April 14, 2004
EXCRESENCE IN BROADCASTING NETWORK
Liberal radio stations silenced (John Cook, April 14, 2004, Chicago Tribune)
After just two weeks of broadcasting, Air America Radio, the fledgling liberal talk-radio network featuring Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo, was pulled off the air this morning in Chicago and Los Angeles, the network's second- and third-largest markets, in a dispute over payments for airtime.Arthur Liu, owner of Multicultural Radio Broadcasting, which owns Air America affiliates WNTD-950 AM in Chicago and KBLA-1580 AM in Los Angeles, said Air America bounced a check and owes him more than $1 million.
Air America and Multicultural had entered into a time brokerage agreement in which the network was essentially renting Multicultural's airtime, Liu said.
"They bounced a check today," Liu said. "It's a default. They have paid only a very small portion of what they owe us." Liu declined to say how much Multicultural is owed, but did say he is holding $1 million in checks that Air America has asked the company not to cash.
"They've been saying, 'We're going to get you the money' for the past two months," Liu said, referring to a security deposit that he said Air America was supposed to have prepaid in advance of its launch. "They're not honoring our agreement."
If you built it they will shun. Posted by Orrin Judd at April 14, 2004 8:47 PM
Even better is the FrankenRadio response. Why is name-calling and accusations of dishonesty always the left's responses of first resort?
Aside from the fact its funny to watch Air America go after a minority businessman with such ferocity, station owner Arthur Liu has made a career of buying up small, low-powered AM radio stations in major markets like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles and then selling brokered air time programming on them. If you pay the check, you get on the air, whether its a 30 minute diet pill or real estate infomercial or a three-hour harrangue about George W. Bush or John Ashcroft by Al Franken.
Actual progamming in which commercials are sold within the show on his stations is secondary, so the Spanish-language switch was made only because the supposedly deep-pocketed Air America bounced its check. Maybe George Soros needs to redirect some of his charitable donation stream away from MoveOn.org and to these people. Or they could become NPR affiliates and stage a radiothon...
Posted by: John at April 14, 2004 9:53 PMYEah, it needs to be on NPR so Morning Sedition can follow Morning Edition.
Posted by: John Barrett Jr. at April 14, 2004 11:12 PM"Air America isn't dead, we're in court . . ."
I love it.
Posted by: jefferson park at April 15, 2004 4:33 AMGosh, I may never get to hear it.
Posted by: genecis at April 15, 2004 12:12 PM