
UPDATE: According to Al Franken, Air America did not file for bankruptcy Friday. We regret the error. See our correction here.
Air America Radio will announce a major restructuring on Friday, which is expected to include a bankruptcy filing, three independent sources have told ThinkProgress.
Air America could remain on the air under the deal, but significant personnel changes are already in the works. Sources say five Air America employees were laid off yesterday and were told there would be no severance without capital infusion or bankruptcy. Also, Air America has ended its relationship with host Jerry Springer.
The right wing is sure to seize on Air America’s financial woes as a sign that progressive talk radio is unpopular. In fact, Air America succeeded at creating something that didn’t exist: the progressive talk radio format. That format is now established and strong and will continue with or without Air America. Indeed, many of the country’s most successful and widely-syndicated progressive talk hosts — Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller, for instance — aren’t even associated with Air America.
Radio giant Clear Channel is so committed to progressive talk radio that, this week, it will announce a partnership with the Center for American Progress and MSS Inc. to conduct a nationwide search for the next Progressive Talk Radio Star.
UPDATE: Air America responds.
If Air America had filed for bankruptcy every time someone rumored it to be doing so, we would have ceased to exist long ago; it may be frustrating to some that this hasn’t happened. No decision has been taken to make any filing of any kind, we are not sure of the source of these rumors and frankly can not respond to every rumor in the marketplace.
UPDATE II: Comments have been temporarily closed to decrease stress on our server, which is under load. We’ll open them back up when traffic returns to normal levels.
UPDATE III: Comments have been reopened.
While I hate to hear this, I feel that the radio format is dated. Progressives get their news from reading blogs and other online sources. I don't have time to sit and listen to radio, AM or streaming.
Let the radio format go the way of the Dodo... let's concentrate on more and better online media.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:04 pmJason M. Hendler, before you begin posting here, why don't you make a call for the Pres. Reagan docu-drama to be broadcast?
You seem to think the radical-right-wing being able to show their version of history is just fine, why the double-standard?
By the way, didn't Rush Limbaugh have a television show that flopped harder and faster than Air America radio? I'll be nobody wants to bring THAT news up.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:05 pmProgressives get their news from reading blogs and other online sources.
Progressives aren't the people that need reaching.
I've heard many truck drivers and elderly people calling into Air America claiming they've been converted.
We can't cede any format to the right.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:07 pmthat's too bad. hopefully they can keep operating into the distant future. they certainly gained lots of ground reaching new markets in the past couple years. I'm not a fan of Clear Channel, but their support shows a need in the market for the liberal format. They wouldn't do it if they didn't think they'd make a lot of money.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:07 pmYou're correct about blogs but at the same time you are shooting yourself in the foot. The Repugnican Noise Machine is well-entrenched in radio. Look at Rush and Michael Savage and other hyena's of similar background. We lose the radio wars and its just another method for the wing nuts to spew their venom without anyone to counter their distortions. Lots of people get their information from radio. It would be suicide for our side to not be a player. Not everyone has a computer and actively blogs
September 13th, 2006 at 12:08 pmDamn I hope Al stays on the air somehow.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:13 pmR.I.P., Air America. If it had been a right-wing network, this administration would have secretly funneled millions of dollars into it. Ya know, if they happen to do that sort of thing.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:15 pmI'm saddened by this. I'm going over to their website right now and joining their premium service. It's the least I can do. If enought others did this, it might help.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:20 pmI'm going to go over to their website and join their premium service now. It's the least I can do, and if enough others did, perhaps it would help. Put your money where your mouth is!
September 13th, 2006 at 12:22 pmWell I, for one, very much enjoy listening to my progressive radio on the commute to and from work...
As mentioned in the article, Stephanie Miller and Ed Shultz are HUGE without Air America (although I'm not crazy about Shultz' show, Miller's is HILLARIOUS).
It's not dead, it's just changing. Air America tried to be a single outlet for progressive radio 24/7 with brand-name hosts. That's a tall order to maintain profitability.
Whatever happens to Air America, the "stars" on their roster will continue in some way, shape, or form.
Progressive radio, TV, and blogging, are all here to stay. Different niches for different markets in different mediums!
September 13th, 2006 at 12:23 pmnot sorry at all to know springer will go (my opinion, that was a HUGE mistake signing him) - i'd figured as much when sam seder announced that his show is moving to that time slot...
no way is AirAmericaRadio going away... no way...
September 13th, 2006 at 12:23 pm...
This is a sad, sad day.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:23 pmThat will leave the area with no radio voice against the right wing hatred. People do listen to radio in their cars and at work. This is a huge loss to the voice of sanity.
There's no question that Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz are the two biggest progressive radio stars, and they are on the Jones Radio Network.
The problem is - who would carry their programming? I have the (possibly mistaken) impression that it's mainly Air America affiliates who are carrying these two shows. If Air America folds, what happens to Stephanie and Big Ed?
I hope Air America is able to survive, but it seems increasingly unlikely.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:23 pm"R.I.P, Air Amirica" may be a bit premature. I work for Northwest Airlines, a company that has been in bankruptcy for a year. We're still flying.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:25 pmAir America going under is definetly a good sign that progressive radio is picking up steam. I couldn't think of a better sign.
LOL
September 13th, 2006 at 12:26 pmI agree with Len at #3. The purpose of left-wing radio isn't to preach to the choir, but to bring in converts.
Hopefully, syndication of some of AAR's better folks (Maddow, Maron, Seder among them) on satellite or other stations will be the next step.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:28 pmI'm sad to see Air America on the ropes, but very glad to hear that Clear Channel is doing a talent search for progressives.
Mainly because I want to enter.
Hopefully this will lead to Sam Seder on my TV somehow.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:28 pmWould love to hear MIKE MALLOY again. God, I miss his show.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:29 pmEven though they may go under
September 13th, 2006 at 12:30 pmRethugs better not think that they are going to be any closer to victory in November...
If that happens, a lot of radio stations will have dead air if they don't replace the programming themselves, such as syndicating Stephanie and Big Ed on their own. I doubt they'll go anywhere in most markets just because of Air America... Not if the program directors at the stations are smart. :-)
September 13th, 2006 at 12:32 pmI'll miss Al Franken, but that's about it.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:33 pmMusic is better for the soul anyhow.
I dread the silence. I listen to AA a lot, and depend on all those voices. I hope something can be salvaged. Fingers crossed. :-(
September 13th, 2006 at 12:35 pmSome of us listen to Air America on our way to and from work.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:38 pmCan I throw my hat in the ring to be the Next Progressive Radio Star?! Can we televise it? Sounds like a great reality show.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:40 pmI just signed up for XM a couple of months ago! Crap! I WASN'T too crazy about Al Franken personally, but he had good guests. I liked Randi Rhodes and Same Seder. Jerry Springer sucked. If I got screwed by signing onto XM, and there's no Air America, I want my money back!
September 13th, 2006 at 12:42 pmI'm glad to hear AAR is shrugging off Jerry Springer. What I want to know is whether we'll still have Randi and The Young Turks.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:43 pmfor all the accusations that soros is funding AAR, now would be a good time for him to step up and do just that... not?
September 13th, 2006 at 12:43 pmor how 'bout you, ted? c'mon!!! here's your chance to help again!
...
Buford @ 1:
"While I hate to hear this, I feel that the radio format is dated. Progressives get their news from reading blogs and other online sources. I don’t have time to sit and listen to radio, AM or streaming."
How nice for you that your life is so filled with activities that you don't have time for radio, but I think you might be somewhat out of touch with a large part of society. I spend more time online than anyone I know, but radio still has its place. You must not live in an area where people spend a half hour, an hour, or more in their cars twice a day. You probably also don't jog or work out, or have a dog to take for a half hour walk in the evenings. And while you evidently aren't able to listen to radio at your job, many people are and do. Radio will certainly evolve, and XM, Sirius, and podcasting are examples of this, but a portable, audio-based format like radio will always be in demand.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:43 pmI guess I'm not surprised. As much as I love listening to Boston's Progressive Talk, I felt that only Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz had real presence on the radio. The others just didn't stand out. Randi Rhodes, in particular, was too given to just ranting and I usually ended turning her show off after Ed Schultz left the air. I believe there might be some good talent out there but I don't believe that Air America has found them yet.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:44 pmIf Air America folds, what happens to Stephanie and Big Ed?
There is a lot great Progressive programming out there now...some local some syndicated Bill Press...Peter B. Collins....Jay Marvin...Thom Hartmann.. I thnk stations will have no problem filling in
September 13th, 2006 at 12:45 pmHopefully Air America will find a way. This country needs to have a place for people too smart to listen to the right wing noise machine. those who will dance in the streets and cheer the demise (premature) of Air America only show that they are not in favor of a free country where everyone has a right to speak and also to hear their kind of politics. Why are Conservatives so damn afraid of Air America?
And for those who think that on-line is the be-all of political discourse, there are a lot of people, aka, voters out here who do not have a computer, can't afford a computer or just plain don't care about blogs. Do you want to alienate them?
September 13th, 2006 at 12:46 pmSome liberal gazillionaire needs to step up. Many people llisten to the radio and there needs to be a station like this on the air. Choice is always a good thing.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:47 pmBWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 13th, 2006 at 12:49 pmThis is really sad for me to hear. I only hope it will not be going away completely! I live in Texas and we desperately need progressive radio on our airwaves to counteract the crazy right-wing talking heads. I listen to and from work and look forward to Randi Rhodes' show. She's phenomenal! Hopefully, Clear Channel will recognize a true talent in her!
September 13th, 2006 at 12:49 pmI don't know why they had Jerry Springer in the first place. Firing Mike Malloy was criminal, in my opinion. He was the most honest and up front host on Air America. I actually boycotted Air America after they fired him.
As Air America gradually devolved into a front for the DLC I lost all interest in it. There were only a few hosts left who I had any respect for.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:50 pmgetting a left wing noise machine in place to counter the right's is really the only hope we have in this country.
it doesn't matter how great our policies or candidates are if we don't have the medium to get our message out.
we not only need air america (although air america could be a lot better... getting rid of springer is a great start) but we need a liberal version of FOX News as well.
this is a step backwards, and it is frightening
September 13th, 2006 at 12:51 pmThe decay that started when Goldberg briefly took the reins is now taking hold. Canceling the irreverent Morning Sedition last Christmast just as Howard Stern was moving exclusively to sirius was the stupidest thing they ever did. They basically had the Daily Show on the radio 5 days a week and Danny boy blew it out of the water and replaced it with that weak Mark Riley show.
When they got rid of Marc Maron, I was angry for awhile, but got over it. However, when they got rid of Mike Malloy, I decided I did not care whether AAR survived or not. Randi, Rachel, and Sam will find somewhere else to work.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:54 pmI've been listening since day 1 in New Jersey. Radio is a very important format. It's not just preaching to the choir but teaching and informing the public of stories not covered at all or slanted by the MSM. With it's original lineup i was literally listening from 5am to 11pm.
Then they made some changes.
Right now in this transition period it's a mix of good and terrible. I get to hear Armstrong Williams, a republican shill with a penchant for lying when sufficiently bribed first thing in the am. Then I get Springer who though a liberal seems to agree with every caller with a phone.
I've have to go online to get Rachel Maddow now and then from noon to 10pm its all good with Franken, Randi Rhodes and Sam Seder.
Back downhill after that with the Sattellite sisters intercontenental blab-fest.
I also just signed up with premium membership. I hope it's not part of the bankrupcy settlment.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:54 pmI really enjoy listening to AL,
Randy, Rachel and all.
Rush proves that talk radio is a very important medium.
I wonder if anyone has done poling on political attitudes in markets after Air America had entered?
September 13th, 2006 at 12:56 pmLooks like Error America fans are learning a little lesson about economics and free markets.
Advertisers won't pay top dollar if the ratings numbers are bad. That's been Error America's problems since day 1. Not enough folks are listening. The "bash America" format doesn't get a wide audience. I think they'd get better ratings if they took their show to some of the Islamic countries. As long as Franken would throw in an "allah akbar" in now and then.
September 13th, 2006 at 12:56 pmso we got clear channels attention? cool. I elect marie for the Job and spudge boy and Worfeus and unbelievable
September 13th, 2006 at 12:58 pmI like Air America, but here in my hometown it has the WORST reception. I can only get it at certain times of the day, and in certain areas of downtown.
