Air America Bites the Dust

What a sad time for America.

Bloomberg.com:U.S.: "Air America Radio Network Seeks Bankruptcy Protection, By Don Jeffrey

Oct. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Air America Radio, the liberal talk and news radio network, sought bankruptcy court protection after
losing $40.9 million since May 2004.

Air America, featuring comedian Al Franken, will keep
broadcasting after receiving court permission to use $900,000 in
financing from Democracy Allies LLC today, Tracy Klestadt, a
bankruptcy lawyer for the company, said in an interview.

"I think they're not going to make it in this current
form,'' said Paul Levinson, media studies chairman at Fordham
University in New York. "It's a sad day because we need as much
political diversity in our media as possible.''

The decision to seek legal protection from creditors came
after a creditor froze the bank accounts of Piquant LLC, which
operates as Air America, the court filing shows. Piquant said
Multicultural Radio Broadcasting Inc. "restrained all of the
Debtor's bank accounts,'' leaving Air Am helpless.

DrudgeReportArchives.com, 2006: "HBO MOVIE SHOWS RADIO 'AIR AMERICA' CHAOS, **Exclusive**

HBO is set to air a behind the scenes look at the launching of liberal radio network AIR AMERICA.

The DRUDGE REPORT has obtained a director's cut of LEFT OF THE DIAL, a grossly entertaining docu-drama of life on the other side of the AIR AMERICA microphone.

The doubts. The lies. The bounced checks. The heartbreak.

The viewer is taken up close to witness the ugly business of media ambition.

The main character, Evan Cohen, founding chairman and main investor, is depicted as a complete fraud.

The documentary shows Cohen arriving in the middle of night at AIR AMERICA offices to sign over the company and disappear again, but not before lying about how many ads have been sold and how much money is the bank [zero].

Dead Air.

It shows how AIR AMERICA executives lied and lied again about not bouncing checks to their Chicago and Los Angeles affiliate owners. [The network was quickly thrown off the stations.]

The film captures AIR AMERICA staff first learning about the Chicago and
LA nightmare by reading a DRUDGE REPORT exclusive on their computers.

It shows midday host Al Franken at a staff meeting being told there is no money left, hilariously, just moments after ranting about George Bush's ethics.

The HBO crew is told to shut down their cameras -- but they don't -- and the 'We're Broke!' meeting is filmed raw.

LEFT OF THE DIAL shows an angry meeting of the writing staff being told how money was deducted from their checks to pay for health care -- but the money was never paid to the HMO and they were never covered!

Host Janeane Garofalo looks suicidal in nearly ever scene which she appears.

“What am I going to do, just ramble on and on,” panics stand-up-comic-morning-drive-host Marc Maron, as he deals with the reality of becoming a talk-show host.

But every drama must have a hero: Enter Randi Rhodes …

ThinkProgress. Air America To Declare Bankruptcy, But Progressive Radio Remains Strong:

UPDATE: According to Al Franken, Air America did not file for bankruptcy Friday. We regret the error. See our correction here.

Air America Radio will announce a major restructuring on Friday, which is expected to include a bankruptcy filing, three independent sources have told Think Progress.

Air America could remain on the air under the deal, but significant personnel changes are already in the works. Sources say five Air America employees were laid off yesterday and were told there would be no severance without capital infusion or bankruptcy. Also, Air America has ended its relationship with host Jerry Springer.

The right wing is sure to seize on Air America’s financial woes as a sign that progressive talk radio is unpopular. In fact, Air America succeeded at creating something that didn’t exist: the progressive talk radio format. That format is now established and strong and will continue with or without Air America. Indeed, many of the country’s most successful and widely syndicated progressive talk hosts Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller, for instance aren’t even associated with Air America.

Radio giant Clear Channel is so committed to progressive talk radio that, this week, it will announce a partnership with the Center for American Progress and MSS Inc. to conduct a nationwide search for the next Progressive Talk Radio Star.

