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For information about my company Gold Village Entertainment and our clients, please go to Goldve.com. The following is a piece I wrote for the web site Downwithtyranny.com that also ran on alternet.org following the announcement that Air America Radio was going into Chapter 7 bankruptcy:

"AIR AMERICA RIP"

By: Danny Goldberg

I think that the New York Times got it exactly wrong on Monday in declaring that “the enduring legacy of Air America’s failure is that political media from either side of the aisle is more successful when run as a business instead of a crusade”

That very attitude is what has hobbled the growth of liberal talk radio but conservatives have never thought about media that way and they still don’t. The week before Air America shut its doors the Rev James Dobson announced that he was starting a new radio show with his son Ryan, a thirty-nine year tattooed surfer who shares his father’s ultra-conservative views. On Dobson’s Facebook page he asked his supporters to fund the new show “Your participation will be greatly appreciated, especially during this time when startup costs will be very expensive. The budget for the first year, including the costs of radio airtime, will be about two million dollars.“

Conservatives believe in doing whatever it takes to promote their ideas. Richard Viguerie, viewed as one of the architects of the modern conservative movement, wrote a book in 2004 called ‘America’s Right Turn: How Conservatives Used New and Alternative Media To Take Power” in which he explains how the right wing used talk radio among other tools. Viguerie stresses that conservatives understand that ideological change does not usually occur over night, that it takes patience and long term thinking to build a movement.

In the early nineteen seventies the Washington Post and New York Times were instrumental in helping expose the Watergate scandal and publishing the Pentagon papers. Conservatives felt that liberals had an advantage in setting the agenda because of the influence of New York and D.C, newspapers on the national media. In 1976 Rupert Murdoch bought the New York Post and it has lost money every year since, the total loss estimated to be more than half a billion dollars. In 1983, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon created the Washington Times, which has also lost money every year. Widely published reports place Moon’s losses at over $1 billion on the Times and other political media including a purchase the venerable wire service UPI. These money losing properties have put dozens of conservatively slanted stories onto the national radar screen, altered the framing of every important political issues, and nurtured virtually every right wing pundit who now thrive as TV talking heads.

More recently, Phillip Anschutz bought the money losing Weekly Standard from Murdoch and announced plans to invest in more conservative media and his fellow billionaire and former Republican Treasury Secretary Pete Petersen started a digital news service called The Fiscal Times.

The fatal flaw in Air America’s genetic code was the pretense that liberal talk radio was a great business opportunity, that progressives could have their cake and eat it too, do well by doing good, make big salaries and get a great return on investment while also pursuing an ideological agenda. Sure, every once in awhile political media like Michael Moore’s movies or Rush Limbaugh’s radio show will make money, but for those interested in influencing public opinion, media in all venues is vital whether they make money or not.

Air America’s lesser-known competitor, Democracy Radio had a more coherent rationale. It was set up as a non-profit and it spawned the Ed Schultz Show and the Stephanie Miller show both of which survive but which may never have been launched were it not for Democracy Radio’s initial funding. (Democracy Radio folded in 2006 as a result of a lack of financial support from progressive donors).

Some blame bad management for the failure of both Air America and Democracy Radio and since I spent one unhappy year midway through Air America’s life as its CEO I suppose I am one of a dozen or so who are in that category. But if progressives really wanted to address talk radio they could have started competing companies with different management . Instead, most of the monied progressive community did the opposite of their conservative counterparts and bought into the notion that media should stand or fall based on media market forces.

It’s not that the left doesn’t have money to spend on communication. Labor unions, public interest groups, and Internet activists have raised and spent tens of millions of dollars on TV spots and digital marketing even during non election years.

138 million people commute to and from work in automobiles in which they can look neither at computer or TV screens .For around one third of them, or 48 million, AM talk radio is their entertainment of choice. Of the top 10 AM talk radio shows, 9 are hosted by extreme conservatives giving the right wing a captive audience of around 40 million listeners a week. at least 7 times greater than the combined audience for Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC. Talk radio’s audience dwarfs that of every other category in the news political arena including the network news and Sunday shows, NPR’s public affairs shows, and political websites.