If they had better reception they'ld probably get more listeners. Even the Alex Jones micro-brodcasts come in much clearer than Air America.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:01 pmRush proves that talk radio is a very important medium.
too bad he became a drug addict, besides his hate-baiting style is going out the window.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:01 pmOh yeah, my local Rush Limbaugh providing conservative AM station is now carrying the Alex Jones conspiracy talk show (so I guess that shows that it's more about the money than ideology)
Who knows, maybe they will carry Al Franken and Ed Shultz next.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:04 pmI listen to Air America sometimes. I do enjoy Al Franken's show. But the rest of the "talent"? After Franken goes off the air, it turns into the ranting lefty network. Randi Rhodes, billed as the left's answer to Rush Limbaugh, and just as unlistenable; Mike Malloy, now fired, the worst at ranting of the bunch. I'm as left wing as they come, but I have to say the stereotype of the ranting leftist is as accurate as they come on Air America. I prefer the BBC or PBS radio.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:04 pmThis is a huge bummer. I listen to AirAmerica every day in the car...there's got to be a voice of the left out there if only to balance the huge right wing radio cadre.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:05 pmShoot.
I love it. I get to listen to AM1090 in Seattle all day long, and I know exactly what crimes the Republicans in power (and a few democrats) are committing.
I can plainly remember Al Franken saying he had been on the air for 1 1/2 years, and had not been accused of lying.
You don't have to lie when you tell the truth......
All facts support the "progressive" positions.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:05 pmI like randi rhodes and mike malloy, we can still listen online right?
September 13th, 2006 at 1:07 pmThere has been a lot of internal and external sabotage at AAR. I commend those who have worked so hard with such good intentions. But the constantly shifting formats (sirius, then xm), the weak local stations, the pulling of favorite hosts like Malloy and the salaries for people like Franken and Springer couldn't have been the best investment.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:08 pmI sure hope this does not mean the end of progressive radio--why are the big bucks with progressive tendencies so short-sighted?
[...] They weren’t good enough, they weren’t smart enough, and gosh darn it, nobody liked them. [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 1:08 pmSometing has been fishy wiht AAR finances from the beginning. Who was that execs name who kept saying they had enough money to keep operating for 3 years, then all these bills weren't being paid and then this exec dude disappears while evryone's wondering where the money is and how they are going to pay the electricity bill. He just backs out and slinks away with his tail between his legs and somewhere someone invested a bunch of money but I guess that's run out.
No one there is happy with management, you here all the hosts make little remarks. They hire Jerry Springer, nobody likes that guy, I got nothing agaisnt him but he's soooooo boring. One of the best talents they have there is Rachel Maddow and they keep screwing with her shows. They fire Mike Malloy.
When I heard that I wrote them and asked if they were TRYING to fail. I was joking...sort of. But now I'm not. I think they are trying to fail.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:11 pmI can't believe that there have been 50 comments and no one has mentioned the somewhat incongrous relationship between the Center for American Progress and the right-wing media megalith, Clear Channel.
I am unable to cognitively process the statement that Clear Channel is...
I know that many conservative broadcasters will sell out their principles for profit, but it's still hard to believe that they can be trusted.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:11 pmA nationwide search for the progressive radio talk star. That's a pretty telling statement. They actually have to do a 'search'. LMAO.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:11 pmAnother "Victory" for the left/progressives?
September 13th, 2006 at 1:12 pmThe Young Turks have just announced that they are going to be the new morning show on AAR.
http://www.theyoungturks.com/story/2006/9/12/162149/915
This must be part of the restructuring. I hope this is a good move for them.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:13 pmGod bless.. go forward.
This is what happens when you sell out to the DLC and AIPAC, and fire the greatest Liberal voice in radio, Mike Malloy.
Hope to see a new and much improved network rise out of this, and if not that, some way for Sam Seder, Randi Rhodes, Thom Hartman, and Rachel Maddow to carry on.
To Hell with Al Franken. He's part of the problem, not the solution.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:13 pm@muckdog,
You are a liar. Air America may not be doing well, but there is plenty of evidence, that it's not having problems with ratings.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:14 pmThom Hartmann is the next big progressive radio star. I just move to San Diego from Portland, and Thom's morning show is what I miss the most. I love it when he fills in for Randi or Sam, but he needs to be a star all his own. He's level, insightful, analytical, rational, and SMART! He's not inflammatory the way Randi Rhodes or Mike Malloy are, and he doesn't try too hard to be funny like Seder (who I do like). I want Hartmann to run for office, but if not, a nationally syndicated radio AND TV show are the next best thing.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:15 pmWE NEED TO SUPPORT THE TALENT -- NOT MANAGEMENT AT AAR:
I think the issue of the management filing bankruptcy comes down to a couple of important issues that go beyond the talent of Air America: Recently, a defense contractor sued AAR and the Randi Rhodes show for libel (Randi won her case) which extremely expensive. Then you have what seems to be management with little radio experience and marketing.
I agree we need Progressive Talk to counter the right wing blow hards who litter the AM frequencies. AAR has helped organize progressive bloggers. It's given liberal and progressive bloggers a national forum. Yesterday, Randi had Amy Goodman on her show promoting Amy's new book. Host like Randi, Sam and Laura Flanders understand that the network can bring a lot of us together and give voice to many in the country who feel isolated.
I also think Randi, Sam and others were instrumental in helping with the Lamont victory -- so don't write off AAR or the medium of progressive radio as useless. Just look at the frightening corporatized re-writing of history in last weekends, "Path to 911". Where else other then Pacifica radio, AAR and the blogs would you get the real story.
Randi Rhodes from what I understand is actually on loan from Clear Channel, where she ruled the South Florida airwares, beating Limbaugh badly in the 90's. Let's hope that maybe Clear Channel wisens up and gives Randi a fully funded syndicated national show. If you watch the C-Span Q&A interview with Randi, when she was beating Limbaugh in the ratings in South Florida, Clear Channel would not risk the business lost of revenue if they syndicated her. So they gave her the freedom to go shop. Maybe now that's she's a proven commodity, they will give her the 500+ station syndication she deserves, along with Sam Sedar and Mike Malloy.
Clear Channel and the big evil radio empires don't care what's on the air. All they care is if it makes money. Progressive talk has proven it can survive commercially, with the right management, so let's hope this new hitch with AAR, won't silence the talent, but hopefully expand their possibilites.
Best of Luck to you Sam, Randi, Laura and Mike.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:15 pmBankrucy doesn't mean folding or going off the air- One advantage is they will get out of the LOUSY exclusive XM contract. NO ONE knows enough details of the restructuring to comment on ANY detail.
One can assume the hosts with ratings will stay those who don't won't. (Employment contracts will be invalidated.)
All that said I think AAR needs a passionate visionary dynamic leader with a great promotional ability.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:16 pmBill O'Rielly will mostly likely open up his show with this story.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:16 pmIf Air America, as an organization, goes under, it does not mean that the individual shows/talent will be gone. The good ones will be picked up by other organizations, such as those involved with the Ed Schultz or Stephanie Miller shows, and may become stronger. This is a natural and healthy evolution. Now, if ALL progressive talk just disappears, we should be concerned. I remember Chrysler going bankrupt and reorganizing, then creating the mini-van which turned them around financially. If Air America reorganizes and finds the right talent and format (product) then they may become a stronger force.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:17 pmAs a broadcaster myself, I have been disappointed in the overall way that the programming has been handled. There is definite talent at AA, but there have been major flaws in some of the timeslots and scheduling.
In particular, the AM show has been extraordinarily weak. It isn't just the talent, but the way the show is produced. In AM drive, for example, if somebody has just 10 minutes in their car to listen, how sad is it when that period of time has to include the Kent Jones sports report? Benchmarks for a progressive talk format should be elements you can't find in any other format. Mark & Mark's biggest flaw (or more correctly, the flaw of their program director) was scheduling entertainment interviews that often had little to do with progressive politics. With all the high-profile morning shows to choose from, why would somebody listen to AA in the morning for an entertainment interview?
At any rate, a good friend of mine works there and I am just concerned that his job is safe. No matter the flaws, AA is something we need to root for and support.
http://scootmandubious.blogspot.com
September 13th, 2006 at 1:17 pmWhoever the next "star" is of progressive radio, he/she needs to be someone that isn't afraid to tackle the issues and facts that really affect America.
The Democrats have too long tip-toed through serious issues, and now is the time to quit the tip-toeing, and stomp into the realm of the Neo-conservatives and religious-right Evangelical movement that are attempting to take over America. Being controversial isn't necessarily being wrong - and someone that can capture the imagination of a population that for far too long, has heard a mediocre stance on several important issues that must be addressed.
We need someone that is unafraid of the opposition and has the ability to speak in a clear and firm voice that will rivet the listeners - not bore them with the same old rhetoric! I know he/she is out there, I just hope they find that person who will act as a catalyst in the movement to rid our country of the Neo-cons and make the Evangelical Christians' ultimate mission known to all who listen so America will actually be aware of what we are fighting, and how to succeed!
William Cormier
September 13th, 2006 at 1:20 pmHow about Keith Olbermann and Air America?
September 13th, 2006 at 1:21 pmI stopped listening to AAR after a**hole Danny Goldberg cancelled the Morning Sedition show with Marc Maron and Mark Riley. That was the best morning show I had ever heard.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:22 pmCome on TP... I could go to a Republican sight if I wanted my intelligence to be insulted.
The bankruptcy of the leading progressive radio outlet is not a sign of strength for progressive radio!
This is not a hopeful occurrence... but quite the opposite.
Let's just say this is a sad day for the progressive movement... we are down but not out... if we are to succeed we will have to work not only harder but also smarter.
There is a lesson to be learned here... and it is not everything is fine... we're doing everything right!
September 13th, 2006 at 1:23 pmI'm surprised it's lasted this long, how many stations are left carrying it, 3-4?
September 13th, 2006 at 1:24 pmBest news so far today!
September 13th, 2006 at 1:25 pmWhy don't they just steal more money from the boys and girls clubs?
September 13th, 2006 at 1:25 pmI don't understand why AA is going bankrupt?
Well, it's a shame. I've listened to AA ever since it started but very seldom anymore. I used to be able to crank it up on the computer and listen as I worked, RealPlayer didn't seem to use enough bandwidth to
September 13th, 2006 at 1:26 pmkeep me from doing other online things on the computer, then it seemed to change and I couldn't get it
to work. OK try the radio - Cincinnati started carrying some progressive shows and I was able to get Al's show and then Ed Schultz ( my fave ) but no more. Cincy changed the channel where they carried the
shows and since I live 60 miles from Cincy I can no longer get the shows very clearly.
I miss listening to Randi and Ed especially. Al's show is not that great IMO unless he has good
interviews like Tom Oliphant or Larry O'Donnell, but in general his show is awful, just boring.
If progressive radio is to have a future they need to get control of some radio stations and get
the better programs out there - Randi, Ed, Rachel ........ all need to be heard. Unfortunately in my area
the only option for talk is from Louisville which only carries blow hard conservatives. As far as I know
progressives have nothing in that area of millions of people. Progressives Come on Pony up and buy
some stations and get serious about communicating the message.
Good Ridance, more room on the dial for Salsa music!
September 13th, 2006 at 1:27 pmWhat a shame...I'm sure this is Bush's fault too.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:29 pmLOL, GREAT NEWS
September 13th, 2006 at 1:29 pmToday, Air (anti) America; tomorrow Keith Odormann's gameshow Meltdown. Are some people still unable to draw the proper conclusion from both events?
September 13th, 2006 at 1:31 pmIt's Bush's fault. Heh, heh, heh.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:31 pmFunny thing about the Market....people vote in radio with their dials. Maybe listening to a bunch of hyperbolic liberals calling Bush names doesn't make for good radio. Al Franken? Hack. The ugly chick from that movie with Uma Therman? Hack. If there was really a demand for this kind of crap, Air America wouldn't be filing bankruptcy. You went into the marketplace and lost. Deal with it.
I have no problem with "progressive" (which is just fancy cocktail party code for LIBERAL) talk...but the host has to keep in mind the majority of his audience is going to be hostile ideologically and perhaps bomb throwing might turn off listeners?
September 13th, 2006 at 1:32 pmGood riddance for Ed Schultz, the Democrats answer to Rush Limbaugh. Just as bombastic and up on pro Football, Ed should be hired opposite Rush on an EIB Hannity and Colmes format.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:32 pmWhy doesn't George Soros just write them and check
and bail them out????
