Air America Radio, the liberal radio network that once was the home for commentators such as Rachel Maddow and Al Franken, is shutting down immediately, according to the AP. The network, which started up in 2004, announced that it would stop airing new programs this afternoon and will soon file to be liquidated under Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The company had 10 consecutive quarters of declining advertising revenue. “The very difficult economic environment has had a significant impact on Air America’s business,” the network said in a statement on its website. “This past year has seen a ‘perfect storm’ in the media industry generally.”
Jan 21
2010
06:56 PM ET
Air America Radio network shutting down
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Air America never caught on because the views simoly did not represent mainstream thinking. Rush, Beck, and O’Reilly reflect what most people think, while Maddow, Rhoades, and Schultze were too far left and reasonated with a far smaller segment of the listening population. More true dialogue might have helped – but then again, the point of Air America was not to dialogue or discuss, but to simply spout out the leftist agenda.
Okay, the point about them being more of a finite group in terms of ideology, but do not tell me that Rush, Beck and O’Reilly reflect what most people think. That is just a ludicrous statement. 350+ million people, I really doubt the few million combined they all get with their radio shows really reflect the majority of America
And Limbaugh, Beck, and O’Reilly allow true dialog? They aren’t just spouting a right-wing agenda? If you think they are even-handed, or that they represent “most people” you are dreaming.
I did not say “most people”; but rather “mainstream” thinking. The mainstream is closer to center right than center or center left. ALL the Air America hosts were very liberal in idealogy; Rachel Maddow is a left-wing mirror of GBeck/Hannity, Ed Schultz is a liberal version of Rush. Beck talks about the “liberal agenda” & boogeymen like Van Jones & Cloward & Piven, the same way Olberman, Maddow, etc. talked about the boogeyman Halliburton and Cheney. The mainstream is right of center, not left or left of center. Hence, no resonance (and not enough resulting listeners to make a profit). That is my point. I personally think O’Reilly is the highest watched of the Fox News & conservative bunch, because he is closest to the center of where people think. I still like watching Maddow & Olberman on TV, and appreciate & respect their views; they communicate & argue them well – I just don’t agree with most of them.
Didn’t Rush Limbaugh just silence a listener by excalaiming, “You have tampons in your ears!” That’s hardly “true dialogue.
OK… and constantly referring to the tea party movement as “teabaggers” helps to promote dialogue, discussion, and sharing of ideals? Proves my point.
It might be more accurate to say that Rush et al. reflect what MORE people think than do Maddow et al. I doubt any of the commentators, right or left, represent a majority, but I think the liberals speak for only a very tiny segment of the population.
Exactly. I would argue think most people do not want to spend too much time listening to people they do not agree with. THey turn the dial…
this past year? I thought they had been going under for more like the past ten.
The reason why this didn’t work is because liberals don’t want to listen to peoples opinions, they want facts and information which is why they listen to npr.
Your comment would be funny if it were not so pathetic.
And so… we conservatively inclined do not want “facts and figures”??? Hmmm… not a great argument for your position, I am afraid. I certainly cannot agree! NPR is a great alternative to Air America, by the way… along with Pacifica Radio. They both always did a better job of being “fair” than Air America, IMO.
I hate to phrase it like this, but the older segment of the population, i.e. the ones that for all intensive purposes are more computer illiterate, are the ones who give conservative radio and talk show hosts their huge ratings. I believe anyone who has a computer (which encompasses more of a youthful demographic) are more likely to find out political information themselves through online sources as opposed to being talked down to by talking heads. Those who label themselves as liberal or independent rather than republican would do themselves a disservice to their label by listening to anyone too religiously such as those who follow Beck, Hannity, Limbaugh, O’ Reilly, Ingram, etc.
And I consider myself a conservative. When commentators let their emotions dictate the dialouge, it becomes cluttered, and I am one Republican who doesn’t believe interrupting or RAISING THE VOLUME OF MY ARGUMENT will make my POV anymore legitimate. If your argument is worth the time, the words will speak for themselves.
Right Wing radio consists of firing up easily fired up people who are so intractable and so sure they know how the world should be.
And you see the world of “left wing radio” and commentary as any different?
I know how to cheer liberals up! Instead of saying that Air America went off the air, we’ll just say that it was “aborted”!
Ha, ha! Good one!
I am deeply offened by your statement. My daughter had an abortion last year, and it was a very tough experience. I don’t care if you are pro-choice or pro-life, but you should not make jokes about abortions. They are huge decisions that I’m a troll
Air America didn’t work because it didn’t have enough “A list” personalities. I had a paid sub for the podcasts when Al Franken had his show on. Then he left to pursue the Senate seat. Maddow, their second best star, left for MSNBC. At that point you had a bunch of relatively weak personalities that were more opinion than news or insight and in spite of the ill informed and shallow spouting in the posts above me, yes, liberals do prefer facts and analysis to rhetoric. If all you can do is rant (Janeane Garofalo, I’m looking at you), people looking for something thought provoking will go elsewhere.
Air America didn’t work because it was set up like a government entitlement program to service a few, to be funded by everybody else.
Not enough “A list” personalities? The left will never get it. If there were any “A list” left-wing personalities that enough people wanted to listen to, they should have done it the hard way like Rush did… as an individual show.
This is America, nothing is stopping them from trying again the right way. Try some rugged individualism. If maddow or ron want a radio show bad enough, let them give it their best shot and accept the consequences…. without blame.
The problem that continues to plague left-wingers and extreme liberals, the contradictory notion of their exclusivity to tolerance and open-minded, all the while labeling anyone who believes differently than they do as narrow-minded and stupid. Extreme liberals refuse to acknowledge that others may disagree with what they hold dear to their bleeding hearts and as of right now, out of touch with America.
it has been a farce since inception, people when interview out of fear of political correctness saw one thing, and then once behind closed doors reject all this liberal, gay, peta, aclu ass kissing stuff. people want to be safe in there homes, good schools for their children with accountability, and know that if they see crime and injustice it will be swiftly dealt with. this whole station fought for all the wrong causes and stood for some of the worst of america. if it would have been main stream it would have worked, it only lasted as long as it did bc it was propped up by wackos, like Penn, and the michael moore types who seek to destroy honesty and integrity in this world.
bury it deep. so the smell does not linger too long.
Air America was doomed from the beginning. It failed because it was set up as a left-wing radio programing company. So if the company failed, ALL the shows failed.
Limbaugh and other right-wing shows were not set up as part of a right-wing radio programing company. And this is where the left doesn’t get it.
Limbaugh and others have succeeded or failed in the free market as individual programs on their own merit.
If the left wants to be on the radio, let them EARN it like Rush did. If they can get enough people to listen, they will succeed. If not, well, you have seen what happens.