Mike Malloy FIRED from Air America Radio

[RBA]

According to a poster claiming to be his wife....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2485066

This is not a published news article, but I think it qualifies as LBN.

This is Kathy Bay Malloy and we just got news that as of this minute we've been terminated by Air America Radio.

We don't have all the details yet, but got a tip from someone who'd seen the new network lineup that we weren't included after all. We just had that confirmed by one of the suits a few minutes ago. We're told that its a financial decision.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support and we'll keep you updated as we receive more information.

Kathy Bay Malloy

[FightingIrish]

It is his wife. She does post at DU, and has posted show information under that username in the past. This is pretty credible.

His website confirms it too:

http://www.mikemalloy.com/

Bad idea. Like him or not, his show does get a lot of buzz with AAR listeners. WXXM in Madison dropped Hendrie for Malloy when listeners begged them to pick him up.

This is going to piss off a lot of AAR listeners.

[tbetz]

Confirmed at mikemalloy.com:

WEDNESDAY Aug. 30 2006

MIKE MALLOY FIRED BY AIR AMERICA RADIO

There will be no Mike Malloy program today - or any day - on Air America Radio as we have been terminated. We are as shocked as you are. We are told its a financial decision.

More details to follow as we hear them ourselves.

Damned shame.

[Scribbler]

Damned shame.

It is a dammed shame.  Malloy and Hartmann have been my favorites, although I can see why many stations didn't want them, especially Malloy.  I wonder if the last straw came this week when Malloy was substituting for Rhodes and probably drew lots of complaints about his over-the-top rhetoric.

[clbuck]

I hardly suspect it was financial reasons; Mike's show was the cheapest to produce weekday show on the lineup. He and his wife/producer combined barely made more than the low six-figures. Perhaps it was the late time slot, and/or his opinions that was his undoing.

This was extremely unprofessional of Air America, firing a host half an hour before airtime (filling in for Randi Rhodes), and not giving him a chance to say goodbye.

[evnlee]

This is going to piss off a lot of AAR listeners.

both of them?

[evnlee]

This was extremely unprofessional of Air America, firing a host half an hour before airtime (filling in for Randi Rhodes), and not giving him a chance to say goodbye.

your absolutely right. Because we all know that when you get fired in radio, they give you 2 weeks notice so you can complain about it on the air

[raccoonradio]

and then you are "escorted from the building" after being told to clean out your desk. You have two minutes. Go.

[Scribbler]

I hardly suspect it was financial reasons; Mike's show was the cheapest to produce weekday show on the lineup. He and his wife/producer combined barely made more than the low six-figures. Perhaps it was the late time slot, and/or his opinions that was his undoing.

This was extremely unprofessional of Air America, firing a host half an hour before airtime (filling in for Randi Rhodes), and not giving him a chance to say goodbye.

I suspect that "financial reasons" referred to lack of clearances and advertising, not compensation to the Malloys.  Not many stations carried Malloy or, if they did, delayed him until after midnight (KTLK in Los Angeles runs a local show from 10 pm to 1 am, followed by Malloy).  And, as others have pointed out, you rarely get a chance to say goodbye in this business (unless you're retiring or [maybe] leaving for a better job while still in the good graces of management).

[fred flintstone]

Despite all the attention the time slot gets here, 10pm to 1am is pretty much dead time in radio in both audience and revenue.  Probably the overwhelming proportion of regular PT/AAR listeners have never heard the show (and therefore won't complain).

In the way they handled the firing, AAR management for once did act like radio people. 

Two hosts in the original line-up with radio experience and both get shabby treatment.  It looks like (as at many stations) there is office politics at AAR - an "in group" and an "out group."  And people in the out group, no matter what they do or how well they do it, get treated as "stepchildren."

Probably, the writing was on the wall when AAR took Malloy off the air in New York (for a pay to play deal to carry the Satellite Sisters, which none of ABC's own stations in town would touch). 

So, now what?

The 10pm-1am slot is a bit overcrowed with progressive talk shows.
Will AAR bring in a replacement or sign-off at 10pm (with repeats for XM and the audio stream)?

Will stations now clearing Malloy go with a new AAR show (if any), or pick up Lionel, Combs or Basham - who are known quantities and do have track records?  I'd expect the latch-key stations will take whatever comes off the AAR bird but others will look around.

And before somebody mentions it, I think Thom Hartmann would be nuts to even consider a late night slot with limited clearances and strong competition.  He's better off doing his Portland morning show (and fill ins)  until Franken jumps ship.