Air America make-over. Is it desirable or necessary for their success?

[Greyhound]

They currently use the standard reich-wing formula of read the wire stories, then talk about the wire stories from a Democratic perspective, then broadcast todays DNC talking points, then repeat all day long. There is nothing wrong with this, but it has a limited appeal to many of the very people that AA is banking on to make the company work in the long-term.

IMO, it would be desirable to differentiate themselves from all of the other radio stations in all of their markets. One way to do that would be to actually seek out, report, and talk about some of the hundreds of relevant stories and issues that we don't get to hear about, especially the stories that the M$M's corporate owners spike because they don't want them out there. Become what the New Times/LA Weekly used to be, a real alternative. Become a source for people that want to know, they will seek you out, and patronize your advertisers.

If they are to overcome the very real effort being exerted to get them off the air (most commonly they just buy the station that is carrying their programming), they will need to do something, and soon.

What do you think?

[Seabiscuit]

1. They need to find some better hosts:

Get rid of Ed Schultz, Laura Flanders, Al Franken, and, yes, even Randi Rhodes.

They've all become way too irritating and tiresome to listen to with their b.s. vocal schticks on the air, and their constant stuttering for effect. Anyone who is not already a convert to AAR is going to be entirely turned off by their voices.

Give me a local person who speaks plain English any day. In fact, the only ones I listen to any more on AAR are the local San Diego people.

[itsrobert]

2. You sound like an EXPERT on AAR

So much an expert you don't even know that Ed Schultz is not part of AAR. LOL.

[Seabiscuit]

3. Why the condescending hostility?

Sure, I know Schultz isn't technically AAR, but his programs run on the same local channels with AAR - e.g., AAR in San Diego is on AM 1360. Al Franken's on 9am - noon. Schultz is on noon-3. Randi Rhodes is on 3-6. All the same channel. Schultz's audiences are AAR listeners.

Did you know that?

[itsrobert]

7. 1360 is KLSD

It's owned by Clear Channel and it bills itself as "Progressive Talk". It takes programming from Air America, Jones Radio, and has its own local hosts. It also has put in an application to the FCC to up its power to 50,000 watts day and night. That's at the top of my head, but I won't be moving to San Diego until late January.

[Seabiscuit]

21. Wow! Now YOU sound like an "expert" n/t

[thereismore]

4. ?? irritated by their voices? Are we on the same planet? nt

[Seabiscuit]

5. Yes. They've all gotten so bad I can't listen to them any more.

[tridim]

6. Sorry, Randi Rhodes is a star and her stock is rising daily

Deal with it.

[ronnykmarshall]

8. Word!

I love Randi!

[Greyhound]

13. Randi is great, if only she didn't love the sound of her own voice

quite so much. Sometimes it would be nice to hear what the guests and callers have to say.

[Seabiscuit]

22. And she's shrill and she gets so carried away with her own voice that

she stutters and repeats herself ad nauseum.

She doesn't talk like that on TV appearances at all. It's her radio schtick, it's gotten a lot worse this year, and it's become very irritating.

Sure, she makes some good points. But they get drowned out in her shrillness.

[Bretttido]

25. Agreed, I stopped listening to her

Sometimes she would just go apeshit on a caller that makes a valid point... then gets in yelling matches with them and completely avoiding the callers question. Then finally she would hang up on them, or they would hang up on here, and she would talk for the next 5 minutes about how that guy/girl was a moron. Not exactly a class-act the many times she did it.

[high density]

29. I can't believe how anybody listens to her

Every time I tune in it seems she's on some endless, boring rant. Her producer or whatever needs to nudge her along during some of these commercial breaks. The way she treats her callers is horrible as well.

[Seabiscuit]

31. That's great, but irrelevant. It doesn't make her listenable. I deal

with it by changing the channel when she comes on.

[tridim]

37. For a person who "changes the channel when she comes on"..

You sure claim to know a lot about her show. Maybe you should listen to her show some day, actually listen to what she says and not how she says it. I've only missed her show maybe 10 times since she's been on the air and I find her entertaining and enjoyable to listen to. She is certainly not unlistenable as you claim in your sweeping proclamation.

BTW, do you have the same reaction when you meet other New Yorkers on the street? Do you tune them out just because they might speak too loudly, or too fast? I really don't understand your attitude.

[Seabiscuit]

40. When you assume so much, you make an ASS out of U and ME

I've listened to Randi Rhodes since Air America started. I've recently quit listening to her because she's become insufferable.

I grew up in New York, so don't make such ASSinine ASSumptions about New Yorkers and me either.

[Greyhound]

10. I don't disagree. As pointed out above, Ed "the raygun democrat" Schultz

is not part of AA, but is commonly carried by the local stations. Here in AZ we have Dr. Mike for the morning drive, so we're not subjected to Jerry Springer, whom I like as a Person and would vote for as a politician, but just plain sucks on the radio.

