Letter to AAR Management

[nadinbrzezinski]

I have to say, after listening to the Station Manager in San Fran.. I'd say that both you and Mrs Rhodes crossed a line

She was doing this as a commedy act, and if there was no phone recording the whole thing nobody would have known about it. Should she have called both women what she called them? Perhaps not... but the suspension either shows pressure or the willingness for a circular firing squad. Moreover, what many of us believed was an aberration over the Malloy situation, is now becoming a pattern. If you wish for liberal radio to survive, you have to start thinking how much this will cost you.

As Is these days I either podcast the shows or stream them, given that the local station went away. I'm starting to wonder how much of that going away was local management and how much was bad management from new york. What is true, is that she is bound by contractual obligations, she was not on the air, and lord knows we call many names to politicians. So are we going to have to fear saying things? Or more precisely will AAR exact ideological purity from its hosts and guests? IF it is the latter, when we have finally crossed, clearly, that door to fascism.

Congratulations.

PS Given that management is pro Clinton, assuming she won, are we to have four more years of the same were we fear the government? For the record I don't support either candidate, but will vote yellow dog nevertheless, while holding my nose with clothespin engraved with all major media concerns. I guess I will have to add AAR to the list.

[AX10]

1. Rhodes is as pro-Obama as one can get.

So is Malloy, which makes no sense.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Does not matter, it is a pattern

when you have to fear for your job for saying something YOUR managers don't approve off, REGARDLESS of where... there is a problem

Freedom of speech is not pretty most of the time

And yes, there are contractual obligations on what a radio host can say or cannot say... but if the unwritten rule is... criticize who MANAGEMENT likes and risk your job... off the air, there is a problem.

These same games were tried during the McCarthy period... and people lost their jobs back then. Some of them never worked again

Is this what we want to go to? And yes, Ironic where this is happening.

[tabatha]

18. No, Mike Malloy is for neither Hillary nor Obama -

He said so this week on this show - he ripped Obama for his "foreign policy like Kennedy, senior Bush, Reagan".

Although, Malloy has been hugely put off by Hillary's tactics, as have many people.

I was very supportive of Hillary at the outset - now I think she is a piece of work, to put it mildly.

[cascadiance]

31. So is Stephanie Miller, should we fire her?

And on Sirius, both Alex Bennett and Lynne Samuels are ultra pro Clinton. Should we fire them?

[Radio_Lady]

2. DUers who have been up to date on this RR suspension, can you tell me where the links are today?

Only heard of this about 4:30 PM PT today.

Real estate transactions are underway on our home; no computer time at all tonight, and I'd like to get "caught up" quickly. Thanks if you have time.

Sincerely,

Radio Lady

(From Wikipedia)

Suspension

Air America Radio suspended Randi Rhodes from the network on April 3, 2008 for making inappropriate comments about Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro while speaking at an Air America affiliate event in San Francisco, California. The length of the suspension has yet to be disclosed.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. She basically called them the W word during a routine

OFF the air, at an event for the local san fran station

According to the local manager this was not an AAR event... according to AAR it was.

Suffice it to say lawyers are involved now and to the chagrin of the Clinton supporters she will be back on the air, per the San Fran station manager, who talked to her.

Personally if I was an AAR host at this point, given the pattern, I'd be talking to my agent and my lawyer, to get the hell out of that operation.

That is me

[Radio_Lady]

11. Thanks, nadinbrzezinski... I got the jist of it now. Wow! Tough stuff...

I've been "chastised" by management for a couple of stupidities I said on-air, but never in other capacities -- public relations or other functions.

Sorry to hear about this -- just as a broadcaster who stretched the limits, but never this far. I must admit she is pretty brazen; but while I worked at CBS, they relied on responsible talk which honored civility -- no personal attacks, namecalling, etc. At least, that was during my time with them.

Later, I worked for a privately held radio station and still tried to maintain conversation rather than "screeching and berating" other people for their lives, work, associations.

That was then -- this is now.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Yep this is now

but again she said what she said OFF the air.

