Drudge reporting Air America Radio ordered back on the air in Chicago!

[TheWizardOfMudd]

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

www.drudgereport.com

[Katha]

1. Next stop: LA! n/t

[stepnw1f]

2. Wht Are You Reading Drudge?

[TheWizardOfMudd]

5. Know your enemy

[dedhed]

23. RE: "Know your enemy"

Amen, brother! That's the same reason I read IntellectualConservative.com, O'Reilly's section on FoxNews.com, and (when I'm feeling particularly masochistic) AnnCoulter.com.



Then a quick jump to DU to bring my blood pressure back to normal!

[Florida_Geek]

3. Boy did fudge make it hard to find

on his page. Not the big bold type of yesterday.

[tridim]

4. The Freepers are probably slitting their wrists

as they read the headline. They were having a party yesterday, proclaiming AAR "dead in only two weeks!" Idiots.

[orestes]

6. Wonder if

drudge will also note that AAR is getting picked up in a market in North Carolina

[GreenInNC]

7. where?

Where in NC?

[KoKo]

16. NC here, when is Chapel Hill picking it up? Great News! What happened?

Last I heard Cox stations would only pick up one or two shows so the deal fell through.

Do you have more info?

[Frodo]

8. Which markets?

The boss says I can't have XM radio.

[alcuno]

10. Chapel Hill.

There's a post on it somewhere.

[nolajazz]

19. It's on AA's web site (Press Release)

New York, April 15, 2004 - Air America Radio, the new national progressive entertainment talk radio network, announced today it will broadcast on WCHL (1360 AM) beginning Monday, April 19. WCHL-AM has a signal covering Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Since the network's launch on March 31, listeners in Chapel Hill have had access to Air America Radio's programming via live Internet streaming on www.airamericaradio.com, and on XM Satellite Radio.

[newyawker99]

22. Hi nolajazz!!

Welcome to DU!!

[newyawker99]

21. Hi orestes!!

Welcome to DU!!

[DoktorGreg]

11. Funny, the problem was the result of success...

Overwhelming success actually. The "problem" was apparently the stations wanted more money because the initial reaction has been so positive. I heard a rumor emanating from XM execs that they were going to can Radio Right America and doing two channels of "liberal political content" cause apparently liberal radio sells units.

[alcuno]

17. Welcome to DU, DoktorGreg.

I still haven't figured out what caused the problem.

[Mithras61]

30. It was actually fairly simple...

in at least ONE of the markets, the station carring AAR was double-booking and -billing for air time, and the other of the two was a conservative program. The station owner also happened to be conservative, so it was a wash...

[TrueAmerican]

13. Damn Liberal Judges

I can hear the freepers now.

[joefree1]

9. Please please please gimme my AA in LA

NPR never sounded so smarmy.

*And no, because of work, I can't listen to streaming.

[Ediacara]

12. SEATTLE NEXT!

Well, I can hope. I'm actually surprised Seattle wasn't in the initial wave.....

Then Bozeman MT

Ok, probably not, but a boy can dream, can't he?

[JohnOneillsMemory]

24. I'm still waiting for AAR here in San Francisco. KPFA saves my soul. n/t

[joefree1]

14. SO SWEET ---> Google News Search Air America

Air America says court order to restore broadcasts in Chicago
MLive.com, MI - 9 minutes ago
... dropped Air America Radio's signal from its stations WNTD in Chicago and KBLA in Los Angeles on Wednesday following a disagreement over payments. ...

Air America to Return to Air in Chicago
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, GA - 10 minutes ago
... resolved. Air America Radio's signal was pulled Wednesday from two stations in both cities by MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting Inc. ...

Air America to Return to Air in Chicago
Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC - 19 minutes ago
... resolved. Air America Radio's signal was pulled Wednesday from two stations in both cities by MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting Inc. ...

Air America to Return to Air in Chicago
Bradenton Herald, FL - 19 minutes ago
... resolved. Air America Radio's signal was pulled Wednesday from two stations in both cities by MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting Inc. ...

Air America to Return to Air in Chicago
Times Daily, AL - 19 minutes ago
... resolved. Air America Radio's signal was pulled Wednesday from two stations in both cities by MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting Inc. ...