Georgy's "progressive.. left leaning" lawyers and accountants make sure he doesn't have to pay any taxes so there should be lots "left" for great causes like Air America.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:33 pmI had no idea one could file for intellectual bankruptcy. But if any one could, Air America qualifies.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:33 pmTheir new name is OFF THE AIR AMERICA. You can't preach gloom and doom and expect to survive. There are only so many :Black Helicopter" theories that you come up with. They just ran out of helicopters.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:34 pmI wonder how much "K" street has to do with steering advertisers away from Air America. It seems like it would be a cheap ad buy for automobiles and stuff. Unfortunately, we'll probably never know.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:35 pmThe radio isn't about ideology, it's about entertainment and selling advertising. If you're serious and what to learn about something, you'll hopefully go elsewhere. But if you're just looking for some cheerful distraction in between exits, that's what radio is for. Limbaugh could do the exact same show from a liberal perspective and he'd be just as successful. Too many people in radio think they're out to save the world and it's beneath them to even consider such a possibility. The smart ones know better, and they're more successful because of it.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:35 pmIt's no surprise "Air America" is going down in flames. You's have to be crazy to spend THAT much money on a pair of basketball shoes! They don't really make you jump any higher...and they smell.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:36 pmOh well, there goes Al Qaeda's voice on our air waves...how long 'till Al Jazeera gets a hold of ABC??
September 13th, 2006 at 1:36 pmi truly believe there is no way AAR is going away...
about franken - he is not a great radio voice, but he can pull in the guests who are the most important voices that need to be heard... his style can be annoying (too many "uh"s) but i listen for his guests...
speaking of which - TPs own judd occasionally, and CAPs christy harvey...
and no one has the facts to back up the rant like randi... no one...
no, it ain't going away...
September 13th, 2006 at 1:36 pm...
This does seem woeful for Progressive Talk, yes, but we will not give up.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:36 pmEach morning we will sniff check our own assholes and the assholes of other progressives
and we will spread "the truth" in that manner, the way we spread everything else, via anus; it's only a matter of time til we come back bigger and better and this time with KY in our pockets. We will have our way the way Frankenstein had his way.
I am going to be biggest liberal ever, I am going to hit more people with
folding chairs and hire more tokens and give huge sums to the ACLU to remove teenie weenie Crucifiexes from cereal boxes, we will have our way, we will learn force and torture, and there will be ten thousand bodies left in our wake, because being liberal means never having to say you're sorry. Zeig Heil!!!
Air America is and may be the worst radio net I ever heard. Randi Rhodes? Al Franken? No discourse just venom. Good riddance I hope.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:37 pmComment #37 is quite funny:
"it doesn’t matter how great our policies or candidates are if we don’t have the medium to get our message out."
I guess ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, NPR is not enough! Perhaps the Democrats policies and candidates are just not good.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:37 pmIf Air America is such an informative format and "Lot" of people listen then why is it folding. Maybe nobody is listening to it except the fringe left bent on Bush hating.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:37 pmJohn
If "Progressive Radio" is so strong, then why is Air America declaring bankruptcy?
September 13th, 2006 at 1:37 pmI don't see the problem. There has been liberal radio for decades, it's called NPR! As long as elected representitives want to waste taxpayer money there will be NPR.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:44 pmHilarious. But don't fret young bureaucrats, the nutroots are there for you yet.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:44 pmRIP Hotair america....... Neal Boortz, and Sean Hannity has better programming anyway. By the way wasn't Alec Baldwin supposed to move to Canada if Bush was re-elected!!!! Alec if your out there let us know were took up a collection to cover your moving cost, maybe you'll have enough to take that nut case Cindy Sheehan with you.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:44 pmHa, listening to all these comments just confirms why the Liberal agenda in America won't ever work...becasue you are all devoid of original ideas and can only bitch and moan about conservatives without actually bringing fresh ideas or the ability to solve problems. This is also why I PROMISE that the Dems will NOT get the seats necessary to form a majority.
Bunch of sorry whiners, and what exactly is a Patriotic Liberal Christian..you believe in God and Abortion....You all are the sorriest lot ever.
Thomas
September 13th, 2006 at 1:46 pmA Reagan Conservative
I guess the fundamental thing missing from most of the above posts is "why" they are going bankrupt.
Bankruptcy comes from not pulling in revenue.
Revenue comes from advertisers.
Advertisers want ratings. They want to put their money in the best time/station slot to maximize ROI.
Ratings come from people listening to the station.
If only a handful of people listen, they do not generate ratings.
So, to all you Liberal/Progressive/Democrat talk show supporters out there... this is your fault. You didn't listen, you didn't get other people to listen, you didn't pony up the cash to get it going in thr first place. It's time to stop whining about the "Neo-Con Conspiracy" or the "Republican Machine", why don't you try and figure out why there are more people who agree with Rush Limbaugh than with Al Franken.
Free Market rule says Air America is doomed. Majority rule says the same.
I guess, in the end, Al Franken is simply not good enough or smart enough, and people just don't like him.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:46 pmAir America failed not because of its political point of view---love or hate it, there's a place for its POV and a constituency for it that buys stuff sold in radio ads, which is the only test of that. It failed because it was BAD RADIO. It was a constant rant, a one-note samba, and not entertaining or even enlightening because of it. You may hate Rush, but he's got variety and a sense of humor and STYLE. The very proof of this is what you say about Stephanie--she's FUNNY and doesn't bang on the same theme over and over and over...but don't fool yourself about the size of her audience compared to Limbaugh, Hannity, etc. etc. She and the rest of the so-called progressive "stars" are fleas compared to giants. Radio is a COMMERCIAL medium--you have to grow a BIG and BROAD-based audience that actually BUYS products being advertised. It really isn't that complex. Is there something about being "progressive" that makes you unwilling or unable to grasp the basic tenets of capitalism? Is doing so beneath your principles? Maybe, but this BK filing is only a formal announcement of a financial reality that's been true since DAY ONE on Air America and has NEVER changed.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:47 pmThat proves that the neo-cons are still back in the dark ages of radio ...and all other things....the Progressive and "Green People" are downloading and Ipoding. We are the future!
September 13th, 2006 at 1:48 pmAir America a "balance to hate-filled right wing radio"? You gotta be kidding, right? I listen sometimes to AA on my XM satellite, and never have I heard more hatred, anti-American, reactionary vitriol in my life. Uninformed, delusional, lemming-like mental midgets do not make for good radio, or good business as it turns out. Go figure...and good riddance. Come back with some actual SUBSTANCE and AA might actually find an audience with a brain.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:48 pmImagine that. My only question is why Sorro's didn't bail on this loser after the first month. Liberals always fail in an interactive format.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:49 pmWhen you have no listeners and cannot sell any advertising you go bankrupt.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:49 pmSorry kids, that's how radio works.
Air America should've been called Welfare America since that's the business model they followed.
Not surprising. I've been listening and all I hear is "We hate George Bush." People want optimism and ideas, not the an open sewer of negativity. Good Riddance
September 13th, 2006 at 1:49 pmWow, I stumbled into this strange world you have here through a link from the drudgereport. You people are kinda cute and funny when youre not screaming angry. Don't feel too bad about low ratings for left wing radio. You've still got the majority of the voice in print and TV media including the mainstream "News" sources. Anyway, carry on..have fun. "Make love not war", 'bush lied people died", all that jazz.......Ha Ha Ha
September 13th, 2006 at 1:50 pmProgressive radio will never work. Just stick with the alphabet networks on tv. You've got them in the palm of your hand.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:50 pmIn the media business, it's all about ratings. If you don't get the ratings, you don't stay on the air. Period. Just ask Rush Limbaugh. He has THE highest rated radio program on the planet and has been #1 for almost 20 years. Why? Because people, LOTS of them, listen. He's also experienced the other end (Air America's end) of the spectrum when his TV show debuted a few years ago. Nobody watched and it promplty tanked. Yanked in a NY second. Based on ratings, Air America should have been off the air months ago. It hung on as long as it could with, shall we say, "creative" financing but in the end you can't polish a brick and if nobody listens then the show doesn't stay on the air. It's ALL about ratings
September 13th, 2006 at 1:50 pmAs to the why it is failing....there is no magic.
Right-wing radio is successful because its rabid listeners actively support its advertisers. They buy from advertisers precisely because they advertise on the "right" propoganda programs with compelling ads that push the correct mental buttons.
If we lefties could get our act together we would make sure there is compelling advertising on our own programs. It is great that people tune in to listen to AAR, but the only way to ensure that such programming stays on their air is to make sure advertisers on these stations create better ads so that people buy from them. If we would make it known that we are buying because of ads on AAR, then AAR would be vibrant.
How can we get better advertisers/advertising? I'm sure this must be the problem.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:50 pmThere sits Al,
September 13th, 2006 at 1:51 pmBroken hearted,
Came to talk,
But only AArted.
GOOD RIDDANCE! THE DEMS JUST DONT GET IT. THEY'RE JUST TO MAD OVER BUSH TRONCHING GORE IN 2000.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:51 pmBUSH 2007!!
The problem is "progressives/liberals/democrats do not listen to talk radio. They would rather watch Duke's of Hazzard reruns.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:51 pmThis is a great sign that progressive radio is indeed popular. It is sure to grow even further once you realize all the potentual listeners out there who are not yet listening. Kudos to Air America for taking such a bold move to prove progressive radio is popular.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:53 pmAir America is mainly a content provider. They own very few of their stations. They do almost no advertising. Are bankrupt airlines still flying? Yes.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:53 pmIt would not take that much to keep it all going. I for one would be willing to contribute directly to this endeavor. The programing is fantastic, particularly on the weekend with Ring of Fire, etc. Rhandi Rhodes would still be available from her original Florida station.
You people are friggin nuts.
Stop cheering for the enemy.
At least pretend to be patriotic.
Burn a French flag, not an american flag.
And leave my GUNS alone.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:53 pmHa Ha!
September 13th, 2006 at 1:53 pmNatural Selection in action. Apparently, there is little or no market for progressive talk radio. What does that tell you about the people tuning in?
Air America and the rest of the hard left are out of touch with reality.
So to Air America and Moonbats that poplated it...
BUH-BYE
September 13th, 2006 at 1:54 pmWow. The Trolls are out in force today!
September 13th, 2006 at 1:54 pmI guess there are just so many ways you can say "I hate Bush" before the public gets bored. Good riddence.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:54 pmWho wants to listen to liberals whine and bitch?
September 13th, 2006 at 1:55 pmBoy, there is a fair amount of crying going on here. So what if Error Amerika goes off the air. Based on their ratings they should have been dropped a year ago. How can you keep asking Error Amerika's deep pocket benefactors to keep carrying the load. They have already lost millions on this far fetched sure to fail adventure. So, head over and join their Premiun Service, quickly. Spend your money fast so they'll have it when they quit. Face it, Progressive (and I use that word loosely) Radio was, is and will always be a bust. No one with a half a brain can sit and listen to all that harping and lying. So Long............................!!
September 13th, 2006 at 1:55 pmBankruptcy is always a sure way to tell that something is successful. The pitiful ratings of those other clowns, Shultz and whoever the other one is that was mentioned is another sure fire way to know that something is a success. But then again, how could any business venture such as progressive radio, whos' business plan is built on lies and conspiracy theories not be a huge success. Someone suggested Keith Olberman; talk about a seamless transition!
September 13th, 2006 at 1:56 pmYES, YES, YES!!! I'm elated.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:56 pmIt's great to see these idiots fail!
AL MUST STAY on the air!! He is peerless in his ability to make people laugh while making them THINK.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:57 pmRandi Rhodes, on the other hand, is painful to listen to. How many times can one radio host say "these people...un-ba-LEEEEV-able!" While I share her sentiments, it makes me tired to hear the same thing over and over again.
Its about time! What took so long? If it succeeded in creating progressive talk radio, why is it filing bankruptcy? Maybe nobody wants to listen to left wing propaganda.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:57 pmIt wasn't the political bent that doomed AA, it was the constant ranting of Randi, the monotone voice of Al, and the overall brutal production quality and dead air. On college radio can get away with it, but advertisers and listeners won't buy what you're selling if it seems like you really don't care if you're quality stinks. Additionally, they needed to have actual guests on a regular basis, otherwise they just seemed endlessly repetitive.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:57 pmI guess they just didn't steal enough money from the Boys Clubs of America to stay on the air any longer than this.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:57 pm*chortle*
This is ALL Bush's fault! Just like 9-11 and Chernobyl and the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. I read it all in a Ward Churchill book. Or Al Franken told me. Or Michael Moore.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:58 pmGood Riddance!
September 13th, 2006 at 1:58 pmI could not be more delighted than when I heard of a probably bankruptcy for "the voice of fools"
September 13th, 2006 at 1:58 pmIt took too long, but it was well deserved. randi rhodes rest in pieces.
Gee, now if I want to hear Randi Rhodes I'll just have to let my toilet back up.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:58 pmNa, Na, Na... Na, Na, Na ... hey, hey, hey... Good-bye.
