Liberal Talk Radio Silenced in LA & Chicago

From a report in the Chicago Tribune:

After just two weeks of broadcasting, Air America Radio, the fledgling liberal talk-radio network featuring Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo, was pulled off the air Wednesday morning in Chicago and Los Angeles in a payment dispute that shows no sign of quick resolution.

Arthur Liu, owner of Multicultural Radio Broadcasting Inc., which owns Air America affiliates WNTD-950 AM in Chicago and KBLA-1580 AM in Los Angeles, said Air America bounced a check and owes him more than $1 million. Air America and Multicultural had entered into an agreement in which the network essentially was renting Multicultural's airtime, Liu said.

"They bounced a check today," Liu said. "It's a default. They have paid only a very small portion of what they owe us."

It appears that the dispute between Multicultural and Air America includes some contractual considerations that may have to be resolved by the courts. If so, there could be a significant delay prior to final resolution, and, in the interim, the second and third largest radio markets in the nation will be without Air America.

I suspect that the problems Air America is having are the result of inadequate planning and preparation on the part of the backers and producers. In a cliche, "The hurrier we go, the behinder we get."