Is anyone else offended by...

[punpirate]

... Air America's inclination to take advertising money from any and all?

GM touts OnStar for vehicles which get horrible gas mileage. The latest is from Shell, where the announcer says "Shell's first priority will never be energy." Huh?

Maybe I'm too sensitive (I'm pretty much divorced from advertising, having no television), but this is supposed to be a progressive network, and they're accepting advertising dollars from the worst corporate nasties in our society. Why? There are lots of progressive firms looking for outlets for their messages.

I don't hear any messages from, say, Working Assets, or Miramax promoting Michael Moore's latest documentary. Why? Maybe, it's because Air America's rates are too high, too attuned to the mainstream commercial environment.

Such advertising blunts the message, makes it seem, somehow, manipulative. Supercuts? The Mop Squad? Give us a break. Ads for chemicals for nicer, greener lawns? Flonaze? Nicer, greener sinuses?

Geez. It's getting crazy out there. Marketing the progressive message in the same way as Limbaugh markets his message? Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Too many marketing people, too little truth.

[w13rd0]

1. Well, problem with something like Working Assets and Farenheit...

...is that you'd be "advertising to the choir" in some senses, and with non-profits and such, you are talking about limited cash flow in the first place.

[punpirate]

4. Neither of the examples you mention are non-profits...

... and it doesn't address the real issue--radio is contaminated by this belief that big money means big profits, and that the intentions of the advertisers can somehow be divorced from progressive issues and interests, even when the two are antithetical.

Doesn't make sense to me.

[Paragon]

2. Of course not.

If you've got another viable profit-making scheme, I'd love to hear it. And don't say donations - people don't work for NPR for the money.

Know what I'm tired of? People bitching about Air America. It is an unquestionably good thing, with entirely too many detractors.

[punpirate]

7. Too much bitching about Air America?

Ah, well, as I said, there are progressive businesses out there who aren't on Air America, because they can't afford the advertising rates, and Air America isn't promoting them because the dollars from the mainstream advertisers are more powerful.

One can't praise Air America when it takes money from the very sources in this country which want to ruin it for simple profit.

It's a matter of principle, I think. Compromise for money and the message dies.

[Paragon]

10. That's nuts.

Capitalism, I hate to be the one to tell you, is the system we happen to work under in this country.

You're acting as if they're running Halliburton ads every two minutes, when they're obviously being more selective than that.

Make NO compromises and the message dies. (see: Nader, Ralph)

[punpirate]

11. Didn't say anything about Halliburton...

... you did.

Obfuscate as you will, but Air America will die a slow death because they believe a bit too much in the capitalism which has caused our current troubles around the world.

Capitalism may be, in your words, "the system we happen to work under in this country," but, it's also the system which has caused a great many of our problems in this country and around the world.

The Bushies are the epitome of what capitalism means these days. You seem to be excusing them because they're capitalists, like it or not.

I don't excuse them, not one bit. Their advertising is part of the problem, not part of the solution.

[Paragon]

12. Never mind.

Hopeless. Now you're equating Bush-style capitalism with a start-up left-wing radio network.

Truly hopeless.

[punpirate]

13. Well, I guess it's all about buying shit...

... and that's okay with you. But, the corporations buying Air America's time are buying Bush, too.

Dig it out.

[IrateCitizen]

20. If you don't like advertising, listen to Pacifica

Also be content with the zero publicity and limited listenership they are able to garner, being a community-funded radio network.

For the record, I'm a regular WBAI listenter. But I don't pretend that they have a huge listenership.

If you're going to listen to a commericial network that has to subsist (and hopefully grow) from advertising revenue, STFU and stop bitching about how they're supporting "evil capitalism".

Some of you people REALLY need to get a life. First Supercuts making reference to "corporate executives" and now this bullshit. Perhaps AAR should submit all their advertising contracts to you for your review. :eyes:

[0rganism]

3. Many of the ads are bought from local affiliates, AAR doesn't control all

For those of us who get AAR from a Clear Channel station, the advertisers are buying a package deal to have their ads played all over the place. I'm actually quite glad advertisers aren't shunning AAR entirely. That itself is Proof Of Concept. Every time one of the Flonaze ads comes on, it's a spot that wasn't relegated to the PSAs, of which there are still quite a few.

[theoceansnerves]

6. this is exactly whats going on

in fact, onstar is no longer an advertiser. the only reason they were in the first place is because they had a deal with the station in new york before air america even began broadcasting on it.

[punpirate]

8. I can only listen on the web...

... and that feed comes from the corporate headquarters, not the local affiliates.

[malatesta1137]

5. offended, yes

The other day I posted a thread about the annoying Supercuts commercials and some people told me to get a life. They couldn't see the cultural clash with liberal values.

These commercials are unfortunately a necessary evil, however. If we want to spread liberal views across this nation, we need a strong financially backed organization to do it.

