Clear Channel taunts "liberal radio fans" as it get ready to kill Air Ameirca ...

[Botany]

.... and Progressive shows from it's Columbus station.

Clear Channel is broadcasting a promo ad with sounds of a heart
monitor and then a beeeeeeeeeeeeep! Followed up w/ an announcer
saying, that "the end is coming."

Real nice touch.

I talked to the general manger and he said it was because progressive radio
never could get a following in central Ohio. This from a station w/ a poor
signal, no p.r. (the G.M said they spent $1,000 once @ remote broadcast),
and no marketing of ad time. Although now that "they" are flipping the
station "they" are running ads for sales people & I betya that the signal will
get better too.

The AM station will now feature right wing talk & sports both of which already
saturate the airwaves here.

This is not about marketing but a planned execution of a "voice" that the right
wing wants to shut down. Because if it was about markets "they" would see that Columbus
has a liberal black mayor, voted overwhelmingly for democrats in the 2004, 2005, & 2006,
has a large gay community, and many progressive people and organizations.



Tim Feran
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


Liberal listeners in central Ohio will lose their only radio voice next month when WTPG (1230 AM) drops its format of "progressive talk" and makes a hard right turn.

Out: Al Franken, Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz and Randi Rhodes.

In: Michael Savage, Laura Ingraham and a mix of sports and consumer shows featuring Jim Rome and Dave Ramsey.

The station will change its call letters to WYTS on Monday; the new format will begin at 9 a.m. Jan. 9.



http://www.dispatch.com/features-story.php?story=dispat...

[madeline_con]

1. It stands to reason advertising for the new format

will be hard to sell in the local market, given the demographics. :shrug:

[AldebTX]

2. What Is the Overall Health of the National Network

I remember before Thanksgiving news story's detailing that Air America national was
seeking a buyer. What has come of this?

I have done searches on this and there seems to be absolutely no news on this
or even a mention of WHO the buyer might be.

Just wondering....

Glad Sirius has Channel 146 so all liberal voices aren't silenced....

[Eric J in MN]

11. AAR is bankrupt, a secret small media company has signed...

...an "intent" to buy letter, but a final deal hasn't been announced.

[pretzel4gore]

3. so the wino switches from water, exercise and brisk walks

and back to the fortified rotgut!
hmmm.... good idea - mind you i think the wino should find a nice cliff, or take advantage of the old oak tree/length o rope and empty milk crates (mr wino has worn out his welcome here, imo)

[JDPriestly]

4. Media reform should be a priority of the Democratic Congress.

Now that Democrats are back in power in Congress, they should be the primary guests at TV and radio talk shows. Let's see what happens. If Republicans continue to dominate, it is a form of manipulation of public opinion that cannot be tolerated. Laws allowing monster conglomerates like Clear Channel to control such large portions of the public airwaves must be amended to ensure diversity of opinion and programming. The airwaves belong to the public.

[Botany]

6. We need to put pressure on the Congress and bring back ...

.... The Fairness Doctrine which used to be the law of the land.

Killing that has been a goal of the right wing for years along with
selling the notion of a "liberal media bias" too.

[fuzzyball]

17. Would that be going against "free speech" article in constitution?

Just wondering if SCOTUS will go along.

[JDPriestly]

19. Not really.

1. There is a lot of legal precedent regarding the fact that the airwaves belong to the public. The stations don't own the airwaves.
They apply for and obtain licenses to use the airwaves. The numbers of licenses that can be bought or controlled by the same entity, for example, can be limited.
2. Commercial entities do not have the same speech rights that individuals have.
3. It could be argued that our free press/speech right (that of the public) is violated if we cannot broadcast/print/speak out and hear and see ourselves represented in the media because the government sells the licenses to interests that do not allow our opinions to be represented or heard on the media. I don't know how that would fly.

[Skip Intro]

5. A CC station here (Chas. SC) carried AAR for a few short months - much like you're saying

The signal was very weak, never saw or heard any advertisements for the station. I emailed the some official at the station complimenting the AAR format and asked when and where I could get bumperstickers to help get the word out, and he wrote me back saying they were all excited and had big plans and that I'd be able to get the stickers soon. Less than a month later, the station switced from AAR to some elevator-music simulcast of a local sister station. Clearly, they weren't concerned with ratings or giving AAR a chance, something else was going on - they wanted to silence opinion.