Na, Na, Na... Na, Na, Na ... hey, hey, hey... Good-bye
Na, Na, Na... Na, Na, Na ... hey, hey, hey... Good-bye
September 13th, 2006 at 1:58 pmOn my way out the door one day, I asked my wife and her friend if they`d like anything from the local store, since I was headed that way. She replied that she`d like a "Peach Snapple" upon which her friend gasped, " I can`t believe you drink that stuff, it`s what Rush Limbaugh drinks"! I promptly alerted her to the probability that he also partakes of tapwater from time to time, which she could find no reply to. I then asked her if she`d ever listened to Rush. She said that No, her boyfriend Dan warned her that he was a fat blowhard.... Well, there you go, nothing like judging someone with cold hard facts. A little name-calling carries much more weight than actual in-depth investigation and honest debate. My point is: Air America is missing the most important ingredient to being successful. "Honesty" !!!
September 13th, 2006 at 1:59 pmThis is living proof that without the palor of doom and gloom over America, what liberals have to offer is about as marketable as sand is in the Middle East.
When Americans want truth they know where to find it.
September 13th, 2006 at 1:59 pmThat source is noneother than Rush Limbaugh.
woo wee! calling all trolls! make a list - they're all here now...
I wonder how much “K†street has to do with steering advertisers away from Air America...we’ll probably never know.
Comment by hit_escape — September 13, 2006 @ 1:35 pm
oh, i think we know...
September 13th, 2006 at 1:59 pmLiberal talk radio will never work, and this is why: Conservatives are united because of what they believe in, such as free market, capitalism, secured borders, lower taxes, a strong defense, and Christianity. Liberals are united because of who they are, such as homosexuals, minorities, environmentalists, and celebrities. People will tune in to radio to discuss ideas, but they won’t tune in just to be reminded who they are.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:00 pmIt's little wonder Air(head) America is having troubles... There's an old and reliable adage that if you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem. All the Liberal (ooops, pardon me, "Progressives") at A.A. can do is speak negatively about the state of the country, the state of the Presidency, the war, etc ad nauseum... but can ANYONE in that Party give us SOLUTIONS???? They are quick to say what is all "wrong" but not a single answer to what would make it right.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:01 pm"It'll never fly Orville."
The truth has never been spoken better.
A good liberal, democrat, communist, marxist, leninist, green etc. will never be successful in a capitalist market. We are all too busy trying to make a profit........Something you never did.
Best of luck in the Comedy Clubs in the Catskills.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:01 pmI love the whinning coming from you guys. Fact is the market has spoke and there is no demand in America for the half-truths you idiots spew.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:02 pmErl W.
Poor Babies
September 13th, 2006 at 2:02 pmI am the only Dem. in a Rep. Texas but I have to say that I turned on Air America and I haven't changed the dial for along time now. To see that this station might be in trouble with money is sad to see.
I have loved each and every show and it sad to see Jerry go. Hopefully he will do better at his new gig on TV.
Second, Randi... ROCKS.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:02 pmHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:02 pmLiberals, excuse me, Progressives, sure know how to spin a story. They have done their usual by changing definitions. They have filed bankruptcy, but are strong. And they have changed the radio airwaves. What a joke; and they expect people to believe this garbage? Once again, the libs fail and fail BIG. Good thing most make their living telling jokes, because they are one BIG joke. Whether known as 'L' or 'P', they are always losers!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:03 pmEd Schultz is carried on some Air America stations, such as Denver's 760 AM.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:03 pmOh boo hoo......the libs control all the other media outlets...the major networks, all the local media rags...so you couldn't get your fingers on one more medium, who cares.......Give the conservatives alittle bit of voice.......I know...I know...you tolerant libs are only tolerant of your thoughts and opinions and want to sqaush any one who differs from your answers. Tolerance can only go so far. Just let the conservatives have one outlet....and start being happy you control all the others.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:03 pmThank God. Now if we can only get "progressive" crap off of network TV, this nation will be better than ever before. Adios Airheads! You won't be missed (hence the bankruptcy).
September 13th, 2006 at 2:03 pm"Progressive" is just the latest way to say LIBERAL DEMOCRAT. Most of us are smart enough to understand that fact. If Air America actually was entertaining it might have attracted an audiance and stayed afloat instead of bilking charity money to pay AL.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:04 pmGREAT NEWS - THIS COUNTRY WILL BE BETTER OFF WITH OUT ANTI AMERICAN PROPAGANDA.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:04 pmProgressive? What exactly is it progressing into?
September 13th, 2006 at 2:04 pmThe comment about being cancelled proves that progressive radio is strong is so typical of liberals. Even when they lose elections it still means they win. What part of lose can they not understand?
September 13th, 2006 at 2:04 pm#58 - brian. Wrong. But I know you don't have any proof, so you just screech out "liar!" and think you've won an argument. LOL. You sir, have a future in liberal talk radio, should there be a future for that format that is...
Ratings are horrible.
Here is some 2006 rating info from April, predicting that Air America wouldn't be broadcasting much longer.
Air America registering a weak 1.0 share in Los Angeles, an even tinier share in Chicago, and a catastrophic drop in New York City
And New York hadbad news for Randi Rhodes fans.
Among all listeners 12+, it was a race to the bottom for AIR AMERICA and WLIB as mid-days went from a 1.6 share during winter 2005 to a 1.0 share winter 2006. During PM drive, host Randi Rhodes plunged to 27,900 listeners every quarter hour, finishing 25th place in her time slot, down from 60,900 listeners every quarter hour in the fall.
This one is funny from the Washington Post in 2005.
Air America, the liberal talk network carried on WWRC-AM (1260), went from bad to nonexistent. After WWRC recorded a mere fraction of a rating point in the spring with syndicated shows from the likes of lefty talkers Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo and Stephanie Miller, Arbitron couldn't detect a measurable listenership for the station this time around.
More ranking info here.
Brian, name calling doesn't win out over facts.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:04 pmLoser!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:04 pmOne down, one to go. Can we now PLEASE stop funding NPR???
September 13th, 2006 at 2:05 pmThis is indeed sad news, but there may indeed have been some serious problems with the business plan. For example, AA may just have paid Al too much money....
September 13th, 2006 at 2:05 pmGood riddance! If the left could come up with some good ideas people might listen. All you hear from these sorts is that everything in this world is George Bush's fault. What is the Democrats plan? Just disrepect the people in charge and blame our own country for all that is wrong in the world? Good plan.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:06 pmThe funeral service for Error America will undoubtedly be one of the smallest ever held. Bring a scanning electron microscope...of course, you also will have needed one of those to see the ratings for the network!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:07 pmIs it possible the channel's programming just sucked? I wouldn't know what they have to say, my Soviet Union escaping grandfather told me enough about what leftists are about..... (after a brief stay in a gulag, naturally).
September 13th, 2006 at 2:07 pmI am glad to see that you "progressives" are still supporting my innovative ideas. I am shocked to see that putting them forth via the radio airwaves is not commercially viable. My theories have proven successful in practice world wide over the past 150 years. Never give up commrades!!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:07 pmWell, I hope that the crazy pundits on the Right and the Left would just shut up and let a voice of moderation in. In other words, the radicals in Air America is just the flip-side of the coin to the radicals like Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage.
I'm happy that Air America is going away. I was growing tired of the shouting and ranting from them.
Now if only we can stop the ranting and raving from the Radical Right, the sane people of America can truly get things done without both of these crazies...
September 13th, 2006 at 2:07 pmIt's no surprise that Air America is going bankrupt.
Conservatives turn away from their leftist "idiot boxes" and turn to radio that offers a better dialog to challenge thoughts and ideas. When the left decides to jump into the radio format among a extremely large conservative base, and cannot support their own arguments with rational thoughts, its no wonder why a leftist talk format will fail.
Good attempt, bad judgment !!!
Good riddens....
September 13th, 2006 at 2:08 pmAnyone surprised by Air America's failure? Other than a few far-left moonbats, no one listens. Guess George Soros didn't want to bankroll an obvious failure either. How's that Al Gore TV network doing? Another great idea...
September 13th, 2006 at 2:08 pmIf AA goes off the air I guess the sales of Dungeons and Dragons Toy sets will go up. Attracts the same victims of poor potty training/psychiotypical types. LOL!!!!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:08 pmThe talk radio listeners are from the Red Country not the Blue. Surprised AA lasted this long.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:09 pmThis goes to show that you cannot continue to rant and rave about the Republicans and make it. At least Rush & Shaun are able to make it on selling ads and did not have to rely on people like George Soros to keep them going this long. Dissent is great for the country but if all you do is call people names and throw out charges (like Karl Rove and the Bush administration leaked Plames name) without ANY proof you tend to lose credibility. If the progressives can find someone that can make an argument without name calling and be able to explain their ideas (if and when they get any) maybe people will listen to them. AA was so far out of the main stream they could not see the it.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:11 pmHmm..did I really read that it failed because progressives are so much more intelligent? Amazing. it failed because people don't want to hear the stuff Randi Rhodes has to say. Period.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:11 pmApparantly talk radio will remain a media with a strong conservative base. I guess liberals will just have to be happy having CNN, New York Times, Newsweek, CBS, etc. cover mostly their point of view.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:11 pmI tried listening for a few weeks when it first came on but couldn't take it. I was longing for good ideas, but all I heard was whining. You can't build a station around "I hate G. W. Bush!"
September 13th, 2006 at 2:11 pmI now listen to Free Talk Live. It broadcasts on about 11 statons nationwide. I download the podcast from Freetalklive.com. More ideas, less whining and hate than the left or right.
I hope Stephanie Miller finds a new home, though, cause she is funny!
Cool!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:11 pmAir America is going under because there is not enough support, in term of numbers, for them to keep the doors open. Period. The left has a forum--CNN, ABC, CBS, The Today Show, Good Morning America, New York Times, etc.
Here is the problem. It is not that we don't here your ideas, we do. Most of us simply don't agree with them. Liberals are 20-30 years olds, I know, I used to be as liberal as any brain-washed college mush-head (you know the type, 23 and know everything about the world and politics). Then I got out and got a job and started paying taxes, and paying attention. My liberal views were quickly replaced by common sense once I began supporting a family. The truth is most of us grow up, and part of that is outgrowing utopian liberal idealism. Life is not fair, sorry it is just a fact. There will always be poor people and rich people... Also, I began to see that folks on the left didn't really live by what they espoused, they just said whatever I wanted to hear so they could count on my vote. Do you think John Kerry or Ted Kennedy really care about some black homeless kid? Or a pregnant single mother struggling with the choice of having a child, or an abortion. If you do, you must still be young and dumb. They don't, if they truly believed what they say they would give away their millions to the poor people the proclaim to care so deeply for. Yet they live lives must can't imagine. Mansions, private jets, homes in 10 different countries, etc...
Hypocrites of the worst order.
R.I.P Air America
...it was never meant to be
Kelly
September 13th, 2006 at 2:13 pmAAR is out of business because America already has a liberal left wing radio show that the Govt. must fund called NPR. In the long run a guess folks in America just don't want to listen to hate filled lies from the left!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:13 pm"GOD IS DEAD" - AIR AMERICA
"AIR AMERICA IS DEAD" - GOD
September 13th, 2006 at 2:13 pmAt Last! Couldn't happen to a nicer group.
I guss whan all the ranting and lack of fresh ideas and Bush hating hit the airways - the fresh air and daylight killed it.
You can't fool the American Public all the time.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:13 pmBy the way wasn’t Alec Baldwin supposed to move to Canada if Bush was re-elected!!!! Comment by ConservativeChuck — September 13, 2006 @ 1:44 pm
actually Chuck, that was just one more lie your hero Hannity made up. Baldwin has offered to debate Hannity on any neutral territory. Big Brave Sean doesn't seem interested in a debate where he doesn't control the mike. Isn't that interesting?
More interesting is teh debate over AAR hosts: People love or hate Franken, love or hate Rhodes: I have never heard anybody defend Springer. Who the hell hired him in the first place.
And Drudge-spawned trools: Bankruptcy doesn't mean the end. Just look at your "self-made businessman" George Walker Bush of Walkers' Point, Greenwich, Andover, Yale and Harvard....He declared bankruptcy three or four times after mismanaging Grandmama's money, and we can't get rid of him.
Yet.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:13 pmHey #22 - Fox has been ahead of CNN for how long? Only now that CNN has Glenn Beck (conservative) are they picking up steam.
The reason liberals do not succeed on the radio and have to resort to the written word (like blogs and newspapers) is that their arguments to not hold up in discussion. They have to dodge questions or answer them with another question that is off the subject.
