April 15, 2004

Soros's Check Bounced?

The Chicago Tribune reports Liberal radio stations silenced:

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.

I've no problem wishing them ill will, but I thought the one thing they did have was huge backing. What a wierd story.

Posted by jk at April 15, 2004 01:17 PM
Comments

Hey JK, doesn't the radio station pay for the show? Isn't that the way it works with conservative talk radio? Radio stations buy programming that will attract listeners and then they sell advertising. It sounds to me as if the liberals have to pay people to listen to them.
Sugarchuck

Posted by: sugarchuck at April 16, 2004 07:26 AM

Yes, that is the way it works with conservative radio. People want to listen, ergo the programming has some value.

Air America buys blocks of time of stations, hoping it can get started quickly in major markets, and then sell its own ads to pay for the time. Over time they can hope to sell enough ads to show profit or hope that Ms. Garafalo's keen wisdom attracts enough viewers to charge for the programming.

I shan't make fun -- I have done that for CD release parties and special musical venues: "rent the house, sell my own tickets, keep total control." It never made money for me, but I didn't have Al Franken...

Posted by: jk at April 16, 2004 08:45 AM

Boys, that's the way it works with ALL radio, except for "Air anti-America." The latter works more like those infomercials you see on late-night cable TV. In both cases I wonder, "Who buys this crap?!"

Posted by: johngalt at April 19, 2004 12:15 AM
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