Air America Stumbles in ratings and finances

[rainy]

This was the headline of an editorial by Jonathan Gurwitz in the Virginian Pilot this morning. It accuses the radio station of stealing money from poor kids at a boys and girls club. Says they are struggling for listeners. Has anyone else read this in their papers?

[B Calm]

1. Not in the last 6 months....

[rfrrfrrfr]

6. Its all BS

Air America's ratings are real good almost across the board. Even where they have poor transmitters.

As for the money thing. There is a thread here that discussed the particulars. Below is a link on the AAR website that basically summerizes what happened.

http://www.airamericaradio.com/press/gloriawise


In Short. Air America Radio is doing well, so well it has the conservatives jumpy and nervous. And I hope they start going after people who keep pushing that untrue story.

[libnnc]

2. old, old news that has been debunked

already several times on DU.

[rainy]

4. I have heard it before too but I am currious as to why

my local paper printed this article today? I'll have to write the editor Marvin Lake.

[rfrrfrrfr]

7. Probably like

Many news organizations these days they don't bother to properly source their stories anymore.

[blondeatlast]

23. When you do, why not ask how often this story appears. I've

noticed it every time there's a PR nightmare for the shrubbery.

[Cone10]

3. Air America

Air America is doing just fine. If they weren't their station base would not be increasing and Rush's and other right wing radio hacks ratings wouldn't be falling.

[fasttense]

5. This is a lie that the RW keeps repeating in the hopes

that you will believe it. They have been spreading this lie for at least three months. Just part of their spin in an effort to create their own reality. Air America is actually increasing in viewers and is one of the fastest growing radio markets today. But the RW radio programs aren't doing as well and are actually losing viewers.

[KnaveRupe]

8. "and are actually losing viewers."

I originally thought this was a typo, but after I thought about it, I have seen right-wingers listen to Rush, and they DO sit there and stare at the radio.

[sniffa]

12. ..

:rofl:

[Kurovski]

21. Slack-jawed staring...I can see it now.

Hehehehe...

[littleraf]

9. Right Wing is Lying As Usual

Air America's growing. They had a few troubles a year ago when they were first starting but they didn't have a billionaire like Rupert Murdoch funding them. But everything's been fine for some time and they're beating the RW in their own markets, especially Florida. i like hearing these bullshit rumors though, it confirms that the RW are terrified.

[Cooley Hurd]

10. "...accuses the radio station of stealing money from poor kids"

That statement pretty-much says where Gurwitz is coming from doesn't it?

It's BS... totally-debunked BS.:thumbsdown:

[no_hypocrisy]

11. My guess is they are trying to divert funds from investors and advertisers

the lifeblood of any business enterprise. If either or both think that they are/will be losing money, they will put it elsewhere. Don't forget a radio commercial during Al Franken's program is money not going to Rush's in NYC. (Even if all slots are taken for Rush, the price for airtime goes up with competing ads for the same slot.)

[KharmaTrain]

13. Clear Channel Doesn't Seem To Think So

I love when newspaper people write about radio, it's like Stevie Wonder reporting on Fashions.

Yep...the "stealing money from kids" involves Evan Cohen; who was an original AAR investor and was "bought out"...for messing up on the payroll, insurance and other funding...almost doomed the network. He was gone from the network in the first weeks. See Left Of The Dial for the real story.

Cohen somehow is involved in this boys club scam and this is totally unrelated to AAR. The network brought in other investors and has been doing very well ever since.

Well the network must be doing poorly as it continues to ADD affiliates and get on bigger stations. From hanging by a thread a year ago, the network now is on nearly 80 stations nationally and growing. Yep, they're sure dying.

Also point out to this wingnut that AAR routinely beats the right-wing Salem Radio network...a company that is mixes religion and politics and is tied into the RNC slime machine. That company routinely steals money from gullible listeners who throw them at the many snake oil salesmen and charlatans that pollute their airwaves.

[WolverineDG]

14. Gurwitz is a kool aid-swilling idiot

That column ran a couple of weeks ago in the San Antonio paper.

dg

[sam sarrha]

15. Why do you state a stupid question as a Fact..???

if you arent one of them, you should know if their lips are moving they are lieing. they believe their own propaganda

[blondeatlast]

16. This old rag is trotted out every time Bush's popularity is

threatened.

OP, here's a thought: Read "The Right Wing Noise Machine" by david Brock.

[Ian David]

17. Lies, Damn Lies, and Rush Limbaugh's Press Release

Lies, Damn Lies, and Limbaugh’s Press Release About Progressive Radio

Yesterday, Rush Limbaugh, through his radio syndicator Premiere Radio Networks, sent out a press release titled “Limbaugh Leads the Race Against Liberal Talkers,” purportedly comparing his ratings to those of progressive talk stations.

The release lists ratings info for five cities — Austin, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, San Antonio, and Memphis — for Spring 2005 (March 31 to June 22). In two of those cities, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the stations that Rush claims he “defeated” didn’t switch to the progressive talk format until July 2005 — after the ratings period in question ended. Two of the other comparisons are also misleading. Rush claims to have won the ratings battle in Austin — but the progressive alternative is a low-watt station that broadcasts not out of Austin, but 20 miles away in bustling Pflugersville, Texas. The same is true of Rush’s performance in San Antonio, where the weaker progressive talk station is actually based in suburban Devine, Texas.

In other words, of the 591 stations on which Limbaugh broadcasts, he chose to highlight four where his “victories” are at best misleading, at worst plain dishonest.

The reality is that in several major markets, ratings for progressive talk are booming. In Denver, Air America’s ratings are up 500% from one year ago. “Seattle’s newly talk-formatted KPTK, doubled in the winter book, Portland’s KPOJ-AM grew 1000% in audience share. In conservative San Diego, KLSD-AM went up 73%. … Other markets with similar success include: Boston, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Sacramento and Columbus.” Rush is even on the verge of being overtaken in his own home state.

An even more interesting comparison is found when looking at stations with integrated lineups that carry both Rush and a progressive host. In that apples-to-apples comparison, we see that Rush Limbaugh and Ed Schultz are actually very competitive.

More:
http://thinkprogress.org/2005/08/10/limbaugh-radio-lies/

[SoCalDem]

18. ld news//debunked.. RW papers are desperate to change the subject, eh?

Shame on them:(

[Imagevision]

19. Air America Stumbles in ratings and finances says Rush Limbaugh.

[JHB]

22. Well, THERE's a reliable source.

Not.

[Kurovski]

20. It's horseshit.

and anyone who keeps trying to re-launch this particular little "swiftboat" is a horse's ass.

[LSK]

24. FULL DEBUNKING HERE:

http://www.airamericaradio.com/press/gloriawise

Why does this non-factual CRAP get published still? Someone write this worthless piece of trash who wrote this story to do A LITTLE RESEARCH!

[derby378]

25. And why does it still show up in places like DU?

Oy. The RW is getting really nervous.

[pinto]

26. Saw this locally last week. It's been debunked. The time line is hazy

and the financial responsibilities are skewed in the article.

But for some reason, Knight-Ridder apparently chose to offer this dated piece to it's outlets....They're usually more on the ball than this.