And don't tell me radio is outdated. If it was, then Rush/Glenn Beck/Hannity etc would not have HUGE audiences.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:13 pmBig huge bummer.. this was the perfect black hole for Soros and friend's money. Now that this negative vortex is in the grave (did I hear "I'm not dead yet" or "it's just a flesh wound, come back and fight like a man"?), they may stumble onto a more effective way to spend their US tax evaded dollars.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:13 pmHilarious! I'd say good riddance but no one ever listened anyway. How many conspiracies and anti-American banter can any human take. I tried to listen and I thought I was listening in on a bunch of angry, uneducated, ill informed morons. Oh wait! I was! HA HA!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:13 pmIts amazing. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Micheal Savage are raking it in. However, the liberal point of view can't stay alive on radio. HMM, maybe its the pointless theories of liberalism, no spine for national defense, anti-God stance that doesn't sell in America... I got an idea... Why don't all of you out there send in the money GWB gave back in tax breaks to AA and save this beloved radio station for another couple of months?
September 13th, 2006 at 2:14 pmLike the previous poster noted, AAR is just a constant rant against Bush. That is boring. I enjoy listening to Rush. He has humor and makes political observations without resorting to personal vitriol. A lot of common sense. Michael Savage can be harsh, but when he reflects upon his childhood he brings forth images of what makes us a decent people. There are a lot of common sense human observations in his show. I enjoy Al Franken too. He sometimes is funny, even though I do not agree with him politically. However, people like Randi Rhodes have sunk AAR. She is a constant drumbeat of what she feels is wrong with America. She is a hypocrit from one day to the next, from one hour to the next. She is rude to conservative callers. She is just an unpleasant person and doesn't lift the spirit. Unlike Rush, Michael, and yes, even Al, one is not smiling, feeling good about being an American, or wanting to listen again. People want to feel good or educate themselves when listening to talk radio. Randi does nothing but sink the human spirit as fast as AAR's finances. Optimism, not constant pessimism, is something Randi and AAR lacks.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:14 pmConservatism is an intellectual pursuit, for which the talk radio format is well suited. Liberalism is not an intellectual pursuit.
Sean.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:15 pmthe right-wing nut jobs who comment on this blog are way wrong.
Progressive talk radio does work. In LA (the#1 billing radio market) Stephanie Miller has risern in the ratings to beat everbody except CC stablemate Bill Handel, who has been in the market for over a decade. Ed Schultz goes head-to-head with Sean Hannity and beats him in the ratings in Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Miami and others!
Progressive Talk is more than Air America. And Progressive Talk stations that carry Air America and other Progressive Talk programming have done very well. Air America's busines plan needs to be restructured and that's what's happening.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:15 pmI KNOW Karl Rove is behind this.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:16 pmHoo Boy, The issue is not, has not been "We just didn't get our message out". After each election since 2000, the democratic party has been saying the same thing; "We just didn't get our message out".
Folks, the democrat/liberal message comes out loud and clear. And when it does, the majority doesn't want to vote for it, nor do the listeners want to listen to it.
Start channeling Kennedy, Truman, Scoop Jackson, and others and maybe it will "sell".
September 13th, 2006 at 2:16 pmTo the poster who wrote:
"By the way, didn’t Rush Limbaugh have a television show that flopped harder and faster than Air America radio? I’ll be nobody wants to bring THAT news up."
... what a load of revisionist crap. Flopped? Since when is second place among late-night TV shows a flop? It's amazing watching Leftists make up their own "facts."
Speaking of ratings, it's obvious that Leftists don't understand simple economic reality -- if no one listens and there's no audience, then Air America will disappear.
Even in a city like Washington D.C. infested by liberals, no one will listen to Air America. From a Washington Post article detailing how the station earned a ZERO Arbitron rating over a three-month period: “Air America, the liberal talk network carried on WWRC-AM (1260), went from bad to nonexistent. After WWRC recorded a mere fraction of a rating point in the spring with syndicated shows from the likes of lefty talkers Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo and
Stephanie Miller, Arbitron couldn't detect a measurable listenership for the station this time
around.â€
Let's all admit that "Err" America's failure was a foregone conclusion. Liberal ideas can't stand up to scrutiny and debate. Don't believe me? Go to any politics chatroom.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:17 pmPathetic, AA goes bankrupt, and this is GOOD news?
Even with the financing from Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, other "Celebs" as well as George Soros, and still couldnt succeed? Well hate to tell you, but NOONE is surprised. In america, when you put out a crappy product, noone buys it. PERIOD
The Dimocrats continue to close thier eyes in the rain. Thier party is doomed.
Get real ideas you slouches, and stop pointing fingers. Point them at yourself for once...
Get some ideas other than "Your stupid, and your stupid and your stupid." Somthing logical from the Dimocrats, and they MIGHT be able to hold onto a couple of thier dwindling seats in congress.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:17 pmThis is unfortunate. Where will I get my left wing wacko laughs!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:17 pmI loved Morning Sedition and was sad to see it go. Yes, the Mark Riley Show has always been weak but Rachel Maddow is HOT (well, I mean, the show is hot). Also the first two hours of Stephanie Miller are hilarious. Al's a little dull but has some of the smartest guests on. I'm glad Ed Schulz is popular but he's not very good at debating his conservative callers. I don't really have much use for Randi. Thom Hartmann is pretty good.
I hope they can keep it going. Kmart filed for bankruptcy a few years ago and they're still operating. Just about every major airline has, too.
Oh, wait, I'm on TP and forgot to say "I hate America. I hate Bush. I hope we get attacked some more." Sorry. Those Drudge trolls must have been confused.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:18 pmProgressive? Isn`t that a pretty word......A rose by any other name is still a rose. Coming up with new monikers for old tired ones makes you no less of a weenie....
September 13th, 2006 at 2:18 pmI guess the liberals just couldnt steal enough money from non-profits to stay on the air!!!!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:18 pmThe only negative is that Clear Channel has to carry some liberal talkshows that have bad ratings to appease the liberal democrats so they dont try to bring back the fairness doctrine that was ended by the great Pres. Reagan.
Gee - does Air Amerika declaring bankruptcy mean that they don't have to make restitution for the $875,000 they stole from the Gloria Wiese Boys & Girls Club in the Bronx?
Well, Al Franken always said they had the money escrowed, and they were in the process of paying it back - so it MUST be true!
Visit Radio Equalizer for the whole story.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:18 pmI'll miss Air America - sometimes I just need some comic relief. And sometimes it is important to hear the wing-nuts on the left in their own words. It puts a face on the other side and lets you understand the thinking (or lack thereof) and world views which gives rise to the Dean's, Pelosi's, Kennedy's and others on the extreme, radical left.
RIP
September 13th, 2006 at 2:19 pmFace it..the vast majority of the popultion has no interest in you, as you have no viable ideas, only warmed over failed socialism / death-cult..
September 13th, 2006 at 2:19 pmThe inevitable decline of AA is yet another dose of reality the Pathetic Left types posting here can't deal with. Their outrageous views can't win an honest debate, and now can't even make an honest buck. Too bad they still have ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, NYTimes, Wash. Post etc.; there's still way too many shrill leftist propoganda outlets, but one less can only be a good thing.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:19 pmYou right-wing freaks get off this website. Go back to your racist, reactionary spider holes. Have I told you yet today how much I hate these people!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:20 pmSince they are filing bankrupt, I guess they won't have to repay the money they stole from the poor ghetto kids.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:20 pmThe environment is a concern of everyone. Clearing the garbage off the air waves is a part of the process and, I must admit, I have been savoring the ever positively spun Air America imitation of the Titanic.
After listening to some broadcasts, I decided it had a broken keel from the day it was launched. That it survived this long is a tribute to the foolishness of the Left. Be it Clinton or Air America, they cannot abandon a sinking ship.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:20 pmThis proves that capitalism and capitalist dogs must be crushed like the cockroaches they are!
My comrades, the imperialist dogs that have sabotaged the voice of the Marxist-Leninist Revolution have won only a temporary victory, but the voice of the proletariat cannot be silenced!
Rise up and crush the capitalist swine under the boots of the Revolution!
Comrades, do not believe the capitalist lies that claim that our beloved communist radio network ranks lower than colloidal silver infomercials!
Comrades, there are traitors in our midst who have betrayed the Revolution and they must be rooted out and shown to be the enemy of the people that they are! They must be crushed!
Avenge this criminal act and smite the evil capitalist swine that is capable only of lying and works to destroy the proletariat!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:23 pmNo worries. We still have CBS, CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, ABC, LA Times, NPR and Al Jazeera. The message will still get out. Maybe not as much on the radio, but we still have our ways!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:23 pmHey AAR!!!!
Need some money???
I know of a few MOSQUES that would LOOOOOOOVE to help you and your cause out! E-mail please for any info.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:24 pmIt's sad that Air America is on it way out. I say that we should try to keep them on the Air! They succeeded in anchoring me firmly on the conservative side. I feel bad for those poor souls who will never be lifted from the insanity of liberalism!
September 13th, 2006 at 2:24 pmComment #1 says it all.
Progressives get their news from reading blogs and other online sources. I don’t have time to sit and listen to radio, AM or streaming.
The progressive movement has become an echo chamber and progressives seem fine with that. Additionally, that blogger doesn't seem to understand that radio actually works in favor of those people with a limited amount of time. Blogging can that hours and requires both hands, both eyes and at least half your brain. Ironically, they may have learned in the end what they needed know from the start... Humility.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:24 pmIndeed, a sad event. But the AAR flaw is that they tried to be a network, and do 24/7 as others have mentioned. Radio Syndication is how the strong shows succeed. I hope AAR partners with a strong syndicator like Jones to get their best shows out there. That's how Rush and others made it work.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:24 pmAAR CAn't stay on the air because it can't make money
AAR csan't make money because of two reasons
1) No one listens to te constant anti Bush rantings
2) most of thier stations can't be heard 15 feet from the tower.
Don't let the door hit you AAR listeners in the butt when the last show airs
September 13th, 2006 at 2:24 pmOh by the way, last arbatron rating gave Limbaugh 22 million listeners
Well, if Air (head) America is as honest as thinkprogress.org is than I suppose America is much better off without it. As a matter of fact it is very good news.
Thinkprogress.org just recently had a letter writing campaign to get the truth out as only liberals see it. ABC had a docudrama that was about to be aired called the Path to 911 and Thinkprogress.org needed to silence it. So, naturally they went about suckering their supporters with grand notions of the “truth†to email Disney’s CEO Iger to pull the plug.
Of course what Thinkprogress.org did not say is they are an arm for the Center for American Progress which course was founded and is run by administration officials of the former Clinton Regime.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:25 pmPerhaps they could secure another illegal loan from the NY Boys and Girls Club to keep this audio debaucle afloat. Or perhaps some of these Hollywood limousine liberals could kick in some cash. NAH! That won't happen either. The bottom line: Air America was a joke. The Hosts were TERRIBLE, vapid and weak on historical knowledge and fact. So in closing, I'd like to say, "SEE YA! WOULDN'T WANT TO BE YA!"
September 13th, 2006 at 2:25 pmAirhead America = Propaganda
Troll frenzy thanks to Drudge
September 13th, 2006 at 2:25 pmProgressive? The precise reason liberals don't get traction in the open media is because there is nothing "progressive" about their ideas.
We need a new descriptive title in the political lexicon, Retro-Liberals. Forty years after liberal democrats declared War On Poverty we still have a wide gap in prosperity with a vastly increased poverty of spirit and hope. Sixty years after Brown vs. Board of Education minority children are still trapped in substandard schools. Forty years after much needed civil rights legislation passed we still have blatant discrimination on the basis of race, sex and ethnicity now sponsored by our “progressive†liberal government under the label Affirmative Action. A century of Retro-Liberal moral relativism led to a collapse of moral standards and serious damage to the justice systems in western society.
So what do the Retro-Liberals and Leftists offer? They would have us retreat into the failed policies and political dogmas of the 20th Century. There is nothing liberal or progressive in the predominant Retro-Liberal characteristic, which seeks first to lay blame and then proposes to solve all perceived social injustices through repressive government intervention. Retro-Liberals see no problem using a regressive tax policy to pay for their bloated and repressive government. In a laughable turn on words they label their tax monster a “Progressive†tax. What is progressive about tax policy that penalizes the most productive members of society while rewarding those who refuse to accept responsibility for their own well being?
The true progressives of today are those with new ideas for solving old problems. If you want to find new ideas you have to look to the right of those who describe them selves as "Progressives".
