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Underground > Radio & Music >

Anyone listening to Air America?

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15:03 / 05.04.04

Whilst I am living in the UK my partner is American, and we've been listening to Air America with glee

It's quite refreshing to hear the liberal american viewpoint. Check it out on the net here.

16:45 / 05.04.04

I mentioned it in a post over yonder, in the topic about America's tabloid soul.

It's an interesting ploy.

17:57 / 05.04.04

I even searched through the forums before posting that! Bleh.

23:22 / 05.04.04

I've been enjoying it... especially Randi Rhodes. No holds barred! I love it.

13:07 / 06.04.04

I listened to it a bit last night at 7.30 but it just sounded like NPR, with a rather embarrassing "oh daaaaad" piece about Kurt Cobain. Having said that I think the guy who was doing the show is on NPR as well. I might try to catch some of the other ones.

20:41 / 06.04.04

I think what I caught was part of Al Franken's show, and he gave me the distinct impression he was playing the part of an SNL character, almost... sort of parodying right-wing radio with a straight face.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

02:42 / 07.04.04

I don't think it will convert anyone, but it very good at giving the left the red meat that right wing radio has been giving their side for the past 15 years. Dunno if it will succeed, but the two who have the most chance of breaking out are Randy Rhodes, who is VERY entertaining and Franken, who has a great interviewer in his partner.

The big difference is that right wing radio slwoly grew up over time, with Rush sneaking into time slots that no one wanted and speaking to a hard core audeince and stations building that audience out to other shows and this is just starting all of a sudden.

Anyone else think that it will quietly fold in January to start again in about 4 years?

02:51 / 07.04.04

I don't think it will convert anyone...
From what I've heard the idea is to "marshall the troops" more than anything.

Anyone else think that it will quietly fold in January to start again in about 4 years?
Not so sure about that, from what I heard they've got 20 million in the coffers. I don't know much about how expensive a radio station is to run but that's got to last them for a bit longer than January.

03:07 / 07.04.04

One clear result of Air America, it seems to me, should be that the boundaries of political discussion in America will be stretched, so that Conservatives will no longer seem as justified talking about the liberal bias of NPR and CNN.

07:52 / 07.04.04

Listening to Randy Rhodes' show online atm... I've heard mixed things about it... so far I'm enjoying it, but I think that's mainly because I'm so happy to hear somebody besides rushmore and co. espousing their viewpoints over the radio...

I say, give it time.

13:51 / 07.04.04

I'm pretty sure Randi Rhodes has been national for a while now. She lives not far from me, though, so she's been around on the radio here for a good long time. There are a few left-leaning talk guys on SoFla talk radio, which probably says more about the importance of talk radio here than it does about our general politics.

22:11 / 08.04.04

I've been listening online at work for the last few days. Both Franken's and Rhodes's shows are excellent (and Franken's a surprisingly good interviewer). Both shows stand a very good chance of getting massively syndicated, IMO. Marty Kaplan, the 4-5:00 guy, probably won't do as well--a bit too NPR/Mr. Rogers. Janeane Garofalo likewise--she'll have her fanbase, but she's a little too shrill to have crossover appeal (ie. outside the pre-convinced left).

16:47 / 09.04.04

It's very interesting, but I really don't think it's needed. It seems a bit anti-intellectual, like what you'd here on Limbaugh, only on the other end of the spectrum. Personally, I don't want a liberal slant anymore than I want a conservative slant. I think I'll stick with NPR, where they at least TRY to be unbiased.

18:33 / 09.04.04

On further thought, TeN, I think your reaction may end up being quite common among members of Air America's target audience. Conservatives never tire of having their ideological biases reaffirmed, but liberals may grow bored of it fairly quickly once the novelty wears off, and tune back into NPR for its relatively straight, comparatively information-rich presentation. Personally I get much more out of consuming ideological material I don't agree with; keeps my powers of analysis honed, etc., in a way that novel presentations of agreeable, non-challenging, "safe" material just doesn't.

22:55 / 09.04.04

I'd like to think that but I don't see people getting tired of Bush/Monkey jokes.

I think it'll do okay as long as there's appropriate hate/derision figures around. I doubt I'll be listening in much, but I feel slightly uncomfortable about listening to people who agree with me. Probably some deeper issue there.

13:45 / 10.04.04

on a demonising tip - has anyone seen an image of Condi Rice in the mainstream media where she ISN'T either sneering, scowling or looking menacing?

