Air America Radio Statement RE: Boys & Girls Club

Hey folks, I'm the webmaster over at Air America and there has been some discussion in the right wing blogosphere, basically accusing AAR of stealing from poor kids. BlatherWatch has the rundown.

For a full explanation of what REALLY happened, here is Air America Radio's official statement.

If the allegations of mismanagement and corruption at Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club are true, it is absolutely disgraceful.

As reported in the Wall Street Journal and the HBO Documentary, Left of the Dial‚ the company that the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club officials gave money to, Progress Media, has been defunct since May 2004.  That company was run at the time by Evan Cohen who has not had any involvement in Air America Radio since May 2004.

The current owners of Air America Radio have no obligation to Progress Media‚s business activities.  We are very disturbed that Air America Radio's good name could be associated with a reduction in services for young people, which is why we agreed months ago to fully compensate the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club as a result of this transaction.

We at Air America Radio strongly believe in the mission of Boys and Girls Clubs to provide a safe and nurturing place for young people to learn and grow. As a result, we recently allowed the same club, Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club, to use our name in a fundraising effort for a summer camp for children in their community.

The funding for Camp Air America was raised and collected entirely by the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club, and Air America promoted the camp on air and urged support for it. A link on our web site sent those interested in contributing to the camp to the Gloria Wise web site. Regrettably, the camp did not survive the closure of the Gloria Wise organization. We have offered any individuals who contributed to the camp as a result of Air America's promotion the option of a refund paid for by Air America Radio and the Club offered the alternative option of having their donation redirected to Kip's Bay Boys and Girls Club.

So there it is. Spread the word, far and wide. Also, please stop by the Boys and Girls club and show them a little love. They are a important organization, truly deserving our attention.

•  Thanks for the "official statement"

  If you want to share the rest of the story as well, that would be awesome.

  by Steve M on Thu Jul 28, 2005 at 05:06:51 PM PDT

  •  Looks like this gives an overview

    Though with a slant to the right, it seems to summarize pretty well - and has links for those curious enough to seek more.
    http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com/2005/07/federal-funds-diverted-to-air-america.html

    "It begins with former Air America CEO Evan Cohen
    <snip>
    Cohen also happened to serve on Gloria Wise's board and convinced club leader and community activist Charles Rosen to "invest" at least $480,000 in the upstart political talk network."

    Seems like both the B&G club and Air America had a couple guys in high places that were either sleazes or ignormuses.

    by Catte Nappe on Thu Jul 28, 2005 at 05:33:28 PM PDT

•  O'Reilly

  I'll bet that O'Reilly will, at some point during his TV or radio broadcast (if he hasn't already) make mention of Air America "taking money from poor children" with little or no further explanation.

  by lalawguy on Thu Jul 28, 2005 at 05:13:06 PM PDT

•  found an article

  <dib class="blockquote">Youth funds diverted to liberal radio station
  by Michael Horowitz

  The Bronx News has learned, through informed sources, that the diversion of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club in Co-op City to the liberal Air America Radio is at the center of the city's probe of corruption at the local club.
  The money, which was reportedly paid to Air America as a loan, was supposed to be paid back with interest, two unidentified informed sources told the News. One source added that Air America officials, led by an official of the Gloria Wise Club, agreed to help the local club by publicizing its activities.
  To date, no indictments have been handed down in the New York City Department of Investigation's ongoing probe of the Gloria Wise Club's reported transfer of funds to Air America.
  Most of the Gloria Wise Club's programs are for the Co-op City community, but the club also runs after-school programs in the Baychester/Edenwald and Soundview areas.
  At the center of the investigation, in addition to Charles Rosen, the charismatic leader of the local club for the last 15 years, is Evan Cohen, who resigned, under fire, as chairman of Air America Radio shortly after its start as an alternative to conservative talk radio.
  Cohen, at the time the alleged transfers of funds from the Gloria Wise Club to Air America took place, was also the director of Development for the local boys' and girls' club, the News has learned.
  One source told the News that $480,000 in funds from the Gloria Wise Club is involved in the city's investigation of illegal transfer of funds from the local club.
  A second unidentified source stressed that Rosen never sought to profit personally from the reported loan that the Gloria Wise Club gave to Air America. The source emphasized that Rosen's sole motive, even if it was a bit naïve, was to benefit the Gloria Wise Club with the interest that Air America would pay for its loan from the local club.
  The city's DOI is pursuing the probe because the Gloria Wise Club depends heavily on city funding for its operations. These funds are subject to extensive audits, as are funds received through the state and federal governments.
  The Co-op City-based club, which Rosen has built into an empire in the Co-op City community, reportedly has 19 contracts and at least one grant with the city, worth a total of $9.7 million.
  Over the last year, Rep. Joseph Crowley has secured two major federal grants for the Gloria Wise Club, one for a day-care program for Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers and the other for the community's NORC program for senior citizens. The grant for the program for Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers was for $250,000, while the grant for the NORC program was for $99,410.
  In 2003, Crowley secured a $218,500 grant for a mentoring program that the Gloria Wise Club runs.
  Cohen, who is reportedly at the center of the Gloria Wise probe, is a Guam-based investors who was reportedly a key principal in the start-up of Air America, which has been billed as the liberals' answer to conservative talk-show hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Shaun Hannity, Bob Grant, Michael Savage, and G. Gordon Liddy.

  I think I can sort of see what must have happened, what a mess. But, I don't think it's particularly Air America's fault.

  by Elizabeth D on Thu Jul 28, 2005 at 05:19:28 PM PDT