What gets me is the increasing whiff of ... McCarthyism

[roguevalley]

15. good post, nadinb.

[sharesunited]

3. She would have been tombstoned at DU.

That's not the way we make peace.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Once again, this was a COMEDY ROUTINE

Is skin this think for some people?

Mind you, I don't like that language, and I don't go to those shows.

As I said, it is not about her anymore... but how far can management can go...

Who knows... it is the PRECEDENT this sets... perhaps it will be you who will be fired next for not agreeing with your boss.

[sharesunited]

7. Randi is a great broadcaster. I think she will come back to the air stronger.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Yep but I will not be too surprised if by the end of her contract

she goes somewhere else.. nor will I blame her

[sharesunited]

12. From your keyboard to God's email box there should be other such outlets!

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. The country is changing, so there will be

and she will bail the moment she can... not that I can blame her

[truedelphi]

20. I hear you. Comedy is meant to be funny - but as it is now

The Politically correct stuff makes so much of it off limits.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Yep and this is dangerous for the country

if... and this is a big if... the hit was ordered by politicos... then we know there is not much difference between the left wing authoritarians and the right wing authoritarians.

THis is damn right scary...

[Radio_Lady]

23. Bill Maher fell victim to it -- but then he went to HBO and he gets to say...

pretty much anything.

This is really a gray area, IMHO, and the lawyers will have to handle it.

Randi is talented, although after all these years, I'm listening to more music and less talk in general. Randi adopted and supports her sister's daughter (but I guess most everyone knows that).

Hope it comes out well in the end for everyone.

RL



Here she is! The first woman with a full time daily radio call-in show in Boston, Massachusetts!

[eleny]

9. Great letter, Nadin

I've been listening to Malloy tonight giving us a refresher of his AAR experience. Yes, maybe Randi shouldn't have gone so far and maybe companies can fire or suspend on-air talent for just about any reason. But dammit, as you said in the other thread - it's political.

And I got off my butt and joined Nova M, too. I've been meaning to but tonight I guess I was motivated enough to finally get it done. I was saving my donation money for Dem candidates around the country but my quality of life diminishes without good radio.

Take care, you did really good with your letter. I'll get one out tomorrow, too. Thanks for the thoughts and the motivation.

:yourock:

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. You welcome, and you know there is a problem

when even Sean Hannity defends her, and HER RIGHT to say whatever she wants OFF THE AIR.

Sean gets it, as much as I don't like him

And I think I will join Nova M tonight as well... and not renew when AAR comes up

[eleny]

19. Great! Nova M certainly deserves our support

They started on a shoestring or maybe even not that much.

Btw, Marc Maron has some great archives of his old shows. It's individual bits from over time. So nice to go back and listen to them. They still sound fresh and new - maybe because they weren't that long ago. Anyhow, nice to hear Mark & Marc doing their thing.

I'm also looking forward to Sam & Marc's next video conversation next Tuesday morning. Should be interesting as Marc has been down this road with AAR.

[baldguy]

14. "If freedom of speech means anything at all..."

"...it is the freedom to say things that people do not want to hear."

Too many people do not want to hear the truth about Hillary Clinton.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. The problem is that this goes beyond hillary clinton

yep, she is the cause celebre of the moment... but this goes farther than the clintons or the current race.

I posted in another thread that all these cameras will assure that nobody will say a thing in public out of fear

If this stands... the precedent is chilling

[Radio_Lady]

22. Question: Did this appear on someone's cellphone video? If so, did it get to You Tube?

I'm thinking of the Michael Richards situation last year -- inappropriate words in front of a nightclub audience.

I didn't see a video or anything about "all these cameras" -- so was this in a transcript form somewhere?

Sorry to bother you, but I'm clearly interested.

Thanks...

Radio Lady Ellen

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. Yes, it was in political video

so yes it is a similar situation. We have become big brother

[baldguy]

27. Here ya go.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x113908

[Radio_Lady]

32. Too racy for my blood, and I'm no prude, believe me. And this was for an AAR sponsored event?

She reminds me of Lenny Bruce. If you're too young to remember him, just Google his name.