September 13th, 2006 at 2:26 pmNo severance? What’s next, not paying a living wage and no health care? Oh... They’ve already done that? Nevermind.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:26 pm"progressive" is their new name the left has given themselves here in the USA b/c of the negativity associated with the world "liberal". which is a shame b/c the left stole "liberal" from what are now known as "classical liberals" in the USA. Confusingly though, "liberal" still usually has the original meaning in Europe, that is promoting individual choice and responsibility in both personal and fiscal matters and promoting non-intrusive govt's and free markets. So maybe the american "classical liberals" can go soon back to calling themselves "liberal" again since the Left doesn't want anything to do w/ that term anymore.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:26 pmAs an extreme conservative/but not a Bush fan. I used to love Morning Sedition. Then they killed it. Then I loved Maddow. Then they (in the NYC metro area) switched to a new even-lower-powered-if-you-can-believe-it station and got rid of her, keeping the new station's Sammy&Armie show in her slot.
All the rest of the "personalities" are ranting twits. Either boring or far more biased and truth impaired than the Left imagines Rush to be, or both. Nothing more than an attempt to have a constant anti-right campaign commercial running that could only appeal to a mere few percent of democrats, and only those who are content to live without doing any fact checking on their own.
AM1600 seems to have a range of less than 25 miles from New York. I guess preaching to the converted is NOT what they are about, but their programming is really good for nothing else on a meaningful scale.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:26 pmBye Bye Air America.
You left wing, commie, pinko elitists.
You are dying a slow death, so please hurry up and die. You are wasting radio space that could be used by more conservative talk show hosts.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:27 pmAll you people spouting hateful words about this story is just typical of the apathetic attitudes of Americans these days. Fear and hate are all you know. Someday you will see the direction your ol' boys W. and Cheney and Rumsfeld and taking this country and it will be too late. They sell hate and fear and lies and you gobble it all up. Air America wasn't perfect but I heard more truth from that network than any other mainstream source. Keep watching your FOX and listening to your Limbaugh. I, for one, don't buy into that kind of fear-mongering and hate-filled jargon.
Search out the truth for yourself and make your own educated decisions. Don't be a lemming under this "administration". Patriotism is loving your COUNTRY, not it's President.
September 13th, 2006 at 2:27 pm[...] According to a report at ThinkProgress.org, Air America Radio will file bankruptcy papers on Friday. [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 3:04 pmAir America crashes into a swamp....
For a few laughs, check out this comment thread on a liberal web site reporting on the story. Those crybabies even managed to claim that if it were a conservative station the Bush administration would secretly funnel millions of dollars into it. What.....
September 13th, 2006 at 3:25 pm[...] From ThinkProgress comes the very sad news that the left-wing talk radio network Air America is declaring bankruptcy. EXCLUSIVE: Air America To Declare Bankruptcy, But Progressive Radio Remains Strong [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 3:25 pm[...] Wow, who didn’t see that coming! But this is by far the funniest part of the story. According to Think Progress, “In fact, Air America succeeded at creating something that didn’t exist: the progressive talk radio format. That format is now established and strong and will continue with or without Air America.” Doesn’t it help to have an audience? [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 4:57 pm[...] And not just morally this time. Nope it’s all about the money now. [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 5:54 pm[...] Air America: Soon To Be Dead Air? [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 5:55 pm[...] From Think Progress, in a headline on a par with “Chicago Cubs Finish in Last Place Again; Team Optimistic”: Air America To Declare Bankruptcy, But Progressive Radio Remains Strong [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 6:03 pm[...] Air America To Declare Bankruptcy, But Progressive Radio Remains Strong [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 6:06 pm[...] Rumors are afoot today that Air America will file for bankruptcy on Friday. Air America To Declare Bankruptcy. Link courtesy of Drudge. Air America Radio will announce a major restructuring on Friday, which is expected to include a bankruptcy filing, three independent sources have told ThinkProgress. [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 6:09 pm[...] Gonna miss this disaster of a propaganda machine. Was it Franken’s not-made-for-radio voice? Was it Randy “Keith Olbermann in drag” Rhoades’ creative interpretation of the facts? We’ll never know. [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 6:43 pm[...] Proof positive: 4 out of 5 radio listeners prefer it Republican style. [Think Progress] [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 6:48 pm[...] Air America declares bankruptcy. It’s a fitting end, considering those affiliated with the failed venture were morally and intellectually bankrupt to begin with. [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 7:02 pm[...] EXCLUSIVE: Air America To Declare Bankruptcy, But Progressive Radio Remains Strong Air America Radio will announce a major restructuring on Friday, which is expected to include a bankruptcy filing, three independent sources have told ThinkProgress. [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 7:34 pm[...] Thanks to Sister Toldjah, I found the story on the apparent bankruptcy (financial this time, not just philosophical and political) of Air America. Sis linked the following story from Think Progress: Air America To Declare Bankruptcy, But Progressive Radio Remains Strong [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 7:47 pm[...] Think Progress reports, mournfully, that Air America Radio will declare bankruptcy. Air America Radio will announce a major restructuring on Friday, which is expected to include a bankruptcy filing, three independent sources have told ThinkProgress.Air America could remain on the air under the deal, but significant personnel changes are already in the works. Sources say five Air America employees were laid off yesterday and were told there would be no severance without capital infusion or bankruptcy. Also, Air America has ended its relationship with host Jerry Springer. [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 8:26 pm[...] Here is how the libs are characterizing the announcement that Air America is “reorganizing” [read going belly up.] Air America To Declare Bankruptcy, But Progressive Radio Remains Strong [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 8:42 pm[...] This is the story - let’s hope it is not really coming down. We need a media voice. What is the matter with the wealthy lefties in this country? We need you to step up to the plate!! The right is soooo good at getting the money. Nothing else matters because they know that money does buy everything. If this Franken story is correct, we all owe him. [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 8:43 pm[...] Air America To Declare Bankruptcy [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 8:46 pm[...] Air America’s Life Support Cut By Doug Brian Maloney covers the Think Progress announcement of the bankruptcy of Air America. (We’re speaking of cash this time, in addition to that of ideas.) Cash- starved Air America Radio is broke and up for sale, the Radio Equalizer has learned exclusively. [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 8:47 pm[...] Think Progress was the original scoop on this story, first saying that AAR is going to announce a “major restructuring” which might include a Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing. (For those not familiar with the different chapters of bankruptcy, Chapter 13 is basically a protection procedure for financial reorganization, not usually a “going out of business” protection.) [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 8:58 pm[...] Evidently not. [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 9:00 pm[...] Go for broke that is what I always said. Man in 2009 whe the congressional hearings start on this whole fiasco this is gonna make for some interesting panel discussions. Think Progress » Air America To Declare Bankruptcy, But Progressive Radio Remains Strong [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 9:03 pm[...] On the heels of Mike Malloy’s firing at Air America Radio, ThinkProgress.org is reporting that AAR will be filing for bankruptcy on Friday, September, 15th. Air America could remain on the air under the deal, but significant personnel changes are already in the works. Sources say five Air America employees were laid off yesterday and were told there would be no severance without capital infusion or bankruptcy. Also, Air America has ended its relationship with host Jerry Springer. Source:ThinkProgress.org [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 10:30 pm[...] Think Progress is reporting that Air America radio will announce filing for bankruptcy protection on Friday according to three independent sources. The company has experienced financial difficulties throughout its tenure, continuing to request infusions of capital and suffering the loss of several high-profile hosts. Five employees were laid off Tuesday without severance. [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 10:38 pm[...] Americans to Liberals: Shut the hell up Air America is bankrupt Think Progress » Air America To Declare Bankruptcy, But Progressive Radio Remains Strong [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 10:40 pmIs Air America About To Declare Bankruptcy?...
Is Air America, the talk radio network designed to counter and capitalize on the popularity of the conservative talk show genre that has swept the AM d......
September 13th, 2006 at 10:50 pm[...] Say it ain’t so. [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 10:54 pm[...] Air America To Declare Bankruptcy, But Progressive Radio Remains Strong [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 11:28 pm[...] The Result of Hard Hitting Research - Think Progress Style [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 11:34 pm[...] I suspect this venture will have as much success as Air America: Air America Radio will announce a major restructuring on Friday, which is expected to include a bankruptcy filing, three independent sources have told ThinkProgress. Filed under Liberal Lunatics, Raven at 11:59 pm [...]
September 13th, 2006 at 11:59 pm[...] Air America, the sad liberal attempt at talk radio, is on the way out: Air America Radio will announce a major restructuring on Friday, which is expected to include a bankruptcy filing, three independent sources have told ThinkProgress. [...]
September 14th, 2006 at 12:10 amWhatever.... talk/chat/complain/excuse as ya will... the fact is Rush and others are still on the air. Reminds me of the football player what was taunting(after scoring a touchdown) while being 21 points behind. The winning team member just pointed to the scoreboard and walked away. I am pointing to the on-air folks and walking away... the right-wing is now the "correct"-wing... right=correct....
sorry about your loss.... better luck next time.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:57 amEven Soro's didn't want to save the Air America disaater. Why ??
September 14th, 2006 at 1:01 amStupid Libs, no one cares about your socialst propaganda. Get a life, Hell just get a job!
September 14th, 2006 at 1:03 amLeft wing radio is a Dodo...
Extinct. Done.
It failed because NOBODY listened to it. It was on Life Support thanx to crazies such as Soros, but even that dim bulb was bright enoughj to know when to get out. Franken and Rhodes are awful hosts.
But I personally will miss their efforts. They have done more to bring Independents to the RIGHT than anything the GOP has done lately.
THANK YOU, AL FRANKEN..!!
September 14th, 2006 at 1:09 amIt would be too bad if 'Air America' went away. It gives us conservatives something to laugh at. Keep up the good work Al and company.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:18 amWhere's the wealthy "liberal" Hollywood literati? Why don't they put their money where their mouth is?
September 14th, 2006 at 1:18 amWell, too bad for Al Frankenstein and the rest of the "Off the Air America" staff. Were they ever able to meet their payroll? Perhaps it's time for the regressive liberals to figure out how to make progress. Perhaps writing some books with catchy titles like, "Why Al Franken is a small minded itiot" and "Lies, and the lying liberal liers continually spewing lies about the right".
Perhaps the regressive liberals will progress enough someday to catch up to the right.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:19 amTypical DemocRats would probably want the government to bail out Air America. Why don't you ask Iranian Pres. Ahmadinejah for monetary support? He already has the mainstream media--ABC, NBC, CBS, NY Times, LA Times, etc. in his pocket. I'm sure he can use a radio station, too.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:21 amNice to see all the shut-ins making an appearance.
I always wondered who reads Drudge.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:23 amThis is what the left does not understand...If AA was so great why is it floundering. The only way the AA will or should I say CAN survive is by putting on hosts that are moderate. I have listened to this program and there is no meat on it. It is the same old thing everytime about Bush stole the elections and Bush sucks and Bush lied etc etc etc. No facts or issues with substance. If progressive radio wants to survive they need to back there claims up with facts, not schoolyard name calling. I am not a Rush or Hannity fan but they substantiate there claims unlike Franken.
For AA to survive Franken needs to go and some hosts with credibility need to be aired. Simple.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:26 amDang.I am just sick.First AlGore loses then John Kerrey goes into the tank.Now oil prices are dropping faster than Hilary Clinton's bustline and you tell me Air Amerika is goin under.This is a dark day for the Amerika haters of this wurld,lemme tell ya.This wudn't a happened when Franklin D. was in,nosir lemme tell ya we had control of all the media then from Abc to XYZ and we didn't allow no dossident opinions then,pardon my french;no we ignored anyone who dared to believe that communism wasn't the salvation of the wurld or that Saccho and Vanzetti weren't mistreated little choir boys.We laughed at those who thought John Reid was Stalin's buttboy and
September 14th, 2006 at 1:29 amProgressive radio? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
September 14th, 2006 at 1:35 ammiddle age hippies, hollyweird elites and the great unwashed don't listen to talk radio! Intelligent people will not listen to this trash. And those who would listen are watching Springer or Montel instead.
Why don't you left-wing idiots take an economics lesson? If you have a product that sells, you will stay in business. Apparently, there are people in the US who do not want to listen to radio hosts, like Al Franken and Randi Rhodes, who hate America and want America defeated just because they hate President Bush.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:37 amGee, I guess this means that capitalism works! Goodbye, lunatic fringe!
September 14th, 2006 at 1:44 amGoodbye, hippies!
I'm a Supra-Indapendant; look the hustle that is the two party Duopoly must ceace soon. I hope both parties are sane enough to not break the country up and feed it to world government. America must survive. If an actual Conservative Democrat ran for President in 08' they'd probably win. The way things are these days that world be like a third party winning. I say that becuase I'm friendly
September 14th, 2006 at 1:46 amBUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS !BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS ! BUSH SUCKS !
