New York Times, Air America Radio

STILL IN BED

Even Now, NYT Remains Upbeat On Libtalk






*** Happy Boxing / St Stephen's Day ***

Here's a lesson for bloggers and others who are convinced they can overcome the mainstream media's most obnoxious antics: never, ever underestimate the stubborn nature of the New York Times.

Even as what's left of liberal talk radio network Air America Radio makes a last- gasp effort to survive, our Gray Lady is happy to trumpet the rare bit of good news that might occasionally emerge from Franken & Company headquarters.

And in this case, the paper couldn't be bothered to mention the increasing number of stations that have dropped libtalk programming in recent weeks. Instead, the NYT has made an example of Madison protestors who were able to restore its programming in Wisconsin's far- left outpost and state capital.

When it comes to the so- called "newspaper of record", this isn't exactly a new battle, as bloggers and the paper have been duking it out over the latter's Air America Radio coverage for almost two years. That was especially the case when it came to reporting on the network's sleazy Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club scandal.

This time, the NYT seems to emphasize the idea that Air America's libtalk programming can succeed, if only advertisers can be convinced it is safe to support.

Here's an excerpt from the piece:

Air America Wins Reprieve From a Station in Wisconsin

By LIA MILLER
Published: December 25, 2006

While ongoing negotiations to buy the beleaguered radio network Air America have kept its future in a state of limbo, the company had one bit of good news last week.

WXXM-FM, a station in Madison, Wis., owned by Clear Channel Communications, rescinded a decision to drop the liberal network in favor of Fox Sports Radio. The station, known as “the Mic” 92.1, was preparing to switch to a local sports format on Jan. 1. But last Friday, in a surprise statement, the station manager, Jeff Tyler, announced that the station had decided to continue with the progressive talk format of Air America into 2007.

Soon after the initial announcement to drop Air America was made on Nov. 7, a 28-year-old-student, Valerie Walasek, began an an online petition campaign that gathered more than 5,000 signatures and also organized a large rally. She said she was shocked at the outcome.

“I’m still trying to get used to the idea of it, that it actually worked, that I got big business to change their mind,” she said.

Mr. Tyler said the initial decision to change formats was made because he thought listeners wanted more local sports coverage and because he had felt for some time that Air America had not been growing as it should have. Most important, there had been problems with what he called a “struggling advertiser base.” Mr. Tyler said that those issues, taken together with an overall lack of revenue, had led to the decision to switch to Fox Sports.

Mr. Tyler said his mind was changed when he saw that advertisers were encouraged by the local support.

“It helped them get over their fear,” he said, “Rush Limbaugh, other shows — Howard Stern — shows with a tinge of controversy, all went through this, but they’ve been at it longer. This helped us circumvent that wait and get past it quicker.”

Sure, but Stern and Limbaugh have consistently been generating top- notch ratings, while Air America simply hasn't. Where is the audience?


With this reporting, the New York Times has made it clear it subscribes to the theory that libtalk's content isn't its problem, it's instead the managers behind Air America's programming (with Madison's local station as a rare example of enlightenment).

As an excuse to explain away "progressive" radio's poor performance, we've seen this one thrown about quite a bit recently. Too bad the Times can't come up with something a bit more original or convincing.


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