Why did AAR sign with any CC station to begin with?

[Botany]

7. Clear Channel stations took feeds from AAR & Jones radio and put them ...

.... on some of their small stations and despite no $ for P.R. and or selling
local progressive businesses the idea of supporting progressive radio which
in turn would sell supporting the businesses that support progressive radio
is a great idea which very well might work ..... Many of the shows became hits.

Clear Channel's republican backers / owners could not stomach this new real
strength in the left has sent out the signal to it's stations ..... shut it down.

[jackster]

12. exact story of what happened in Boston.....

made lots of promises to listeners, the biggest one was to increase signal strength. They did follow through on that one - AFTER THEY MADE THE DECISION TO CHANGE TO RUMBA !

[Botany]

13. In Columbus Ohio .... home of Ohio State Football

The local Clear Channel station started broadcasting Bowling Green
State University Football Games to chew up air time.


We need the Fairness Doctrine back .... call your congressperson, please.

[FredStembottom]

8. WYTS ........for whites?

Just wondering...........

[Botany]

9. I have heard that rumor but I don't buy it.

Although they will have the racist Michael Savage on and although he
is "an act" but he feeds the sick minds of Freepers, born again speaking in
tongues Jesus hates them fags Christians, and Ann Coulter reading idiots
who think that Syria really has the WMDs that Saddam had smuggled out of
iraq .... so maybe :rofl:

[mac56]

20. No coincidence there.

I work in radio and I can tell you that call signs and call letters are selected as deliberately as possible. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS with consideration of how they will sound when pronounced like a word instead of four letters.

Case in point: Back in the 50s a station in San Antonio took on the call sign "KAKI", hoping it would be pronounced "khaki" and appeal to the military presence there. Unfortunately "KAKI" also got pronounced "kocki", which if I remember right was a Tex-Mex slang term for "poop".

So if "WYTS" gets pronounced "whites", that's no coincidence, folks.

[Bluzmann57]

10. If we all go to satellite radio

and then call our local stations and explain why, maybe they will get the message. Maybe. The one thing that irks me about more or less being forced to switch to satellite and/or streaming is that it is another monthly bill, whereas sports talk and righty talk is all free. But I still say screw 'em, I'll pay just so I can listen to the type of radio I wish to hear.

[Rick Myers]

14. Not a CC story, but...

Over a year ago, some friends and I managed to get an LMA (Lease Management Agreement) for an AM station in Warren, OH. We had Air America on for about 2 weeks when another 'owner' showed up talkin' bout Jesus! He owned 30 percent and could not do anything, so in a week, he recruited a business owner from his 'church' to buy out the other owners, and we were LOCKED OUT of the building and they switched to playing religious REMAKES of famous rock songs!!! Air America REALLY SCARES the reich wing crazies!!!

[AX10]

15. Ed Schultz discussed this on show several times.

The thing is that he and S. Miller are highly successful, yet Clear Channel seems to have "problem" getting ratings with them. This is such a crock of shit! The right wing is afraid of dissenting voices.

[karlrschneider]

16. White Yankees Talking Shit...?

:eyes:

[gulliver]

18. Rageaholism doesn't work for the left.

I think AAR has gotten better recently. They are finally starting to understand their audience, IMO.

Much as I love to hear Rhandi Rhodes rendering some poor right wing schmo into simpler compounds, I get tired of anger. It is unhealthy.

I'm especially tired of disbelief. Make a drinking game of listening to AAR. Take a shot of tequila every time you hear the word "incredible." "Bush just gave Halliburton an office in the White House! Incredible!" Gulp. "Cheney just said that Democrats should let Osama Bin Laden do their State of the Union response! Incredible!" Gulp. To paraphrase Inigo Montoya, we keep saying that word. I don't think it means what we think it means.

I like the Young Turks a lot. They are sometimes on in the morning between ads.

I like the Fresh Grocer, Family First, Small Business Minute, etc., too.

What I would like to see is more "People" stuff, better music, etc. We need a spoonful of sugar with the medicine.

I still think Al Franken is great. Flame away.