Public invited to discuss pulling of Air America

By RAY ROUTHIER, Staff Writer

Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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Managers at Portland radio station WLVP (870 AM) have gotten so many complaints about their decision to drop the Air America talk network that they've decided to discuss the subject publicly.

The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. tonight, at the sales office of the station's parent company, Nassau Broadcasting, at 477 Congress St.

Patrick Collins, general man- ager of Nassau's Maine radio stations, said the event is being held in response to about 100 phone calls and 400-plus e-mails the station has received since announcing on Sept. 20 that Air America would be dropped.

Nassau's chairman and CEO, Louis Mercantanti Jr., is scheduled to fly to Portland from his offices in Princeton, N.J., to address the issue.

Collins did not rule out the possibility that Nassau could reconsider its decision and keep Air America on Portland's airwaves. Collins said he sent e-mail invitations to the event to at least 425 people who had protested the Air America decision.

"I really don't know what's going to happen. (Mercantanti) is a very open-minded individual," said Collins. "The response really caught us off guard.²

Collins said on Sept. 20 that Nassau would replace the liberal talk network Air America, which has been on WLVP since April, with the ESPN sports radio network beginning Oct. 4.

Two days later, after a swell of public protest, Collins announced Nassau would keep Air America on through the November elections, then replace it with ESPN.

Collins has said the decision to replace Air America was based on the fact that management believed a sports station had more potential for advertising sales and ratings.

Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at: rrouthier@pressherald.com

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