Nova M to File for Bankruptcy

[Duer 157099]

Source: Robert V. Gaulin

Updated release from Robert V. Gaulin


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Randi Rhodes’ on-air home for less than a year will shut its doors. In an email message of February 17th from counsel for Nova M Radio, Inc. to Randi’s entertainment attorney, Robert V. Gaulin, the company is said to have been advised to file for bankruptcy protection next week. All payroll deposits were reversed on Tuesday, leaving Nova’s employees unpaid for the past two weeks. On Sunday, Nova received a letter from Mr. Gaulin asserting that the contract with Ms. Rhodes was terminated due to material breaches and other reasons. Ms. Rhodes had not broadcast for over a week prior to this time, a situation which was diplomatically referred to as a “problem” that was solely within Nova’s control to solve. A few days earlier, Sheldon Drobny, founder of Nova M, and a co-founder of Air America Radio, attempted suicide and is hospitalized in Chicago.

Mr. Gaulin indicated on Randi’s behalf that “We saw this coming, but are most saddened by the tragic news regarding Sheldon Drobny. Randi is devastated by the impact of these events upon her fiercely loyal audience, affiliates and sponsors. Discussions are already being conducted for Randi’s swift return to the air. Stay tuned…”

Thank you

Robert V. Gaulin
GAULIN GROUP PLLC
COUNSELORS AT LAW

Read more: http://green960.com/pages/blog.html?feed=313154&article=5025558

[marmar]

1. Mike Malloy can't catch a break......

nt

[Taverner]

2. This sucks for them and fellow truthseekers

Say whatever you will about them - I have nothing but admiration for them for picking up Malloy

[Duer 157099]

7. an earlier release seems to indicate they plan to continue

not sure exactly what's going on, maybe filing bankruptcy is a way for them to terminate obligations but still move on? (well, yes, that is the point of bankruptcy I guess)

I wonder if Mike will discuss this tonight? Has he given any indication of anything going on?

Here's the other release:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3743639&mesg_id=3743639

[eleny]

3. Sad news

[MrPerson]

4. Jesus Fucking Christ

[dkf]

5. Drobny attempted suicide?

How awful. :(

[Hello_Kitty]

11. That's so sad. He's a nice guy.

I hope he'll be okay.

[PFunk]

6. Whoa (and I do mean Whoa)!!!

I knew their was more to this Randi thing but I didn't expect this.

[otohara]

8. Jones Radio Network is The Only Progressive

network left....I think.

For some reason, they haven't reached out to RR.

[UnrepentantUnitarian]

9. Jones Radio is not a progressive network!

Ever heard of Neal Boortz? He's on Jones.

[Hello_Kitty]

12. At least they have a few progressive hosts.

They are smart enough to see there's a future in it. Stephanie Miller gets something like 2 million listeners a day and it's going up.

[otohara]

15. He's The Only One

they are a small network in comparison to ABC, or Premier. Three out of 4 of their talk talents are progressives.

There's a reason as to why they haven't reached out to Rhodes an Malloy in the past. They are much more stable and if I had a choice to go with Jones or Nova, it would have been Jones.

[LTR]

39. Actually, Jones is now Dial Global

And they've got one hell of a liberal talk lineup, in addition to guys like Boortz.

It consists of:

Bill Press
Stephanie Miller
Ed Schultz

and, starting next month... Thom Hartmann.

Seeing as AAR and what's left of Nova M are basically turning into train wrecks, Dial Global seems to actually have their shit together. And that's even in comparison to the big guns of radio like Premiere and Westwood One. Who cares if they syndicate Boortz?

[choie]

10. call me cynical

but I am finding it difficult to buy this release. Why would they include Sheldon Drobny's attempt at suicide. Something's not right...

[Spazito]

13. Well, count me out as someone who will be looking for Randi anywhere...

This release strikes me as very unprofessional as has this whole episode. I understand Nova M is to become 'On Second Thought' and I will be supporting them as I did Nova M. The irony, to me, is that I became a Founder on Nova M because they hired Randi after the Air America firing.

Signed, a former fan of Randi Rhodes.

Edited to add link to info re 'On Second Thought':

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=3743639

[LaPera]

14. And yet so many here at DU have expressed a desire to see AAR go under....

As Nova M is gone, these stupid fucking people have this competitive bullshit about AAR as if it's some sort of competition or game with progressive personalities.