I get it that Al Franken is a hard-core, my-party-right-or-wrong, Democrat and that is fine, but please can't we talk about something other than how horrible this maladministration is? How about what the fuck are we going to demand from them when they do take over?

[bullimiami]

16. ed shultz is not on aa. maybe on your local carrier though.

[bahrbearian]

9. Stephanie Miller would help..

[ronnykmarshall]

11. Loves me some Momma!!

[Greyhound]

12. Never missed her when I lived in LA and she was on 97.1

really funny and to the point. She would be a great addition, IMO.

[Eric J in MN]

20. "Air America Minnesota" plays Stephanie Miller in the morning. NT

NT

[bullimiami]

17. our local aa affiliate station carries steph in the mornings

instead of springer.

an excellent move imo.

[CrushTheDLC]

14. Where does the "Young Turks" show come from?

Apparently, they're going to be the new AAR morning show. I know they have been around a while, on Sirius and syndicated to AM stations, but I'm not sure who produces the show.

I'm guessing that AAR probably couldn't get Stephanie Miller in their lineup without making some kind of merger deal with the "Jones Network" which would also include Limbaugh Clone, and we don't want him. Bad enough we had to petition XM to get rid of his ass when they brought Air America on board.

[razors edge]

15. Mike Malloy keeps me sane

or at least I think its working.

[bullimiami]

18. at least when mike speaks we know we arent alone.

its the world that has gone crazy, we are sane.

[Seabiscuit]

23. Yes, Mike Malloy is one I really enjoy listening to.

[WA98070]

48. Mike is great but he"s way too tough for middle America.

[Eric J in MN]

19. Sheldon Drobny is trying to start a "4th Estate Society" for...

...more investigative journalism.

http://www.4thestate.org/

Unfortunately, Drobny isn't a mega-millionaire, and it's been slow going.

[Greyhound]

26. That sounds like it might be the kind of thing I was writing about.

There is an overabundance of real news out there, and none of it is being reported. Things that those average, uninterested, amerikans would be interested to learn about and that directly effect their daily lives.

[OnionPatch]

24. I'd love to hear more guests

who are experts in areas related to current issues and hear some of them actually talk about SOLUTIONS to the problems we have. I think instead of just bitching about how screwed-up the Republicans have everything, people want to hear solutions they can get fired up about and get behind. They need to hear what we would be doing if we had it our way.

My other changes would be: Get rid of Springer (sorry, he's just got too much baggage to be taken seriously) and add a little more comedy here and there as well. Stephanie Miller would be perfect!!

[Greyhound]

28. Great point! Solutions exist for all of the plethora of major problems we

are facing, but the corporate filter blocks all exposure to them. AA is perfect to get these ideas out there and build the wide spread support necessary to force the status-quo politiwhores into action.

[undeterred]

27. the DNC has talking points?

:shrug:

[Garbo 2004]

42. LOL, that was my response too. n/t

[WA98070]

46. Not the DNC but the DLC--Corporatists--Just ask ED

[tech3149]

30. Too many ways to approach this question

First of all, I've got no major complaint against any of the on-air staff. Different strokes for different folks. I do wish they would make a greater effort to get established voices with limited distribution as part of the package. There are a lot of other voices out there who haven't or lack the ability or interest to market to a wider audience. One major shortfall I see is the lack of marketing. For more than a year after Randi came on board, they were doing virtually no advertising for the show in their biggest marketplace NYC. To me, that's a pure and simple failure.

The next problem are the station affiliates available that are looking to change their programming. 99.9% of the stations are low power AM stations with limited coverage and could never expect more than a 1-3 share in their marketplace. I can't read the minds of station owners better than anyone else, but I'd guess that they're happy to earn what they do rather than change to a format that could lose money for an unforseen period. Look at the history of those affiliates who've dumped AAR programming. The only area who got another station in the market was Phoenix and that was because of the support of listeners. It's like anything else in life, if you want it bad enough, you'll fight for it. If the listeners had been as vocal in Atlanta or the other markets, I'm sure that they woukd have had another outlet in no time.

I expect my opinion would be valued as much as the smell from my stinkhole, but here it is. Focus on station ownership and promotion. Find a market where you can buy out stations and promote the hell out of the programing you want to sell. If you can't afford high-profile stations, focus on markets where you can buy a bigger share by getting multiple outlets in the market. Since you're selling radio programmming, spend your advertising money on billboards, cover the major commuter routes. If it's a major market, be ready to foot the bill for TV ads that will have the greatest effect.

