Anybody Listening To Air America?

[CamEdwards]

The new liberal talk radio network is on the air... so is anybody listening?

[wig]

Isn't Carrot Top the host?

[Ryche]

I am, just out of curiousity. Having some trouble keeping the online stream running though.

It freaks me out hearing Katherine Lapner, I keep thinking I'm listening to Minnesota Public Radio.

[rkmsuf]

Seacrest....in?

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

Seacrest....in?

He's got enough to keep himself busy, what with sending Casey Kasem and Rick Dees to the unemployment line.

[rkmsuf]

Maybe he'll go three for three...

[Franklinnoble]

Is that the new liberal network that has Al Franken and Jeaneane (sp?) Garafolo doing shows?

I have no idea how to listen, even if I wanted to... but I predict this will look like a total train wreck inside of 90 days.

[Easy Mac]

Here is an article about it from the NY Times... their outlook on it wasn't too promising.

Liberal Voices Get New Home on Radio Dial


By JACQUES STEINBERG

Published: March 31, 2004

ady Olivia was on the phone from Washington.

And Sam Seder, a nighttime host on Air America Radio, the fledgling liberal talk-radio network, had a question about the clientele of his guest, who identified herself as a dominatrix.

"More Republicans or more Democrats?" Mr. Seder asked.

"Seventy-30," Lady Olivia said.

Mr. Seder's broad grin suggested that that was precisely the answer he had hoped for. Sitting in a windowless studio 41 floors above Midtown Manhattan during a rehearsal on Thursday for the program, "The Majority Report," he shuffled through a sheaf of testimonials downloaded from Lady Olivia's Web site, operated under a different name. He soon inquired about the identities of those Republicans, displaying a particular interest in learning more about "Jon from Washington," who had written, "I enjoyed the corporal punishment more than I thought I would."

"Does his last name," Mr. Seder asked, "rhyme with Chriscroft?"

The exchange yielded no information about the attorney general of the United States. (Lady Olivia's response was little more than a coy laugh.) But it did provide some clues to how Air America, which makes its debut at noon today on five stations with Al Franken, the comedian and political satirist, at the microphone, intends to challenge the hegemony of conservatives on commercial talk radio.

"It needs to be entertaining, it needs to be compelling, it needs to be laugh-out-loud funny," said Jon Sinton, a veteran of radio who is a founder of Air America, a subsidiary of Progress Media. "It needs to foster water-cooler conversation. You need people to go to work and say, `Did you hear what Franken said yesterday?' "

"When people begin to say that," he added, "we will have arrived."

Beyond the satiric, sometimes sophomoric humor displayed during the dress rehearsal for "The Majority Report," which Mr. Seder shares with the comedian Janeane Garofalo, Air America plans to offer a mixture of issue-oriented interviews (with conservatives, as well as liberals), commentary, listener phone calls and news reports, delivered straight, at regular intervals.

But this liberal radio network faces numerous obstacles in capturing a substantial audience, in particular finding a critical mass of stations that will broadcast its voices. The network has already fallen behind in its initial goal, announced last year, of owning five stations by the time it went on the air. As of today it owns none.

Instead Air America has bought programming time on stations with moderately strong signals, but previously low ratings: WLIB-AM in New York, WNTD-AM in Chicago, KBLA-AM in Los Angeles, KCAA-AM in Riverside and San Bernadino, Calif., and KPOJ-AM in Portland, Ore. A San Francisco station is expected to be announced in early April.

By contrast Rush Limbaugh, whom Air America has identified as a chief competitor, is heard on more than 600 stations, including WABC in New York. Sean Hannity, another conservative talk-show host, has a similar reach.

Air America, which has raised more than $20 million, has grand plans for buying stations, or at least all of the broadcast time on stations, in more than a dozen cities by year's end. Many are in Ohio, Florida and other states considered battlegrounds in the presidential election. But since the media ownership rules were eased in the mid-1990's, much of the broadcast spectrum is owned by a handful of companies. Few stations are for sale, and few station owners will give over all of their broadcast day to untested programming.

Then there is the question in radio and conservative circles whether liberals can be entertaining enough for talk radio.

