Why has AAR dumped its best programs?

[pstokely]

[Psephos]

1. Out of $$$ n/t

[valerief]

2. WTF is Lionel? If they want good, they should keep Sam. If they

want good and wacky, they should have kept Marc.

WTF is up with AAR? They'll probably replaced Randi with Imus next.

[mile18blister]

7. You don't want to know.

Lionel was on KTLK (Los Angeles) for awhile. I couldn't stand him; I'd immediately change stations. Grating voice, not at all entertaining. AAR either has no idea what it's doing, out of money again, or wants to self-destruct.

[NYCGirl]

9. Sounds like they want to MAKE money. For a business, that's sorta essential. NT

[sandyd921]

26. Sorry, but I predict

that Lionel is not going to do that for them. For starters it would help if they had a clue about their audience...

[NYCGirl]

27. One of the things Lionel does is bring a large audience with him.

That's a plus. If he brings in more affiliates than Seder (and there were many affiliates who preferred to carry Stephanie Miller or their local programming instead), AAR is ahead of the game.

[sandyd921]

30. Listened to him one time

I was totally turned off. Couldn't stand the voice or the attitude. I predict that regular AAR listeners will leave in droves. Maybe they can make up the loss with a new non-progressive audience. However, if so, then what is AAR's identity? Progressive radio or murky middle muddle of the road radio?

[NYCGirl]

32. I've never heard him, but he does win his timeslot in NY handily.

I have checked out his website, and I these don't look like the links for a murky muddle of the road person:

http://www.lionelonline.com/links.htm

[Canuckistanian]

28. Lionel is good

He skewers the right on a regular basis. He brings up views that aren't discussed anywhere, sometimes in a bizarre way. Not that that's bad.

It's just that he has such a non-committal view of politics in general.

Still, I enjoy his show, even if he isn't such a firebrand for the left.

"Lateral Thinking" is not such a bad idea.

[sasquatch]

3. Right now it seems like AAR is trying to find out what people like

The problem is when it comes to liberal talkers they're in short supply. So right now they're trying find out who can become a funtionable talk radio show host in the liberal, but most of them are going to have to learn on the job.

[gatorboy]

4. I heard they just hired Monica Goodling to head their marketing dept.

[devilgrrl]

5. They want to pull to the center so Anheuser-Busch, etc. will buy advertising

That's what I think anyway. :shrug:

[Cleita]

16. If they want Anheuser-Busch to buy advertising then they need

to hire a sales staff who can convince Anheuser-Busch that to not advertise on AAR, they would be missing a great beer swilling market in the listening audience. Dumping the hosts that people like to listen to is dumb. They will lose their audience and then no salesman, not even P. T. Barnum will be able to sell advertising slots.

[devilgrrl]

22. So you don't think AAR's sales staff contacted big name products to advertise?

I think that they probably did but the corporations (Anheuser-Busch, etc...) balked because of the content presented by AAR. :shrug:

[Cleita]

24. Ya ever heard the phrase, "selling refrigerators to eskimos?".

This is what sales people do. They don't let the door get slammed in their faces. They will go back again and again until they connect and convince the buyer that they are wrong to refuse the golden opportunity to advertise on AAR. This is what a good sales force does.

I mean ask yourself, exactly why do you buy certain things in certain stores? Yes, you tell yourself it's the price but it's a lot more than that. It's the presentation that makes you want to buy something or even crave it so much you believe you have to have it, can't do without it. It's the reason you will go to one store and not another for the same item.

I mean you have to convince A/B that they are barking up the wrong tree looking for beer drinkers amongst the present day conservative, religious folk who listen to Rush/Sean/Bill. The real beer drinkers listen to AAR. This takes a good sales force first to get their attention and then to get them to sign up and happily so.

[LTR]

6. It's business

After thinking about why AAR made this move, I have come to a likely reason.

In order to survive, AAR needs listeners, advertisers and more affiliates. The current model isn't delivering for them.

AAR is trying to play the broadcast radio game. Only thing is that in order to compete in that field, they have to appeal to a broad spectrum of people. Sam Seder has a very devoted following, but that wasn't helping AAR grow. He wasn't helping them gain affiliates. With Lionel, who has ratings and a decent number of affiliates, this allows AAR to expand their programming. They likely won't get current affiliates to dump Stephanie Miller, so they're going after untapped stations. Lionel helps them do this.

In addition, this helps AAR gain more clout. So far, most of the industry has written them off.

Die-hard fans may like the red meat served up by Seder, Maddow, Hartmann, Rhodes, Malloy, etc. But in order for this kind of programming to stay around, they've got to make a play for the mainstream. Otherwise they'll go belly-up. Online networks like Head-On Radio have their own way of doing it, and God bless 'em. They can afford to go toward a niche model, since they're business model is as an online webcast. AAR operates mostly via mainstream models, so like it or not, they've got to play by their rules. It's a harsh reality, but a reality nonetheless.

