Just a Crazy Thought: Could DU Buy and Run AAR?

[berni_mccoy]

I don't know anything about AAR's financial situation, but was wondering... *could* DU buy it and manage it?

Crazy idea.

But, then again, who better to manage the programming, advertising, and fundraising than those most interested in keeping it alive? A modern-day, Co-Op radio.

DU is a well-run business that has the shortest fund raisers I've ever seen. I know we are talking two completely different worlds, but you have to admit, DU is efficiently operated.

Thoughts, ideas?

[marmar]

1. Perhaps a co-op concept isn't a bad idea....

But could we afford Franken and Rhodes?

[Vorta]

36. I'm in. It would only be $204 a piece. If co-op shares were $20 you could give them as xmas presents

[Donnachaidh]

2. at LEAST send some GOOD advertisers to AAR.

I'm so sick of those Home business opportunity ads that are nothing more than a front for an herbalife MLM. Or the other one that sends you a free tape and then sells your contact info to every mailing list company on the planet.

[DemonFighterLives]

28. Their ads were hokey

Here in MN we have to deal with glenn effing beck ads and used to have the right wing taxpayer garbage. I mean they need ads but sheesh.
:crazy:

[helderheid]

3. If not buy, at least buy advertising

[Kelvin Mace]

4. Methinks

you vastly overestimate the amount of cash that DU generates, and underestimate the amount of money it takes to run a radio network. :)

[berni_mccoy]

5. I know it's a completely different scale

But if AAR is as badly managed as some former hosts and insiders say, then it's no wonder the ship is sinking. If good management is needed, I think we've seen good management here.

[Kelvin Mace]

17. I appreciate your wish to help out

but running a web site and a radio network are apples and oranges.

I would guess that DU's quarterly fund-raiser brings in $10-$20K. With bandwidth costs at probably $5K+ per month, I would say they are hit or miss on staying in the black. Ad revenues are probably helping keep it in the black.

Hey, I'd love to be proven wrong, believe me.

[Pab Sungenis]

40. But we do have people on here with radio experience

Myself included. If DU were to buy AAR (although the odds of that are slim to HAHAHAHAHAHA Riiiight!) we'd have people here capable of managing the broadcasting side, as well as the business side.

[Kelvin Mace]

45. Well, as they say

from your mouth to God's ear.

[BOSSHOG]

6. I could be the potty mouthed liberal Veteran

who says fuck a lot and spend my on air time taunting cowardly chickenhawks.

[berni_mccoy]

7. LOL!

[xchrom]

11. i'm running the Gay Agenda Hour!

along with rants about marriage equality -- will be hot tips on shopping for prada and secrets to shopping barney's new york sales.

i can't wait!

[KamaAina]

14. Think globally, act locally

Thinking back to our (mostly my :eyes: ) discussion in the La. forum, you could be the local equivalent of Randi, who is, of course, an Air Force vet. There will, however, be no F-bombs dropped as long as I'm station manager. :P

I managed to get a nibble from a NOLA blogger, but haven't heard back from him since:

http://peoplegetready.wordpress.com/2006/11/15/is-commercial-radio-listening-to-you/

(replies 5 and 7) For all I know, he's busy setting the whole thing up behind my back! :P

[rinsd]

8. A well run biz doesn't seek fundraisers every quarter

That is no offense to the admin who are more interested in providing a superior product but considering the millions it takes to run a radio netowrk, I would say DU is in no position to do much.

[Vorta]

37. For all I know, DU is run out of a paid for Gerogetown mansion.

[w4rma]

42. NPR and PBS both seek fundraisers every year.

You need to rethink your idea of "a well run biz".

[salin]

9. lol

no offense, but unless I am terribly wrong, I don't think the DU powers that be pull in nearly enough revenue to buy AAR. Heck I remember when during fund raising they finally were able to get another server (that is - the fundraising was in the magnitude of thousands of dollars, not multi-millions). Forgive me Admin - you know I love you - and only missed your first year of existence... so maybe it is my memory of a bit more of a shoestring existence for the community... but while the OPs intentions are good and noble... the idea sorta makes me snicker.

[Sydnie]

10. You'd need several groups to go together for something like that

like MoveOn and PFAW for example. Groups with deep pockets or at the very least, access to those with deep pockets.

It would be good to be part of that though, wouldn't it?

[xchrom]

12. kidding aside -- it could be done.

[Uben]

13. Hold it! We can do this!

Send in your two million dollars today, and we'll be up and running in no time!

[cboy4]

15. $ounds very expen$ive.

It's an intriguing idea in theory, but it sounds far from practical.

You know how much payroll would be? Yikes.

