Air America Phoenix is no more ! Nation's fifth largest city is without

[saracat]

any progressive voice. We have also lost our public access television. All progressive voice has been silenced! It has been replaced by Christian programming! And read to understand AAR was making money and highly rated!

message from air america phoenix
February 28th, 2006
Dear Friends of Air America Phoenix,

Thank you to the staff, the listeners and the clients for all you’ve done in the past 17 months.

You helped take an unrated, unprofitable AM radio station and pushed it to a tie for 3rd place out of 25 AM stations in Phoenix. You took that same AM station and made it profitable in less than a year and even after the sale was announced you stood by Air America Phoenix and we kept on making money even when our future was in doubt and we didn’t know when our “plug” was going to be pulled. In fact, the last month we were on the air was the 3rd best month we’ve had financially!

Air America Phoenix has now disappeared into the ether and Phoenix is left with multiple Christian formats, some in English and others in Spanish, several “brokered’ time stations (you know the radio stations selling you vitamins, good bowel movements and financial advice) a bagful of right wing “Conservative Talk stations” featuring Rush, Sean, Laura, Bill Bennett, Savage, Medved and all of their local imitators, three “Sports Talk” stations that live off the largess of their sister stations in the big corporate clusters that dominate the dial in Phoenix. Is anyone enjoying Tony Snow on KTAR…did anyone ask for him? And there are 3 “nostalgia” stations on AM and another on the FM dial. (The inside radio joke on nostalgia is that listeners are “dying” for it!) CBS’ new “Free” FM is another station loaded with sophomoric chatter, but without the interruption of overplayed songs! Free FM is a continuous loop of bad FM morning show humor 24 hours a day! CBS should have stood by Howard Stern and they will regret the day they didn’t!

Phoenix has 60 odd radio signals on the AM and FM dial and the best of those signals are owned by four companies; CBS, Clear Channel, Bonneville and Sandusky, they play it safe and considering the level of investment, it is certainly understandable. Innovation and change has to come from the smaller clusters and the one and two station owners. Will they innovate? Take a chance like we did with KXXT? Probably not, they never have and they never will, like the classic definition of insanity they “continue to do the same thing over and over expecting different results”! Only a special company like James Crystal would let me take the chance, Thanks, Jim!

Over the past 4 months I have tried to raise the money to buy a new station for Air America Phoenix. We made offers on 2 stations; one didn’t have an adequate signal to insure success and the other was laughably over priced. I have talked to more BS artists and rich guys who pretend they want to get “involved” and “progressive” venture firms that live in the world of “new media” and think that good old terrestrial radio, the kind that everyone has access to and is free 24/7, is so “over”! When I finally put together the right banker and the right investors, we were out of time! I’m mad at myself for wasting time with the charlatans, the BS artists and the dreamers. I’m also worn out and I have to publicly apologize to the love of my life, Jan, for being so damn grumpy and short since last fall. Baby, you have been just great, thank you!

I need to thank all the great network people; Al, Mike, Stephanie, Sam and Jeanine. And of course my friend Ed Schultz who was the first on and signed! And Randi…I always love you more!

This has been the single best experience I’ve had in broadcasting, better than being number one in Boston! KXXT has simply been the best. The people I’ve worked with at AA Phoenix have been the most dedicated, hard working and they wouldn’t leave when I tried (twice) to throw them out of the building. I love you all and as Jan says we are a family!

Thank you for all you’ve done!

Robert J Christy
General Manager,
Air America Phoenix, 1010 Talk KXXT

PS the new GM of KXXT is Jess Spurgin



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[benburch]

1. This was a hit job by the "Christian" right

This was not about spreading the word of God. This was about silencing Liberals.

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. The same thing, as far as they are concerned.

:banghead:

[saracat]

5. I hate to say this but the destruuction of Access Phoenix, our public TV

was done by a Democratic Mayor and the Democratic members of our city council. I will never forgive them.We have lost our only liberalvoice on television at the same time we have lost Air America.Something smells.

[rodeodance]

60. I can not imagine an area/population as big as Phenox/Tempe without

npr/public access. geech.

[poverlay]

3. This totally sucks! That station is my shelter from the storm. I'm not

sure what I'm going to listen to now!

[Radio_Lady]

67. You might try your choice of calming music (mine is classical, jazz or

soft rock.)

We didn't have Air America Radio for five years 1998 (when I moved to Portland, OR) to 2004. I couldn't stand the local or national right wingers, but did listen sometimes. Those included Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Lionel (no last name) and of course Lars Larson (our local nutwing.)