It was not pre-ordained that all of the millions of people who identify with the “tea-party” movement would believe the conservative narrative that the economic ills afflicting the middle class are the result of liberalism. But given that tens of millions of them had no alternative explanations or solutions, it is not surprising that conservative ideas and candidates are ascendant.

Many progressives blame the current political climate on the Obama administration, and I disagree with a number of Obama’s decisions including his Afghanistan policy. But why should progressives expect any President to lead the way on our issues given the nature of our political system? At the outset of the Obama administration there were dozens of columns reminding progressives that Franklin Delano Roosevelt had told the liberal activists of his day to “make” him initiative progressive programs by mobilizing public opinion. Instead, most of the modern left spent the last year talking to itself while conservatives convinced millions of people that global warming is a hoax, that torture in required to keep America safe, that non-millionaires in Canada and Europe have worse health care than their American counterparts. The right wing could never have convinced 45% of Americans that the Democrats wanted death panels if their outreach was limited to Sarah Palin’s Facebook page and the three million people a night who watch Fox’s highest rated shows.

Perhaps the major liberal donors have become confused because they became accustomed to focus groups and polling are very useful tools in predicting short-term public reaction to political messages. They can tell you if a particular TV spot will turn off swing voters two weeks before an election. But long-term political ideas have a more complex and uncertain creative path. Conservatives understand the need to focus on both long and short-term political communication.

Or maybe media advisors and consultants who advise labor unions and an assortment of progressive groups on media strategy are culturally uncomfortable with the crude language of AM talk radio and other mass culture, or are often so nervous about losing control of” their “message.” Whatever the reasons, the theory of leaving political media to the marketplace has enabled a status quo in which one third of the American public are never exposed to progressive ideas or even to facts that are incompatible with the right-wing narrative.

To be fair---the radio business has an idiosyncratic culture that is hard for outsiders to grasp. In 1987 when the Reagan administration ended the Fairness Doctrine the cultural landscape was such that many conservatives felt under-served by the mainstream media of the time and Rush Limbaugh was able to use his considerable broadcasting skills to attract millions of them as an audience and revive the economic fortunes of AM radio stations around the country. At the same time, as described in Viguerie’s book, conservatives focused on small market stations for religious and political purposes and helped create an infrastructure that continues to serve them well. Traditional radio stations attract audiences based on “formats” that grouped together demographic cohorts. Thus music radio is either R&B, pop, rock, country or various versions or hybrids of those genres. A listener to a country station would not want to hear a Metallica song programmed sandwiched in between Toby Keith and Sugarland. While liberals ignored AM radio, viewing it as a passé medium for troglodytes, conservatives honed their skill at talk radio and by the nineties, most liberal moderate talk hosts had been taken off the air because they did not fit into what was now the “conservative talk ” format.

Many of the radio executives who programmed the right wing radio stations of produced the shows did not agree with their politics but, like most business people, they gravitated to the easiest path to make the most money the quickest. These “radio people” understandably were not going to be motivated by an ideological agenda, even one that they agreed with. But activists and public interest groups are supposed to be motivated by ideology.

When Air America and Democracy Radio launched in 2003 they faced, not only a lack of liberal talent with the broadcasting chops to entertain radio listeners, but also a lack of stations on which to place programs even by someone with the celebrity of Al Franken. One of the main reasons a sizeable investment was needed (though nothing like the scale of the investment made by Murdoch and Moon in money losing right wing newspapers) was the need to create enough programming- to fill up the time of stations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so as to justify a “progressive talk” formatted station.

Conservative talk had a 17 year head start and so there just weren’t enough experienced broadcasters with progressive politics to create a format. Identifying, developing and marketing talent takes a lot of experimentation with a predictable amount of failures in order to establish successes. This is part of the reason it took even an ultimately successful company like Fox News years to turn a profit.

Another need for investment was to market a brand new format with lots of personalities new to radio and to give incentives for radio station owners in smaller markets to give the new format a chance.

