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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...

Increasing Liberal Anger Over Air America Coverage Misplaced Anger Killing The Messengers, Plus Other Air America Updates Increasingly bent-out-of-shape Liberals are reacting with rage over Air America's corporate meltdown. Are they mad at Air America Radio, for not yet repaying nearly $900,000 in taxpayer funds, improperly received from the Bronx-based Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club? Or for their terrible public relations mishandling of the scandal? Nope, instead, angry lefties would rather blame everything on Michelle Malkin, Hugh Hewitt and yours truly. And, they've started a campaign to dominate the comments section of my site, in apparent retaliation for kicking...

It's bad enough trying to keep Air America's everchanging story straight, but what's left of the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club isn't any less frustrating. Get a load of these two statements, by the same spokeswoman:

What's next for Air America's programming and personalities, after a week of blogospheric pummeling and self-destructive corporate behavior? Many have asked that question in recent days, wondering if Franken & Co. could actually face real consequences. Not just legally, but in terms of public image, as they take self-inflicted beating after beating. A fresh example of success from St. Louis, however, proves Air America's real fate may be in your hands.

Watching Air America Radio thoroughly destroy its credibility is like last night's burning Airbus jet in Toronto: it's hard to take your eyes away from a full-fledged disaster. At least everybody escaped from the plane's wreckage, who knows what will ultimately happen at Air America's headquarters? The network's claim that all that's stopping it from repaying nearly $900,000 (boy, does that number continue to grow) it owes the Bronx-based Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club is an official direction from New York's Department Of Investigation (DOI), is blown to bits by a fresh New York Post report.

That Al Franken still refuses to address the growing scandal that's "progressively" enveloping the Air America network is bad enough, but the icing on the cake is this blog post, from his show page:

While Air America's personalities and the mainstream media (MSM) remain silent on the growing scandal, one where it apparently received taxpayer grants meant for a Bronx community center, the New York Sun today discovers far more.

What happens when you place Air America's recent statements side-by-side? Answer: the inconsistencies speak for themselves.

Wow, it didn't take long for a number of "Air America Scandal" logos to arrive. Thanks for your submissions! Who knew we had such creative readers? Here are several:

So far, in seeking to determine whether Air America benefited from taxpayer money meant for a community youth center, we've accomplished two things: sending the blogosphere into action mode and compelling the company to respond to the developing firestorm. Early Friday morning, I was made aware of a new, second press statement on the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club scandal. A number of emails and blog comments quickly followed, leading me to wonder if there was some kind of organized effort to turn the tables.

We're continuing to press the matter of Air America's $480,000 in (possibly unreturned) taxpayer funds obtained in a highly questionable manner. Meanwhile, more ratings releases today shed a great deal of light on the network's future. Unlike its conservative counterpart, liberal talk is destined to be simply a regional, niche format that works in a few cities and fails elsewhere. That's become clear. While right-leaning talk also appeals to a segment of the population, it's big (even with recent ratings troubles) and successful nationwide, almost without geographic exception. Ratings released today for Seattle, Portland and Denver put the finishing touches...

Now that Air America's sleazy funding scandal has received more attention, how can we continue to demand full accountability from the firm? Here's where things stand: --- Since the company isn't denying it received at least $480,000 in taxpayer funds meant for a Bronx community center, why doesn't it feel the need to repay the money, simply because of a network ownership change? If any of the money was repaid, why won't they tell us? Some radio talk hosts have begun on-air campaigns to demand it be returned.

Air America is being investigated in New York for diverting federal funds--possibly "hundreds of thousands of dollars"--meant for inner-city kids and senior into the station's coffers.Um, why isn't the New York Times, which has spilled tons of adulatory ink on the liberal radio network, covering this scandal on its front page? Radio blogger Brian Maloney has the lowdown. Read the whole thing. He sniffed out the story when he spotted this tidbit buried in the NY Daily News about Air America being targeted in a NYC Department of Investigation probe of kids' and seniors' programs being ripped off in the...

How's the spring talk radio ratings picture shaping up? Quite clearly: some properly-managed conservative stations are holding up well, while others are greatly suffering, with agonizing mistakes going uncorrected. Liberal talk still isn't taking off, even if there are faint signs of life, giving leftists false hope for the format's future. Not exactly a work of art, is it?

What's it going to take to get talk radio out of this increasingly-dismal ratings slump? The Radio Equalizer is tired of the post-election cycle excuse, since better-programmed stations are falling a bit less, while incompetently-managed outlets are getting creamed. The emerging Spring 2005 figures paint an especially bleak picture that must serve as an urgent industry wake-up call. Spring and fall Arbitron releases are considered the most important for media buyers, a loose parallel to TV's "Sweeps" months.

Is the recent talk radio listenership dropoff continuing? The first set of ratings figures for the three-month period of March, April and May, have emerged tonight and early indications are of a sustained, rocky period for talk radio. It's just a little bit too soon to know for sure, however.

Air America's New Outrageous Claims We've heard some pretty outrageous claims made about Air America's programming in recent months: that it was available to 60% of Americans via radio, that liberal (including non-Air America) talk shows have grown faster than Rush did in his first year. And we were lectured on the "fact" that radio ratings weren't available to the public, therefore we couldn't possibly know whether the network was performing well, or not.

It's a sure sign of industry saturation: with liberal talk radio now the flavor of the month (despite the lack of results), every Progressive Peter or Socialist Sally who's ever walked a precinct, waved a sign, or run for town council, seems ready to kick off a syndicated talk program. Announcements of new efforts, some by relatively unknown people, now seem to emerge ever more frequently.

A number of interesting updates on recent stories covered here: --- Alan Colmes wisely took the opportunity to question Bill Clinton on future talk radio plans, according to Radio & Records and All Access today. Clinton scoffed a bit, pouring some cold water on recent reports, but left the door open for a potential program.

Will former President Bill Clinton soon take to the nation's airwaves? This potentially earth-shattering radio industry announcement was buried in a lengthy Business Week report on the future of Clear Channel Communications, America's largest station owner and program syndicator.