My blood pressure went up higher than it already is. I gave up, and started to play CDs and even my old cassette tapes. The local public broadcasting station provided much information and national and international news.

I wish you well in Arizona. We were there in February for two weeks and were thrilled to find AM 1010 and Ed Schultz, Randi Rhodes. Sorry it was the death knell, but be of good cheer. Some enthusiastic AM station that's now in the toilet ratings-wise -- will pick up Air American Radio. Got to happen -- You'll see --

In peace,

Radio_Lady (TV and radio talk pioneer from Miami and Boston and now Portland, OR)

[CrazyOrangeCat]

4. And the silencing continues, unchecked.

Fascist fuckwits!!!!!

:mad:

[rinsd]

6. That cowtown is the nation's fifth largest city?

[saracat]

7. We are!

[rinsd]

11. Sorry for the dig...

Had a terrible experience there.

[drm604]

8. The same thing happened here in Philly.

We had AAR on a local AM station, now its gone. :cry:

[Nikki Stone 1]

9. This is really awful

recommended

[drm604]

24. Yes, it is.

I would get satellite radio except that it would do me no good, since I commute into Philly on Septa rail and satellite won't work on the train.

[Nikki Stone 1]

47. Does Philly run more conservative or liberal?

?

[drm604]

48. The city has a high minority population

so it tends to run Democratic. But there are some very Republican suburbs west of the city.

[Nikki Stone 1]

51. So it's a center of blue (that might not vote) surrounded by red.

Damn shame about AAR. I just wish there was something we could do.

[drm604]

58. More like a center of blue surrounded by purple.

Montgomery County did go for Kerry, I helped (in a very small way) in achieving that. So did the state as a whole, in spite of the typical redness of central and western PA. Apparently Pittsburgh does have an AAR affiliate. Maybe they feel that their resources are better spent establishing and maintaining affiliates in very red areas. Places like Philly are great if they can get them but they are, to a large extent, preaching to the choir when compared to some other areas.

[TheUnspeakable]

59. I HIGHLY recommend getting one of these..

XM to go-portable radio-like a walkman. You can move it from your home stereo, to your car,or just carry it around. You can't always get a live signal, (when you're outside walking around)
but you can download up to five hours. I preset mine to record Malloy every night and listen every morning on the train. It's great! (but I'm still waiting for my rebate from late November)
<http://www.xmfanstore.com/showproduct.php?id=myfi>

[drm604]

61. Or you can download the archived streams on your computer

and either burn a CD or load them into an MP3 player. My only problem with that is that you're listening to someone rant about yesterday's news. But it is a workable alternative. However, that doesn't help educate the people who really need to hear this stuff. They may tune in during their commute just to have something to listen to, but they're not going to go out of their way to record it, etc.

[FormerDittoHead]

27. Why can't cities that start with "Ph" that sound like "F" support AAR?

(Philly and Phoenix)

But seriously, 1/2 the radio is Hispanic and 1/3 is RELIGIOUS.

NO ONE is going to convince me it takes "big bucks" and "deep pockets" and must appeal to "key suburban demographics" when those two formats THRIVE....

I don't know about Phoenix, but Philly voted for Gore by like 80%.

AAR's first problem in Philly was going on a station which used two squirrels and a crystal for a transmitter. I could RARELY get them in my car - not AT ALL at home (and I can see South Philly from my South Jersey backyard)...

Has AAR decided to ditch broadcast altogether and stick with satellite? What happened to "getting the word out"?

[obreaslan]

33. I wish I knew. I'm in the same boat...

I used to get WHAT-AM in my office in Philly, but couldn't get it once I crossed the bridge into South Jersey. It was frustrating, but better than nothing.

To make it worse, I got Sirius satellite radio only to have AAR go off off Sirius 2 months later. I guess it's not in the cards for me. :(

The AAR strategy is a mystery to me. :shrug:

[drm604]

39. I used to be able to pick up Randi pretty good

driving home evenings on the Blue Route (this was before I changed jobs, I was commuting by car at the time). Occasionally I would hit some static but mostly I had great reception. I was hoping to continue listening on the train. If I got a window seat and put the receiver next to the window that worked pretty well, until they stopped broadcasting here. I haven't heard of any plans for them to come back here, and if they weren't doing well here then no other station has any incentive to pick them up as far as I can see.

[smartvoter]

10. I turned on that preachy s**t this morning and sat in disbelief that AAR

is gone after doing sooooooooo well in this market.

[Pharaoh]

12. THE HORROR!

:puke:

[Czolgosz]

13. When did Phoenix become the nation's fifth largest city? I though that NYC

LA, Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia were all bigger.

