The new Ed Schultz owner, the previous Clear Channel guy, who is it?

[madfloridian]

I gather he has a new ad bashing Howard Dean.

I am getting together some info compiled from emails I have gotten on this. I have not heard the ad yet mentioned by Totally Committed below, but I have said all along he had an agenda other than the Democratic party.

I can not find the article, and if I can get a name I can search better. The guy who bought him out is one who got Clear Channel on the map by making big plays, splashy plays and caring less about the truth.

[madfloridian]

1. And does anyone have a link to an audio of the ad?

I have cancelled Sirius now, and I don't ever listen to him at all.

[madfloridian]

2. Here is a snip about it...Randy Mchaels who made Rush famous. .

From Randi's message board archives.

http://forums.therandirhodesshow.com/lofiversion/index.php/t54435.html

"A number of radio trade websites reported late this week that Democracy Radio has sold the Ed Schultz Show. The reported buyer? A company called "Product 1", whose primary owner is controversial former Clear Channel radio division head Randy Michaels. Michaels also now owns RadioActive LLC, which has been bidding for small market radio stations in new FCC auctions. Democracy Radio reportedly said that the move would allow it to concentrate on "incubating" new liberal radio talk show host talent."

(reportedly) since March.

"BTW, Jones Radio will continue to sell/rep the show, and Schultz will retain an ownership stake in it. So instead of Democracy/Jones' Ed Schultz Show, it'll now be Product 1/Jones.

Now, since we're posting this all on Randi's board, what does it mean?

At one time, Randy Michaels was a big, big player. He ran Clear Channel's radio division, coming aboard when CC bought Jacor. He's largely responsible for what kind of radio you hear out of CC stations. CC's big news/talk stations became what they are out of Randy's handling of them during Jacor's era.

The other player in this is Stu Krane (ex-Premiere Networks). Premiere is the syndication arm of Clear Channel, and syndicates Rush, Glenn Beck, etc.

Two pretty huge names.

What they do on their own, with a different product than Rush, remains to be seen. It provides Mr. Schultz with some veteran radio "firepower", but Randy's largely been out of radio since he stepped down from Clear Channel."

Schultz acknowledges some of his listeners will cry havoc when they hear the man who made Limbaugh a star has bought his show, but says it should be understood as a sign that progressive radio is here to stay."

[Totally Committed]

3. madfloridian...

Here is the URL for the station I heard the commerical on, maybe they will have an audio or a transcript of the commercial or something. It is a Clear Channel station, so don't be surprised if their response is not great.:

http://www.am1430wxks.com/main.html

It does have a CLICK HERE where you can stream what's on the air from your computer, and they are bound to play that spot again.

On edit:

Contact us at any time via email:
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

Good luck!

TC

[Kolesar]

4. The "owner" has a new ad or does Ed Schultz have a new ad?

[marbuc]

5. I suspect the audio of the ad is a clip from his show

I heard one of his rants about Dean, and he was blasting him for his silence, and lack of presence on the local level (especially middle America). I'm not a big Ed Schultz fan, but I agreed with the premise of this particular point. He did have Dean on later to defend himself, but he didn't seem to satify Schultz.

Now, I haven't heard the ad, so I don't know the context, but Schultz is not bashful in criticizing Dems where he thinks it is warranted.

[madfloridian]

6. Where HE thinks "it is warranted"....that is the problem.

Big Eddie was not really a Democrat, and he does not sound like one. He is quite capable of hurting our party, and his aides say he never apologizes.

I have heard what he said about Dean, and it is truly NOT warranted.

I am angry about wolves in sheep's clothing, and I think all of us should be. If you think it is just about Dean, it is not. I think ulterior motives by an owner who "made" Rush so big....are dangerous.

[Totally Committed]

8. I agree...

"If you think it is just about Dean, it is not. I think ulterior motives by an owner who "made" Rush so big....are dangerous."

Think about the attack made just this morning on the Soros/Moore/Dean/MoveOn.com, etc, connection in the Democratic Party. This is more of the same. This is about someone who, for whatever his reasons, wants this Party less "left" and more "middle"... I can't trust that.

