Clear Channel station's ratings plummet after dropping Air America

[Dukkha]

http://www.theotherpaper.com/TOP5-31/5-31_substory1.html
For the first time since Clear Channel’s 1230 AM announced in December that it would drop Air America in favor of a lineup featuring conservative hosts and sports loudmouth Jim Rome, fans of liberal radio have something to smile about.

The latest local radio ratings came out last week, and at the very bottom of the list sat the new 1230 AM.

“It just confirms all along that this was not a business agenda,” said Brian Rothenberg, executive director of Progress Ohio, a liberal organization that participated in an unsuccessful petition drive to keep Air America on 1230 AM.

“What they’ve wound up doing is taking what were decent ratings and making them a bottom of the barrel station. That’s not good business.”

[MessiahRp]

1. Now if Air America actually was the "liberal radio" they describe.

Aside from Randi, Air America isn't quite as liberal as it once was, nor as appealing.

Rp

[davidwparker]

2. Then there's Thom Hartman. Ring of Fire. Maddow. David Bender.

[rurallib]

4. And of course CC always played some syndicated stuff like

Stephanie Miller.

[sandyd921]

3. Hmm...

“Politics had nothing to do with this decision,” said Bruce Collins, program director for 1230 AM and sister station 610 WTVN. “This was a strict business decision. My question is, if there’s such a demand for the product, why hasn’t anyone else picked up Air America?”

Gee, I don't know. Could it be because of.....politics?

[krispos42]

8. If it's a strict business decision...

then when are they going BACK to Air America?

[sandyd921]

10. Politics or a purely business decision?

Another possible example: Portland Maine's AAR format was recently dumped in favor of ESPN by Nassau Broadcasting. Funny thing but Nassau already has ESPN on another AM station. Tom Allen, progressive congressman representing CD1, recently announced he will challenge Susan Collins, our supposedly "moderate" repuke senator. He had even been interviewed on some AAR programs a week or two before Nassau's decision. Oh, another interesting tidbit: Based on an Open Secrets search I did, the CEO of Nassau, Louis Mercatanti, appears to be a pretty big-time repuke donor, to the tune of $25,000 to the RNC in 2005. Maybe I'm reaching here, but a scenario in which a staunch repub, approached by national GOP players, goes along and pulls progressive talk does not seem that farfetched.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/2/71347/22844
http://www.nassaubroadcasting.com/managementteam.htm
http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?key=PRD4X&txtName=Mercatanti&txtState=(all%20states)&txtAll=Y&Order=N

[rurallib]

5. I wish people would put a geographic area on posts like these

[Rick Myers]

6. Columbus, Ohio n/t

[rurallib]

9. Thanks. One of our AAR outlets (SE Iowa) was bought

by RW Christians. The other switched back without notice. I have no idea what ratings they have because the market is too small for ratings. I have heard their listenership measures in the middle hundreds in an area of about 150,000. edit to add - both stations were CC and the one still is.

[KharmaTrain]

7. Clear Channel's World Of Hurt

Recently I had the chance to see some financial data of a group of stations Clear Channel was attempting to sell to help reduce their large debt. It was an incredible case of mismangement and how bone-cutting all but killed the patient. Constant format changes have driven away listeners and every "fix" is like a dead cat bounce...if there's an upsurge, it's short-lived and the numbers head downward again. CC is attempting to sell stations, but there are few buyers for properties that are bleeding red ink.

The other day someone posted a great article as to how the loss of minority and local ownership has destroyed radio...especially vareity. Many Air America affiliates were nothing but relays of the national network with little local programming and promotion...and those stations have done poorly. Without a local component and a way to let people know about the station, these operations continue to fail.

Hopefully with AAR's new affiliation agreement, a new station can be found around Columbus, but until the Congress revisits "Dereg '96" (which they were supposed to do years ago) the problems and games will go on. Revision to restore local ownership to the public airwaves is long overdue.