Bankrupt Air America Paid Rachel Maddow For No-Show Job

MAD-$$$ FOR NOTHING

Bankrupt AAR Paid Her For Nothing, Book Deal Questioned







No wonder these guys went bankrupt- no-show jobs are for the public sector, not private industry! As Air America Radio's bankruptcy brings public disclosure of its battered finances, some fascinating details have begun to emerge about how it was run.

The New York Times reports today that several AAR hosts and others were left holding the bag when the libtalk network abruptly shut down in January, including Ron Reagan, Ana Marie Cox and Rachel Maddow.

Wait a second: Rachel Maddow?

The same Rachel Maddow who gave up radio hosting duties over a year ago?


Yes, for a no-show "job" right out of an Obamist stimulus scheme, the MSNBC talker was paid $70,000 per annum for a one-hour audio-only rerun of the previous night's cable program. Segments were cut up to fit network radio's format and a few brief pre-recorded introductions were added using Maddow's voice.

Nice work if you can get it! Interestingly, to host a three-hour live program, Ron Reagan was paid only about a third more than Rachel.

When it first became clear Maddow was not hosting a live program for Air America, your Radio Equalizer had a heck of a time getting anyone on her side of the fence to admit to that. Instead, the network and her supporters were happy to pretend it was an original broadcast.

Nor will she ever express regret or remorse that Boys & Girls Club funds covered network operating expenses in 2005!

Was a low-rated Maddow rerun from 12 hours earlier in audio-only form really worth $70,000 a year? And what did airing it accomplish for Air America?


But that's not the only Maddow-related, money-centered controversy brewing today: what happened to Rachel's book? From today's New York Post:

Where is MSNBC news anchor Rachel Maddow 's book?

In 2008, when she was a rising political analyst without her own show, she inked what was believed to be a low-six-figure deal to write about the shifting role of the military.

The book was delayed beyond its 2009 publication date, and now it appears the original idea has been scrapped.

Random House's Crown imprint referred calls to Laurie Liss of Sterling Lord Literistic. "She's been very busy lately," the agent said. "Hopefully, she will hand something in by the end of this year."

The topic, she said, has "changed so many times. It's non-fiction and it's definitely not a memoir."

What has become of her advance? With just an hour-long show to contend with, is she really too busy to write the book, particularly since there would be heavy input (if not outright ghost writing) from Obamist editor Rachel Clayman?

Since Maddow is so quick to find fault with just about anyone on the right, a bit of scrutiny regarding her own dealings shouldn't bother her too much.



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