The Radio Equalizer: Brian Maloney

10 December 2009

Failed Citadel CEO May Remain After Bankruptcy

BANKRUPT

Citadel - ABC Radio Ready To Hand Control To Lenders





*** DEVELOPING STORY ***


With word this evening that the nation's largest owner of talk radio stations is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the industry is in a state of shock.

But it's not the restructuring itself that has stunned insiders, that's been seen as likely for several months (though the timing is about a month earlier than expected).

Instead, indications that the approximately 90 creditors who are to seize control of Citadel (ABC Radio) and its mega-talk stations (WABC, WLS, KGO, KSFO, KABC, WJR, WBAP, KABC, WMAL and many more) will retain failed CEO Farid Suleman seems unfathomable to almost everyone.

As Suleman (shown left) has overseen the complete destruction of this once-promising company, any continuing role in Citadel would seem inappropriate, but the Wall Street Journal is reporting that he will likely survive.

Brought down by inept deal-making, programming malpractice and political bias, Citadel has been on a collision course with disaster for several years. Here at the Radio Equalizer, we've been covering its managerial follies during that time and at one point pleaded with its parent holding company to fire Suleman.

As part of the deal to eliminate billions in debt, Citadel's shareholders will see a complete wipeout, though it has been a penny stock for over a year, especially after being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange and moved to the dodgy pink sheets (OTC:CTDB).


Under Suleman's rule,
the company's left-wing political bias became so unbearable that it convinced Sean Hannity to move his program to another syndicator.

Just last month, Citadel admitted that the loss of Hannity caused it to lose millions in desperately-needed revenue. More recently, the company booted longtime WABC / syndicated host Curtis Sliwa for reasons that remain a mystery.

Some of the firm's medium and small market stations are viewed as being in relatively good shape, largely because they were built up by Citadel's previous ownership regime and run locally. Many are high-powered news-talk stations.

Whether the restructuring will force the firm to shed some of its stations is unknown at this time.

Suleman's survival removes the last bit of hope many in radio still held regarding a corporate turnaround. Without a change in leadership, prospects for key Citadel - ABC stations will remain highly questionable.

As it is difficult to find Suleman defenders within radio, it's hard to imagine what Citadel's creditors might be thinking. Nonetheless, the details of this restructuring are not yet set in stone and Farid could well find himself out on the street where he belongs.



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Libtalkers And Guests Use Scare Tactics In ObamaCare Abortion Debate

BACK-ALLEY POLITICS

Congresswoman Uses Scare Tactics In ObamaCare Debate





*** BREAKING: CITADEL (ABC RADIO), OWNER OF WABC, WLS, KABC, WBAP, KGO, KSFO, WJR PREPARES FOR IMMINENT BANKRUPTCY FILING ***

Could ObamaCare eliminate abortion as we know it? That's the strange reasoning used by one Democratic congresswoman in an increasingly heated debate over public funds for the procedure.

But why would her own party, a traditional supporter, move to end the practice? Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) claims ObamaCare without public funding for abortions would lead to "back-alleys and hangers".

Further, she claims women will be prohibited from obtaining coverage to terminate a pregnancy, even with private (non-government-option) insurance.

From an interview during syndicated libtalker Ed Schultz's radio program, here's the audio and transcript:





SCHAKOWSKY (03:39): We are willing, we don't love it, but we are willing to stay with the parameters of what was called the Hyde amendment that says no public dollars go to provide abortions, but this amendment is worse. It says that women with their own money, buying insurance from a private health insurance company in this new exchange we're creating could not have abortion coverage.

SCHAKOWSKY (04:13): We're not going back to back alleys and hangars, we're just not. So, if we had to and I don't think we will, we would defeat the bill. We have the votes.


There are a lot of myths perpetuated by abortion supporters, and the back-alley coat hanger scare tactic has been successfully used for many years. But Schakowsky's (who would probably like you to forget about her extensive ties to Rod Blagojevich) really out on a limb here.

And yet, she's not alone: the city of Berkeley is poised to pull the same stunt.


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07 December 2009

Left Uncharacteristically Silent On Shatner's Limbaugh Interview

NOTHING TO SAY?

Lefties Oddly Mum On Limbaugh's Chat With Shatner







As it's not like the left to ignore an opportunity to pounce on Rush Limbaugh, their uncharacteristic silence regarding his interview with William Shatner says a lot about what the former is beginning to accomplish in the court of public opinion.

After years of dehumanizing El Rushbo via every imaginable "progressive" trick, his recent efforts to turn the tables through a series of visits to atypical venues have foes searching for new methods of attack.

Shatner's interview with Limbaugh was brilliant, revealing an especially personal side unfamiliar even to his most dedicated fans. Though Rush sometimes talks about his childhood and past struggles on the program, the Star Trek legend managed to dig deeper, with an impressive outcome. What could an angry leftist do other than ignore the results?


In this excerpt, Limbaugh discusses his painful (but ultimately successful) attempts at kicking a prescription drug addiction, in addition to his earliest attempts at "radio broadcasting" from home.

