Eminent Domain Stuff
New London Update (2/24/06)
Bad NLDC!
Coverage of the Rally at New London's City Hall (w/ pics)
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Hot Air America Update
Well, it looks like Air America is going to hold off deflation for a little while longer:
The fledgling talk-radio network has replaced five top executives, been taken off the air in two of its top three markets and lost several crucial producers. By late April, current and former executives said last week, the company was perilously close to running out of money. It has since received an infusion of cash, though it has not disclosed how much or from whom.
That's cute. I'm glad to hear that someone is supporting them, but they're not going to let us know who. Maybe it's Franken's dad? Perhaps they should have just opened a lemonade stand.
Anyway, here are a few tid bits from the article:
In a sign that the privately held company's financial woes have not fully abated, Al Franken, the network's best-known star, said in an interview last week that he had agreed not to draw a salary, however temporarily, making him "an involuntary investor.''
You'll have to excuse me while I wipe the tears from my eyes...ok, I'm better now. Here's why Franken is ready for the big time:
The network, which is also carried on the satellite radio providers XM and Sirius, has found an audience on the Internet. In its first week, listeners clicked on the audio programming on the Air America Web site more than two million times, according to RealNetworks, the digital media provider.
"It's clear the audience is there,'' Mr. Franken said.
Oh, it's clear huh? Now, it might very well turn out that he's right and there are millions upon millions of people just chomping at the bit to be able to listen to the Left spout its crap. On the other hand, the fact that listeners clicked on the...Air America Web site more than two million times tells me that they got 2 million hits. That's not 2 million individuals listening to their shows...but rather 2 million hits. If I had the time I could run up a few thousand on this very site all by myself. Even so, 2 million is a lot by MuD&PHuD standards but given their huge media hype (none of which did I ever receive) I would actually expect a whole lot more (check out Glenn's hits at Instapundit for a blog comparison).
Now for my very favorite quote from the entire article:
Air America's stumble outside the studio in its early weeks was partly a function of the ambitious task it had assigned itself. While Mr. Limbaugh quickly found a niche on AM radio beginning in the late 1980's - he is now heard on more than 600 stations - he began syndicating his program at a time when AM radio was thought to be dying, thus presenting him little competition.
Now, in an era of media consolidation, AM and FM stations alike are thriving. Few are for sale (Air America had initially hoped to buy five, but has yet to buy one)[Certainly this could have nothing to do with them having no $$, right?], and few have enough air time available for lease or barter to accommodate Air America's block of programming.
Obviously, Rush was successful because he didn't have any competition. Not like today! No sir! Today the market is saturated and poor little, underdog, much-maligned, $$-poor (except for these anonymous donors, of course) Air America is fighting the Goliath that is Rush. That jerk! How dare he get lucky and be absolutely assured of success from the very first second of Broadcast Excellence?!
Since I apparently love beating (figurative) dead horses...the NYT has absolutely not bias, right? Oh how I simply cannot wait for more valuable updates on this piddling little radio station. I love it =).
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