Build up the advertising sales. Those of us who listen over long periods know that the advertising sales is limited to a handfull of clients. I don't mind listening to advertisements, but I hate hearing the same ad 30 times a day.

Just a few ideas to broaden the discussion.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

32. They will probably need to do something to survive

It's just my opinion, but liberals are smarter and have more self-esteem. Many of us don't need a constant reassurance that our beliefs are the correct beliefs. Instead of listening to the radio, we're out there trying to win back our country.

Don't get me wrong, I love AAR, but the only times I listen to it are when I'm down from something stupid the Republicans have done, or if I need a pick-me-up. Those are happening less and less frequently as the rest of the country realizes what a bunch of assholes these Republicans are.

To keep me (and other listeners like myself) coming back, they will have to do more.

[Greyhound]

33. Thank you, that is my point exactly. They have an opportunity to

become what is both wanted and needed in this media. I hope they avail themselves of it.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

34. I'm actually hoping for a neutral political commentator

Someone without ANY political bias who can report the news, good or bad, about Republicans, Democrats, the war, the state of the union, etc. I would love a political commentator who reported on stories that the MSM ignores. I doubt AAR will put that person up, and I know that the Reich-Wing radio shows have no chance of doing something like that.

I'd also like some entertaining shows that are entertaining in non-political ways.

[welshTerrier2]

35. something i'd like to hear

it would be cool to have an hour or two a day devoted to a "best of the online world" ... they could read posts or articles written online or could maybe even schedule some airtime with people who write online ...

for example, Monday's they could have a "DU Corner" show ... Tuesdays they could have a poster or two on from Daily Kos and so on ... the idea wouldn't be to just have people reading their online posts on the radio ... they would read a post and maybe two or three of the more interesting responses and then take calls to discuss the topic ... some of the discussions online seem to be livelier than much of the dry "here's an expert" we get on the radio ...

the idea would be to extend the "grassrootsy" feel of places like DU to the radio ... again, this would just be for maybe an hour a day or whatever ... it wouldn't become the main focus of progressive radio ...

[Eric J in MN]

36. "The Majority Report" on AAR has "Liberal Oasis" Mondays...

.."Daily Kos" Tuesdays, and "Atrios" Thursdays.

They don't generally follow the interview with the blogger with asking for phone calls on that topic, though.

[welshTerrier2]

38. what time is the majority report on?

in Boston, we get Stephanie Miller from 9 - Noon ... then Franken til 3 ... then Schultz and then Randi ...

[clbuck]

39. 7 PM ET

Though the Boston affiliate doesn't air it until 1 AM.

[Eric J in MN]

41. You can listen to the "Majority Report" stream at the main website...

..from 7PM-10PM.

It's moving in mid-September to the morning, and may be renamed "The Sam Seder Show."

[NuttyFluffers]

43. Rachel Maddow talks about dismissed and news dump articles all the time

you want, "talk about some of the hundreds of relevant stories and issues that we don't get to hear about, especially the stories that the M$M's corporate owners spike because they don't want them out there."

she, "talk(s) about some of the hundreds of relevant stories and issues that we don't get to hear about, especially the stories that the M$M's corporate owners spike because they don't want them out there."

as does Laura Flanders, too. and Sam Seder does a good job of the same.

sounds like you and i don't listen to the same AAR.

though i will say Rachel Maddow seriously deserves Jerry Springers' time slot. she's wicked talented.

[Greyhound]

44. I didn't post this because I don't like AA and if they are doing as you

say, then great. Unfortunately most of us listen to the morning and afternoon drive hours and I'm not hearing this kind of stuff then. I want them to succeed, not just float along on low powered, low rated stations with spotty coverage in the large, already blue, metro areas.

There is an effort under way by several fascist organizations to buy up the stations that are carrying the AA programming and then dump it. If AA really catches on, they will earn the money to buy stations, thus ensuring their continued existence.

[Greyhound]

45. Here's an example from another thread of just the kind of thing AA

could be doing.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2002483&mesg_id=2002483

I'm a pretty heavy news junkie and I missed this one, how many others would have joined her cause if they had only known?

[WA98070]

47. Unfortunately AAR needs competition within Progressive radio.

Maybe not competition but complimentary programming going after separate markets. (e.g.. Jones Network's Stephanie Miller is aimed at a younger audience than most of the AAR people.) Progressives aren't cookie cuttered unlike the Limpballs ditto heads. We run the gamut from the DLC Right (Ed and Hilary) through the center (Al Franken) and on to the left (Mike Malloy and Rachel Maddow). We are diversified and we need all of our voices out there.

[Greyhound]

49. Was this post prescient?

I hate that Mike was the one they decided to dump, there were, and are, many better choices IMO, but the writing is on the wall. The suits are running the show now and they will turn it to shit, just like they do with everything they touch.