Air America alleges Multicultural Radio may have sold time on their Los Angeles station to them and another party, and stopped payment on checks to them while they investigated. Multicultural Radio alleges that Air America bounced a check and owes $1 million. Air America Radio filed a complaint in New York Supreme Court, charging breach of contract and was granted an injunction to restore the network on WNTD-AM in Chicago. On April 20, the network announced the dispute had been settled, and Air America's last day of broadcast on WNTD was April 30.

Four weeks after Air America's debut, the CEO, Mark Walsh, and Dave Logan, its executive vice president for programming, left the network. One week after those departures, the chairman and vice chairman, Evan Cohen and his investment partner Rex Sorensen, also left. Some attributed Cohen's departure to investor unhappiness with how he handled the dispute with Multicultural Radio Broadcasting.
----------------

(edit one typo and add a reference )