IMHO, if it was an AAR sponsored event, she should have cleared her topics and language with AAR management, especially if she was PAID for this engagement by AAR.

People who are COMEDIANS or COMMENTATORS as well as RADIO/TV HOSTS or PERSONALITIES are completely testing the limits. I'm not sure this is a "free speech" issue at all. By the way, I thought I heard a lot of BOOs in the audience.

Not my cup of tea, and frankly, if I had been in the audience, I probably would have walked out.

Cordially,

Radio Lady Ellen in Oregon



The first woman talk show host with a daily call-in radio show in Boston, Massachusetts!

[nadinbrzezinski]

36. I would have walked out too, but not calling for her to be fired

and as to the whether this was AAR sponsored or not is part of the dust off with lawyers and all right now

[Radio_Lady]

37. They'll work it out. Happened all the time when liberal radio was popular.

Host would say something -- suspended for a couple of days, usually without pay, next week the whole brouhaha would be over.

Paul Benzaquin, now in his 90s, was one of the most prolific talk show hosts in Boston. I did 10 AM to 2 PM, he followed from 2 PM to 6 PM.

He used to say, "You have to say something totally outrageous about every 45 minutes in order to get calls." We did it with politics and humor, plus many, many guests, but there were limits -- CBS didn't want any problems with the FCC.

I was once reported to the FCC because I (unknowingly) gave birth control information to a boy who sounded like a man; and I don't remember whether he told me was 14 years old or not on-air. I got a bit of a tongue lashing for that. Doesn't that sound TAME by today's standards (or lack of them)?

Cordially,

RL

PS. Are you a writer or in media? Are you related to NBC reporter Mika B. -- or her father ZB (sorry, can't spell the name without looking at it)? None of my business but just curious because of what appears to be your last name.

[Radio_Lady]

38. That's fair. But your other posts make me wonder about your lack of confidence in the USA.

Randi is just talking.

We have to figure out what Democrat will be DOING and not just TALKING, and then get him/her in the White House. That's the job at hand.

I don't like to think about FASCISM or ANARCHY or FEUDALISM --

[mondo joe]

24. The issue is between RR and AAR and what's in their contract. If AAR is within the

rights of the contractual agreement they both consented to, then it's RR's fault for agreeing to it. If AAR is in the wrong, then they're wrong and their decision should be reversed.

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. Lawyers are in the midst of this dust off

so you could say this is clear as mud

I'm just worried about precedents and patterns at this point

[mondo joe]

28. Like any contractual dispute, that's how it will need to be resolved. The contract is

the determining factor. Since I don't know the terms, I couldn't possibly say AAR is right or wrong.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. I don't know the terms either, but at least to me

it looks like a political hit, that would have NEVER happened if the vid didn't emerge at you tube, and that is part of the conversation... the fact that all them cameras will chill any public speech

Granted, some of those have led to the great macaca moment but for the moment I am starting to worry about the country my nephews and nieces will inherit, certainly NOT the one I took to, or immigrated to

[Radio_Lady]

34. Talk show hosts have migrated to really sensational stuff -- the worst

offender IMHO is (was) Howard Stern, next perhaps Michael Savage, and Mike Malloy isn't far behind.

It hardly matters to me whether it's politics, religion, or sex -- or any of the above.

Call me old-fashioned, but this is more than a "gutter snipe" sort of humor -- it's really ugly, pretty much unnecessary, and it doesn't fit the image that I'd like to have (or used to have) of Randi Rhodes.

Cordially,

Radio Lady Ellen in Oregon

The first woman with a daily call in radio show in Boston, Massachusetts!

[nashville_brook]

29. i'm not a RR fan, nor do i support hillary right now...but i totally agree with everything you say.

[stevedeshazer]

33. Holy smokes

I want to agree with you, but I've read your poorly written screed three times and I still don't understand it.

I'm sure "AAR Management" will respond right away.

Sheesh.

Can't you at least write properly?

What is your point?

[nadinbrzezinski]

35. creeping fascism

clear enough now?