[NJCher]

9. I am so damn sick of that Supercuts commercial

They need to get some copywriters to pen a few new spots. Apparently they think we are like the typical radio listener--listen for 15" and out.

That is not the case with AirAmerica listeners. We listen for long periods of time and these ads are a major turnoff.

I'm happy to patronize AirAmerica sponsors but they do need to pay attention to the repetitiveness of their ads.


Cher

[Mel]

14. I liked the Tim Robbins advertisement

for "Embedded" that was a good one. I listen by stream so I just usually mute the commercials. I'm not offended that Air America is advertising I know they must in order to survive. If they fail then what do we have? More wanna' be Limbaugh's, no thanks! Give me those cheesy commercials (that I'm not going to fall for) anytime over not having AAR. I think to not do anything to address Limbaugh's lies and the right wing message is what has gotten us into the mess we are in and to not do anything about it is Wrong, wrong, wrong.


My biggest complaint with them is that they didn't hire Mike Malloy. I'm way more upset about that anything else. If I was to complain about anything that's it right there no Mike Malloy.

[bklyncowgirl]

15. In the best of all possible worlds...

In the best of all possible worlds there would be equal time laws requiring all sides of the political discourse to be aired at the public expense.

We don't live in the best of all possible worlds.

Air America or any liberal outlet on the commercial has to be commercially viable to survive. No one's saying you have to go out and buy the product.

[peacefreak]

16. Beggers can't be choosers.

It's already public knowledge that they're having financial trouble. It seems at this point they can't be too choosy about where they get their advertising dollars. I can understand why there are some corporations that are reluctant to go with them in this political climate.
I'm willing to cut them some slack in order to get the good word out there. Further on down the road, when they are on better footing will be the time to complain about "purity". In the meantime I'll listen to the kid who wants a freakin' haircut. Matter of fact, if there was a Supercuts nearby, I'd get a haircut & mention I heard the ad on AirAmerica. (I still wouldn't buy Shell or Mobil or Exxon. I DO have some standards:evilgrin:)

[NJCher]

17. where did you get that?

My understanding is that they are well capitalized. No financial troubles but no particular reason to turn down any ads, either.

I patronize SuperCuts and I do mention the ads when I go.

As a former ad manager, even when ads are criticized, the company is happy. It means people are listening to the ads. And advertisers do respond to criticism; after all, they are in business to make more money, not offend people.


Cher

[IrateCitizen]

18. Yeah. It's like when The Nation took ad money from Faux News...

... and ran their ad on the back cover.

I mean, all of The Nation readers were going to run out right away, and start watching Faux News and believing the propaganda they spread. Never mind the fact that they actually have to FINANCE their magazine. :eyes:

Air America is a new player. They need money in order to just maintain their current markets, let alone expand into others. That money is collected by advertising revenue. They take what they can get. Personally, I could give a shit less if they advertised for 770 WABC (Rush and Hannity) if it meant that they could expand their market.

If you're looking for purity, listen to Pacifica. They don't take any advertising revenue. They also subsist on a shoestring budget and have a limited listenership.

[seabeyond]

19. its called business

and they are just starting. high percentage fails first year. the economy sucks, businesses arent spending money and they are a political group so challenging to get the revenue

they are sinking.

gotta get beyond this side thing. might as well start here

i dont have to be an oreilly and take everyone down. kinda the cut nose off to spite face

[KharmaTrain]

21. Some Of Those Commercials Aren't Air America's

I've posted this before...one last time. This one in defense of AAR.

A network cuts its hour up into commercial breaks that are offered to their affiliates or satellite provider who then sells that time. It's part of their affiliation agreement and Air America doesn't see a dime from any of these spots. These you hear at the top and bottom of the hour <the "HARD Breaks"...if you've heard that term>.

Figure that a minimum of 4 minutes of commercials each hour are not Air America's...but belong either to the local station (WLIB) or XM. Many of the XM Commercials are "bulk buys"...like that GM Onstar...they buy ALL the XM channels or a group of them...as opposed to Air America specifically...and, again, Air America doesn't see a dime of this money and has no control over what XM places in that advertising slot. In essence the RNC could buy that time and if XM agrees to sell, you'd be hearing Bunnypants ads on Air America. (Nope not suggesting or wishing this...just showing you how this game works).

To those who criticize those advertisers on Air America, I join the others here who say, this is business and any money that helps keep the network operating shouldn't be turned away at this point. I assume the good folks who run the network would reject, on principle, and may have already on certain commercials or advertisers they feel would be offensive to their audience.

To win, Air America has to be "EIB" or operate in a similar fashion. It's a successful model to succede and to ignore or cut it down is one of the major mistakes other attempts at commercial liberal networks have made.

If you want an ideologically "pure" station without the advertising, I'd suggest you check out the low numbers on your FM dial...NPR, Pacifica, APR and other public broadcasters...and then be prepared to sit through beg-a-thons.

Cheers!