Sad day in Columbus, OH today

[Botany]

We had a local Air America / Progressive radio station for a
little over 1 year until midnight yesterday when it became an
all Catholic talk all the time station. That will now give us 2
all Catholic A.M. stations and 1 all Catholic F.M. station in central
OH.

WVKO was a great little station w/ Steph Miller, Rachel Maddow,
local sports, local news, and show on Saturday called the "Blue State
Dinner," where Sec. of State Jennifer Brunner had been a guest along
with other state and local thinkers and decision makers. WVKO
also had a weekly segment for the GLBT community and on Sunday
mornings and old radio hand came in and did a segment of Black
Gospel music that had once been part of the station's format years ago.

In 2008 WVKO was able to rise above the "clutter of the main stream media"
and help turn central Ohio blue and for that it became a target and it's
license was bought for $1.5 million to shut it down. The new station will lose
money and have maybe 100 people listen to it but to some powerful right
wingers the point is to stop our side from having a voice and if it costs them
money so be it.

Although it was working on a shoe string WVKO was starting to get more and
more sponsors ..... matter of fact one fruit company started doing so well w/ spots
on WVKO that it's competitor (owned by a real right wing family) started to run
ads on the station too.

This is the second time we have had a progressive station flipped in central OH
and each it was after the republicans got beat in elections and then the switch
came on like lightening and over the Holidays too.

But right now people are working to try to bring progressive radio back on the air here
but this time we might be looking @ trying to get some outside investors and offer
public shares in the radio station much like the Green Bay Packers are now a publicly
held company of the people who live around Green Bay, Wisconsin. We already
have the sponsors, the audience (we are the majority in Central OH), and the
radio talent .... we just need to find a new home.

[SharonRB]

1. This week you can stream Nancy Skinner

subbing for Lionel on Air America. If you do, call in -- I guess Lionel doesn't get many callers. 866-303-2270.

[Mabus]

16. Thanks for the head's up

I just tuned in. It's snowing in Detroit.

[SharonRB]

21. No kidding!

I'm looking out the window at work and we're getting hit again -- hard!

I'm debating about going home early.

Nancy's doing a great job. Did you hear me call in about Palin?

[Mabus]

23. Alas, the comuter frooze up

and I had to reboot. As I was rebooting the old ball and chain woke up and wanted breakfast. :cry:

[SharonRB]

24. No problem.

If you can, try to call in another day. She said Lionel doesn't get a lot of callers (big shock!). I hardly had to wait at all to get on air.

[Mabus]

26. At 9 a.m. I usually listen to Steph

But I will be listening tomorrow.

[SharonRB]

27. I do, too, but Frangela is subbing for her this week

and I'm so glad I have Nancy to listen to instead. I really don't like them. Of course, if Nancy was on all the time, I'd have a difficult choice.

[Mabus]

28. LOL, my thoughts exactly

A little bit of Frangela goes a long way. I've tried, I've really tried but I just can't do it. I usually turn Steph off during her last hour on Friday because of them. Anyway, thanks for the head's up. I'll be tuning into Lionel this week.

[SharonRB]

32. I talked to Nancy

She'll only be on through tomorrow this week, but will be back next week Monday-Wednesday again.

[Mabus]

33. Good to know

As it turns out I probably wouldn't have a lot of time to listen on Thursday. We've got friends coming over to hang out. All of us are non-Christians and so it will be nice to hang with others who aren't caught up in the Christmas madness. They're coming over starting at 11, so I'll be cooking most of the morning.

[mmonk]

2. Hope you are able to succeed in getting progressive talk back.

What are the details of your effort?

[Snotcicles]

3. Best of luck central Ohio needs to hear the truth. Keep us posted on getting a new station .nt

[IndyOp]

4. Botany - You might suggest that the people who support the station get in touch with KPHX.

KPHX -- Phoenix, Arizona -- was bought out a few years ago by a conservative group that broadcast Christian programming to get them off the air. They responded by raising money - using the internet to draw donations from across the nation to pay for start up costs. They've been growing ever since. I donated back then and now I stream them all the time because I feel a sense of ownership and pride at having helped them get back on their feet.

Good luck -- you are doing very important work in supporting them. The people have to have a voice.

:patriot:

[MikeNearMcChord]

10. And I guess they are moving to a stronger station.

[Joanne98]

5. Ohio radio sucks. I don't even listen to it anymore.

[mod mom]

12. I'll miss Stephanie Miller but public radio, WCBE is a really good station.

[KharmaTrain]

6. Another Frequency Moves One Step Closer To The Graveyard

These are bleak days in radio land...the high flying wheeling dealing days of the 90's are long gone, but the debts sure aren't. It consolidated and outsourced its way into near obsolence as many stations now face bankrupcy and having their plugs pulled.