There are some who claim that liberals are just not good at talk radio. Right-wingers accuse liberal talkers of being elitists who don’t understand radio entertainment. Some on the left feel that the talk radio audience demands a simplistic angry polarizing tone that is incompatible with progressive values. Both theories are nonsense. I am an unabashed Al Franken fan, but even if one disliked his style or politics, the fact is that his show attracted several million listeners a week on AM talk radio stations and because of the under-development of the liberal talk format, it could only be heard, at its peak, by around half of America’s radio listeners. Ed Schultz has reached a comparable number and he too has not been able to get broadcast in markets where “conservative talk” is the only game in town. The apex of Air America’s penetration was in 2005-2006 and it not only helped broaden the audience for progressive bloggers who were regular guests, but it gave activists like Cindy Sheehan access to Americans who do not listen to the Amy Goodman Show or read The Nation. Just as conservative investment in the intellectual world eventually produced legitimate conservative academics and writers, so would liberal investment in the populist media result in more Rachel Maddows.

In Viguerie’s final chapter he wrote that Air America “was the most ambitious effort by liberals so far to compete with conservatives in the alternative media marketplace. “ He nervously acknowledged Air America for “turning to articulate entertainers with liberal political convictions” But he was confident that it would not succeed because of what he called liberals “fear of long-term commitment,” adding “Conservatives didn’t build their alternate media empire overnight. It was the result of decades of hard work.” Viguerie presciently observed that Air America had “inadequate capitalization. Starting a network with clout will cost a lot more than the $20-30 million they claim to have raised. And to start to expect to make a profit in just four years in unrealistic. Ask Rupert Murdoch.”

Although the earliest and wackiest group of Air America owners overspent on a few items like studios and initial salaries, within months the primary characteristic of Air America was a lack of cash for marketing, for affiliate growth and for talent development. The pressure from wealthy liberals was not to create a long-term strategy as conservatives had done but to show a business model that would turn a profit in a year or two

Thus, several ill-fated iterations of Air America were driven by delusional projections of traditional business viability and consequently misled themselves and staff regarding what resources would be available and then inflicted onerous cuts on a business that was already underfunded. During my brief tenure I got thousands of hate mails form fans of comedian Marc Maron whose morning drive time show (the time when most commuters listen) was cancelled to move Rachel Maddow from the obscure 5 AM time slot into the morning drive. Given her talent and discipline it is likely that Rachel Maddow’s success was pre-ordained, but there is no question that the audience she developed in drive time was one of the assets she brought to MSNBC. However if there hadn’t been such a cash crunch, there would have been a way of developing Maddow and keeping Maron and also giving more talent a real chance.

By 2004, the radio business, after years of robust growth that made it a darling of investment bankers, was beginning to feel the erosion of its business model experienced by all “old media.” The idea that conventional investors would find a liberal talk syndication company a sexy investment was laughable. Contrary to published reports, there were and are numerous “radio people” involved in running various versions of progressive radio but they all found that it was not a particular good business based on pure economics. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t and isn’t a good political investment for progressives whose agenda is to battle conservative ideology.

Thom Hartmann, Bill Press, Randy Rhodes, Stephanie Miller, Ron Reagan, and many other liberal radio survivors deserve all the credit in the world for their resourcefulness and heir commitment. But the broader progressive community should not be leaving them to a Darwinian world while the likes of James Dobson continue to raise ideological money to further broaden the hold of right wing mythology on the minds of 48 million commuters who happen to like talk radio’s rhythms.

In 2007 I returned to management with the formation of Gold Village Entertainment (GVE), which initially consisted of myself, and Jesse Bauer representing Steve Earle and Allison Moorer. Since then we have added four more executives, Brady Brock, Cyndy Villano, Laura Benanchietti, and Toy Vano.

The company’s website Goldve.com has more info on the company and contains a complete client list and info on each of the artists we represent. As of October, 2009 this list consists of:

The Cranberries, just reunited. The group will be touring North America November-December,2009 and Europe starting in late February. GVE also manages Cranberries lead singer Dolores O’Riordon whose current album The Journey is out on Rounder Records in North America and Cooking Vinyl Records elsewhere.