[pstokely]

10. I already pay for AAR through XM

Many have AAR premium

[Strelnikov_]

11. So you are saying Liberal values are not mainstream?

Sam Seder, Thom Hartmann, not mainstream?

[devilgrrl]

12. If anything it cements the "liberal media" lie

Yep, that centrist librul media

[LTR]

13. The proof is in the ratings, number of affiliates, revenue, etc.

Let's face it, in the game of radio, it's all about mass appeal. And AAR has been highly stagnant in this field.

Unfortunately, the world is not like DU. I'm not really sure what mainstream is. Most likely radio stations that skip the politics and just play music.

[Strelnikov_]

17. So by your logic, since Reich Radio dominates, their ideology is dominant

Here's an idea, maybe outside the conventional wisdom that seems to be the province of bloggers.

Maybe there is no money in talking truth to power, as power has no real interest in funding those talking truth to them.

Maybe Reich Radio is successful, not because it is the 'mainstream' viewpoint of the electorate, but because it is the wholly owned propaganda subsidiary of power.

Maybe, as evidenced by the last election and every poll I have seen, the viewpoints of the majority here at DU ARE the mainstream in this country, meaning there is a ready market.

So, would it not be logical that liberal talk is a non-starter as a commercial enterprise, but would be a success as a member-funded 'NPR-like' organization?


Or, do we stick to the logic that since Reich Radio has 'mass appeal', they are mainstream? Which leads to the question . . .

[LTR]

21. In any given market...

Conservotalk radio tends to get between roughly 3-10% of the listening audience. I certainly wouldn't call that a mandate. Most radio listeners tune into music.

Conservotalk has succeeded because Limbaugh came around at just the right time. In the late 80s, music had moved to the FM dial, AM radio was dying and those stations needed cheap, convenient programming options. Enter syndicated talk radio. Enter Limbaugh. His syndicators were smart in that they saw a niche and exploited it. Soon after, everyone was trying to copy that with their own Rush imitators. Hence the growth of conservotalk radio. Of course all these clones were right-wingers, because that's what worked, and radio people are not known for thinking outside the box. You'd be surprised how many radio programmers, consultants, managers and owners of radio stations are actually liberals! Hell, there's a few RW talk show hosts who are closeted liberals, and spew GOP nonsense to make a living. Sure, it makes no sense, but very little in radio does.

When it all comes down to it, ironically, politics was really just a small part of the whole equation.

[TnDem]

33. I'd be interested to know...

Who those "closeted liberal RW talk show hosts" are?

Every one I ever hear sounds like they are pretty convinced in their positions if you ask me.

[KharmaTrain]

15. Sadly No

Look at the number of stations that carry those gentlemen. I just did a survey of the status of Progressive Radio and it's not a pretty picture. Stations have been dropped in many markets and more are threatening. AAR has just been saved from a certain death at the last minute by the Greens who now have to not only pay off past debts but now try to salvage what's left of this network. There's little/no back-up/support/ratings for Progressive radio, unfortunately...and at least give AAR some credit for fighting to stay alive.

[Strelnikov_]

18. ..

Fugit

[Junkdrawer]

8. Gary Beck said it best yesterday (re Rosie)...

"Well, she may have increased viewership 16%, but what matters is what ADVERTISERS say..."

There's been a well documented, ABC led campaign to discourage advertising at AirAmerica.

[LTR]

14. First, it's Glen

Second, what the hell does he know about advertisers and "The View"? That drunken fat bastard don't know shit (disclosure: I can't stand Rosie or "The View").

Third, the ABC blacklist thing was debunked long ago. There was no campaign to chase advertisers away from AAR.

[Junkdrawer]

19. Link to the "debunking"??? Here are links to the memo...

http://mediamatters.org/items/200610310008

http://mediamatters.org/items/200611010005

BTW: At least we can agree the Gwen er... Gary er... Glen is a drunken fat bastard.

[LTR]

20. Here's MY debunking

http://ltradio.blogspot.com/2006/12/calling-mythbusters-ltr-debunks-top.html

Media Matters is usually credible, but they tend to overreact a bit.

Even Thom Hartmann said the blacklist was nonsense. Those same lists exist for Limbaugh, Stern, Hannity, etc.

[jazzjunkysue]

23. Truth doesn't sell. Blood, sex, violence, fear, hatred: Bling Bling!

It's a ca-ching kind of business, sorry to say.

Sam and Marc Moran are awesome talents that alot of people aren't equipped to deal with.

They are both that awesome.

[Eric J in MN]

25. To save money.

Marc Maron said (on "The Sam Seder Show") that he was offered Sam Seder's spot, but at too little money for him to accept.

[mmonk]

29. They better not drop Randi.

[sandyd921]

31. Or Thom!

n/t

[sandyd921]

34. Put Seder and Maron on Nova M thread

There's a possibility that Nova M are considering a Seder/Maron show. E-mail Sheldon Drobny to let him know you want this: [e-mail]

Go to this DU thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=608353#608472