How many progressive networks are there that one can be so fucking ridiculously petty as to want to see a national progressive network like AAR fail, as the republicans (Limbaugh) laughing saying, "we told you so" AAR wouldn't make it in the long run, “liberal radio just can't make it, no one listens to liberal radio", while radio stations around the country begin believing it again.

Why do progressive want to eat their own?

Every hear a republican trashing Hannity because they like Limbaugh or Savage more? What's wrong with these stupid "progressive" fucks who want to see a network like AAR fail?

As we watch another (Nova M) go down and trying to pick up the piece under a new name.

We need more liberal voices & networks to fight the huge republican airwave advantage spewing out their lies & hate, not less!

[Kool Kitty]

16. I couldn't agree more.

[glinda]

27. "Why do progressive want to eat their own?" That is how we got Bushed.

Please don't ever forget people.

[lordsummerisle]

28. I totally agree with this n/t

[GreenTea]

32. Exactly!

[ronnykmarshall]

17. Randi will be back ...

Where, I don't know.

Back to Air America?? Mark Green would have to do some MAJOR ass kissing to get her back. I don't see her moving BACK to New York again.

Jones Network? Randi and "Momma" on the same nextwork?? That would be great ... BUT Randi and Ed Schultz to NOT get along. I'd hate to see what happens at the company holiday party!!!

[Fenris]

26. Actually, Ed said some nice things about her when she got canned by AAR.

So who knows?

[riverdeep]

50. Yeah, but she hates Ed for some reason.

She's got a lot of strong dislikes. That's what makes her Randi I guess, but at times like these, a more amenable personality might have been helpful.

[Mika]

54. Maybe its because he called her a slut on air. Repeatedly. Over a ratings dispute.

I think that they've made up, in a publicity sense, but there's still some hurt left over. Righty so, imo. Calling Randi a slut on air is crossing all lines of decency.

[riverdeep]

57. I didn't know that.

She never said why she hated him. Weird.

[santamargarita]

18. Here we go again...

...and the:puke:right-wing shit plays on.

[geomon666]

19. What a disgusting ass thing to do from this lawyer.

Airing Sheldon Drobny's dirty laundry like that to save his own client's ass. Utter filth this Gaulin guy is.

[Spazito]

22. One site is questioning the authenticity of the release...

"3. Rumors are swirling right now that Nova M has folded. Proving that he's in a world of his own, the Tranquilizer is claiming that Rhodes' lawyer sent him a letter claiming that Nova M didn't make payroll and is about to fold, that Mike Malloy's show has been cancelled and that the network's co-founder, Sheldon Drobny, is in the hospital after an apparent 'suicide attempt.' Suicide??? Basically, Brian Maloney has topped himself on the crass-o-meter."

Link to above:

http://ltradio.blogspot.com/2009/02/nova-mess.html

If the release is actually from Randi's lawyer, I agree it is a disgusting thing to do, beyond merely unprofessional. If the release is not genuine, the person who posted it as such is in whole heap of legal trouble.

Whoever 'the Tranquilizer' is, he is certainly wrong about the Malloy show being cancelled, according to Kathy Malloy, the show's producer.

[mopinko]

55. are you saying that people with mental illness should be ashamed?

really, it is no more shameful than cancer. maybe something that a lot of people would rather deal with privately, but then, people didn't used to confess to having cancer.
let's not pile on the shame. it is not helpful.

[OSTRN-Support]

20. On Second Thought Radio Network

Hi, DUers!

Just a note to let you know that all is not lost!

On Second Thought Radio Network has been formed to bring you Mike Malloy, Nancy Skinner, and Mike Newcomb.

We will be honoring all existing subscriptions from the old Nova M, and at least for now the old web addresses will continue to work along with our NEW address which is;

www.onsecondthought.net

We hope you'll drop by as we change the site over and grow this NEW LIBERAL NETWORK which is based, appropriately, in Phoenix.

- Support

[Duer 157099]

21. Malloy rises from the ashes in Phoenix!

Thanks OSTRN!

I hope Randi surfaces somewhere soon, too - but glad to hear Mike has survived to fight another day

[Spazito]

23. Thanks for the post!

This DUer will certainly be supporting On Second Thought!

[Maat]

29. I'll be supporting Malloy ...

and your new network.

Thanks for the information.

[navarth]

33. I'm glad my subscription will still be good, that's a relief.

But the whole story brings me down. I think I'll go listen to Mike right now. Thanks for the link!

[Overseas]

38. I didn't receive any email about On Second Thought

You may want to send something out to NovaM Founding members about honoring those subscriptions. I didn't know, so upon reading some unsettling information, I canceled my membership. I guess I can reinstate it later, with the new entity being formed.