Air America to Return to Air in Chicago
Lakeland Ledger, FL - 17 minutes ago
... resolved. Air America Radio's signal was pulled Wednesday from two stations in both cities by MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting Inc. ...

Air America to Return to Air in Chicago
Worcester Telegram (Subscription), MA - 24 minutes ago
... resolved. Air America Radio's signal was pulled Wednesday from two stations in both cities by MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting Inc. ...

Air America to Return to Air in Chicago
San Jose Mercury News, CA - 35 minutes ago
... resolved. Air America Radio's signal was pulled Wednesday from two stations in both cities by MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting Inc. ...

Air America says court order to restore broadcasts in Chicago
Biloxi Sun Herald, MS - 37 minutes ago
... resolved. Air America Radio's signal was pulled Wednesday from two stations in both cities by MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting Inc. ...

Air America to Return to Air in Chicago
WTOP, United States - 37 minutes ago
... resolved. Air America Radio's signal was pulled Wednesday from two stations in both cities by MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting Inc. ...

[joefree1]

15. Air America to change stations in LA

Air America chairman Evan Cohen said the company had not asked the court to act in Los Angeles, and was pursuing other options there, including finding a new "more responsible and mature" business partner.

Efforts to contact MultiCultural for comment were not successful. Earlier this week, The Chicago Tribune quoted the company's owner, Arthur Liu, as saying that Air America bounced a check to them on Wednesday.
more ...
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/8441421.h...

Hey, maybe they'll go FM and get better sound.



edit: link

[liarliartieonfire]

18. When does LIU kick himself? AARadio was his "Cash Cow"!!

AARadio is a great investment.

[K8-EEE]

29. KBLA Is Now Playing EVANGILIST SPANISH STUFF!

hey-ZEUS lives on 1580 -- Ay dios mio! Muy malo!

[K8-EEE]

28. KBLA Did Not Seem To Come In Clear Anywhere In LA....

I buzz around a lot and get static on 1580 from Venice Beach to the Valley. Hope they get a better signal!

[gemlake]

20. L.A. may require arbitration

According to the majorityreport blog, there are two separate contracts for LA and Chicago. The suit filed in NY pertained solely to the Chicago contract, likely because the dispute over the LA contract had no bearing on the Chicago contract. This would probably trigger an exception to the arbitration requirement, allowing AAR to seek immediate injunctive relief. However, the LA contract dispute appears to be directly related to AAR's nonpayment of certain fees. AAR is probably required to pursue this dispute in arbitration. Arbitration can move relatively quickly, but AAR may want to simply cut ties in LA. All speculation, of course.

[Frodo]

25. Hmmm. Then why did they have to pay money into escrow?

I think the two have been linked. That is, assuming we're being told the truth that Chicago is all paid up and clean. AAR was froced to pay a little over 150k into escrow to gain the injunction and continue on to a final decision. That means that there has been at least SOME demonstration (or at least a valid claim) that there is that much owed to MRB.

If Chicago is all paid up and nobody has claimed otherwise... then the judge must see a connection to the LA contract.

[bagnana]

26. no, it means they got an injunction with a bond

which is not an uncommon requirement for injunctive relief.

[Frodo]

27. Aaannnnddd?

It's not uncommon because there have been no findings of fact. The judge is trying to keep everyone as unharmed as possible in the event a trial were to go one way or the other.

By putting the station back on the air (s)he's saying "if we leave it off while there is a trial you would be irreparably harmed even if you won". By requiring the bond (likely of the amount lew claims he is owed) (s)he's saying "if YOU win the case, the money owed you is already set aside with the court - so you don't need to withhold service in the interim".

But it does imply that there is at least a claim of unpaid monies here. If Chicago is truly all paid up, then the judge may be making a linkage to the CA situation. Or perhaps there is a claim that Chicago has not been paid for. We'll see soon enough.

This is what should have been done as soon as their was a dispute. AAR should ahve taken the money they thought had been unfairly charged and stick it in escrow immediately. The lew couldn't pull the plug without immediate relief form a court.

[Beaker]

31. they've stopped speaking spanish on 950am in chicago!

now it's some type of asian-speak...perhaps korean-

but still no air america....

[Chicago Democrat]

32. Its still not on.. I get a Chinese program

[Chicago Democrat]

33. ITS ON NOW!! YAY!

God Bless America! Land that I Love!
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with a light from above