A couple of problems with this analysis:

1.  Rush and many other conservative talk shows are bankrolled by such giant 
corporations as Bank America, GM and IBM.  Now what self-respecting company 
of that size would sponsor a left wing radio network one of whose chief 
complaint is that big corporations are not regulated enough.  It would be 
like cutting off your own genitals <g>.
2.  Related to the above item is that the issue of which stations carry Air 
America programming bears directly on their inability to attract the 
aforementioned large corporate sponsors.  Thus, they are relegated to small 
coverage stations with low power who charge cheaper advertising rates which 
are more in line with the abilities of their small time sponsors and 
contributors.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Russ Kiehne" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 12:53 PM
Subject: Re: BJS XM Radio needs our help


Where have you gone, Air America: The nation hasn't turned its ears to you
By
Jesse Noyes
Boston Herald Business Reporter
Monday, September 18, 2006 - Updated: 04:39 PM EST
It hasn't exactly been an American dream.
    Since Air America Radio's inception, the liberal talk network has
struggled to
stay alive. Last week, speculation swirled that the troubled network was
preparing
to file for bankruptcy and its most recognizable star Al Franken revealed he
hadn't
received a paycheck in a while.
    On Friday, an Air America spokeswoman dismissed the bankruptcy rumors,
saying
the broadcast network was undergoing "the the normal financial pressures of
a start-up."
    Air America was launched with a bang of publicity, but, over two year
later,
it's still short on bucks.
    So what went wrong?
    There's a lot of differing opinion on the matter.
    One theory often cited is that there just isn't a market for left-wing
punditry
on the radio dial.
    "America is a conservative country," said Peter Smyth, chief executive
and president
of Braintree-based Greater Media Inc., which owns 19 radio stations in the
Boston,
Detroit, New Jersey and Philadelphia markets.
    "When you put your flag in the ground and say . . . 'we're going to be
the rebuttal
of Rush Limbaugh,' you have to ask 'Well, does the market want that,' " he
said.
    Conservative talk show hosts, and even whole stations dedicated to
right-wing
talk, are all over the place. But there doesn't seem to be much demand for
left-of-center
radio, said Jason Wolfe, program director for the oft-conservative chatter
WRKO-AM
(680).
    "There's an overwhelming amount of conservative talk radio or talk radio
that
is more to the right than the left," Wolfe said. "The view of the right . .
. provides
more of a compelling and entertaining product than what Air America does."
    But Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers Magazine, said Air America's
woes
have little to do with its political bent and everything to do with the
company's
business sense.
    "Somehow they have created the impression that they are the lone voice
of liberalism
in a dark sea of conservatism," Harrison said. "It's not that they're
liberal, it's
that it's radio and radio is very, very competitive."
    The network's main problem is that it spends more time trying to affect
elections
than it does concentrating on the bottom line, Harrison said. "The ultimate
business
plan is to generate ratings and revenue, not to get anybody elected," he
added.
    A shortage of real radio talent might also be keeping Air America in the
red.
When the company launched, it nabbed some recognizable figures, like Franken
and
actress Janeane Garofalo.
    But radio can have a way of breaking down some uninitiated celebrities,
as David
Lee Roth's disastrous stint replacing jock Howard Stern for CBS Radio
demonstrated.
    "They thought that big names would bring big audiences," Smyth said.
"Great actresses
don't usually make great radio talent."
    Meanwhile, the network suffers from serious signal deficiencies. Most of
its
affiliated stations are found on weak AM frequencies. In Boston, Air America
programming
is broadcast on WKOX-AM (1200) and WXKS-AM (1430), which barely register a
blip on
Arbitron ratings figures.
    Even in the Big Apple, where the network is headquartered, it now airs
on a weaker
signal after failing to reach a lease agreement with its former flagship
station.
    "I'm not sure (Air America's trouble) has anything to do with content as
much
as it has to do with the radio frequencies they ended up on," Bruce Mittman,
president
of advertising firm Mittcomm and a local radio veteran, said.
    All those problems combined don't paint a pretty picture, and Mittman's
prognosis
is dim. "My feeling is they probably will go bankrupt unless they have a
large broadcaster
come in with some deep pockets to intervene," he said.
    But some experts aren't ready to sign the death certificate. The network
has
nearly sunk before only to be bailed out by donations from sympathetic
left-leaning
listeners, Harrison said. "Their business is based largely on contributions
and donations,"
he said. "They'll probably end up with a tremendous amount of investment."
Jesse Noyes
Boston Herald Business Reporter