I love Mike Malloy and am glad he will stay. His great poetry, discussing news with humor and passion, along with a great memory of regimes past, really helped me endure the dark ages of the Bush Gang. Mike shared my dismay to the hilt, while lots of TV pundits were pretending that war crimes were just a technical misunderstanding, or when major TV news channels were promoting a war on Iraq even though many experts and well-read people knew that the reasons being used to defend going to war were false.

I also really enjoyed listening to Randi most of the time because she did her homework. The rude moments were overshadowed by the insightful sections for me. I like her CSpan-geek side, and enough of that came through to offset the rudeness, or moments of misinterpreting particular callers' points. I liked her taking time to discuss policy stories with passion, and will continue to seek her out.

My all-around favorite on progressive radio is Thom Hartmann-- love his active intelligence and passionate control of the facts as he debates conservatives who spout worn out dogma and use cheap rhetorical techniques. Thom's poise and courtesy during those discussions are inspiring. He wins the arguments on the merits, with his polite, passionate, detailed knowledge of history and economics. He understands how to attack the ideas rather than the person.

[TommyO]

47. I was never a big Malloy listener, until I subscribed to get Randi

I figured, since I'm paying anyway, I might as well download Mike's podcasts so I can listen to them in the car the next day. Now I'm hooked!

I'm glad that Mike Malloy will continue to be available, and at least for now, I'm keeping my subscription.

[maddogesq]

48. Wow, Nancy Skinner has a new gig!

Knowing her as I do, she will be a great addition to the line up. I am sorry to see Randi get left out of this, but she will turn up somewhere.

Nancy had a radio show here in Detroit for a couple years. Those not familiar with her will appreciate her tough, yet compassionate voice.

[B Calm]

53. Thanks

[Zorra]

56. Thanks so much. Life can get boring without a Malloy fix.

Mike (and Kathy) are not only spot on, they are hilarious.

[Chicago1]

24. Sheldon Drobney is the nicest person

He's the nicest person. I've spoken to him over the phone and he's professional and very knowledgable. I'm sorry he's in this situation. I things improve for him.


PROSECUTE BUSH AND CHENEY!!!!

[wroberts189]

25. damn ... nt

[1776Forever]

30. Malloy's on tonight at Nova M site streaming - I listened to Jeff Farias today on his radio show.

If you have listened to Nova M - I have for a long time since Malloy went there - you know Jeff Farias. He is a really good progressive radio talker.

Here is his site if you want to check it out:

http://www.thejefffariasshow.com/

Jeff is with RootsUp Radio:

www.RootsUpRadio.com

He had a bunch of stuff to say about the owners of Nova M today and none of it was good. He really disliked the way Nova M was run in the past. He says the new owner is a good guy and he has nothing against him. Some listeners said they hoped he gets back on the new station.

[Overseas]

40. Thanks for the links to Jeff Farias !

Looks great ! Great guests, too !

[daggahead]

31. Maybe we need to tell Randi and Mike about ...

Blogtalkradio.com.

It is a cheap way to broadcast ...

[tedx]

34. ftc will solve this

obviously, the fairness doctrine will make things much better for left talk, and essentially squelch the right. too bad it has to come to that, but guys like limbaugh and levin and hannity, while they do express the left's take on things, totally deride progressive ideas in the process. they need to be controlled, and o's ftc seems like it will have the power to shut them up.

[fasttense]

35. I'm not sure the fairness doctrine will do all you predict

even if it were reintroduced completely unaltered from the way it was prior to Raygun killing it by executive order.

What really needs to happen is the break up of the huge media monopolies. They prevent competition and stifle freedom of speech. This is why the internets have gotten to be so popular.

[seanparnell]

36. Have you ever heard of the First Amendment?

So, let me get this right - you're cool with the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" because it will 'squelch' those who disagree with you? You're in favor of "controlling" anybody who voices an opinion contrary to yours,and are happy to use the power of government to "shut them up" because you think they're political views are unpalatable?

I remember the good old days when leftists/progressives supported freedom of speech and the First Amendment. Not so much anymore, I guess.

Sean Parnell
President
Center for Competitive Politics
www.campaignfreedom.org
[e-mail]

[Codeine]

52. Troll.

Go suck it.

[JSK]

37. Billo the clown

will have a field day with this.