TC

[marbuc]

9. I'm not whole heartedly defending him

He actually lost me back when he was blasting AAR. I still listen to the show occasionally, but I'm not a big fan. I do believe what I heard was somewhat warranted, there was a period when Dean was
quiet(ed), and was not publically visible.

I do share your worry that he is a wolf in sheep's clothing though, and in fact started a thread about it yesterday. At this point though, I haven't seen enough to sway my opinion one way or the other, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

The more conservative dems like him, and if he can bring back the "Reagan Democrats" then that's great. I won't go out of my way to listen.

[madfloridian]

11. When he did that to Dean, Dean was traveling the states.

He had been to over 20 states by that time. He was raising money at a faster clip than McAuliffe even by then.

When a lot of us wrote to the show, we were told very quickly that Big Eddie never apologized for anything.

We sent facts, they said it did not matter, it was just radio.

I have saved the emails from Wendy, whom I think is his wife, and James Holm, who used to be a Dean supporter...supposedly.

[Totally Committed]

7. That sounds like it might be the clip...

He was ranting and screaming...

If the issue has been settled, why take it and make an ad out of it -- and run it while the Republicans are ON THE ROPES??????????

Shouldn't he be rallying the troops right now -- firing us up? And I don't mean at Howard Dean!

TC

[madfloridian]

10. The other owner is Stu Krane, another who pushed Rush/Beck

onto the scene.
"still digging »

June 16, 2005 The next big thing in talk radio
Raw Story reports that the Ed Schultz show has been picked up by Randy Michaels and Stu Krane, the masterminds behind Rush Limbaugh's initial success, and is set to be introduced to a much wider, national audience.

http://www.uncorrelated.com/archives/2005/06/the_next_big_th.html

(Edited to spell Krane's name correctly.)

[madfloridian]

12. I think this may explain Randi's concern partly.....conflict of interest.

http://www.rbr.com/epaper/issue113-05-dil.html

"Former CC Radio/Jacor CEO Randy Michaels and former ABC and Premiere Radio Networks VP Stu Krane have formed "Product 1st," or "P1" (Michaels is also President of Radioactive LLC). Their first acquisition is Democracy Radio's Ed Schultz daily talker, now cleared in 95 markets, including 8 of the top 10. Expect more talent and expansion out of P1 soon. Founded in 2002 by Democracy Radio CEO Tom Athans and Paul Fiddick to combat the right-wing dominance of talk radio by launching progressive voices on America's airwaves, Democracy Radio recruited Ed Schultz to host its first nationally-syndicated program. Ed hosts the 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily show from his hometown of Fargo, ND. Democracy Radio retained Jones Radio Networks to handle affiliate relations and ad sales. Said Democracy Radio CEO Tom Athans: "Democracy Radio has accomplished its first mission, now we will return to our core mission, to incubate and launch new progressive voices on America's airwaves. Ed is a remarkable talent. With Randy Michaels taking the helm, we have no doubt that Ed will continue to be the standard by which other progressive hosts are measured." "My hat is off to Democracy Radio for not only helping to grow The Ed Schultz Show to a position of national prominence, but also for helping to establish the dynamic new category of Progressive Talk," said Michaels. "Ed will continue to build on the foundation that Democracy Radio helped establish, and we will continue to recruit even more stations to broadcast his show."

"RBR observation: We hear Air America's Randi Rhodes is hitting the ceiling about this. Why? She hated it before when Ed Schultz's program was repped by MediaAmerica because she thought there was a conflict of interest. Ron Hartenbaum, being a bondholder and former CEO at Jones MediaAmerica, is also an advisor for Democracy Radio. Jones MediaAmerica also reps Air America. Rhodes' concern was which of these two entities - - Democracy Radio or Air America - - would benefit most by Jones MediaAmerica selling for them? Now with Randy Michaels and Stu Krane adding more muscle to Ed Schultz, how will that sit with the Air America/Randi Rhodes contingent? Also, Stu Krane used to use MediaAmerica as a rep when he was VP at EFM (Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Dean Edell).

Anyone know what that EFM is? I did a search and get too many varied things to zero in on anything.

http://www.rbr.com/epaper/issue113-05-dil.html