Monday, December 18, 2006

Air America, Flying On A Wing And A Prayer (Oops, liberals don't pray)

Leaving aside the question of why a liberal radio network would name itself after the CIA air force, why would anyone want to rescue a broadcast enterprise that has no audience? If left to the free market, this embarrassment would have folded in its first year, but liberal fat cats (yes, they exist) just keep resurrecting it. I'm coming up on 34 years in broadcasting and I've never seen anything like it.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Air America Radio, the liberal talk radio network headlined by the comedian and author Al Franken, is close to a sealing a deal with a buyer, a network spokeswoman said. The network launched with much fanfare two years ago as an alternative to conservative talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh, but declared bankruptcy protection in October after reaching an impasse with one of its creditors. Jaime Horn, a spokeswoman for the New York-based network, said the company had reached a tentative agreement with a buyer -- signing a letter of intent -- but a final deal was not in place. She declined to identify the buyer. The network has been through a number of travails since its launch, including a management shakeup just five weeks after going on the air in 2004 that included the departure of its previous chairman, Evan Cohen. In April of this year, Danny Goldberg stepped aside suddenly as chief executive. Air America Radio has continued to operate while it goes through bankruptcy proceedings and looks for a buyer. Robert Glaser, the CEO of RealNetworks Inc., is leading an investor group that is financing the company. Glaser owns 36.7 percent of the network.

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