Air America Radio
 

I'm surprised no one has brought this up yet.

Has anyone heard Air America? If so, what do you think of it?

I heard they bounced some checks and lost their service in Chicago and LA. On their website, they made fun of the station manager's name and claimed to have been ripped off.

But, they never said how they were ripped off. In fact, they spent 1 1/2 paragraphs making jokes about the manger's name, but only one sentence defending why their checks didn't go through.

It's kind of dreary most of the time.

Randi Rhodes is entertaining, though.

I like the O'Franken Factor and Unfiltered, though I agree with certain criticisms about the lack of professionalism.

I see why Ronnie likes his Rush so much, though.

The bounced check incident is ridiculous. I think the courts will lean in favor of Air America. Look at it this way: If you bounce a check, you pay harsh fines, often from the bank, and others. The bank doesn't immediately shut down your account and lock you out of the bank. What Multicultural radio did, according to A.A., was essentially re-sell previously leased air time. That's a big no no, and if they truly did that, then I hope they get nailed for it.

The main problems, as I see it, are more production oriented than substance. Franken's show is horrible, it has no fluidity, and he just sounds whiney and puzzled. People don't get the jokes. The thing these people haven't seemingly figured out yet is that this is above all else still a business. Air America is VERY ideologically driven. But you still need to sell your product well....liberal radio could work, bad radio does not.

They need better personalities. Why put a guy with absolutely no radio experience at all up against the biggest political talk radio personality in history? Why didn't they instead try to get someone who already has massive national appeal through sindication, such as Amy Goodman, to take that slot?

AM talk radio has always been for the populists and the demagogues. You need to be loud, you need to be captivating, and you need to appeal to peoples basic wants and desires, not TELL them what they should or shouldn't be.

My opinion: Fire the NPR people. I listen to NPR when I want to hear the news, not when I want a strong, well articulated opinion. Keep them on board for engineering and production purposes, but DON'T put them on the air. With that said, FIRE the Limousine Liberals who take up the primo slots. There is an abundance of liberal talk radio personalities who are buried deep within the conservative ranks. Find these people, support their voices, get them away from WABC at 2am on a Sunday. There are Liberal and progressive radio personalities who are nationally syndicated, too. I mentioned Amy Goodman. Lure these people in, too. If it aint broke, don't fix it.....

The very least they could do is put Randi Rhodes, rather than Franken, on against Rush. I've heard her say that she has destroyed Rush in the ratings all throughout Florida (where her show was based) for several years. Besides, she is a radio professional, and she's got that abrasive, combative approach that makes political radio work so well.

Agreed.