Whats That? you mean no one is listening? we are bankrupt?
How could this happen?
September 14th, 2006 at 1:47 amKeep Air America on-air so I can hear about all the bad things going on in America. Where can I send my money. It's awesome that the US has Freedom of the Press because we get to hear how everyone else hates America too. Protest, protest, protest. That's our only hope to win back the White House. Bush is bombing innocent terrorists!!!! He should be resigned. Bring on C. Everett Koop - surgeon general says he's hazardous for US. War Labor, war Unions, war Lincoln Chafee losing in primary. We need Air America to spread the message about our dark society. Bush is fleecing the rich and giving it to the wealthy.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:49 amIf I cannot tell you all that both parties are leading america into oblivion on this blog then freedom is dead. We must all but aside democrat and republican because they are both cults. America must Survive.
America is a Serious Country Damm-it
September 14th, 2006 at 1:50 amwell since no one will advertise on Progressive talk radio, we need to use the Fairness doctrine to force free air time or eliminate right wing radio
September 14th, 2006 at 1:57 amHahahahahah!
The fact that they fired five people and gave them no severance is a real class act...very telling. Funny, though; aren't liberals the folks that CARE about the working man? Or perhaps it's true: they're just not able to be trusted with other people's money!
Say, who were their primary advertisers?
September 14th, 2006 at 1:58 amThe success of radio depends on listener ship. If you don’t offer the programming that listeners want then they don’t stay with you. Obviously, you have no one to blame but yourselves.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:58 amThe only reason Air America is going bankrupt is that they can't get advertisers to pay for their programs. The rate a radio station can charge advertisers is based on listeners. If you have no listeners, you can't charge anything for your commericals time. The question should be, but won't be asked is...WHY IS NO ONE LISTENING TO AIR AMERICA? Simple, as noisy as right wing radio my be, there is always a positive message and a sense of hope. Air America is a 24/7 bi#ch fest. It's depressing. You get angry listening to it. Rush may make you angry, but you feel good about it. I know it's not what you want to hear, but he's good at what he does.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:58 amThere aren't any Conservative Democrats around. The only Democrats left are the ones who are happy when more US soldiers die in Iraq, because they think it makes Bush look bad. The Democrats' only concern is to defeat Bush--at the cost of national security.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:03 amAny clear thinking individual can see and acknowledge that the media outlets in general are run by the liberals. It is known that due to their incestuous self-promotion of one another will only lead to implosion and fewer listeners. Ty makes a good point. The problem with the liberal agenda or Democratic party (which ever you prefer to associate with) is they only know how to attack. Anybody can attack, but unless you have a solid alternative plan in place to counter the opposition, all of your arguments sound like sour grapes and whining. The data does not lie, it is no secret that conservative radio and television i.e., Fox News outpaces viewer-ship of liberal leaning media by a margin of 5 to 1. All of the top shows in the ratings game are all conservative or moderate. You will continually see left leaning shows at the bottom. Why is this? It's because they have no alternative or counter-arguments to substantiate their claim--it comes across as hollow and transparent to the listener. Continual chestbeating and attacks certainly grow tiresome--it will be the downfall of the liberal agenda. God Bless America from sea to shining sea!! Brought to you by an independent.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:06 amWhen you are full of yourself you tend to believe that people love you when they really don’t. Thus, another one bites the dust. No more Al Franken. It’s breaking my heart. NOT!
September 14th, 2006 at 2:13 amIf we liberals are so bad because we are critizing Bush on Air America, why is the congress writing to Bush about how bad things are. Read the letters they are all over the internet; senators, congressman. Alot of them are Republicans.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:19 amI am lmao. This has got to be the most pathetic example of whistling past the graveyard I have ever seen. Absolutely hysterical. Thank you for one helluva great laugh. ; )
September 14th, 2006 at 2:20 amThe problem with Air America is the Progressives ( Read Liberal) is that they don't understand a free market. If the world were to start over tomorrow capitolism would be the first thing to appear. It's the natural order of things, any other attempt to manipulate the economy is going against the natural order of things. Air America was held together by spit and bailing wire. It was never the natural order of how a business suceeds, hence it failed.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:21 amThe problem with Air America is the Progressives (Read Liberal) don't understand a free market. If the world were to start over tomorrow, capitalism would be the first thing to appear. It's the natural order of things; any other attempt to manipulate the economy is going against the natural order of things. Air America was held together by spit and bailing wire. It was never the natural order of how a business succeeds, hence it failed.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:22 amAir America goes belly up? Is there anyone surprised? Probably not more than about 12 liberals. Perhaps you needed that nutcase Tom Cruise programming for you.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:32 amAir America is sinking? It’s a great day for America! God Bless The USA.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:38 amAir America fails because it is repetitive. Liberals can get their worldview presented on most major networks, all of the print media,all of Hollywood, and most of pop radio. What could Air America add besides a little extra hate speech?
September 14th, 2006 at 2:46 amI remember seeing Al Frankenon Saturday Night Live as "Franken and Davis"
Davis was funnier than Franken.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:49 amI listened to AA a few times and became nauseated by their continuous lies and allegations. They are just stooges of Moveon.org and Democrat Party. They lie about everything...and want to tax everyone out of existence. Glad to see the Anti-American (AA) go byebye...and good riddance. Libs are going the way of the dinosaur..but not fast enough!
September 14th, 2006 at 2:53 amAccording to KGB theorists, the Islamic world was a petri dish in which we could nurture a virulent strain of America-hate. Islamic cultures had a taste for nationalism, jingoism and victimology. Their illiterate, oppressed mobs could be whipped up to a fever pitch. Terrorism and violence against America would flow naturally from their religious fervor. We had only to keep repeating, over and over, that the United States was a “Zionist country†bankrolled by rich Jews. Islam was obsessed with preventing the infidel’s occupation of its territory, and it would be highly receptive to our dogma that American imperialism wanted to transform the rest of the world into a Jewish fiefdom.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:53 amWhy not a little help from some of the moonbats in Hollywood? Come on whiners and put your money where your mouth is. Are you all fluff and no stuff?
September 14th, 2006 at 2:54 amI thought Al Franken was stupid on SNL, and I think he is boring now. Good bye and good riddance. Maybe they can put a "progressive" disco station on in it's place to brighten up the liberals -- Oops, I mean progressives.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:55 amGood Bye Forever...one can only hope that the Libs will be defeated and go away like the Whig party
September 14th, 2006 at 2:55 amI it is amazing the ignorance among some the this great country's population. It is only obvious that corporations generally lean to the right, because they vote to help corporations over and over. Even your so called "left wing media" ABC, NBC, CNN ect....... support the right far more than the left. That is why we get all the non-news that has no effect to about 99.9% of Americans lives. Ever notice how Scott Petterson, Aruba Girl, Anna Nicole, ect... are considered major news stories that take the spotlight for several hours a day for days, weeks, and months. Oh, there's no good news coming out of Iraq? Real news is based on informing. 130,000 or so of our troops were not killed today. 300 million Americans have not been killed by such and such serial killer today, Hip Hip Hurray. So called good news is referred to as propaganda. This definion is from Dictionary.com
September 14th, 2006 at 2:56 amfascism–noun 1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
Basically fascism is the merge of business and government. We are not quite there at this time, but it is in motion and gaining speed. That is way Air America is in trouble, because most liberals disagree with the fascist view and preach against it. Mom and Pop business doesn't have the means to advertise nationally through AAR. Most corporations are funding the right wing propaganda machine though commercials and campaine donations. They don't care about anything but the bottomline and fascism makes it possible for huge profits. Sounds like the right wingers here will welcome fascism with open arms while living in their cardboard boxes.
Liberals . . . you lost another one. Get over it or learn to love it.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:04 amI guess it is tough to combat the truth.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:08 amAir America would have probably made it if they had more support from that tree-hugging, owl saving. yogurt sucking guru, Al Gore.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:09 amI guess it is difficult to combat the truth.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:10 amBoy, now that's a hard hitting reply. I guess that it is difficult to argue the truth.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:15 amThis has to be someone else's fault. The neo-cons, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Limbaugh, Halliburton. If only AA could get taxpayer money it would solve the problem of no one listening, except for moonbats.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:22 amIt just shows that nobody wants to listen to a radio show where the host puts down his country, puts down the police, puts down the military, puts down the family, and hates the church. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:22 amJason M. Hendler, dba Democrat Soldier, asks whether Rush's TV show "flopped harder and faster than Air America radio". It sounds like the typical approach to inventing a fact by using it as a premise to a question based on that "fact" Then to answer the question one has to debunk the premise, making them look they're dodging the real question. But I'll give him the benefit of the doubt since he actually used interrogative punctuation.
But I won't give him any credit for simple research.
In less than 3 minutes in front of Wikipedia, Google and IMDB I came up with the following dates:
Rush goes on air 14Sep1992 and the show is cancelled in the summer of 1996, with broadcasts going until at least 31Jul1996. By my count that is > 46 months.
Air America debuted on 31Mar2004, giving it a current life span of 29 months and change.
Using simple public school mathematics (and common sense from James Randi, et al, to realize that Mr. Hendler here has proposed comparing apples and oranges), I get that Rush's *TV show* has so far outlasted Air America radio by around 17 months, or nearly a year and a half. Being that both enterprises had total life spans small enough to be measured in months, that is a substantially large difference.
So faster? Definitely not.
[more]
September 14th, 2006 at 3:28 amI'm so sad about Air America's failure. I want to give money, but I cashed my tax break check Shrub sent me and spent it on myself instead of the poor.
I just want to throw myself on my animal product-free bed and cry myself to sleep.
Tomorrow I'll make myself an animal product-free soy and wheatgrass smoothie while my life partner has another rape scrape at the abortion clinic.
I'll write a poem today about it. It will somehow implicate the Jews as part of the anti-Air America conspiracy.
I am so sad. I wish I had the strength to cry more, but I must save my strength. Tomorrow night my communist friends and I are printing 200,000 flyers to distribute at the freedom concert to protest logging.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:29 amDamn....oh well.
Hey, howz 'bout somebody starting a *new* progressive radio network called "Let's Kill the President"?
Awesome!
September 14th, 2006 at 3:30 amJason M. Hendler, dba Democrat Soldier, asks whether Rush's TV show "flopped harder and faster than Air America radio". It sounds like the typical approach to inventing a fact by using it as a premise to a question based on that "fact" Then to answer the question one has to debunk the premise, making them look they're dodging the real question. But I'll give him the benefit of the doubt since he actually used interrogative punctuation. But I won't give him any credit for simple research. more...
September 14th, 2006 at 3:30 amThe marketplace is inherently rational. Liberal ranting and I-hate-America diatribes are not appealing to most radio listeners, which means low ratings from Air America. Advertisers pay for listeners, and low ratings mean low interest from the people who pay the bills. Air America was the wrong message in the wrong place. That type of left-wing slobbering belongs on the internet, where market economics don't really matter and the lack of popular interest is actually a benefit.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:33 amThe problem with Air America is the Progressives (Read Liberal) don’t understand a free market. If the world were to start over tomorrow, capitalism would be the first thing to appear. It’s the natural order of things; any other attempt to manipulate the economy is going against the natural order of things. Air America was held together by spit and bailing wire. It was never the natural order of how a business succeeds, hence it failed.
Exactly!
The average person does not want to hear whining about raising taxes, tree hugging, unlimited abortions, gay marriages, cut and run in Iraq, class envoy, etc. These special interest concepts do not sell. And as most liberal ideas, they require the subsidy of tax payers or wealthy patrons. The public dole was given out on this long ago. Rejoice Air America fans you still have NPR!
September 14th, 2006 at 3:35 am#115 was the funniest comment i've ever seen. haha!
September 14th, 2006 at 3:37 amMay just be my 2c, but Air America never really had much going on anyway... Let me spin it in a way everyone can be comfy with-- Crazy right wingers = way too dumb to check out some hyperlinks, occasionally do some background reading. Personally, when I heard anyone on AA doing the believe me because I'm emphatic routine I changed it to 88.3 and listened to my .mp3 player. I read. I'm a reader. AA was trying to bust into the angry listener market, most of us turned our radios off a long time ago. Honestly, sorry if this makes the anger flow, never once did I hear anything but crap rhetoric and hyperbole on Air America. Most times it was so offensive to intelligent discourse that I just couldn't even listen, just like right wing radio. Its like the only purpose it served was to show that if we had to, we could resort to those methods. You know what I like to read? Numbers. I love to see numbers and charts and friggin analysis. I have had it up to here with angry people and their completely irrellevant opinions. Gimme the numbers, back your nonsense up, seriously, say it with me once, Janine Garofolo(sp?) is not a political expert, nor is she comedically the person for the job in an improve piece about politics, unless its on SNL. Indeed, I arrive at that realization a little belatedly, but SNL levels of humor were really the best you could hope for on AA. You want Air America? Take the most "liberal" story you have heard about on CNN today and read it out loud, but make sure and make a few Bush jokes. Now, take a story about wiretapping, get really pissed off, make a few stock Bush jokes, and go get drunk.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:38 amBah.