"Sometimes they just sound so grim," said Neal Boortz, a libertarian whose Atlanta-based program is syndicated to more than 180 stations. "My god, the foreboding."

Mr. Sinton said Air America needed to be wary of that tendency.

"The problem with really wonkish policy discussion is that it does not attract or hold a mass audience," he said.


As a result the network's 17-hour weekday lineup has as much if not more in common with "Saturday Night Live" than with National Public Radio. For example, its midmorning show, which begins tomorrow at 9, will have as its hosts Lizz Winstead, a comedian and a creator of "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central, and Chuck D, the frontman for the rap group Public Enemy.

They will be followed at noon by Mr. Franken, the "Saturday Night Live" alumnus who has evolved into a satirist, and whose co-host is Katherine Lanpher from Minnesota Public Radio. Martin Kaplan, a communications professor at the University of Southern California, will be the host of a one-hour show about the news media in the early evening.

He will be followed, from 8 to 11 p.m., by Ms. Garofalo, whose main experience in radio was playing the role of a talk-show host for pet owners in the 1996 film "The Truth About Cats and Dogs," and by Mr. Seder, who has worked as a comedian, screenwriter and filmmaker.

There were times on Thursday during the three-hour run-through, which was recorded with the expectation of using portions of it on actual shows, that Ms. Garofalo, 39, and Mr. Seder, 37, sounded — surprisingly — not unlike their right-leaning competition.

In an interview with Craig Crawford, a columnist for Congressional Quarterly, the two hosts spent several minutes clobbering the news media, a favorite target of Mr. Limbaugh and Mr. Hannity.

"It seems the journalists have really put themselves in the center of the story in a partisan political way," Ms. Garofalo said, speaking of what she called a new form of participatory journalism. Moments later Mr. Seder observed, "Really, most reporters are whores."

And yet the content of most of the program sounded nothing like the fare provided by Mr. Limbaugh and Mr. Hannity. Those two popular hosts can usually be counted on to defend President Bush — Mr. Hannity's Web site declares that he is "fed up with all the Bush-bashing" — and whose favorite punching bags include the president's presumed Democratic rival, Senator John Kerry. ("Kerry injured changing positions," Mr. Limbaugh's Web site declared.)

Among others, Ms. Garofalo and Mr. Seder poked fun at Mr. Bush's former spokesman Ari Fleischer ("Is he not shoveling coal in hell now?" Mr. Seder asked); Karl Rove, the president's senior adviser and political strategist (said by Ms. Garofalo to be pursuing "the elusive 18-25 Klan demo"); and Vice President Dick Cheney. (Mr. Seder said he felt sure that he could see Mr. Cheney's hand moving Mr. Bush's mouth on "Meet the Press" earlier this year.)

Ms. Garofalo said that "The Majority Report," its name inspired by a reference to Al Gore's presidential victory in the popular vote in the 2000 election, would also feature substantive interviews. Among the invited guests, she said, are Ben Cohen (the activist founder of Ben & Jerry's ice cream), Dr. Joyce Riley (an advocate of Persian Gulf war veterans) and Howard Dean. (Ms. Garofalo was in the audience on the night of the Iowa caucus, before he gave what she described as his "so-called `I have a scream' speech.")

"It's not like we're here to say we're going to be as nasty as right-wingers," Ms. Garofalo said in an interview. "On the left, traditionally, you've got a nicer type of person. You've got a person who is more willing to engage in conversations that have context and nuance, who tend to have more educable minds."

Whether all of these elements can be brought together to make great radio remains an open question. Kipper McGee, the program director of WDBO-AM (580) in Orlando, Fla., which is owned by Cox Communications and carries Mr. Hannity's syndicated program, said that Air America could count on listeners from all bands of the political spectrum, at least early on.

"The old adage, `Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,' sometimes it's true with the remote control or the radio tuner," said Mr. McGee, who has worked in radio for three decades. "In the final analysis, though, whether they survive depends on how good the shows are."

[BigJohn&TheLions]

Is this your new gig? Hey, anything is possible, right? (I always knew you were a commie at heart!)