The Radio Equalizer: Brian Maloney: Air America Radio Bankruptcy, Sale Possible: 13 September 2006, Air America Radio Bankruptcy, Sale Possible

BANKRUPT? Air America Out Of Cash, Up For Sale*** this story has been updated:

Cash- starved Air America Radio is broke and up for sale, the Radio Equalizer has learned exclusively. In addition, a liberal website is reporting that the so- called 'progressive' radio network will announce a bankruptcy filing on Friday. As of this moment, the story has yet to be verified. What our own sources are telling the Radio Equalizer is that two potential buyers have recently been looking to scoop up Air America's assets. But internal board squabbling has created a disunited front, with some members looking to hand the network back to eccentric co- founder (and Huffington Post contributor) Sheldon Drobny, while the rest shop for buyers. Jon Sinton, a former Air America and Clear Channel Radio executive, is said to be leading the effort to seek a purchaser.

Drobny, meanwhile, has been scrambling to figure out a way to retake the network and intends to rehire former COO Carl Ginsburg if he is successful. To Radio Equalizer readers as well as Air America staffers, none of this should come as any surprise. Big layoffs came earlier this week and insiders have been bracing for the worst possible news. Recently, we had reported on a number of management departures and the fact that Air America could no longer afford to pay the Associated Press for wire service coverage. Plus, the Gloria Wise scandal has still not been resolved.

In addition, this indication of Air America's financial condition allows Al Franken to trigger a clause in his contract that would allow him to immediately depart the network if he so chooses. He first must request a financial statement, however. If Air America isn't able to continue its programming, it opens the door for new feminist talk radio network Green Stone Media to take over some, or …

Bye Bye Air America: "Left Mourns Air America's Bankruptcy Declaration, Posted by P.J. Gladnick on September 13, 2006 - 21:33.

Michelle Malkin: Air America: The end?: "Air America: The end? By Michelle Malkin, September 13, 2006

So, Air America leaks word of its bankruptcy to liberal blog Think Progress in an attempt to avoid complete humiliation by all those evil right-wingers who were spreading such vicious rumors about its financial chaos.

May I just say: Bwahahahahahaha.

First question: Will the New York Times fiiiiinally get around to covering this story? Hmmm?

As I’ve said, what a sad time for America. Air America, we will miss your inane Bush-bashing, anti-American, nonsense-spewing, liberal hours of hatred.

Lefties think that being popular is a formula. All you have to do is copy Rush Limbaugh or Bill O’Reilly and give it a left slant, and you’ll have an audience. Did you learn your lesson? Let me tell you the real secret of Rush and Bill. Truth. Plus, as O’Reilly would say, “looking out for the folks.” Get the hatred out of your hearts. People don’t buy hatred, dum dumbs.

The people like the passion, intelligence, wit, and truth of Rush. They like O’Reilly’s telling it like it is, whether he is for or against the right, or Bush. O’Reilly isn’t always correct, and neither is Rush. But they do try to be right. They do try to speak the truth. They don’t just use Mao’s little book of propaganda like the left does. Air America was destined to fail, no matter how much money that hateful old man, George Soros, pumped into it. Did Rush ever need a donation? Not once.

Actually, I do wish there were some liberal alternatives to right wing and Christian right news etc. I don’t mean clones of Flatulence America, however. I don’t mean knee-jerk leftist media like ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC. I also don’t mean Noam Chomsky America-haters either. Liberalism and progressivism are legitimate political philosophies. They have no credible spokespersons at this time. There are no Dennis Prager’s for the left. All the prominent left-wing spokespeople are airhead bashers with no positive ideas for America. FDR had some good ideas. Where is the left’s FDR of today? John F. Kennedy had his Peace Corps. Where is the left’s JFK now? John Kerry and Hillary Clinton? Give me a break.

Get back to your roots, my dear leftists. You don’t need to bash the right to contribute to America. Just think of the good of the country, for a change.

In the meantime, a moment of silence for that great American institution, Air America!