Air America's Malloy Makes News For Nasty Tirade

MIKE WHO?

Malloy's Anti-Conservative, Hate-Filled Tirade Sparks Furor




For one obscure, long-ignored Air America Radio talker, Friday was a big day. To finally get some attention, however, it took an unusually nasty response to a legitimate invitation that may prove to have done Mike Malloy's career more harm than good.

And perhaps, given one key as-yet unreported detail, it won't much matter anyway. More on that in a moment.

When veteran host Malloy was hired for the 10pm-1am shift at Air America, liberal radio fans breathed a sigh of relief, sensing the network was finally recognizing the need for more air talent with broadcast backgrounds.

Unfortunately for them, it didn't begin a trend, as the company courted the likes of Jerry Springer based on name recognition, rather than on-air talent. And Malloy has received little in the way of subsequent promotion or press attention.

Until now, that is. As many blogs and the Washington Post delved into today, Malloy's response to an invite to the conservative CPAC group's annual Washington DC convention was nothing short of bigoted and outright unhinged.

As the Washington Post reported:

For next month's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), media director Andrea Saul sent 500 invitations to radio talk shows inviting them to broadcast from the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Although most of the broadcasters on-site are darlings of the right, Saul also contacted several liberal hosts and producers -- last year Al Franken came and debated G. Gordon Liddy.

One of the invitations reached lefty Air America Radio's Mike Malloy, who hosts a nightly program carried by 70 stations across the country (though not in Washington) and on XM satellite radio. Malloy wrote:



"Um . . . you're kidding, right? Why would I have any desire whatsoever to attend or participate in a convocation of neo-Nazis????? I had two uncles fight against you [expletive] in WW2. And, now, surprise! surprise! here you all are on US soil. Kindly get the [expletive] off my email. Thanks."

Saul said she was stunned by his response. "I'm all for a difference of opinion, but this is entirely uncalled-for, and all the more offensive when you consider that I'm Jewish, lost family in the Holocaust and had a grandfather almost killed during WWII." Her complaints to Air America execs have gone unanswered. A spokeswoman said the network would have no comment.

So what is Malloy's explanation for the hotheaded, knee-jerk invitation reaction? Also from the WaPo's Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts:

Malloy said yesterday that he shot off his e-mail after scanning the CPAC headliners listed on the invite. "I made the assumption it was from some right-wing nutcase, which I get scores of. I felt I was being baited by one of these groups," he said, "so I responded immediately."

To the extent he upset Saul, Malloy regrets his message -- but nothing else: "What I said inside the e-mail and what I meant is that the conference participants represent what we fought against in WWII. They're fascists."

Guess that means Malloy won't be at CPAC? "Absolutely not."

Yes, Mike, no need to bother debating the other side. They're fascists, just because you say so. Evidence is not necessary, of course, because you're a leftist.

One problem: when a liberal is exposed to unfavorable coverage from the likes of the Washington Post, it has got to be a bad situation.


What the press missed, however, is that Air America itself may consider him excess baggage. Just this week, Malloy's show was quietly removed from the network's flagship station, New York's WLIB-AM.

Replacing him was ABC's fluffy "Satellite Sisters", in the first move under Air America's unannounced new "pay-to-play" plan, where every hour after 7pm and on weekends is now potentially for sale. It's a last-ditch effort to save the company, but with expenses long out of control, it's unlikely to help much.

Air America fans complain about the change here. For sheer entertainment, this post can't be beat:

Mike has asked us to "be nice" and explained that it was just Air America business. I suspect, however, that shutting Mike up is strictly "Swift Boat" business. They are out to get Mike. New York is just the beginning of the right-wing jackals campaign to silence the Malloy clarion voice of truth.

Me be nice about Air America caving to the Swift Boaters? Yeah, Mikey. As If...

With a national audience of 186,000 listeners 12 and older, according to data from late 2005 (the loss of WLIB will make this number far smaller), Malloy's not providing much benefit to Air America. But he wasn't costing them much, either, with an annual base salary of $90,000.

While that's miniscule compared to the network's other talk hosts, Malloy also benefits from having wife Kathy on the payroll, as a $60,000-a-year producer.

While Mike Malloy may now find himself on our radar, it's not necessarily a career positive.


UPDATE: there's some confusion as to what will ultimately replace Malloy at 10pm, with one trade report indicating Caribbean music will retake the timeslot. That would mean WLIB owner Inner City Broadcasting has actually reclaimed the time period.

Because Air America leases time from Inner City (ICBC) to run its programs on WLIB, this would actually be a far more troubling sign, suggesting either cost-cutting or an inability to pay ICBC the full amount per their contract.

For now, however, listeners have been hearing ABC's Satellite Sisters, leading to the confusion. Since the company very quietly made this move, the real story is difficult to determine.

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Photo: Malloy via Washington Post