Does anyone see the hypocrisy of Air America criticizing Wal-Mart

[RagingInMiami]

While airing Wal-Mart advertisements during commercial breaks?

[meganmonkey]

1. Anyone who doesn't

is in denial :shrug:

[sasha031]

2. I guess they need advertisers

[RagingInMiami]

3. I'm sitting here listening to Air America

The guy Tony, who is sitting in for Ed Schultz, is interviewing this guy about all the negative things about Wal-Mart.

Then they cut to a commercial and it's somebody talking about how great Wal-Mart is, complete with sentimental piano music. I thought I had switched stations by mistake.

[bear425]

10. That's capitalism for ya! Big Eddie said....

"Well, we gotta pay the bills."

[NYCGirl]

12. Ed Schultz does NOT work for Air America. NT

[RagingInMiami]

14. Down here in South Florida

He is aired on 940 AM, the station that airs Air America.

[NYCGirl]

16. That's because the station breaks up AAR programming. Ed Schultz

is not employed by Air America.

[mitchtv]

13. I didn't know Ed's show was AAR

Walmart advertises at their own risk. Myself ; I could give a shit, let'm advertise.We are not opposed to dissent.

[Garbo 2004]

23. Ed's show is not an AAR program. Some AAR affiliates carry nonAAR

programming such as the syndicated Ed Schultz show.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

25. Ed Schultz is not a part of Air America

Also, in any network broadcast, there are network spots and locals. Those WallyWorld ads may be part of the local avalabilities. I don't recall hearing any Wal-Mart spots on AAR's internet stream, but I also don't listen during the day. I'm a night critter.

That having been said, Wal-Mart sucks and we avoid that sorry place like the plague.

[merh]

9. I'm in denial.

:hi:

merry christmas :hug:

[meganmonkey]

27. Hey you!

Merry Christmas. And a WONDERFUL new year!! :hug:

[merh]

29. thank you, sweetie

Happy New Year to you too! :hug:

[acmejack]

4. I found it interesting that Wal Mart is paying them to do it!

[wryter2000]

5. I haven't heard Walmart ads

Is national AAR taking their ads, or is your local affiliate inserting them during their advertising time? It's still hypocritical if that's happening, but you have to blame your local affiliate, not the network. I can honestly say I've never heard a Walmart ad on AAR or my local affiliate. Lots of other crappy ads, of course...

[merh]

6. No, I don't find it hypocritical.

I think it is brave, criticizing a sponsor who helps pay the bills. I am glad Air America has sponsors, I want it to be around for years.

JMHO.

[RagingInMiami]

8. That's a good point

I worked for years in newspaper and seen too many times when advertisers were able to influence the editorial side of the newspaper.

[merh]

17. They still slam Walmart, they aren't afraid to lose the

sponsorship. That says more than the ads, at least to me.

[RagingInMiami]

21. Yes, I agree with you

The newsman in me respects that. You made me see the light. Thanks.

[merh]

30. you are welcome.

:thumbsup:

[Lusted4]

38. AAR can win it's arguments on merit not censorship. n/t

[IndyOp]

7. I stream AAR and haven't heard any Wal-Mart commercials -

Are you listening on XM or on an open-air station?

XM airs commercials for Air America that are insulting - it's where the left gets their marching orders; yes - it is all lies, but it is OUR lies

My point: AAR may have no control of the commercials played on XM or on open-air stations...

:kick:

[RagingInMiami]

11. Listening on my radio down in Miami

940 AM

[IndyOp]

15. It may be your station that is inserting the Wal Mart ads -

the local stations re-arrange the shows, and insert local shows and news, and determine the commercials that play, I think. When I listen to Stephanie Miller (Boston) the news is from AAR. I am listening to a San Francisco station now and the news is from CNN.

I once read a thread here at DU in which someone claimed that Wal-Mart would not necessarily know they were purchasing time on AAR - they would be buying a "daytime talk-radio package"... :shrug:

[0007]

43. I've never heard any Wall Mart advertising, but of course

I don't listen to em all either.

[Rosco T.]

18. It's the local stations doing the Wal-Mart ads, not AAR...

.. AAR can only dictate what advertising originates with THEM... part of the carriage arrangements is that local station can fill their own ad time.

you're blaming the wrong party.

