Air America Network Stirs Unwanted Controversy - FOX

[reprehensor]

It's only been on the air a week and the Right-Wing media is trying to smear it.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,116454,00.html

It's only been on the air for a week and Air America is already sparking airwave rage.

Critics say the liberal radio network is treating minority communities unfairly by taking over the programming of stations serving different ethnic groups.

One group, the Coalition of Artists and Activists (search), says that by taking over New York's WLIB station, Air America (search) has stolen the voice of African-Americans who relied on that station for information, talk and Afro-Caribbean music.

"We think that if they're going to then take advantage of the weakness of those ethnic stations ... then they ought to do so with a great deal more sensitivity to the communities that had been served by those stations before the advent of Air America," said Bob Law, chairman of Coalition of Actors and Activists.

For Law, sensitivity translates into putting more blacks on the air on Air America, which currently relies on names like Al Franken (search) and Janeane Garofalo (search) to get out its message on a handful of radio stations — three of which used to cater to ethnic audiences.

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Good luck, FOX, AA is here to stay!

[wryter2000]

1. Lord

They're scared. This is great.

[Supormom]

8. You hit the nail on the head.

They're scared, and they're grasping at straws.

[dodger501]

2. Yeah, right

We'll look to right wingnuts and Fox News for information on racial sensitivity. You bet.

[BlueEyedSon]

3. More free publicity!!

[Langis]

4. hahaha that was really a stretch

Even for Fox, what morons.

[Wickerman]

5. How much airspace has Clear Channel corrupted

and folks get shook about this? What an insincere protest.

[xultar]

6. Since when does FAUX care about minorities and ethnic communities

That's a bunch of BULLSHIT!

[terisel]

7. Great Opportunity for right wing media to do Ethnic Programming

They could be turning over a lot of air time to the African-American k and Hispanic communities, and other groups. That should show Air America.

How many hours is Limbaugh using? These ethnic shows could hit the ground running on some of that airtime.

Fox could get in on some quality broadcasting in the Black community.

[Old and In the Way]

9. Gee, we had a couple of threads started here the other day

complaining about "diversity" on AA. Were they prescient or were they coordinating the campaign here?

The "Left" attacking our primary forum for communicating an alternative message to the RW wurlitzer? Hmmmmm.

[chimpymustgo]

11. Air America, much as I love it, could have more diversity.

Not that FOX has any cause to point it out.

But what ONE group of people in this country gives NINETY PER CENT of its vote to the Democratic Party?

Air America is really missing an opportunity to highlight more liberal voices - from African Americans - and other people of color.

[Old and In the Way]

12. So the numerical composition is more important than the message?

I assume the message transcends race and gender....personally, I think this is a bogus red herring that's floated by those that really don't want the message being heard, irregardless of race or gender.

[chimpymustgo]

13. Of course not. It's about inclusiveness.

It's about people looking around a room full of white people, and not thinking there's anything odd about that.

It's one thing if it's a KKK meeting. Quite another if it's a groundbreaking liberal talk radio network. All they could find was one black hip-hop artist? It's actually insulting.

Have they had any black guests on, now that we're on the subject?

[patricia92243]

10. "Unwanted Controversary" says it all. The Republicans do not want ANY....

opinions but their own.

[SideshowScott]

14. Dear Fox, Nice try!

Gee whiz, Fox news is trying to dig up dirt on Air America? GET OUT.
The are scared they know that fewer people will be listening to cash cow whores O'Reilly and Hannity..And on top of that AA has been HAMMERING tool Alan Colmes in a most wicked way. Thus killing ANY illusion that Colmes is a liberal on our side.
So according to Fox, AA took away the only station that plays urban music in New York city? Hehehehe..Fox is such a joke

[xBobx804]

15. share

I know WNTD in Chicago was Hispanic talk in spanish, but seriusly i doubt it effected these stations' shares all that much.

[schultzee]

16. F Fing Faux Fox