Air America is still flying.
Dire predictions (and the hopes of conservatives) aside, Air America Radio didn’t go bankrupt on Friday.
The lefty radio network’s much-anticipated press conference – rumored for days to be an announcement that AAR was declaring bankruptcy – was about realignment of programs.
Nevertheless, there are signs of trouble. The network’s star voice, Al Franken, told the New York Sun recently AAR was late with his paycheck. He didn’t seem all that concerned. “If we do go into bankruptcy … I’ve flown United. They went into bankruptcy.”
Jerry Springer and Air America, beset by financial problems almost from the day it went on the air in September 2004, have parted company, and the network confirmed that it laid off five employees last week.
But a network spokesman told Radio Ink, an online industry magazine, “If Air America had filed for bankruptcy every time someone rumored it to be doing so, we would have ceased to exist long ago.”
Jerry Bell, program director for KKZN 760-AM, the local Air America outlet, said his station will maintain its core of Jay Marvin, 6-10 a.m.; Franken, 10 a.m-1 p.m.; Ed Schultz, 1-4 p.m.; and Randi Rhodes, 4-7 p.m. Added to the lineup are “The Young Turks,” airing 4 to 6 a.m.
Marvin and Schultz are distributed independently.
9News scores
KUSA-Channel 9 bagged 76 Emmy nominations from the Heartland chapter of the National Television Academy.
Other nominations: KCNC-Channel 4, 38; KMGH-Channel 7, 23; KWGN-Channel 2 and KDVR-Channel 31, 13 each, and KTVD-Channel 20, 1.
The Heartland chapter consists of stations in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Wyoming.
Radio wavering
The Internet and iPods aside, we’re still listening to the radio, according to a survey by American Media Services.
Fifty-one percent of those surveyed by the radio brokerage company said their radio-listening habits haven’t changed the past five years. A New York Times story, however, points out that while nine of 10 Americans still tune in to radio, they are listening for shorter periods.
Around the dial
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists and Channel 4 looking for citizen input on the station’s coverage of Latino issues at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Denver Athletic Club … What, all the bird-call acts were busy? “The Late Show With David Letterman” showing off ventriloquists all week … One-time Denver radio voice Mason Lewis heading north of the border to take up residence in Canada … Quotable: “I am amazed at radio DJs today. I am firmly convinced that AM on my radio stands for Absolute Moron. I will not begin to tell you what FM stands for.” Jasper Carrott.
Dick Kreck’s column appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. He may be reached at 303-954-1456 or
dkreck@denverpost.com.
