"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" -Oscar Wilde |
"The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that watereth, shall be watered also himself." -- Proverbs 11:25 |
Air America Radio, the liberal talk radio network that features comedian Al Franken, announced late Wednesday that Danny Goldberg is giving up his role as CEO and will be replaced by an executive from a management consulting firm.
Goldberg, a longtime music industry executive, joined Air America as CEO in February of last year. He will remain with the company as vice chairman.
Jim Wiggett will become interim CEO while the company searches for a permanent replacement, the company said in a statement. Wiggett is president and CEO of the Jackson Hole Group, a management consulting firm in San Francisco.
Rob Glaser, the chairman of Piquant Ltd., the company that owns Air America, said in a statement that Goldberg's appointment "reflects Air America's desire to strengthen its outreach efforts to the progressive community .... These are areas where Danny brings unique skills and experience."
The statement did not go into further detail about Goldberg's departure from the CEO role. A spokeswoman for the company said Goldberg wanted to concentrate on Air America's programming and relations with members of the progressive political community.
While exiting day-to-day operations at Air America, Goldberg will continue in a minor, contractually-based role, working one day a week from home. Through the end of 2006, he'll be paid $400,000 on an annualized basis for his temporary role as "Vice-Chair".
In addition, he'll receive $400,000 in deferred compensation covering 2005, $100,000 to cover 2006 travel and entertainment, plus ongoing clerical support. An initial share award representing 2% of the company will now become fully vested.
Whether Goldberg's departure comes in time to save Air America, I have no idea. A lot of it will depend on whether the board is smart enough to bring in someone who knows what they're doing and is willing to work closely with the people -- those who are still left -- who made Air America a success, rather than continue to be bamboozled by the people who excell at claiming to have made Air America a success.