I worry that my south Texas Air America station is headed in the same direction. They have reportedly hired some insane local guy who spends most of his time ragging anglo Democrats to fill a spot locally; that will be the death of the station here. It's sad to see great radio station die out.

[Czolgosz]

14. k + r, btw

[Dora]

18. Phoenix metro is vomitously huge.

I lived there for 27 years. Couldn't take it anymore and fled to Texas, of all places.

[smartvoter]

26. Phoenix passed Philly in 2004. nt

[iconoclastNYC]

15. Just another battlefield where Liberals are getting kicked in the teeth

By corporatcon-theocon alliance.

[Sal316]

16. Replaced by "Family Values Radio".

This just sucks.

[davidwparker]

17. Get XM

[saracat]

19. Many of us can't afford it, and we shouldn't have to PAY to hear a

different point of view!The airwaves belong to the public and corporate America has forgotten that. That is why the demise of public access in Phoenix is so important!

[davidwparker]

30. I agree the airwaves should be open to all. In the meantime, if you

can afford it, you can still get AAR without having to huddle around a computer. I've done that, since my area doesn't even have AAR and I don't look for it anytime soon.

[Strelnikov_]

56. If We Are Serious About Righting The Ship Of State, We Have To Pay

In the current system, money is access.

You sound like you are up on the radio business.

How far would $1 Billion a year go toward maintaining a nationwide progressive media network? Primarily radio.

[drm604]

41. That's simply not an option for some of us.

I could afford it, but since I don't commute by car I'd hardly ever use it. For some of us it's basically not available at any price.

[regnaD kciN]

52. That's fine for those who are already "true believers"...

...but one of the main points about a progressive liberal media presence is that it can also draw new listeners who happen to be flipping through the dial and run across an Al Franken or Ed Schultz, decide they like what they're hearing, and keep it tuned there.

Those people are not going to pay to subscribe to XM just to get a network they've never heard of.

In short, AAR is not only for progressive "community," but progressive "evangelism." For the latter, we need over-the-air broadcasting that's free to the average listener.

[Yollam]

20. Sad, but not surprising. Phoenix is freeper central.

Just one more of many, many reasons why I hate Phoenix.

[trudyco]

21. So how much does a radio station cost?

I would be willing to buy private shares of a company that is out to buy media for liberal voices. It's a lot more work than tapping a multimillionaire liberal, but I bet there are a lot of us willing to support a liberal presence in the media.

Can you purchase a couple of low signal stations to cover about the same area is one larger signal station?

There must be a way to keep Air America going in Phoenix. It is too big of a market.

[saracat]

23. The stations won't sell to us.

No available station was willing to air AAR.That is the problem.We tried to buy several stations.

[saracat]

37. Air America has the money. It is the availability they lack!

A project you can help with is putting our liberal political television talk show back on the air in Phoenix. We need to have some form of liberal programming! We have a possibility of transferring our show, "Politically Speaking", which airs on Access Phoenix, and all public programming will be cancelled as of April, to a local Broacast station, Channel 3. But we need to raise money. Our show is the television arm of the Maricopa County Democratic Party.We need help. Send me your contct info and I will send you mine if you are interested in helping. Thank you.
Saracat

[RubyDuby in GA]

22. Word going round is that Atlanta is about to lose their station as well

The station has been bought by someone and is not renewing AAR. Heard this over the weekend at DU meetup, no official word yet.

[RSchewe]

40. Geez. Isn't that Mike Malloy's stomping grounds?

This seems generally, like a problem with attracting advertisers, not the number of listeners.

The corporations and big businesses must not like the message.

[onehandle]

49. #@$%!

Not surprising since we spawned Neil Boortz.

shit.

[usregimechange]

25. What can we do to help?

[RepublicanElephant]

28. gotta get computers and high-speed internet into EVERY home! (n/t)

.

[spooky3]

29. Phoenix: Another place to which you DON'T want to move or retire.

Hey Sun Belt cities: There are a lot of blue Boomers working in very expensive cities, who have saved the $ and are thinking of selling their overpriced houses upon reaching retirement age. But they don't want to live in RW communities. Some city manager needs to get smart about appealing to this group, who pay their taxes, but don't need expensive schools; they help others in the community and are otherwise good citizens, etc.

[blm]

31. Sounds like they are preparing for 2006 and 2008 election cycle.

Watch ALL the corporate media take its lurch back even further to the right.

