SMEAR ALERT: RW media trying to discredit Air America Radio

[trogdor]

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0805maceachern05.html
The Arizona Republic's DougMacEachern has his panties all in a wad over the fact that the New York Times hasn't reported on this so-called "scandal" yet, which has it that Air America Radio was financed in a shady manner using taxpayers' money that was given to the Bronx Boys' Club. Why haven't we heard about this? Could it be because there isn't anything "fit to print" there? Who knows? Here's what he had to say:

One amazing New York-centric story, however, has been rumbling along the last week or so like a Mack truck in first gear:

A series of "loans" of more than $400,000 made in 2004 to the owners of liberal talk-radio network Air America from a Bronx-based Boys & Girls Club.

-clip-

In early 2004, the directors of the nascent Air America network were scouring the nation for potential contributors to its start-up. One of the network's directors, Evan Montvel Cohen, appears to have partially solved the problem by arranging loans from the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club that eventually totaled at least $480,000, and possibly more.

According to reports, Cohen was in an advantageous position to secure the loans: In addition to directing Air America, Cohen also served as development director of the Gloria Wise club.

At the same time, it is worth noting, Cohen also secured loans to himself. All told, he borrowed more than $800,000, according to club officials.

In this case, "borrow" seems to be a loose term. The club's president says Cohen made at least one of the Air America loans - $213,000 - without her approval. Cohen no longer works for either the club or the network, and there is some indication that the current owner of Air America, Piquant LLC, may not have been aware of the loans at the time it purchased the network on May 24, 2004.


Note to mods: I realize that's five paragraphs, but they're short. Please don't kill me.

http://www.nysun.com/article/18148
The New York Sun, for those of you who don't already know, is a neoconservative rag similar in content to the Washington Times. The Sun's David Lombino has the story on what the deal was:

The Boys & Girls Club of America, a federation of nearly 1,200 affiliates across the country, may drop the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club in the Bronx from its ranks at a vote next month.

Gloria Wise is under investigation by the city's Department of Investigation for matters that include transferring $875,000 to Progress Media, former parent company of the Air America radio network, and to the club's director of development, Evan Montvel Cohen, who headed Progress Media.

A recommendation to the national organization's board of governors came out of a months-long investigation by the group, which a spokesman said was initiated before the city probe was announced in June. The spokesman, Evan McElroy, would not detail the findings of the federation's investigation but said yesterday, "We do not drop an organization lightly. It's very, very rare that it happens."

A spokeswoman for Gloria Wise, Marta Rose of Rubenstein Public Relations, said the Bronx club's board found out about the national group's recommendation yesterday and will meet soon to discuss how to preserve its affiliation.

Piquant LLC, which acquired Air America from Mr. Cohen's Progress Media in May 2004, has agreed to pay $875,000 to Gloria Wise, without interest, in installments over the next two years.

Again, mods, I'm exceeding the four-paragraph limit by one, but I need all of them to tell the story. Please don't kill me.

So is there any dirt that sticks to AAR, or is the right-wing media just making hay on this? I saw a similar story on another message board with attribution to NewsMax.com, which has been known to just make shit up when the facts weren't sufficient to their purposes, so I suspect that this is a manufactured scandal that the VRWC is trying to inject into the mainstream media. If anyone else has something to contribute to this, I'd be very appreciative.

[wryter2000]

1. It's a good sign

It means they feel threatened.

[Ian David]

3. A caller on Limbaugh said Al Franken eats live puppies

and that Randi Rhodes uses a machine gun to hunt Bald Eagles and California Condors.

Oh, they also said that Stephanie Miller was on the grassy knoll when JFK was shot.

[ochazuke]

12. And Limbaugh's reply?

He would praise that sort of thing, right?

[Ian David]

13. I don't know. I mae it up.

[JDPriestly]

2. The facts are too unclear to know what effect, if any,

this might have on Air America.

[DinahMoeHum]

4. Here's the statement from Air America Radio. . .

Link:
http://www.airamericaradio.com/press/gloriawise



:smoke:

[NYCGirl]

5. And here's the WHOLE STORY:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/7/30/124315/828

[Fridays Child]

6. FR has been 'gasming over this.

But it appears that, if Piquant has reached an agreement to restore those funds to Gloria Wise, Air America is in the clear. What becomes of Cohen and Progress Media is up to Gloria Wise and the authorities who would investigate and prosecute possible crimes related to the loans.

[Comandante_Subzero]

8. Shining Exemplars

We know how pristine the RepCons are, firms like Enron, Halliburton, & so on! Makes us all proud to be Amurkans.

[ClassWarrior]

7. Lookit the shiny keys... Look over here...

Treason? What treason?

:rofl:

NGU.

[snowbear]

9. I don't see the point in airing the comments of those neo-con rags here

Air America did an excellent job of explaining the situation.

The rightwing wack-jobs can't get their story off the ground.

And we haven't been aiding them by bringing their story here.

I actually think it's better to continue IGNORING their whining than to publish it here.

AAR did a great job in explaining it.. That's all we need :shrug:

[Comandante_Subzero]

11. Class War Tactics

I agree, Larissa. In general we should not be focusing on the enemy at all, but on how we're going to defeat them.

[emulatorloo]

10. Right Wing Echo Machine - See Franken. P3 Lying Liars and the Liars who

"Why wont the NYT print the BS story I made up?!?!"

Franken does a good description of how it works in Lying Liars.


Franken re Fox News Washington Times, New York Post, Editorial pages of WSJ,Talk Radio:

"The members of the right-wing media . . .employ a tried-and-true methodology. First, they concoct an inflammatory story that serves their political goals. . .They repeat it. . .They embellish it. . .They try to push it into the mainstream media. All too often they suceed. . .Occasionally, they fail. . .But even thier failures serve their agenda, as evidence of liberal bias. Win-win. You got to admit. It's a good racket."