Steve Earle who is touring worldwide in the wake of the release of his album Townes.

Allison Moorer recording a new album for Ryko Records, which will be released in early 2010. She also appears and sings in the forthcoming film We The People.

The Hives who are commencing writing for their next album, expected out in spring, 2010.

Rickie Lee Jones, just signed to Concord Records. Her new album “Balm In Gilead” will be released November, 2009. (co-managed by Peter Wark)

Tom Morello whose new group Street Sweeper Social Club with Boots Riley of The Coup is getting attention world-wide.

The Old 97s who will have a new album out in 2010. GVE also manages Old 97s lead signer Rhett Miller who will be touring in Europe with Steve Earle

Ben Lee, who recently re-formed his first group Noise Addict with Lou Barlow and released an album free on the Internet.

Care Bears On Fire whose first album Get Over It is out on S-Curve Records. They are about to appear in an episode of the Nickelodeon series “True Jackson” playing themselves and performing their song “Everybody Else”

Joseph Arthur who is performing regularly at the City Winery in New York and working on songs for a new album. (co-managed by Peter Wark)

David Broza (just finished recording an album of new songs David wrote based on previously unpublished poems by the late Townes Van Zandt. Steve Greenberg’s S-Curve Records will be releasing in early 2010.

The Grates an Australian group ,now touring North America whose current album Teeth Lost Hearts Won if gold in Australia and just been released in North America by Thirty Tigers Records.

Ian Hunter, whose current album Man Overboard has gotten great reviews .Ian has just appeared to adoring crowds at the Mott The Hoople re-union shows in London.

School of Seven Bells finishing an extensive world tour and beginning work on a new album, which will be released by Vagrant Records in early 2010. (GVE co-manages School of Seven Bells with Ryan Gentles company Wizkid Management).

A-Camp is a group consisting of Nina Persson former lead singer of The Cardigans, Nathan Larson, formerly of Shudder To Think, and Niclas Frisk. Their most recent album, Colonia was released in 2009.

This website is set up as a reference point to my book Bumping Into Geniuses.
For updated information about my business Gold Village Entertainment please go to the Gold Village website. I am not a very disciplined of accomplished blogger but I am using this site to put up comments or links that connect to the book. I hope the visitor will forgive the ego trip of mentioning some of the reviews I was most flattered by:

My father Victor passed away the year before it was published. As long as I can remember he read the New York Times cover to cover to cover. He boasted incessantly about me, my brother Peter and my sister Rachel and I know he would have been proud of the New York Times review.

Nirvana biographer Everett True wrote the following for the London newspaper The Guardian
Although it says a few bad as well nice things about me I recommend Everett’s book Nirvana: The Biography.

One of my heroes, Paul Krassner, author and creator and long-time editor of The Realist was kind enough to review it for the Los Angeles Times, a quote from which graces the cover of the paperback.

No history of the nineteen sixties is complete without understanding the contribution of Paul Krassner. More on Paul at http://www.paulkrassner.com/pkbio.htm.

On my mini book tour I found that many of the signings were videotaped. This one at Google captures the vibe of such readings. And the questions the followed.

The most flattering response I got to the book was from Andrew Loog Oldham who managed and produced the Rolling Stones for the first several years of their career including such classics as "Satisfaction," "Play With Fire," "The Last Time," "Paint It Black," "Mother's Little Helper," and "19th Nervous Breakdown." Andrew spoke very flatteringly of my book on his Sirius Radio Show and was kind enough to send me his two riveting memoirs of the mid and late nineteen sixties Stoned and 2Stoned. More on Andrew at http://www.andrewloogoldham.com.



Bumping Into Geniuses available at:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Borders
IndieBound

As I describe in "Bumping Into Geniuses" one of my early mentors in was Lee Solters. I wrote the following tribute to Lee for Billboard (which coincidentally was there I got my first job in the music business as a teenager in the Fall of 1968) .

