This just sucks wet socks.
Via Jeff G. over at Protein Wisdom:
Dear Jeff,
As you know, last September Pajamas Media began a new initiative in Internet television called Pajamas TV. When we started with our RNC coverage from Minneapolis, we noted that we would be in a Beta Phase through the first quarter of 2009. In the last few months we have strengthened the PJTV lineup with shows covering Media Bias, Education Bias, Middle East Update, Sharia and Jihad, Powerline Report, Ask Dr. Helen, Hugh News, Poliwood, Conservatism 2.0, Economy and Finance, National Security, and others.
As the end of the first quarter approaches and we near the production phase of Pajamas TV, we will continue to build our emphasis in this area. As a result we have decided to wind down the Pajamas Media Blogger and advertising network effective March 31, 2009. The PJM portal and the XPressBlogs will continue as is.
Since our ad relationship continues for the time being, you should note that in order to be paid for the 1st quarter of 2009, you must leave the current Pajamas ads up until 12:01AM April 1. We will be sending you information in mid-March on removing the ads. As of April 1, 2009, you will be free to arrange syndication or re-sale deals.
We thank you very much for participating during the formative years of Pajamas Media and we look forward to working with you in other ways. One of those is, of course, Pajamas TV. If you have any ideas in that regard, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Our best wishes in the new year and again our deepest gratitude for your participation in Pajamas Media.
Sincerely,
Roger L. Simon
CEO, Pajamas Media
Jeff is not too amused, neither are many other Bloggers who were using this service as a source of income. I asked about it, they never responded, what I did not know, is the fact that you had to sign a idiotic contract saying that you would only use them for an ad service. Which I happen to think is extremely stupid. Why limit your customers income? That is quite retarded if you ask me.
Exclusivity has a downside, I hate to say it, but BlogAds is doing the same thing, you have to be invited on to use it, and in this economic downturn, elitism is not an opinion, you either have to expand your income potential or you will dry up rather quickly. Not only this, but quite frankly, the Political winds have shifted, big time. Thanks to the beedy-eyed idiot that just want back to Texas, Conservatism has lost its appeal. This is what happens when you base a business model on a political trend. This is why all those souvenir shops in Crawford, Texas, went belly up after the Iraq War turned ugly.
So, while I feel bad for all these people that have lost an income source, I cannot honestly say that I am surprised.
Update: The Gun Toting Liberal offers up a very well written piece on this subject.
Others: The Moderate Voice, Atlas Shrugs, Althouse, The Other McCain, American Power, PoliGazette, Right Wing Nut House, Tools of Renewal, Hot Air, TigerHawk, Instapundit, The Strata-Sphere, Balloon Juice, Culture11, Vox Popoli and The Jawa Report and more Via Memeorandum
Pajamas Media never really operated independently from the Bush Administration and they had miserable coverage of and respect for the 50% of Republicans who are libeartarian. That was their mistake. It was in 2005 that the right wing blogosphere started to self destruct. Their main specific mistake was that they continued to act like conservatism = support for the Iraq War…which didn’t fly with Iraq War supporters like myself who had other issues that concerned them in which the right wingers were seemingly enemies.
Take, for instance, pre-marital sex. It is a no-brainer that the Republicans should have at least tried to represent Heterosexual Single Males as a constituency, noting that 90-95% of adult Americans have had premarital sex and it is a norm outside the deep south. But the Republicans and their obedient Blogosphere supported the insane and creepy “religion in politics” trend with its mentally sick “faith based organizations deserve federal funding” attitude. Meanwhile, they couuldn’t get enough of the idea that male horndogs must be liberals (sure, 95% of males are liberals).
A lot of this is because the Republican Party has, since the Monica Lewinsky “scandal”, recruited or welcomed bitter old harpies like Hillary Clinton who really despise male sexuality, especially when it might lead to men abandoning them for younger women. The same situation existed in Victorian England when the Queen tried to combat male sexuality in a vain effort to keep Prince Albert from cheating on her. Republicans have labeled these anti-sex feminists “strong women”…as a way of saying “real men should want to date and marry these strong Republican women”.
The sad result is that both Democrat and Republican leaders like to flaunt aging feminists as their wives or legislative aides (Dennis Kucinich wins my respect for at least not following THAT crazy self-wounding trend).
With all the new “strong woman” feminist recruits, the usual right wing criticism of feminism disappeared entirely.
The Instapundit Glen Reynolds, anchor of Pajama’s Media, has NEVER criticized feminism in 8 years!
He and the others failed to realize that the main reason why most men consider themselves “Republican” or “conservative” is because someone has to stand up for the male constituency at some point.
PM followed the MSM in pandering to aging feminists.
Advice for PM: Go libertarian more quickly by unceremoniously dumping anti-libertarian sites…and start talking about what real MEN want to talk about besides the need to fight “Islamofascism”: (alimony, child support, child visitation, false rape accusations, false abuse accusations, institutionalized rudeness between men and women, laws like VAWA and IMBRA that take men’s rights away unilitarally, the list goes on).
Can’t say that I honestly disagree with any of that. Plus, it was the constant Neo-Con Propaganda and outright bullshit, that turned me off.
Thanks again Jim! 😀