A Close Call; Most Recent Air America Payroll Days Late

The Radio Equalizer- Brian Maloney ^ | August 8th, 2005 | Brian Maloney

[chuckpez]

Just how bad are workplace conditions for Air America staffers?

Perhaps far worse than we'd previously thought.

It's bad enough the company is generating fresh bad publicity almost daily, over the diverted $875,000 in taxpayer funds intended for a Bronx-based community service organization.

Now, to make matters worse, an internal memo obtained by the Radio Equalizer...

[franksolich]

I've worked with--not for, but with--ADP for a very long time; in fact, my paychecks from a part-time job when in college were processed by ADP, and there were other connections over the years.

ADP didn't mess up.

[backhoe]

Air America Scandal-- Click the picture-

[Tijeras_Slim]

ADP has been taking care of my paycheck for the last 12 years, along with ~40,000 co-workers all over the planet. I don't recall them ever screwing up.

[franksolich]

Right; that's the typical excuse people who mess up (lack of money in an account, delay in getting information to the appropriate people), use.

They always blame accounting.

I've been putting up with it for years.

[generationfixit]

Maybe they should quick reorganize the company and they could obsolve themselves of the former companies payroll liabilities. That should keep them solvent for a week or two.

[Pharmboy]

...and the NY Times CONTINUES its non-coverage.

[finnigan2]

As a professional accountant I can tell you that many argue the point - at what point does a company become bankrupt? The general consensus is that it occurs when it can't meet it's payroll.
However, most company's take evasive action before then, such as staff layoffs and stringent controls on discretionary spending.
These steps don't seem to have been taken at Air America leading me to suspect that either they are grossly mismanaged or they have long term promises of financial top ups from their wealthy Dem backers which has led to complacency.

[Cheburashka]

Monday was the first of August.

I wonder how many of the peasants (not the well-to-do like the on-air personalities) spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday wondering if they would be able to pay their rent on Monday?

Lefties are just so class. You just want to put your life in their hands for safekeeping.

[Fido969]

Hot Air America got a "cash infusion" of 13 million in March. They have burned through that - that means they are losing about $600,000 a WEEK.

They just got another 2 mill or so, ...figure another 4 weeks at this rate.

Even Soros couldn't keep up with this kind of hemorrhaging.

[OESY]

AIR ENRON: ELITE MEDIA BLACKOUT CONTD.
By Michelle Malkin · August 08, 2005 07:25 AM


The New York Times still hasn't covered the burgeoning Air Enron financial mess. And the NY Times ombudsman had nothing to say on Sunday:

The public editor's column will return next week.
But the Times' online "Readers' Forum on the Public Editor" does include a good post about the newspaper's failure to cover the Air America/Gloria Wise investigations. Snippet:

Tell me oh Public Editor dear, are the people of the City and State of New York not (part) of the "public" the *NY* Times reports on and circulates to?
You cannot or will not even report on Air America, but going after the defenseless Roberts kids? Why that's perfectly fine!

Remind me again what the point behind your office is, please?


Chris Muir of Day by Day sums up the Times' editorial policy rather nicely:


Captain Ed has an MSM scandal compare and contrast.

Meanwhile, Brian Maloney breaks more news this morning with a piece revealing apparent cash flow problems at Air America:

It's bad enough the company is generating fresh bad publicity almost daily, over the diverted $875,000 in taxpayer funds intended for a Bronx-based community service organization.
Now, to make matters worse, an internal memo obtained by the Radio Equalizer indicates Air America Radio employees faced late paychecks just over a week ago.

They were apparently stunned to receive a last-minute notice sent at 5:09pm Thursday, July 28th, indicating direct deposits would not be made Friday, as expected...


In typical Air America/Air Enron style, the management is blaming the payroll processing company for the delay. Maloney reports:

Worried insiders think the real problem may be something far more alarming: a lack of ready cash to make payroll on Friday, July 29th.
According to sources, it was a race against the clock to pay staffers that day, one that failed. An expected cash infusion arrived late, causing the mad scramble.

What a miserable weekend that must have been for the network's shafted workers, wondering about the fate of their next paychecks...


Where's Paul Krugman--champion of the working man, crusader against corporate fraud--when you need him? Hmmm?

Update: Blogger/journalist Don Surber has a good post on the corruption of non-profit charities and promises more. Surber has reported on the problem in West Virginia for the Charleston Daily Mail. Would be nice if someone working for a big-city paper in, say, New York City would take interest.

[varyouga]

It's a very simple explanation according to airhead America:

BUSH'S FAULT!

[Fido969]

Hey, Bush is running the whole country. These idiots can't even keep a rinkey dink talk show afloat.

[mcg2000]

Air Enron

[Lx]

Hey, it's not as bad as a place I worked. I was a friend of the accountants and she would always pay me first so I could be the first one at the bank.
They were eventually seized by the feds for collecting but not forwarding payroll taxes.