The Air America Scandal

The New York Sun has created a special, no-subscription area of their website containing all of their investigations and stories on the scandal involving Air America. They did this because there has been such a high demand on them for Air America stories since other papers like the New York Times refuse to report any negative information on Air America.

Here's the link:
www.nysun.com...

Reading through this stuff...Man, Air America is just dirty! I mean, what were they thinking? They started a pioneer radio station in a very publicized effort to combat the conservative stranglehold on talk radio. Did they think that they would just get a pass and no one would be digging through their affairs with a fine toothed comb? Did they think they could just not pay for their air time and that would be acceptable? Did they think they could get away with stealing money from the Boys and Girls Club? Did they think they could avoid their debt by changing their parent company's name? Did they think they wouldn't have to pay the court costs they agreed to pay if they lost a lawsuit against MultiCultural because they dropped the case when it became apparent they were going to utterly lose?

I mean, what were they thinking, and why isn't the main stream media not covering this?

I think no one is covering (except the right-wing blog and press, like the NY Sun) it because the story has no legs. One of Air America's directors, Evan Cohen, was a jerk (a 'crook' as Al Frankin put it). Air America's current owner, Piquant LLC, didn't know anything about any loans when they took over. Even the right-wing bloggers will admit that.

Any organization is going to have some bad apples. I don't see the purpose of blaming everyone from the photocopy guy to the DJ's at Air America for something someone else did, who hasn't even worked there for over a year. Prosecute the crimminal, but let's not persecute people who just happen to work there when he did.

Unless the right sees it as an opportunity to recapture the audience they lost. But I think a smear campaign is going to backfire, or at the very least, do nothing. People who listen, will continue to listen, people who won't, won't. Although I admit, it is a nice respite from the attacks on a mother of a dead soldier.

Originally posted by curme
I think no one is covering (except the right-wing blog and press, like the NY Sun) it because the story has no legs. One of Air America's directors, Evan Cohen, was a jerk (a 'crook' as Al Frankin put it). Air America's current owner, Piquant LLC, didn't know anything about any loans when they took over. Even the right-wing bloggers will admit that.

That's actually not true. There is a lawsuit currently in the works over the transfer of ownership to Piquant LLC:

A lawsuit filed by an owner of radio stations claims that the transfer of ownership of the Air America radio network from Progress Media to Piquant LLC in May 2004 was a "sham" intended to maintain the network's assets while deceiving its creditors, according to documents posted on a blog yesterday.

www.nysun.com...

I guess it will be up to the courts to decide if Piquant LLC had no idea what was going on. MultiCultural, however, knows that if they lose the court case they have to pay all the legal bills, so I'm assuming they believe they have a pretty solid case.

The right wing bloggers may admit what you say (which ones, though, 'cause I haven't seen those I go to say anything of the sort), but I certainly don't yet.