[Freddie Stubbs]

41. Nova M Radio Network Files for Bankruptcy Liquidation

Source: Radio Online

Liberal talk network Nova M Radio has filed for bankruptcy liquidation, according to the company's co-founders Anita and Sheldon Drobny. Established in 2006, Nova M had been struggling financially since last fall due to a weak ad market. To make matters worse, talk host Randi Rhodes disappeared from the network and its 34 affiliates last month.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Nova M was supposed to have promised to cover certain legal costs for Rhodes. But she disappeared after after discovering that her contract didn't offer such indemnification.

A message on Rhodes's web site blames her disappearance on Nova M's failure to correct "an unspecified problem" and that she's seeking a new home for her show. Rhodes was ousted from rival Air America last year for comments about Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton during a stand-up comedy routine.

Nova M's night host, Mike Malloy, heads to Phoenix-based start-up On Second Thought Radio Network, headed by Dr. Mike Newcomb, who was Chairman/CEO of Nova M until last year. On Second Thought will air on former Nova M affiliate KNUV-AM/Phoenix as its flagship. (02-18-09)

Read more: http://news.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/$rol.exe/headline_id=b11400

[Ranting_Wacko]

42. Looks like the rumors were true after all. -nt-

[bdamomma]

43. Mike is still there!! He is not going anywhere.

[MrMickeysMom]

44. I could not link to news.radio-online

Fix, please?

[DeeDeeNY]

45. There are so many questions that don't add up

Did Sheldon Drobny really have a breakdown? How could a shrewd negotiator like Randi not know what was in her contract? And why did they fire Manzo?
And why was Malloy saying Tuesday night that whatever was going on with Randi was a private matter and nobody's business?

The link isn't working for me.

[tencats]

46. Randi Rhodes has been replaced on WJNO in West Palm Beach, Fla., by Sean Sean Hannity

"Nova M's other host, Mike Malloy, is switching to another would-be Air America competitor: Phoenix-based start-up On Second Thought Radio Network LLC. The backer of On Second Thought, Dr. Mike Newcomb, who was involved with Nova M until last year, describes his new network as "talk radio for independent minds." He plans to use former Nova M station KNUV in Phoenix as his company's flagship.

"Ms. Drobny says she and her husband had poured their own money into Nova M, but the business became unsustainable last fall. As advertising revenue plummeted, so did the Drobnys' personal portfolio, making it impossible for them to keep supporting the company. Toward the end, Nova M lost $100,000 a month. The financial stresses eventually affected her husband's health, she says, leading to the breakdown that landed him in the hospital."

"There were so many wealthy progressives out there that could have made happen," she said, but they didn't want to help. "It ended up being on Sheldon's shoulders."

Read more here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123500238535517781.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[Lost in CT]

49. All payroll deposits were reversed on Tuesday, leaving Nova's employees unpaid for the past two week

Yeah how fucking Progressive...

Those assholes belong in jail for stealing wages from working people...


(It would be nice if some of the talent covered the unpaid wages for the working man)

[riverdeep]

51. There's been an awful lot of stuff going down with Randi.

She sure does have this propensity for drama. From the falling down on the sidewalk to the lawsuits to the calling out of Hillary, etc. It'll be interesting to see where she lands. I feel sorry for the Drobnys. Stuff like this makes people who take on a commercial enterprise on behalf of progressives think twice.

Randi's website STILL isn't up. You'd think she would have done her own hosting considering what happened last time. All I get is this message:

"TO ALL:

NOVA M RADIO HAS NOT YET CORRECTED THE PROBLEM THAT HAS KEPT ME OFF THE AIR
DESPITE MY STRONG DESIRE AND READINESS TO BROADCAST MY SHOW. RESPECTING THE
EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP THAT HAS EXISTED BETWEEN NOVA M AND ME, AND
EXPECTING THE SOLUTION TO BE QUICKLY ACHIEVED, DETAILS OF THE TRIGGERING
EVENT WERE WITHHELD IN GOOD FAITH. BUT I CAN TELL YOU THIS MUCH: ANY
STATEMENT IMPLICATING ME AS BEING IN ANY WAY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DISRUPTION
IN THE RANDI RHODES SHOW IS PATENTLY FALSE. THIS ENTIRE SITUATION IS
SOLELY WITHIN THE CONTROL OF NOVA M.

IN LIGHT OF MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTS, MY SHOW WILL BE SEEKING A NEW HOME.
I WOULD ASK FOR YOUR CONTINUED PATIENCE AND INDULGENCE IN RESPECTING MY
RIGHTS DURING THIS TIME. YOUR UNWAVERING SUPPORT IS CHERISHED. THANK YOU.

RANDI RHODES"