The Profit Motive

[Flabbergasted]

http://www.reason.com/links/links090704.shtml

Today at noon, WCOL-AM in Columbus, Ohio, becomes the latest station to join the Air America radio network. It is also the latest station owned by the behemoth Clear Channel chain to embrace the "progressive talk" format. The company, which owns more than 1,200 stations, is now beaming Air America's liberal lineup over eight of them—nine if you count a Florida outlet that's only running the Randi Rhodes show, and 10 if you count XM satellite radio, which includes Clear Channel among its investors. That might not sound like much, but it's over a third of Air America's affiliates.

It's an alliance that flies in the face of the conventional wisdom about Clear Channel: that as a Texas corporation that has benefited tremendously from the Republicans' regulatory policies—and is owned by a Lowry Mays, a friend and financier of President Bush—it would use its market power to boost the GOP's agenda. Turns out that profits trump politics after all.

[bluestateguy]

1. But Air America is on the verge of collapsing!

And, and, George Soros is going to have to bail Air America out again because Air America steals money from poor children and crippled old ladies!

[Flabbergasted]

2. Oh so you're saying that this all hogwash?

[sutz12]

3. He just forgot the...

:sarcasm: smiley. ;)