[helderheid]

16. recommended :P

[madinmaryland]

18. Can we afford Franken?

:hide:

[ContraBass Black]

19. The DU admin, or the membership?

[Missy Vixen]

20. It's too bad we can't form a consortium of progressive blogs and DU

to make an offer. Even though organizing progressives is like herding cats, I would LOVE to hear what these groups would come up with.

Julie

[Vorta]

21. Do you guys listen to talk radio?

I don't. I don't know anyone who does. When I was a teenager, AM radio was something to get rid of, and FM radio stations had disc jockies with deep slow and restful voices. The fewer commercials, the better the station. Less talk, more music.

Air America is failing because liberals don't need to listen to themselves all day long to believe in their positions. Fanaticism requires repetition, truth only needs to be heard once.

[VOX]

22. Agreed, but the liberal message needs to be out there on the airwaves.

If for no other reason than the almighty combustion engine. A growing number of people are stuck in their cars every working day, making increasingly longer commutes from outlying affordable housing. And talk radio is more or less designed to fill the commute time.

Each day, if just a handful of Limbaugh-Hannity-et al addicts flip their dials just to sample Air America, then it's worth it.

Never, never sell shore **any** media when it comes to getting -- and keeping -- the message out.

[byronius]

23. Au contraire. I learn from AAR every day.

I never listened to talk radio before -- now, I'm hooked. Especially to Randi Rhodes. I think I'm a hell of a lot sharper on issues than I was before its inception.

If I had the twenty mil, I'd pony up in one microsecond. To me, it's an ultra-important information stream.

[Union Thug]

24. Every day - morning drive in, background in my office space

and then the drive home.

Air America isn't failing because of liberals don't listen (Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz are Jones and doing just fine, for example). Air America's management screwed the network before they even went on the air as I understand it.

[IndyOp]

26. I listen 24/7 -- especially to Thom Hartmann --

He is a font of information, historical perspective, international context...

Also really like Sam Seder and Mike Malloy -- entertaining and informative.

On Edit: Also - AAR had an important impact on getting people to get off their butts and go volunteer to get Dems elected this past Summer/Fall.

[sandyd921]

30. Several hours a day.

I'm hooked and can't imagine losing any of the programs I enjoy. I also come to DU and other progressive Internet sites and between AAR and other progressive radio and the net I stay well informed and also hone my talking points.

[DemonFighterLives]

32. I do- the music all sounds the same on the music stations

and there is new information every day. Stephanie Miller is a hoot- oops Jones radio. Randi is great and she moved from 6 0'clock here which I miss for Thom Hartmann, who is good, but takes getting used to after Randi. Even the wife took a liking to Randi and she never liked talk radio.
:dem:

I have to imagine that somebody out there somewhere is going to pick up AAR which I think can become profitable once the people wake up.

[OnionPatch]

33. Yes, plenty of people do.

I think brushing off talk radio is a huge mistake. I know tons of people who listen to Rush Limbaugh or some other right-wing show for the simple reason that that's all there is on. These people are farmers, construction workers, truck-drivers, people who work in shops/garages, factories, etc. in other words, people who work manual labor. When you do that kind of work, you can get very bored. When I worked that type of job, I listened to music a lot but I also loved listening to talk radio and so did my co-workers. A very common complaint was that there were too many right-wingers (and religious programs) on the dial. I know there are lots of people out there who would be listening to liberal radio shows if there were any but instead they are getting all their "news" from Rush and Hannity.

[Twist_U_Up]

25. I would heavily support this but....

as with DU..... 9-11 is a taboo subject

Cant support that....the evidence is there

9-11 was an inside job
Twist

[BringEmOn]

27. Screw AAR...get behind NovaM and Head On.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

34. Never Heard Of Them. n/t

[Strelnikov_]

29. I Have Been Throwing Around Something Like The NPR Non-Profit Model

Repost of the screed I have been throwing around for the last year or so regarding commercial progressive radio.

. . .

Why people expect power to support those talking truth to power is beyond me.

There is a ready market of over 40% of the populace in even the reddest of areas that are not currently served by political talk radio. What every business model requires, a ready-made market.

Problem is, the money boys (advertisers, station owners) are from the other side of the political divide, and most apparently would prefer to lose money. Even worse, they are now apparently buying up AAR affiliates with good numbers in order to push them off the air. No station, no problem.

So much for the free market.

Instead of trying to ‘fight the last war’, that is, model progressive talk radio after Reich-Wing radio, a different (and not really innovative), approach is needed.

This approach is . . . . use the NPR model.

In larger, left leaning cities, commercial Progressive radio will be viable due to the critical mass of advertisers. In smaller, or redder, markets, where most of the advertisers are prejudiced, funding would come from the ‘Corporation For Progressive Radio’ to offset losses.