For comparison, just below it is a clip from parochial Seattle hothead Ron Reagan's Air America show in September.

Which one comes across as likable? How effective are the "pill-popper" references and fat jokes up against El Rushbo's own admissions regarding past struggles?









By no means has
the left given up on its clear aim of defeating Limbaugh, but his most recent efforts have forced them to regroup, at least for the time being.


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04 December 2009

MSNBC's Ed Schultz: Tiger Woods Is The Victim

TIGER 'A VICTIM'

Libtalker's Sympathy Lies With Golfer, Not Wife







Providing a truly surreal moment in radio broadcasting, MSNBC's Ed Schultz has told listeners he believes Tiger Woods is "a victim".

But why stop there? The syndicated libtalker then offered Woods some especially strange advice on how to deal with the golf champ's professional fallout.

Here's the transcript and clip (edited for brevity, includes three passages from one broadcast segment during Thursday's program), listen as Schultz spells out what Woods should do next:





SCHULTZ (28:23): Tiger Woods is really at the point now of being a victim in my opinion. What does he have to do, OK?

What's he gotta, I know a lot of you are going to be mad at me for saying that I think he's a victim, but wait a minute now. When does it stop? No laws broken, police report complete and now it's all juice from this point out, what's interesting.


SCHULTZ (33:28): If I'm Tiger Woods' agent or if I'm his business associate, we cancel all contracts today.

Yeah! We cancel all, we call up Nike, it's over, we want out. We want, we want every sponsor, it's over, all the stuff about well we've been with him for a long time, no, no, go on the offensive, Tiger. Go on the offensive and say it's over, I'm starting completely over.


GUEST NORMAN GOLDMAN (34:11): Ed, that's really counterintuitive. I mean, most people wouldn't do that. They wouldn't walk away from all that money.


SCHULTZ (38:50): Tiger Woods hasn't been charged with anything. This is a personal, this is a personal indiscretion. There is an admission, there is a recovery, so when does it stop? It's not the question of when does it stop. When does it start?

When does the new Tiger start over? I'm Tiger Woods' business agent, I control his interests, all contracts are off today! We'll see you next year if you're interested. By the way, there will probably be a 25 percent increase.


Had he stopped
with the "victim" rant, this monologue might qualify as merely bizarre, but with the addition of the contract shredding tip, Schultz has ventured into a very strange place. What is the agenda behind this one?


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02 December 2009

Viewers Turn To Fox For Post-Obama Analysis

BLOCKBUSTER NUMBERS

Viewers Flock To Opposition Network For Analysis







It's no secret that MSNBC and CNN have been in decline for some time, particularly since Obama took office. Positioning themselves as the president's defenders while his popularity sinks hasn't exactly been a winning strategy.

What is news, however, is the increasingly extreme nature of the divergence, with yesterday's primetime Obama speech providing a case study.

While MSNBC and CNN struggled to hold on to their far-smaller audiences, millions tuned in to the FOX News Channel and remained there afterward into the late hours to hear Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Greta Van Susteren and their respective guests provide instant reaction to Obama's war plan.


In ratings released late Wednesday, O'Reilly and Hannity's blockbuster 25-54 numbers stand out in particular, with the former averaging 1,293,000 (versus MSNBC's 410,000) and the latter pulling in 840,000 (against Rachel Maddow's 263,000).

Overall, O'Reilly averaged 4,478,000 compared to 1,376,000 for sad-sack competitor Keith Olbermann, while Hannity drew 2,631,000 to Maddow's 924,000.

For its part, CNN generally beat MSNBC, but lagged far behind FOX. It wasn't too long ago that CNN could be expected to own a night like that, but the network is deeply troubled today.

Fox is no longer merely ahead of the pack, it is wiping the competition right off the map.




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30 November 2009

Poll Shows Conservatives Clear On Movement Leadership

THE POSITION IS FILLED

Media Manipulation Fails To Confuse Conservatives







To movement conservatives, this should come as no surprise: Rush Limbaugh leads the right. So why do state-run media operatives need to poll the public on this otherwise-settled question?


Via the AP and CBS:






NEW YORK (AP) - By a wide margin, Americans consider Rush Limbaugh the nation's most influential conservative voice.

Those are the results of a poll conducted by "60 Minutes" and Vanity Fair magazine and issued Sunday. The radio host was picked by 26 percent of those who responded, followed by Fox News Channel's Glenn Beck at 11 percent. Actual politicians - former Vice President Dick Cheney and former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin - were the choice of 10 percent each.



And here's Rush's reaction from Monday's show:




RUSH: "By a wide margin, Americans consider Rush Limbaugh the nation's most influential conservative voice." This is a product of a poll done by CBS News and reported by State-Controlled AP. My reaction when I saw this, "Yeah, this is news? What, they gamed the poll, it's only 26%? I don't believe this, only 26%?"

And, of course, that doubles anybody else that's close to me by a wide margin, it says. "The radio host was picked by 26 percent of those who responded," followed by Glenn Beck at 11 percent and Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin were next with a choice of 10%.



