Liberal radio shuffles 2 top executivesNEW YORK -- In the latest sign of growing pains, a new liberal radio network headlined by Al Franken has replaced its programming director and says that its CEO is stepping down to take a smaller role at the company.
Mark Walsh, a former America Online executive and adviser to the Democratic National Committee, said Tuesday that he gave up his CEO title earlier this month but will continue to pursue deals for Progress Media, the parent company of the Air America Radio network. Walsh, who remains a major shareholder of the company as well as one of its founders, said he would concentrate on expanding the company's opportunities on the Web as well as its profile in Washington, where Walsh is based. "I'm still staying involved, but now a lot of it is granular day-to-day stuff," Walsh said. With Walsh out of the CEO post, the company is now being run on an interim basis by David Goodfriend, the company's lawyer and a former legal adviser for the Federal Communications Commission, said Evan Cohen, Progress Media's chairman. Goodfriend has no operating experience in radio other than a stint as a disk jockey in Beloit, Wis., Cohen said. Goodfriend has also worked as a dealmaker for EchoStar Communications Corp., owner of the Dish network. Cohen said the company also had put its programming director, David Logan, on administrative leave earlier this month. He declined to comment on the reasons for Logan's departure, and Logan also declined to comment. In Logan's place, Evan said programming for the network is being overseen by Lizz Winstead, an on-air personality at the network who is also a co-founder of "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central. Cohen called the shifts "natural changes to a rapid startup." The network suffered another glitch this month when a dispute with a business partner led to its signal being pulled from a station in Los Angeles and another in Chicago. Cohen said the matter has been settled and the signal has been restored in Chicago, but he said the network is looking for another station there.
Air America Radio network went on the air March 31 with a full slate of liberal talk and political satire shows, headlined by Franken, the comedian and author. It was carried by five station at first but is now heard on 12, Cohen said, and he expects it to be carried on 27 stations by the end of May. © Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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