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Surprise - Mark Walsh resigns as Air America CEO; Dave Logan also out as top programmer

Talk about an inside the beltway swinging political door - - and guess who broke the news nationwide? RBR concedes: Yesterday, first on the EIB - - Rush Limbaugh's program. CEO Mark Walsh out in less than a month after the net's 3/31 party and launch. Limbaugh made reference to the company's financial stability as a likely reason, given the recent claims from Multicultural in Chicago and LA (4/15 RBR Daily Epaper #74) not getting its money for leasing its airwaves. RBR spoke with Walsh and he confirmed his departure, but said it was not because checks couldn't cash. Also leaving the building is EVP/Programming and Operations Dave Logan.

Walsh's words, "Per usual, Rush gets it wrong. And he's either getting it wrong on purpose, in which case he's a liar, or he's getting it wrong because he's mistaken." Some had speculated Walsh's resignation was jump-started by his praising of Rush and Talk Radio Network's Laura Ingraham and Michael Savage at a recent speaking engagement ("Diversity in Media") that aired on C-Span Click Here - - which Walsh claims is "Ridiculous." Walsh is out as CEO, but states he will continue to be actively involved.

Walsh's words: "I did resign as CEO, but I'm still a senior adviser and co-founder. I'm still actively involved. I'm staying here in DC, I never moved from DC to New York. But I'm still one of the major shareholders of the company and I'm actively involved. Taking the 5:00 Acela every Monday morning and being gone all week is maybe one good reason. The other good reason is we're live, we're done. I'm not a radio guy - - I never claimed to be. And we've hired a bunch of radio people around the company recently that are really going to help out. I'm a DC dude. I'm staying down here. I'm going to get back to my sweet spot of technology deals and relating to the political community and not-for-profit community."

Chairman Evan Cohen and EVP/Chief Counsel Evan Goodman will be filling Walsh's position. Host and SVP/Entertainment Programming Lizz Winstead will reportedly replace Logan.

RBR Observation:

Walsh is the guy inside the Beltway with the political connections who got a few radio people and comics together with a strong liberal line and thought they could fill the airwaves with junk attack talk. Air America and their financial backers found out real quick that no matter - - Liberal or Conservative - - if you don't have Programming Content with Programming Presentation you have zip, no matter how deep your pockets are. Remember AOL chief Steve Case is out, but still in on board with Time Warner. He just doesn't call the shots.

Walsh is the guy inside the Beltway with the political connections who got a few radio people and comics together with strong liberal line and thought they could fill the airwaves with junk attack talk. Just like the commercials being run today on television by both sides in the Presidential race.

Limbaugh's EIB Network started with content with presentation and the worst stations in all markets. When these stations got numbers and moved the 1988 ratings needle in the Arbitron books, someone took notice in these local markets called local competitors. Sixteen years ago there was no such thing at consolidation but the other C - - called competition. Air America was given the words of caution by RBR on the rules of radio programming success: Those who compete against other stations know that the best way to beat the competition is have them implode from the inside. Somehow, in less than one month - - and after getting all the free media coverage from Fox News Channel to NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw - - it seems the inside crew failed to heed our advice and Air America is imploding.