Sure enough, Limbaugh is on to something: ulterior motives are apparent here. While the state-run media strive to maintain "credibility" by having Rush come out on top, the relatively low percentage naming him is designed to manufacture division within the right's rank-and-file.

A second aim is to boost the figure they'd like to see take Rush's place, who conveniently takes second in this survey.


Regardless of the skewed results, the message remains clear: atop the movement, there's no sign of instability. The position has been filled from within, so let's end these silly attempts at convincing conservatives otherwise.


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25 November 2009

Lefties Worry Obama Has Ignored Rising Unemployment

'OBAMA'S KATRINA'

Don't Blame Us, This Is Coming From The Left







Occasionally, lefty pundits make unusually candid admissions during liberal talk radio interviews that would never occur elsewhere.

The latest example comes from MSNBC's David Shuster, a committed Obamist, but in this case sounding the alarm over what he sees as Barack's odd indifference to rising unemployment. Could it become "Obama's Katrina"?

Shuster was answering a question from libtalker Stephanie Miller during yesterday's show regarding an equally blunt column written by Arianna Huffington:





SHUSTER (32:47): The longer the health care drags on there’s this perception that jobs is not a main priority for the Obama Administration and I do think I mean I think you’re right. At a certain point somebody described it as a tsunami that is building.

One of the columns this morning (The column Shuster cited was written by Arianna Huffington in the Huffington Post) saying this is like another Katrina that building off our coast and the perception of the Obama Administration is either been asleep at the switch, or hasn’t done enough or hasn’t recognized the gravity of the problem. I think it gonna be a huge problem in 2010.


Are Obama's key supporters taking to these settings to warn of trouble ahead? The use of public forums to spread this kind of message indicates a president who isn't listening, even to his own side of the aisle.


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24 November 2009

Seattle Talk Host Caught Employing Suspected Illegals

A SAD END

Illegal Alien Scandal Hammers Final Nail In KVI's Coffin







Is this end of a once-mighty regional talk radio powerhouse? After a controversy over the alleged hiring of illegal aliens by a Seattle talk show host, it certainly appears that way.

The flap, first reported by the Seattle Times, could prove the final nail in the coffin of KVI-AM, a onetime political force that frightened entrenched Olympia politicians, pushed tax-fighting ballot propositions over the top and most importantly, generated tremendous ratings and revenue.

Note: your Radio Equalizer was part of the station's weekday lineup in 1998 and 1999.


The latest bombshell comes just two weeks after longtime morning host Kirby Wilbur (below left image) was let go in what station owners called a ratings-related termination. But the circumstances behind his departure appear in dispute.

Now, a Times investigation reveals an alleged pattern of illegal alien hires by afternoon host Peter Weissbach, a Canadian libertarian who crossed the border himself over a decade ago and became an American citizen. From their coverage:


A janitorial company owned by a local conservative talk-radio host is among the early targets of a new strategy by the Obama administration to thin the ranks of illegal immigrants by going after the companies that hire them.

Seattle Building Maintenance, owned by KVI talk-radio host Peter Weissbach and his wife, provides janitorial services in buildings throughout the Puget Sound region, including such Seattle landmarks as the Seattle Art Institute, Pacific Place, Metropolitan Park and the Dexter Horton and Westin buildings.

The subject of an ongoing immigration audit by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, the company has been clearing its books by firing some of its janitorial staff — about 100 people so far — believed to be working illegally.

The probe of Seattle Building Maintenance offers an early glimpse into ICE's approach to worksite enforcement — stealthily targeting employers rather than workers.

It's a departure from the big splashy raids that used to play out on the evening news, with large numbers of immigrants being rounded up and carted off to detention, where many faced removal.

Now, workers are quietly let go by their employers, without the direct contact with immigration agents that might lead to deportation.


Of course, the Times certainly didn't overlook the opportunity to re-brand the libertarian Weissbach as a "conservative" for its damaging political effects. But there's no denying the incredible hypocrisy destroys what is left of KVI's credibility.

As for Weissbach, what was he thinking? Did he believe the hiring of illegals would be tolerated by his radio audience?

At the moment, he remains on the station's schedule, but it's unclear whether that will continue for long.


During its heyday, KVI was built around local activism-based talk radio in a remote region of the country that favors area issues over national news. At the center of that lineup, however, was Rush Limbaugh, who brought a tremendous audience base to the station. Earlier this decade, Limbaugh moved to a new conservative station, KTTH-AM, which has since become the region's largest commercial talk outlet.

With ratings once routinely in the top five for the Seattle-Tacoma radio market, KVI has fallen to twenty-fifth place in the most recent Arbitron ratings.

While KVI still features top-tier syndicated programming such as Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and others, the absence of strong local personalities and loss of listener goodwill via these recent flaps creates a particularly uncertain future for the onetime talk leader.


HAVE YOU SEEN our companion site for New England regional talk radio updates?



Amazon orders originating with clicks here benefit The Radio Equalizer's ongoing operations. Your PayPal contributions keep this site humming along. Thanks!






 
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