[Junkdrawer]

64. You bet...

Basically, they’re scared…

[chitty]

32. It sucks double

for me because I have been an advertiser since day one on that station.
Not only do I lose the only sane radio station in this market, but also my main source of advertisement for my business.
I really thought up until the last minute that Bob, the station manager, was going to get it moved to another frequency.

[saracat]

35. I have an idea for you. Please PM me as I can't get you a message yet!

[chitty]

46. I'd like to but I can't.

I don't have enough posts to PM.

[RSchewe]

36. I heard them talk about some behind the scenes negotiations.

It seemed like they were going to find another station nearby and carry everyone over. They were talking very little as if they were planning something and nothing happened.

[RSchewe]

34. I think the loss of The Charles Goyette Show is pretty sad too.

He, to me, his was the best morning radio show. Gonna miss it. He kicked tail and took names. I had a great respect for his independence on the issues and he didn't toe the lefty line if it wasn't just.


http://www.charlesgoyette.com/

He had his own show archives and the whole nine yards.

In that same slot (9 am - 12 pm EST) you have/had:

Charles Goyette (Local Phoenix, AZ show)
Jerry Springer (on most Air America affiliates nationally, incl. NYC)
Stephanie Miller (Jones Network, like Ed Schultz and Bill Press, on some Air America affiliates)
Thom Hartmann (Local Portland, OR show)
Stacy Taylor (Local S. CA show)
Jay Marvin (Local Boulder, CO show)
Democracy Now! (Pacifica)
Brian Lehrer (NY Public Radio)

among others...

I listen to audio streams of many different radio programs (don't watch much TV) and this one seems the most competetive of all of the time slots (in terms of show volume, not money). The Charles Goyette Show should have been put in place of Springer on the Radio nationally. Maybe they can do what they did with Thom Hartmann and Marc Maron and put him on the Air America Syndication stream for now.

The loss of the affiliate was tough, but so was the loss of his show. It looks like it is going to be Stephanie Miller from now on. Her show is really good. I just happened to like Goyette's more.

Here is a little background on what happened in the end:

http://www.desertratdemocrat.com/archives/2006/02/this_is_the_end.html#more

Anyone know what Charles Goyette is going to do at this point, what happened in the end, and what they are all going to do?

[chitty]

42. I agree!

Charles needs to go national.
He has filled in for Ed Scultz and Thom Hartmann before so he knows what's up.
AAR needs to take a long, hard look at Charles.

[ourbluenation]

38. remind everyone that you can listen live online. AAR shouuld take

out ads in Phoenix and tell the folks just that.

[azmouse]

43. I really feel lost today.

I was so used to having AAR on all day. It was my link to sanity. What really pisses me off is thinking about how all the RWers in Phoenix must be laughing today. I want to slap all of them and I'm not a violent person. I just have to stop thinking about it. :banghead:

[tjwash]

44. I don't miss living in that place one little bit

There is a real heavy LDS population in Phoenix, and they were moving in and taking over communities like Mesa, and were censoring,and taking pot shots at stuff like that years ago.

[mom cat]

45. Until we own our own media we are at their "ferr market" mercy.

[MadMaddie]

66. That's true...but the other side of the coin is..

when the dems get back into power they have to "Ma Bell" the 3-4 companies that own the media.

The industry has to be regulated again....under the * cabal the frequency that these few companies have been buying up the smaller companies has increased tremendously..... they have to be broken up to allow competition...

[Cleita]

50. I despise these people.

Years ago the only classical music station in the Los Angeles area was bought out by these Christian broadcasters. They go for stations with strong signals. Was your AAR outlet a strong signaled station? If not, then they are doing this to silence our voice by buying out all the AAR outlets.

[saracat]

54. No. It wasn't strong. Point taken.

[readermostly]

53. I am absolutely sick over this. Today's commute was miserable. It was

so great to have a voice on talk radio that didn't include RW talking points. I've got my tinfoil hat on over this, as we've got an election coming later this year.

[proud patriot]

55. This makes me very Angry

[Chovexani]

57. Fantastic.

Of course this would happen once I decided to move to the Valley. :cry:

[smartvoter]

62. Is there no chance at revival here, now? How, in a free market society,

can a business rise to the #3 spot in a field of 45 in less than two years, operate profitably, then disappear? There is demand for this product.

[Junkdrawer]

65. Bwa ha ha ha "free market society" ha ha ha...

Stop it, you're killing me...

[bbgrunt]

63. Montana too

Malloy talked about losing a Montana station because they weren't getting local ads in spite of booming listeners.

I am becoming really concerned. There is definitely a push to shut down this whole enterprise........