[CamEdwards]

Originally Posted by BigJohn&TheLions

Is this your new gig? Hey, anything is possible, right? (I always knew you were a commie at heart!)

No. nonononononononono.

[Franklinnoble]

I think Cam missed his true calling.

[BigJohn&TheLions]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

I think Cam missed his true calling.

I agree. I think he's in denial. A clue to what is in his heart: He is a RED Sox fan...

[John Galt]

Originally Posted by BigJohn&TheLions

I agree. I think he's in denial. A clue to what is in his heart: He is a RED Sox fan...

And yet I am a Yankees fan. Isn't the world a strange place?

I agree, though, Cam is commie to the core.

[CamEdwards]

Originally Posted by John Galt

And yet I am a Yankees fan. Isn't the world a strange place?

I agree, though, Cam is commie to the core.

I see nothing unusual about you being a Yankees fan. The Yankees are evil, as are liberals.

[Calis]

You know when I opened the board I saw this as the latest topic and it said Anybody Listening to Air...

I was praying it was an Air Supply thread...I was greatly dissapointed when I read it.

[BigJohn&TheLions]

Originally Posted by CamEdwards

I see nothing unusual about you being a Yankees fan. The Yankees are evil, as are liberals.

...as are right wing-nuts!

Remeber, Stalin was an extreme liberal, but Hitler was an extreme conservative.

[CamEdwards]

15 posts til Godwin's Law rears its head.

[Fonzie]

Originally Posted by CamEdwards

15 posts til Godwin's Law rears its head.

That's pretty good for these parts.

[Ksyrup]

[Ksyrup]

"The Few.
The Proud.
The Totally Insane."


Yep. That sounds about right.

[rkmsuf]

that's offensive...

[Radii]

Based solely on quotes in the NY Times article from Garafolo and Franken and others, I have a feeling that hearing these guys babble would offend and annoy me just as much as Rush and Hannity do, despite the fact that I am notably more aligned with the left. I don't want to hear this kind of BS coming from either side. I don't care that its out there, but I won't be listening to any of them, thanks.

[Ksyrup]

I enjoy Al Franken, to be honest. I find him funnier when he's not spouting off on political issues, of course, but unlike Bill Maher, he's entertaining without resorting to the political rhetoric. I was flipping through the channels one Saturday afternoon last year and ran across a commencement speech he was giving at some Northeastern school, and to my surprise, I sat there and listened to the whole thing. It was quite entertaining and not your typical "soar like an eagle" graduation speech.

[yabanci]

No, I don't listen to any of the simpleton garbage on commercial radio, whether from the left or right.

[wig]

Just get a car stereo that plays mp3s.

[the_turbanator]

this station should be kicked off the air

[Ryche]

Franken wasn't bad from the bits and pieces I heard. Seemed to keep the discussion reasonable, even if you didn't agree with him. Didn't go over the top trying to be too funny either. The woman who was on after him though was unlistenable though. Loud, annoying and not the least bit entertaining.

Hopefully with baseball starting and college basketball ending I can go back to listening to sports radio during the day soon.

[Flasch186]

listening now online...regardless of whether you listen or not at least there is an alternative to the Right's stranglehold on radio.

[AgPete]

I have a hard time listening to talk radio nowadays because every single big name host (and a lot of the smaller names) are all conservatives that have the same agenda, the same issues, the same views, etc., etc., etc. I hope that station starts attracting an audience because it would be nice to have some new entertainment.

[WussGawd]

Caught some of it during afternoon drivetime courtesy of XM Radio. More entertaining than a lot of the right wing drivel that passes for talk radio in this town (and I'm not talking about Rush and his air, er, dittoheads, either).

I think it needs to be heard. We can hardly call ourselves a democracy if the only voices heard on talk radio are from the right wing (and no, NPR doesn't count...lately they've kowtowing more to corporate backers as well.

[damnMikeBrown]

I would actually like to listen to it, during my many commutes to schoo. However, I live in Cincinnati. I think that if the police cought wind of somebody listening to a program of this nature, they'd stop shooting minorities, and come after me. . .

[sovereignstar]

Could someone point me in the direction of the online stream?