[RagingInMiami]

19. That's why I threw it out there in GD

To get people's responses. It just happened and I'm on my computer so I posted it.

[Protagoras]

20. No I don't.

I would see hypocracy is if they said that they were trying to bring us the truth on their shows and then took Wal-Mart money with the strings/conditions that they DON"T continue criticizing them.

Now if you think that they are altering their content because of their advertizing that's a different claim. So far I have no sense of it. Instead, what I see is them holding Walmart's feet to the fire. The moment that I see an internal memo saying "back off our advertizer Walmart" then we'll have an entirely different discussion.

Till then, I think hypocracy only exists when you pretend to be doing something other than you are...in this case I don't think their doing that at all...they have been totally open about it.

[Jim Sagle]

22. The best is the enemy of the good.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

24. If you are going to talk the talk

you better walk the walk. Air America's whole financial background is a bit muddy.

It makes me wonder sometimes whether we are all just following talking points. It makes me feel used. And dirty!

But then I don't get to feel used and dirty much anymore so I guess that is okay.

[xchrom]

26. shit. that's how the game is played.

let wal-mart pay aar's bills -- this is the real world.

full of bothersome stuff like the rent, light bills, employees, etc
wal-mart wants to advertise on aar -- and i DON'T shop there -- more power to them.

the war is still on.

[liam_laddie]

28. media and ads

Think of AAR like a magazine or newspaper...the ad revenue stream, whether
through local outlets or the "network," is based on listenership numbers and
type of audience. The shows carried are kinda like op-ed columnists in the
print press. They don't need to represent the corporate view; they're read (or
listened to in AAR's case) for that individual's show content. I tend to agree
with the posters who say mal-mart ads are locally bought, not placed with
AAR central. Long live AAR!

[zbdent]

31. Depends . . . Here in the Akron area, the sole truly "leftish" station

(in other words, the only one in the Northeast Ohio region that carries AAR/Schulz type programming throughout most of the broadcast)

is owned by . . . wait for it . . .








































Clear Channel.

Which gets its advertisers to buy space in bulk . . . at least, that's their excuse when a company has an ad on Rush (or one of the "conservatives") and he says something totally idiotic and inflammatory . . .

[billbuckhead]

32. I've never heard a WalMart ad on AAR but I have on NPR

Here in ATL we just get the regular AAR programming and not Ed Shultz.

[Rainscents]

33. I haven't heard any Walmart commercial on AAR... Seattle 1090

[roguevalley]

34. probably local stations advertising.

[ikojo]

35. To me it means that Air America does not allow

advertisers to set the editorial agenda...there is a separation of ad and editor which is a good thing.

Take their money and use it to bring them down.

Nothing wrong with that.

[RagingInMiami]

36. As a former newspaper reporter, I totally agree with you

I didn't see it that way when I posted the OP, but I've since been enlightened.

One of the reason I quit the newspaper business was because "the wall" that traditionally separated editorial from advertising was brought down.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

37. Hi Raging....

Yep, losing it's insulation from the advertising dept. exposes a news room to a loss of character, at first; next, it losses credibility.

[LynneSin]

39. Same stuff came up when The Nation magazine had Fox News ads

They Editor-in-chief said that Fox paid the money for the ads and they believe in freedom of speech. They also knew that their readers would get a kick out of it and still probably not tune into Fox News so basically it was free money for them.

I see the same thing with Wal-Mart and the fact that they are critizing Wal-Mart before playing the commericials is even a bigger hoot. I highly doubt anyone who listens to Air America is suddenly going to change their minds and go shopping at Wal-Mart so in a nutshell it's free money for them

[XOKCowboy]

40. Does anybody see the irony of WalMart advertising...

on Air America? WalMart is trashed on AAR multiple times every day by all the hosts and the AAR audience is predominately ANTI-WalMart and would never shop there. Even so WM pays AAR money which allows more trashing of WalMart.

I think it's pretty sweet.

[Balbus]

41. I guess they both won't let...

politics get in the way of making money.

[murdoch]

42. Try Pacifica

Pacifica has existed for a long time. I listen to them all the time in my car. Pacifica is only in a few cities though. If a dull show comes on I tune in to Air America and here what's going on there. I think both are good, the more the merrier. There are also things like Alternative Radio from KGNU and its affiliates. Lots of community radio, college radio and even "pirate" radio stations broadcast as affiliates of these stations.