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

15:34 / 10.04.04

I don't know if that is the mainstream media demonizing Rice, but her natural countenance. After watching her testify at the 9/11 commission hearings, she strike me as someone who is NOT a person who relaxes, and is not good at any kind of politics. She has to KNOW that she is beign photographed, since so many of his pics are at photo ops, and she presents herself as a deadly serious person.

What IS disturbing is how the far right is trying to paint anyone who calls her statements into question as someone who doesn't want to see African Americans in positions of power.

18:43 / 13.04.04

Personally I get much more out of consuming ideological material I don't agree with

me too!

07:57 / 14.04.04

"It's very interesting, but I really don't think it's needed. It seems a bit anti-intellectual, like what you'd here on Limbaugh, only on the other end of the spectrum. Personally, I don't want a liberal slant anymore than I want a conservative slant. I think I'll stick with NPR, where they at least TRY to be unbiased."
This "anti-intellectual bias" you mentioned is part of what has driven me off of Randi Rhodes's show. She uses the same bullying techniques that morons like O'Reilly regularly pull out. This part of the line-up is black eye to those who actually want to advance political talk in this country beyond the pandering rhetoric of today's popular FOX journalism.

13:23 / 14.04.04

[offtopic]
...those who actually want to advance political talk in this country beyond the pandering rhetoric of today's popular FOX journalism...

Does anyone know of any decent debate sites/bbs's on the web? I keep thinking that somewhere out there there must be a site that's geared toward political debate and doesn't suffer from the homogenization that seems to take over most discussion boards. I keep hoping to find a place where respectful, intelligent debates take place between members who are genuinely on opposing sides of the political spectrum. Barbelith is good, but we don't tend to see much of the far right around these parts.
[/offtopic]

13:29 / 14.04.04

You might try tripping around the blogosphere rather than bulletin boards. Check some of the links at the dailykos.com, maybe.

17:23 / 14.04.04

[Randi Rhodes] uses the same bullying techniques that morons like O'Reilly regularly pull out. This part of the line-up is black eye to those who actually want to advance political talk in this country beyond the pandering rhetoric of today's popular FOX journalism.

I actually enjoyed her show intitially for its sheer over-the-topness, but as she shouted down caller after caller (even those who agreed with her!) her schtick quickly became tiresome, and yesterday I gave up on it (as I did last week with Janeane Garofalo's show) and switched back to NPR.

Franken's show, OTOH, gets better every day.

07:08 / 15.04.04

"Does anyone know of any decent debate sites/bbs's on the web? I keep thinking that somewhere out there there must be a site that's geared toward political debate and doesn't suffer from the homogenization that seems to take over most discussion boards."
The comments section of the articles on Spinsanity are usually pretty informative.

13:46 / 18.04.04

I briefly listened to some of it, and it was okay. I appreciate the idea of balance, but think that it's just playing in to the whole Liberal/Conservative idea. Just because you've got people disagreeing with one another, it doesn't mean either side is correct.

But it's nice to know that there are people out there to pick and poke at the inanity of Rush Limbaugh.

17:26 / 05.06.04

Friday's torture of Al courtesy of an Ann Coulter article was pretty damn funny.

"Wolfowitz said we'd be greeted with flowers and sweets!!....Aaaa! Why are you doing this? I'm your boss!"

06:51 / 29.10.04

Hey y'all thought I'd throw this update on about air america: Check out the numbers - from 12000 listeners to 80000!! Guess Air America's doing a little better than the "joke station" it was made out to be...

Limbaugh, pals get liberally thrashed

KPOJ (620 AM), which carries the upstart Air America Network with Al Franken, Randi Rhodes, et al., has made huge strides since its March 30 launch.

In the important 25-54 age category, KPOJ ranks third in the Portland market with a 4.9 share (which means a 4.9 percent share of the listening audience). It's ahead of all other AM stations and finished behind top-ranked country-music KUPL (98.7 FM) and No. 2-ranked adult rock station KINK (101. 9 FM).

In a three-month period, KPOJ went from 12,000 listeners to almost 80,000 listeners per week, with little promotion or marketing. Previously KPOJ had been airing golden oldies, drawing a 1 percent share. (Dad's note: I still liked them better with the oldies!)

With numbers like that, KPOJ's success could very well spawn other stations featuring 'progressive' talk in Portland and around the country where underperforming stations may be looking for a new format.

