The Fall Of Air America and A Bold Prediction For The Future

[Caro]

From The Huffington Post:

The Fall Of Air America and A Bold Prediction For The Future

By Brent Budowsky

Disclosure: I have never had any business relationship with Air America, do not have any such relationship today, know various financial players who might participate in its future, and readers should consider that I reserve the right to possibly have some future business interest…

(S)ome summary points:

1. It is an absolute disgrace that going into an historic national election Air America has been mired in management and ownership myopia, self-indulgence and ulterior agendas. Air America should have played a far more powerful role, and this far more powerful role should have been good for business as well as good for America.

2. I believe in progressive talk radio and I absolutely predict that when this is over, Air America or its successor will emerge in a far more powerful and strong position than ever. To use Warren Buffett's term, the numbers I have seen publicly, dramatically understate the intrinsic value of what Air America should be worth as a going concern, with the proper business plan, management and governance.

3. Absolutely no new money should be offered or committed under any circumstances, beyond keeping the hosts on the air, without aggressive and extreme reforms of corporate governance based on commonly accepted, highly professional and totally transparent "governors" and "rules of governance".

4. Absolutely no new money should be offered or committed under any circumstances, beyond keeping the hosts on the air, without a first rate management team with clear CEO leadership with a proven track record, clear marketing and public relations expertise and plans led by executives with experience and records of success.

5. Absolutely no new money should be offered or committed under any circumstances, beyond keeping the hosts on the air, without a clear, visionary, aggressive, comprehensive and transparent business plan that integrates progressive talk radio and its audience, with other elements of the progressive communities in win-win entertainment, transactional and financial relationships.

6. Specifically, for progressive talk radio to be a truly viable and successful business model and going concern, there must be strong integration between the audio world of radio progressives and the internet world of on-line progressives. These win-win relationships would increase the audience and eyeball power of both progressive radio and the progessive blogs and create mutually beneficial revenue streams for both.

7. Never again should hosts be expected to run around like beggars with tin cups seeking their own sources of sponsorship and capital. This is demeaning, absurd, unprofessional and ridiculous. Air America must reach out to a larger audience, and have both internal and vendor capacities to attract advertisors and sponsors. The host's job is to host; while the management's job is to manage.

8. There should be a comprehensive corporate culture of reaching out to potential large new audiences such as Hispanic, African American, labor, progressive religious denominations and military families receptive to new ideas and new sources of radio support. With these new and larger audiences, there should be corrolary new win-win relationships with their media, including African American and Hispanic television and radio through joint projects and audience cross- promotion and cross-marketing.

There is downside and upside to Chapter 11 and the Debtor-in-Possession formula. The downside is that it is slow and cumbersome at its worst, the upside is that the Court will try in good faith to do the right thing, from a professional point of view, and those with the most egregious ulterior motives and agendas are, I predict, in for a rude awakening while those with the most effective and viable new business plans will have the advantage.

What has happened is a shame, but what is done, is done. I predict the future of progressive radio is greater than ever, based on the strategies mentioned here, and would welcome any and all public comment and, I suspect, private reactions.

Brent Budowsky served as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, responsible for commerce and intelligence matters, including one of the core drafters of the CIA Identities Law. Served as Legislative Director to Congressman Bill Alexander, then Chief Deputy Whip, House of Representatives. Currently a member of the International Advisory Council of the Intelligence Summit. Left goverment in 1990 for marketing and public affairs business including major corporate entertainment and talent management. He can be reached at [e-mail].

Posted by Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

[Captain Hilts]

1. Air America needed better programming. It's that simple. nt

[bluestateguy]

2. Air America is going to survive

But we need to accept the fact that liberal radio will never be what conservative radio is. Stop comparing AA to Limbaugh and Hannity. AA doesn't have to be comparable to right wing radio. We just need to get our feet in the door and keep it there, and give people a choice on the airwaves.

Many liberals, for starters, are not talk radio people, or they are wedded to listening to NPR. It will take a long time to change that. I also agree that AA's incompetent management team needs to be disposed of. AA also may need to suck it up and get some cash flow from George Soros et al.

[KharmaTrain]

3. Every Knock Is A Boost

While AAR as an entity has failed...and IMHO it's amazing they survived this long in a toxic radio environment. They were like the boutique book store across the mall from the Barnes & Noble...it was constantly fighting both the bill collectors and a shrinking advertising market that suffocate them. But in the meantime, it created the first true network of Progressive talk stations...many who have done well with the format and now will move on with the ball.

I'm already seeing two groups moving in to pick up the slack when the Chapter 11 clocck strikes 12 on AAR and with it new opportunities...and hopefully from people with better financial situations that have a realistic view of how to operate a network and to help it promote and grow.

This also is a special opportunity to develop more and more local Progressive Talk. Radio's most effective when it can relate to its listener and AAR offered lots of good stuff about what was going on nationally, there was precious little about what was going on in my local political world...something we need to develop to expand our dialogue and break the right wing's grip on the radio dial.

[flyarm]

6. its tough to have cosmetic people running a radio network!!

when Air America hired cosmetic people to run the network ..i thought it was doomed..

people think they can be corporate hacky's in one industry and break through in another..to do so in media you damn well better bring in media folks...

Radio and TV are different than other corporates...
experience putting together a winning team of talent ..is a talent in itself..

these bozo's running air america now..are clueless!

to move sam..and take off malloy who had an audience ..was stupid..

beyond stupid..seems to me they did not have a winning team in sales...so they fucked with the on air talent ..and what are they left with ??

1 hour less of Randi..Sam on in the morning..( they have now lost that audience)


no Malloy who had a strong audience in late night..

and now..they have a giggling baffon in Maddow, and a no one after Maddow ..neither who have an audience now..( that takes time to build up)

and what do we have?? a very watered down Air America ..and my 2 cents..its not worth my 2 cents to listen!

they have lost me..and i have been an avid listener..all day and all night..now i don't and won't even bother to listen..

removing Malloy was the last straw for me.

now its just a bunch of junk...

fly

[peacetalksforall]

4. Have you considered the slush fund money that went in to

sponsoring right wing radio. Liddy, North, Hannity and their hosts have probably NEVER had to worry about a dime. If the Republican Party can groom lawyers, judges, school officials, civic employees, journalists, editors to promote their takeover of us, radio hosting was probably a high priority.

I hope Air America survives, but not to strategically choke the country the way the Republican Party did before Air America. An Air America is sorely needed. But, most people must be like me - in the dark about how it all works.

Thanks to all our untiring hosts and their teams for what they've given us. I wish I could retract every little nitty criticism I've ever made.

Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinhem have just started a show - who carries them?

[Caro]

5. They definitely have better billionaires ...

... on the right than we have on ours. I doubt that any of their media endeavors were ever intended to make money. They were intended as propaganda organs to convince Americans to vote against their own self interest and in favor of the best interests of those same billionaires. Their return on investment has been magnificent, though not necessarily directly from the media investments themselves.

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com