Update (10:56 a.m.): Think Progress, the leftist site that broke the bankruptcy news, updates with a statement from Air America:
“If Air America had filed for bankruptcy every time someone rumored it to be doing so, we would have ceased to exist long ago; it may be frustrating to some that this hasn’t happened. No decision has been taken to make any filing of any kind, we are not sure of the source of these rumors and frankly can not respond to every rumor in the marketplace.”
Note the careful language. By “No decision has been taken,” the network means it probably will file for bankruptcy but hasn’t done so yet. At any rate, the $875,000 is still outstanding.
More from Radar Online.
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Last year when I was still chasing blogosphere scandal waves, it came to my attention that Air America had stolen money from poor black kids in New York. I joined the swarm. I think I’ll join this one, too.
The liberal radio network hemmed and hawed about “transferring” $875,000 from the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club to help their failing radio network. Wikipedia documents the scandal.
Meanwhile, Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club was investigated by the City of New York(PDF) and faced the possibility of being shut down. The national Boys & Girls Club revoked its charter. Air America issued a faux righteous press release, but so far, it hasn’t paid back its “loan” in full.
Well, it looks like those poor black kids in New York won’t get any money from the liberal radio network (oxymoronic!). Air America has filed for bankruptcy. [It's a rumor, says AA.]
Bloggers Brian Maloney and Michelle Malkin covered the Air America scandal extensively last year, and they’ll probably be the go-to bloggers this year.
It all started a few years ago when liberals decided to make a run for talk radio. The success of conservative talk radio upset them, and they wanted to show the world that liberal gabbers could be good talkers, too. I argued that since liberals already dominated mainstream media, there was no point trying to topple Rush Limbaugh from the AM circuit. Besides, it wouldn’t work. Limbaugh built an audience the old-fashioned way. He found a market, started small, and reached a growing segment of people who were fed up with left-wing propaganda in newspapers and on TV.
But Air America marched on, building a radio network from the top down with rich liberals’ money instead of from the bottom up through “customers.” There is no market for liberal talk radio, but Al Franken and crew were determined they could compete with Limbaugh. Comical!
Pride, the Bible tells us, comes before a fall.
(Graphic by Darleen Click)
Blogger coverage: JustOneMinute, Right Wing Nation, Power Line, Decision ‘08, The Moderate Voice…
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Hmmm, the link you provided on Air America’s bankrupcy has them updating it with AA’s response that they have not, in fact, declared bankrupcy.
Thanks for the tip!
Great synopsis La Shawn. I also like the explanation of how Air America tried to build their network backwards from the top down instead of building upward. Good job.
The socialist elite are the same around the world whether you call them Fidel, Koffi, Jacques, Mugabe, Chavez, or Al Franken and his clown-car fellow travelers.
Socialist government exists for the government elites. They steal from the economy and create a drab caste system with perks all around for those above it at the top.
Air America stealing from black kids is no embarrassment to them: the ends justify the means. Also, any “failure” they may have suffered is due to the “playing field not being level.”
Advertisers for liberal talk radio need to be regulated. There should be a law that forces corporations to advertise. Furthermore, the lower the number of people who listen to liberal talk radio, the higher the charges for the advertising that these corporations should be forced to pay. Also, the corporations should have to make advertising that tells negative things about their business. And listeners to liberal talk radio should be allowed to vote ten times every time the enter the voting booth and they should be allowed to enter the voting booth as often as they like.
Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose!
Anyone who sat through the film that documented the birth of this crazy-quilt network had to cringe at how the finances of this thing were going from the very first. Strange deals, jaw-dropping ineptitude and uncashable paychecks are no way to run a business, much less make one competitive. And make no mistakes, media in general (and radio specifically) is a business. You can shout all you want about how AA is or isn’t needed as a voice, but unless you get fully paid for, completely unscrewed with airtime, you’re just shouting in the wind.
According to Michelle Malkin, the money owed to the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club is sitting in an escrow account pending the completion of an investigation. Mrs. Malkin did not make it clear whether or not the investigation was over.
I think Air Amerika’s biggest problem was that it was soooooooo booooooring! A few times I would listen to it just out of curiosity. It was so boring and “same old, same old”! They just don’t have anything new to say. Liberals just aren’t funny when they have to ad lib. The funniest lib EVER on the radio was Alec Baldwin when he tried to be a radio broadcaster. Sean Hannity played excerpts on his show. I laughed every time I heard it. Alec asked to start taking some calls, only there were no callers!!!
And according to Radar Online, neither the spokesperson for the New York City Department of Investigation nor the Boys & Girls Club’s lawyer would confirm that an escrow account exists. I have my doubts…
A wicked game of we-said, they-said!
La Shawn:
You and Michelle Malkin are so excited about the impending bankruptcy of Air America that you are missing something more important. Neal Boortz has discussed this.