"There are a lot of stations out there that were just kind of watching and waiting to see what happened," said KPOJ Program Director Tony Coles. "My guess is that for Air America and for Ed Schultz, the phones will be ringing off the hooks once stations see the Portland numbers." Schultz, whose show can be heard on KPOJ from noon to 3 p.m., is syndicated through the Jones Radio Network rather than Air America.

Of the 16 stations around the country where Air America is featured, Portland is the biggest success story, showing the most substantial growth. It also was one of only a handful of stations that carried Air America from the beginning, when financial problems almost sunk the network in its first month.

In the midday period from10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Air America's Al Franken and Schultz rank No. 1, leaving Limbaugh, KPAM's (860 AM) Sean Hannity and KXL's (750 AM) Lars Larson in their wake.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

02:40 / 02.05.05

Air America is still around, but the HBO Documentary shows I was a little too close to what happened with my prediction that they would fold and be gone by the end of 2004. Their first owners were running a typical money scam, getting investors and then running off with the proceeds.

After a little over a year, I read that ratings are strong, they've shuffled their lineup a bit, and are getting into more and more markets.

Anyone else still listening?

11:53 / 02.05.05

Yup.

19:46 / 02.05.05

Yup, when I can podcast it..

18:54 / 13.05.05

They recently started a print ad campaign up in subways and telephone booths in NYC, with a big pic of Jeanine Garofolo and some other guy (not Al Franken) and the saying "The only talk radio left."

I listened to it in its first months, it seemed a little amateurish/rough around the edges, I guess just cause it was so new. Also, the preaching to the converted thing frustrated me...it's not going to change anyone's mind on the issues, I fear.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

19:27 / 13.05.05

Since the first schedule shakeup, their lineup has gotten a lot stronger...I have it on satellite radio now and:

Morning Sedition: Light-hearted liberal joking, a bit too frothy for my take, but it's probably OK for a morning drive show.

Jerry Springer: Obviously looking at his career after the TV show finally dies due to lack of interest. It's a call-in show (most of which I really hate), but he's good at pulling good calls out of people, keeping things moving. If you didn't know it was Jerry Springer, you would think that it was just a typical call-in host.

Al Franken: My favorite show on AAR, with a nice mix of interviews and comedy bits. His comedy works well on radio, and has mellowed since his nasty Saturday Night Live stuff in the 70's. Catherine Lampher is a great talent (and is getting her own show), but is very quickly becoming utterly unnessesary as Al learns how to do radio, and gets a series of regular contributors to bounce off of.

Randy Rhodes: Classic talk radio, and probably the best all around "radio" person on the station. Gives out a LOT of solid information, and when she takes calls, the show fumbles, with a mix of fawning fans and single note Free Republic people who call with an internet prepared script and are unable to interact during the call. Still, well worth listening to.

Majority Report: I love Janeanne Garafalo's comedy work, but this show is unlistenable. Sam Seder's "satiric" interviews are boring and unfunny, hammering the same joke over and over for 10 minutes. Just a bad radio show.

Mike Malloy: This is firing up the converted radio, much like Michael Savage is for the right wing. Great at generating rage, and entertaining, but anyone to the center or right of the spectrum won't be able to listen for more than 5 minutes without a violent anger toward the show. Red meat for the faithful...

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

13:46 / 25.09.05

Does it still have a thing called Ambrosia Sings The News with Ambrosia Parsley from Shivaree? I only just learned of the existence of such a broadcast...

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

07:34 / 28.09.05

Now Music includes Radio, I'm gonna propose a move, if that's okay.

07:52 / 28.09.05

Stoat - who is this Ambrosia person? I am curious.

I still listen to Air America when I have the time - I do love Al Franken but I always seem to miss his show. I think the Majority Report is pretty abysmal, and I do like Randi Rhodes though she is a bit shrieky (b ut that's part of what I like about her!)

When I go back to the States, I'm struck by the fact that EVERYONE in my family is listening to either Air America or the Ed Schultz show (we're a liberal bunch). It's not uncommon to be out to dinner with them and have one of them say, 'Did you catch Franken today?' or 'Did you hear what Ed to say about that (political issue of the day)?'

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

08:06 / 28.09.05

who is this Ambrosia person?

She's the lead singer of Shivaree, who are ace. I found the thing about her Air America show here, and it sounds ace too, if indeed it still exists.

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