"Heaven needed a great PR guy," said an email from Larry Solters announcing that his father Lee Solters has passed away in his sleep on May 16th,2009 at the age of eighty-nine. Born in Brooklyn as Nathan "Nussy" Cohen, Lee wrote about High School basketball for the New York Times , graduated from NYU with a degree in journalism and then embarked on a PR career than literally spanned seventy years.

In 1972 when I was twenty-two I became the token rock and roll guy at Lee’s company ,then called Solters Sabinson and Roskin which represented literally half of Broadway’s musicals, several Hollywood films, stars like Barbara Streisand, Frank Sinatra and Alan King, as well as The Four Seasons restaurant in New York, Cesar’s Palace in Las Vegas and The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus .

I was part of an insular clique of New York rock writers but Lee disabused me of the notion that PR was about getting favors . Our job was to create stories . The key words in his lexicon were "angles" that could shape a lead paragraph, and "items" with news or jokes that could be serviced to the columns still written by the likes of Earl Wilson .

In his earlier days Lee had flacked for Cary Grant and Mae West. With his thick glasses, boxy suits and a pugnacious New York accent Lee seemed to have sprung out of a nineteen forties movie. I was initially intimidated by his gruff exterior, but I soon discovered that Lee was always the least cynical person in the room, a happy warrior whose frenzy to get press for his clients was rooted in an almost child-like enthusiasm . To Lee, publicity was end in itself. A good PR scam had a poetic validity independent of any particular client.

My first assignment was saxophonist Stan Getz who had a gig at the Rainbow Grill. Getz was long out of fashion with music critics and had no new record to talk about. At Lee’s morning staff meeting he impatiently asked me a series of questions and unearthed the fact that Getz had a birthday coming up. "So do a birthday party" he shouted as if I had over-looked the most obvious opportunity in the world.

Guided by more experienced colleagues, I stammered my way through a conversation with Getz, and fashioned a "birthday party" at the nightclub which was attended by Louis Armstrong’s widow Louise, and musicians Zoot Sims and Dizzy Gillespie. Of course it wasn’t a real party, but a photo-op scheduled in the morning for the convenience of local TV crews, two of whom, to my amazement, dutifully recorded Stan blowing out his "birthday candles."

As I was leaving the office that night Lee yelled out to me. Didn’t I want to stay and watch the coverage on the TV in his office? As he switched between the two channels the old pro beamed with satisfaction. The stunt had worked. Seeing that gleam in his eye, my life was never the same. He was a teacher not only of the craft of PR but of the art of enjoying every moment. Later in 1973 Led Zeppelin became a client of his firm and I was the day-to-day guy. When the band was robbed at the end of their American tour and the New York Daily News front page headline said "Led Zep robbed of $300g" he patted me on the shoulder approvingly and said "See if we hadn’t done our work these last few months they would have said "Rock band robbed."

Lee Solters kept working almost to the very end of his life having outlasted most of his partners, James O’Rourke, Harvey Sabinson, Sheldon Roskin and Monroe Friedman. In the last few years he worked with Jerry Digney. Occasionally I would run into Lee at big events where he would complain about photographers who tried to shoot Streisand from the wrong angle or recount the latest Michael Jackson drama.

In addition to his son Larry, Lee Solters is survived by his daughter, Susan Reynolds; his grandchildren, Jonah Reynolds and Maxie Solters; and his great-grandson, Elijah Reynolds.

Contrary to the wholly invented assertions on a few websites, I NEVER wrote anything to suggest that Courtney Love has anything to do with the "downfall of Nirvana." I said that when they became successful, sometimes Kurt asked her to articulate some of his professional concerns which changed after the band's explosive success. Thereafter, the band made several more successful albums and continued to tour. Nirvana was together and brilliant until the day Kurt Cobain killed himself. There was no "downfall," except for his death. As I write in the book, Kurt was plagued by demons that I believe were rooted in his childhood. He was prone to depression and was a drug abuser before Nirvana and long before he ever met Courtney. Everyone knows that both Kurt and Courtney had drug problems and like any couple, had their ups and downs. But the main thing I know about their relationship is that they loved each other and that Kurt hated it when people dissed Courtney. Kurt Cobain loved Courtney Love and so do I.

Danny Goldberg