Thanks

[Easy Mac]

http://www.airamericaradio.com/

[WussGawd]

FYI. For those of you with XM Satellite Radio, the channel for this is 167. Though the right-wing owned corporate death star known as Clear Channel has coyly called the channel America Left.

[WussGawd]

Originally Posted by CamEdwards

15 posts til Godwin's Law rears its head.

18 posts and counting.

[CamEdwards]

it had already reared it's ugly head, WussGawd.

I'm glad some of you are enjoying it. I don't know what it is about the product that I don't like (besides the political philosophy, obviously). It just seems off, somehow. I've heard good things about Randi Rhodes, and I'm guessing she's eventually going to be the big success story. It helps to have a background in commercial radio (even though she worked for the corporate death star known as Clear Channel).

[Ksyrup]

Randi Rhodes! That name is awfully familiar, but I can't place it. Did she work in South Florida, by chance?

[CamEdwards]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Randi Rhodes! That name is awfully familiar, but I can't place it. Did she work in South Florida, by chance?

yep. she did afternoon drive on the Clear Channel affiliate in West Palm Beach for about ten years.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CamEdwards

The new liberal talk radio network is on the air... so is anybody listening?

I'd sooner have my ears traumatically amputated.

[Bubba Wheels]

More left-wing propaganda from the usual suspects, will not last as long as the Macarena dance fad did. See if I'm wrong on this, but conservatives actually delve into the issues, while liberals tend to give speeches on the 'morality' (only morality based on religion is bad to a liberal) of things and then just name-call (Garafalo calling Rove "Klan-member", or some such).

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by CamEdwards

it had already reared it's ugly head, WussGawd.

I'm glad some of you are enjoying it. I don't know what it is about the product that I don't like (besides the political philosophy, obviously). It just seems off, somehow. I've heard good things about Randi Rhodes, and I'm guessing she's eventually going to be the big success story. It helps to have a background in commercial radio (even though she worked for the corporate death star known as Clear Channel).

Hm... I can't stand Garofalo when she acts, so I think listening to her for political commentary would scald my brain. Franken was somewhat entertaining in the few minutes I listened and once he gets more used to having a show and the nuances of talk radio, sure, he'll be one of their primary programs (as if he isn't already). BTW, this was the first or second night as I caught the end of his replay and the start of Rhodes.

However, Rhodes just grated on me and seemed really unprofessional. I got the impression of someone who was the younger sibling trying to make fun of the older, established sibling. When I tuned in, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I want something more high minded than the "you smack us, we smack back" type garbage I was treated to.

SI

[j25352857]

hasn't this been taken off the air yet?

[Galaril]

I don't particular care for the overly leftiness of this new radio network but the last time I checked this was the United States of America right?So, let the Lib Labs have their say it's no more asinine than Rush and Hannity.I hate it when the Republicans bitch about the so called liberal press but want to silence the libs.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by j25352857

hasn't this been taken off the air yet?

They only have 5 stations. How much more off the air can they be?

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Galaril

I don't particular care for the overly leftiness of this new radio network but the last time I checked this was the United States of America right?So, let the Lib Labs have their say it's no more asinine than Rush and Hannity.I hate it when the Republicans bitch about the so called liberal press but want to silence the libs.

I'm glad they are there. I haven't seen anyone suggest they should be "silenced." Predictions that they will fail, that is another story.

[Cringer]

haven't listened to it yet, i will try to find it when i roll through Shitcago next time. My wife has listened online though and she has mixed reviews. We hate Bush, but she is a little sick of the Nader bashing on there.

[yabanci]

hmm, a "liberal" radio station bashing Nader. Sounds more like the Democratic party propaganda network. It looks like the befuddled masses in america are going to get even more befuddled.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by yabanci

hmm, a "liberal" radio station bashing Nader. Sounds more like the Democratic party propaganda network. It looks like the befuddled masses in america are going to get even more befuddled.

Ok, that's just plain stupid. One, I don't see how Nader is really a threat to the Dems. And, two, this just plays into my theory that the Dems are running a completely reactionary "you say this so we're clearly against it" campaign.

SI

[yabanci]

what is plain stupid?

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by yabanci

what is plain stupid?

That this station is going after Nader.

SI