As Liberals/Progressives, we would need to donate $100/200 a year to the corporation (I used to donate this much to NPR). If 1/6 of Kerry voters donated $100/yr., $1 B a year could be raised.

My belief is that until those in the Red areas (Phoenix, Missoula, Atlanta, etc. etc.) are provided access to an alternative to Reich-Wing propaganda radio, Progressive politicians will make limited inroads. Some discount the effect of Reich-Wing propaganda radio on the political shift, and dumbing down, of the electorate, particularly the ‘working class’. I do not. Radio is low cost (for the consumer), convenient, and pervasive among the ‘working class’.

One other change is that the on-air ‘personalities’ would need to accept that they are part of a movement, and park their ego, and need for $1 M/yr paychecks, at the door.

My experience with all cities, and particularly ‘Red’ cities (St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Des Moines, Albuquerque), is that the older/university neighborhoods are ‘Blue’, surrounded by ‘Red’ suburbs which are the enclaves of the middle and ‘working’ classes. That is, the part of the electorate that has been consistently voting against their best interest. Therefore, the primary strategy would be to ‘serve’ these areas. The ‘Blue’ would provide a critical mass of funds, with the CPR providing funds to keep the enterprise ‘just in the black’.

A secondary strategy would be a salient into smaller markets with larger universities (Columbia, MO, Springfield,. MO, Iowa City/Cedar Rapids, IA, Fort Collins, CO) and therefore a younger demographic. The dynamic in these smaller cities would be similar to the larger cities, with the relatively large progressive base proving the revenue to operate nearly self-sufficient.

A third, and probably most important, strategy, will be an air-drops into (typically ‘Red’) smaller cities that are rural regional centers (Quincy, IL, Topeka, KS, Waterloo, IA, Quad Cities, IA). These operations would probably require the most funds from the CPR.

Parallel to all of the above, ownership of stations should be the priority, or the sorry situation in Missoula and Phoenix will simply continue. With an adequately funded CPR, when a station comes up for sale, they would be ready. On-line funding drives could even be effected to raise funds to outbid the Christo/Corporatist oligarchy.

[Donnachaidh]

49. Atlanta station was bought and stripped of all but Al Franken

As much as I like Al, I really miss Randi on drive time. And Malloy.

And the CRAP this knucklehead new owner filled the rest of the day with -- OMG! We're dying down here for a good progressive station.

I hope NovaM comes here soon. We do have Dems in Georgia. And we do need a voice here, if only to convince some of the public that there are options to the good ole boy republican network.

[endarkenment]

31. Funding is several orders of magnitude different.

DU is something like 100,000/yr AAR is probably in the 10,000,000/yr or more range.

[w4rma]

43. I suppose 2 is "several". Although, "a couple orders of magnitude" is more appropriate. (nt)

[Nimrod2005]

35. SKINNER...I can pitch in too...I have few dollars.

[rug]

38. I'd pay to hear an hour of the Lounge every day.

[Stu DeBeouf]

39. HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

:rofl:

[Minnesota_Lib]

41. Can I pick the bumper music? Can I, can I, can I? LOL... J/k

[Pharaoh]

44. NO

I don't think so.............

unless you are a multi millionare who is going to run the show....

[Vorta]

46. You're right. A killjoy, but right. A co-op without adult supervision, is "Space Available" nt

[KharmaTrain]

47. Should DU Also Buy A Football Team & Flight School??

Money may save AAR...may...and reports are the debts are several million dollars. That's gonna be one hell of a fundraiser to get up that kind of money in less than a week.

Then, let's pretend DU does buy the network...then what? There will then need to be another big fund raiser cause there won't be any cash on hand to operate the network and get it back on its feet. Oh, and don't forget all the salaries...say a staff of 15 to 20 people to operate Sales, Engineering, Marketing, Production and other behind the scenes jobs.

DU is a message board that offers a great forum, but it's definitely NOT a radio station. In fact, one of radio's greatest downfalls in recent years are the number of people...particularly bean counters...who came in and thought they could run radio better than people with years of experience and drove a lot of great talent out.

There's another way DU could be the platform for future Progressive Radio...and that would be through creating a forum or some kind of means to get the many who are producing their own radio shows...set up a place to exchange information or ask for help...then to promote and work to get these shows heard here around DU and then possibly onto public or commercial stations.

[NewJeffCT]

48. AAR needs a left of center sugar daddy

paging George Soros, Mr. George Soros.

The Right has Richard Mellon Scaife, Rupert Murdoch, Rev Sun Myung Moon, Conrad Black, the Walton family, the Coors family, the Olin Foundation, the Bradley Foundation, etc.