If Air America implodes, then the “fairness doctrine” may re-emerge, requiring by the police power of the State to give “equal time” to “opposing views” (only Leftist opposing views). This would put Talk Radio out of business, because few would listen to liberal trash, as few listen to Air America.
Some Leftist said that even if Air America fails it will win (sounds like the Lebanese declaring victory for Hezbollah following it’s near fatal pounding by Israel). They said Air America has established new territory for liberal talk radio. Reslly? Has he been sleeping? Liberal talk radio has been around a long time, and has failed many times.
Those conservatives who don’t take the re-emergence of the “fairness doctrine” seriously should open their eyes at the attempt to censor Rush Limbaugh from Armed Forces Radio, saying that the coverage was not “fair and balanced” (codespeak for “Leftist ideas).
I can’t say that I am shocked or sad that aar may be heading into ch.11 but I must say if that network is liberal then we are in trouble, I can’t see starting aar up in nyc by only being able to get on black stations, with all the nyc radio stations here in nyc aar seems to always pick the black stations in nyc, it’s also funny how liberial aar is with the black talent they have like Mark Riley and Chuck D, they get lousy hours for shows, and Mark Riley was only put on aar because Inner City BroadCasting corp owner of wlib asked aar to put him and wayne gilmon on or else the aar wlib deal wouldn’t of worked, even so all i see is aar taking another black station in nyc and continuing to marginalize black talk radio, while they call themselfves trying to school us about politics, if u people are really liberial, then u would fight and fight for all people! until then aar will be a failure exploiting and colonizing just like their conservative cousin.
Interesting. I have two points — okay three points –
1) Air America’s programming has always been and is horrible.
2) Al Franken isn’t funny, and;
3) For shame, Lashawn. The children being deprived by this foolishness aren’t “black” kids.
First, in NYC, they are most likely to be Hispanic. Secondly, as a person who dreams of colorblindness, their color should mean least to you. Thus, these are kids.
We don’t always agree (nor should we), but that was a bit much. You don’t believe black people should be given preferences. Okay, fair enough. But I don’t believe we should be made a butt of a joke either. Particularly when the joke isn’t on us.
Fair is fair.
#12- sonnyredd, I think the point was that in the mind of a liberal, stealing from poor black kids is far more egregious than stealing from poor white kids. The distinction is made to highlight the hypocrisy of the liberal animal.
They’d rather owe those kids the 850Gs than cheat them out of it.
Liberals hate capitalism and big business. So the whole idea of liberals running a successful radio network was a joke from the start. If I’m lucky, maybe the folks at Air America will try to sell off their computer equipment on EBAY. I like a bargain.:-) Now that I think about it, do I really want to buy equipment that liberals touched? I think not. If Air America truly does file for bankruptcy, it will be the biggest embarrassment for liberals to date. When this project of theirs first started, they were talking BIG. This was suppose to have been the answer to Rush Limbaugh, and conservatives were going to run and hide. The truth was going to get out blah blah blah. A few years later, and now look at whats about to happen. Lets see if the media covers this story if Dead Air America files for Ch 11 tomorrow.
NPR isn’t as liberal as it used to be, but it’s still a good option to conservative talk radio. Also, some local NPR stations are going all talk, so they’ll definitely be getting their viewpoint out there. Plus, they’re well-funded–Ray Kroc’s widow gave millions of dollars to NPR in addition to various donors and sponsors, so they’ll be around for a while.
“Pride, the Bible tells us, comes before a fall”
Were you taking a jab at Rush Limbaugh for getting caught with Viagra without a prescription?
Unless I’m reading this wrong, the fairness doctrine only applies to broadcast radio. Air America was a satellite radio station, as is America Right, and the fairness doctrine would not require equal time for opposing views.
So I hear Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda are starting their own station to replace Air America. Maybe they’ll give back the money. This just really stinks for the Boys & Girls Club; someone made a colossally stupid decision.
Maybe Jane and Gloria can tell us what their latest “thoughts du jour” are. Afterall, where would women be if they didn’t have Hanoi Jane and Gloria to think for them.
Air America is terrestrial radio, at least in Chicago.
What is the purpose of the “fairness doctrine”? I don’t want to listen to liberals talk, they give me a headache already when they do. Liberals fail in radio for one very simple reason, nobody wants to listen to what they have to say. The consumer is always right the last time I checked. That is why conservative talk radio has no problems paying it’s bills. Just the concept of the fairness doctrine is very dangerous. We have freedom of speech in America,but a person also has the freedom not to listen. I don’t approve of the government basically saying, we are going to make you listen to a different view point. I truly wonder if liberals controlled the talk radio format, would the government still support the fairness doctrine? I don’t think so.
Prison time for those involved in the Boys and Girls Club/AAR scandal would be just.
The survival of Air America would really be a benefit. It’s always good to know what the other side is up to.
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