Trying to make a go of it on a small AM signal in the best of times was tough, now it's almost impossible. The recession has dried up what little advertising drippings that didn't go to TV then cable then the internet then to radio...and the local retail bases radio once thrived on has all but vanished.

Right now it's get what you can where you can...and the pool of those who are crazy enough to buy now are slim...so its sad, but not a surprise to hear this. 2009 is going to see more of this...as the large chains canibalize their stations...trying to make one station go while shutting off the losers. AM radio is going the way of the 8-track player and 45 RPM record.

[Botany]

8. W/ a good signal AM radio can still be a player

AM can be with you @ work, in the car, and around the home ....
it is comfort food. No need to stream something or to download
pod casts it is just there @ the flip of switch.

WVKO was starting to "make it" when it got flipped.

[KoKo]

13. Exactly...well said. That's why the Religious Groups love it.

and want to control it along with the RW Talk Show folks. Obama's FCC Chairman could help clean this monopolization up.

[KharmaTrain]

15. The Graveyard Is Filled WIth "Starting To Make Its"...

This operation went bankrupt 2 years ago and looks like it's just lucky to be afloat...250 watts doesn't go far when not only competing with 30 other more powerful AM & FM ones, but now satellite and internet radio. 60 years ago when this station went on and all people had were AM radios, this relic was very viable...today, it's only able to get by with whomever has the money to keep it going. Brokering or selling all the air time to a religious group is the easy way out...and if and when this group runs out of money, there'll either be another format or the plug will be pulled again.

Yes, bigger AM stations still have a place...kinda like the old newspaper but not the many dim-watt stations. In a few years, people will be listening on live radio on cellphones, IPOD and other WiFi devices...even in the car...and when that happens, much of "conventional radio" will go the way of the vinyl album.

Cheers...

[unhappycamper]

7. We lost our AAR station in Boston about two years ago.

I still miss Stephanie in the morning. :(

[Botany]

9. Why do you hate Salsa Music?

This is a national trend to flip liberal stations.


My tin foil hat thought is that the Iraq war allowed millions if not
billlions to be "skimmmed off the top" or enriched the military/
industry/energy complex that they are now flused w/ cash and
willing to spend money to stop the other side from having a voice.

[Raster]

19. You don't need a tinfoil hat. The greedy, corporatist warmongers will DO ANYTHING

to stop free thought and diverse opinion. The last thing the military/industrial complex, the petroleum mafia and various other arms of the corporatocracy octopus want is unfettered access to information. Unfettered access to information leads to logical thought and opinion and a hunger for more information, which leads to conviction and belief. Conviction and belief lead to action and change. Action and change supported by logical thought and unfettered information spell the end of the octopus, AND IT KNOWS IT!

We Can Do Better!:kick:STOP the H8!

[Toucano]

11. Radio is just not our format, maybe.

Maybe we're too active to support a radio network.

[Botany]

17. Support it?

In Columbus we sold out 2,000 seats to see Steph ....
we had to turn people away from an old movie house
we rented for our 1 year anniversary .... every sponsor
had tons of loyal customers thanx to spots on WVKO.

[Toucano]

34. OMFG! Two THOUSAND people????

You realize the metro population is 1.7 million?

Less than one tenth of one percent!

I am sure the sponsor were THRILLED!!!!!!!!!!!!!







Just do the fucking MATH.






Columbus cannot support liberal radio.











Feliz navidad.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. K&R

Kicking it because this is important, dammit!

And I'm proud to be sending you to the Greatest Page!

:kick:

[formercia]

18. This is why we need the Fairness Doctrine

Let the RW pay for the station, then we demand equal time on their Nickel.

[Scriptor Ignotus]

30. I despise the Fairness Doctrine

even if it means we benefit. The market should decide.

[ohtransplant]

20. I listened to them all the time.

I even referred clients to them because they had some great ad rates.

It just doesn't make sense that central Ohio can't support a progressive radio station with all the Dems in the area.

[Botany]

22. If you want radio to comeback ....

..... e-mail [email protected] .... he will put you in touch with
the needed parties.

[undeterred]

25. We got our Air America station back in Madison, WI

It took a lot of people writing and calling, finding long term sponsors, and $.

[Greyhound]

29. Sorry to say this is SOP. "Christian" broadcasting companies have been

specifically buying up Air America stations all over the nation for about 3 years now.

There is indeed a vast reich-wing conspiracy, they are very well funded and dedicated to stifling any dissenting views from being aired.

[Kalyke]

31. I'm sorry to hear that, but at least you had progressive radio.

We aren't allowed to have any such a thing down below the Mason-Dixon Line. I truly and honestly believe this is why the South continues to vote Republican. We never hear from real Democrats. We only hear what Republicans say Democrats believe it (which we both know is bull-hockey).

[nadinbrzezinski]

35. We are yet to get something back in San Diego

been podcasting my lib'rul programs due to that