Well, I think the fact that it lasted longer goes sufficiently far to suggest that no, in fact, it didn't "flop harder" than Air America. But let's be specific about it. Rush's show was just that - a show. The network broadcasting his show was not bankrupted. And, as far as I can tell, everyone involved got paid all the way through the end (Al Franken is said to be amongst those owed money. Quote: “Like, there's no cash flowing to me."). more ...
September 14th, 2006 at 3:41 amBut since we're comparing different broadcast media, perhaps a more common denominator approach could be taken, and I welcome Mr. Hendler, or anyone sufficiently interested, to compile the research. Howzbout trending market share over the course of the two shows to examine the magnitude and slope of the curve over time? Or, ad revenue? Or, absolute number of advertisers? And just to make it a little more fair - the ad revenue for a 24-hour network vs. a single show in a half hour format - just pick whatever is the most popular show on Air America for comparison. Oh, and in constant inflation-adjusted dollars, too. Comparing like objects, Rush's radio program has been on the air for over 16 years, compared to less than 3 years for Al Franken's bunch, and is a cash cow for all involved. NO more …
September 14th, 2006 at 3:42 am[...] The blog Think Progress has an article on this issue and although they get the basic facts concerning Air America’s impending bankruptcy, they do try to put a liberal spin on the matter utilizing some disingenuousness. For example, in the article they claim The right wing is sure to seize on Air America’s financial woes as a sign that progressive talk radio is unpopular. In fact, Air America succeeded at creating something that didn’t exist: the progressive talk radio format. That format is now established and strong and will continue with or without Air America. [...]
September 14th, 2006 at 3:47 amListen yo you whining morons... It's rather simple: Rush, Hannity, O'Reily, Savage, and so many other conservative hosts/shows stay on the air because they have a product that millions want - the truth. If you jackass liberals could base any of your positions on truth and what is good for AMERICA, you might be able to keep an audience big enough to fund the program.
One of your posts mentioned "converting truck drivers and elderly people...". Although my father and two brothers are truck drivers and, for the most part I find them to be hard working people, they are often uneducated and easilly convinced of things. It never ceases to amaze me how your party always goes after the young, the elderly, and those that want a hand-out to get votes. You should stop and think - If you mostly convince simple-minded people that you're right, what does that say about your stance/message? To me it's clear - it says that you cannot convince bright people that your policies are anything other than COMPLETELY STUPID AND ANTI-AMERICAN!!!
Here's some advice for Air-America: Hire Rush Limbagh to advise you on how to EARN MONEY instead of begging for it like you're some kind of telathon that is doing something good for humanity.
Dumb-asses...
September 14th, 2006 at 3:59 am"Liberalism is aingst, guilt, and moral equivalency."
September 14th, 2006 at 4:11 amSeptember 14th, 2006 at 4:16 am
you can't force people to listen...without listeners you don't have advertises.. without advertises you have no network.. bottom line is, most people don't believe what is being said.
September 14th, 2006 at 4:21 amA negative message gets negative results.
September 14th, 2006 at 4:46 am[...] If AAR goes down, I’m going to be pissed off. And I’m going to be pissed off at the “Al Frankens” of the network who refused to be honest, ordinary Americans with liberal values and diverse, interesting opinions. While I’m sure Al and I could have a helluva time with beers, without microphones and cameras trained on us, he let us down on the air, as did his buds and budettes in the biz. I hold them, and their so-called “visionaries” responsible for this. And my God, I do hope Think Progress has it right when they claim that liberal talk radio is as healthy as it’s ever been… [...]
September 14th, 2006 at 4:49 amWe need to use the space shuttle to line up the star's so these thing's start to go our way.Bush use NASA to fix the outer rim of space so he could control people of earth.Air A could be the bigest program out there,but we need to use the star's to do it.
September 14th, 2006 at 5:00 amThe medium is the message.
Limbaugh and Hannity succeed where others in Conservative radio don't because they are entertaining.
None, save for Seder, are at all entertaining on the air. The Turks will do well if given time.
The hosts apparently have no direction. One does not nail a carpet tack into the floor with a 1000 pound sledgehammer. The heavy handed pounding by most hosts is their own demise. I never thought I'd say this, but dammit, Jay Marvin, where are you? He's better than anyone currently on the AA roster!
September 14th, 2006 at 5:10 amWhen you stand for for nothing you'll fall for anything.
Although, I'm unhappy to hear of any enterprise going belly up, the market has spoken.
September 14th, 2006 at 5:42 amComparing a single program (like Hush Bimbo) to an entire network is false on it's face. Do you think a station that ever carried Hush folded, if so his show was just picked up somewhere else. What I find disturbing all the self-proclaimed Americans who celebrate the rumors of AA's downfall. What are you so afraid of Hush-fan? Why do you want the opponents views cleared off the dial. If your so correct, like Hush is right about everything, right-wingers should welcome the competiton, the juxtaposition should highlight you validity. Perhaps if AA took money to expous the elite's adjenda's AA would be better off. On the other hand Big Ed and Steph Miller are not AA and they do just fine it's called the Jones Raidio Network. Check out there rating all you Hate-wingers. The troubling part is how many people Hush has convinced that they are dumb and their only salvation is to listen to him, I mean he has half his brain tied around his back just to make it fair. Don't think, just buy what he's hawking, that's what makes you a good American, to buy stuff. Don't worry, everything is fine, don't speak truth to power that only emboldens the enemy. Why do you think Bush is so popular? Hate-wingers don't want a president who is smarter than them, they want a guy in charge who would be fun to have a beer with. These are the same people who think that since we lost 3000 in 9/11, it is perfectly logical to slaughter half the middle east in the name a freedom if we have to. Hate-winger keep ranting about the lessons of 9/11, how about the lessons of Vietnam? You can't impose democracy on those who don't want it, and the territory is not America just because US troops stand on it. AA is down but not out, just like the airwaves are not Hush's just because he is all over them. However you can't impose AA's idoelogy on those who don't want it either. American's are more comfortable beleiving they are right and just, they don't want their ideals challanged, they don't want to know that their standard of living and decadence is built on the backs of the weak and meek. That is why AA's is having trouble most American's don't want to be challanged, they want to be told everything is all right, just look at the previous post. The Hate-wingers say it for themselves.
September 14th, 2006 at 5:47 amAll the negative rants did in your format. You guys just are not fun to listen too.
The democratic party took that huge left turn and is destroying itself. You have lost your base, and your hero's Polosi and Reed are worthless, your party flat sucks.
When you guys threw old Joe Leiberman under the truck, you proved for everyone just how out of touch you are.
Good ridense, I will light up my Cobanas and sip on my Crown Royal, laughing my ass off listening to Rush.
September 14th, 2006 at 6:01 amYou right wing idiots lazily believe everything you hear without researching or doing any actual work to get at the truth. That is why you are all happy just repeating the right-wingnut's "talking points" instead of citing actual facts or statistics. That's why you can't ever debate effectively. You ultimately resort to name calling or motive indictment, because you run from the facts like cockroaches when someone turns on the light. From what I understand, this bankruptcy RUMOR is just that, a rumor, and has not been confirmed by anyone with any authority in the matter. Have you seen the court filings? NO? Well, until then....SHUT UP!!! It's also quite interesting to me that all the vitriolic, idiotic, gloating and childish "ha-ha-ha" ing is coming from men. I have yet to see a woman on this blog resort to that kind of infantile language and behavior. But I should expect that from you Bush-lovers, you are emulating your hero, the jocular, frat-boyish, smirking little child that we all must endure as our President for two more years. Ugh! You just can't stand the fact that the tide is turning in America and public opinion is mounting against the neo-con artists that have driven this country and it's economy into near ruin. The only way it will finally sink in to your neanderthal-like brains is when the govt. comes knocking at your door to draft your son or daughter for the Iran war that they are so desperately trying to start. Yeah, when the fascism finally touches you and your family it will be too late for you to do anything about it then because you were too busy belittling us AAR fans. We, the people who actually gave a damn about this country and spoke out about the abuses of power and attacks on the constitution when we still had the freedom to do so. I pity you and your sad little lives, if the only joy you get is practicing Schadenfreude. And if you don't know what that is then it just proves my point. Maybe you should get of your asses and do a little research to find out what it means. It isn't a talking point, but you might actually learn something useful. Air America is here to stay, and the Bush Crime Family is doomed to war crime prosecution in the Hague. Democrats will win the house this November, and the White House in 2 years...people have had enough, you will see.
September 14th, 2006 at 6:10 amAA was a joke from the start. Negativity just doesn't sell. Who wants to hear the steady flow of liberals whining, the ridiculous conspiracy theories, the absurd accusations. This should remain "kitchen table" banter between liberal husband and liberal wife, where, after all, most of what is aired on AA originates. The so called "progressive" (as if) radio talk shows will continue to fall like dominoes, and their wide eyed unsubstaintiated claims will fall with them.
September 14th, 2006 at 6:10 amGood riddance! We get enough lies from our newspapers and network news. Perhaps the same people that frame all the Muslim Nazis are behind this. The Right Wing will stop at nothing. I think they are telling my Dog to scratch his fleas. Rick.
September 14th, 2006 at 6:12 am[...] REPORT: ‘AIR AMERICA’ TO FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY… and then they ‘STIFFS AL FRANKEN’… Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha……..LMAO ! [...]
September 14th, 2006 at 6:16 amI listened to Air America only twice--don't recall who the hosts were for the shows I heard, but all I recall was that it was just ranting and name calling with no real content or discourse. Maybe I just happened to drop in on bad shows both times but it was enough to make me tune out and never come back.
September 14th, 2006 at 6:22 amThis is an email I sent to one of the hosts on Air America who had a debate with someone about who decides what’s in the media (I think it explains why the company is going into bankruptcy):
I was listening to your discussing with the Ayn Rand Institute guy and his opinion that consumers decide what is in the media and I disagree. I contend it is the advertisers (corporations) that determine what shows get on and stay on the air. For example, the cancellation of Bill Maher’s show on ABC after he agreed with a comment one of his guest made. The ratings for his show didn’t change but he lost advertisers. Other examples are Phil Donahue’s show and the shows on Air America. Advertisers (corporations) shun these shows not because of their ratings but because of the content. They would rather support an abysmally rated conservative show who will argue in favor of fascism than support a highly rated progressive show who will argue against it. Also, have you ever watched an infotainment newscast where it is brought to you by a corporation that does not sell to general public but to the government? This is done to reward (bribe) newscasts into reporting things that are favorable to corporations and discourage them from reporting news unfavorable to them.
One other thing, your guest made it seem as though it is easy to start an alternative media outlet. Not too many people in America have the money to compete with GE and other media owners making his suggestion unrealistic. I heard on Randi’s show a month ago about some Christian Broadcasting company buying a radio station just to get Air America off the air. I’m assuming that Air America could not counter the price that the Christian company was willing to pay and so they lost that station. Because media companies have become so large, there is little opportunity for average people or small companies to compete. The only place left to compete with these large corporations is the internet and the conservatives in Congress are trying to change that.
September 14th, 2006 at 6:22 amAir America failed because apart from a small percentage of left-wing nuts (the type of nut that believes the government orchestrated 911), noone on the left is really passionate about their political beliefs. Being liberal to most people in this nation is simply a fashion statement; an accessory, just like thier i-pod or prius.
September 14th, 2006 at 6:27 amWhat's Air America?
September 14th, 2006 at 6:28 amP. Gerke, that was pretty funny.
Especially the point about sad little lives. I didn't realize the left was so angry but to see you sputtering on like that was quite amusing. Call it schadenfreude, if you will, I've got a big smile on my face now.
September 14th, 2006 at 6:29 amReading the excuses and rationalizations of the liberals on this page for the demise of AA is hilarious. Is it any wonder that the left cannot ever run our economy...they think that Bankruptcy means you are doing well and moving ahead?
Talk about "out of touch".
Does everything happen in liberal America because GWB won in 2000? Get a life progressives.
September 14th, 2006 at 6:35 amI have Sirius Radio. Ya'll should listen to Mike Church on the Patriot Channel. :) Great Stuff!
September 14th, 2006 at 6:44 amLOL!
I guess that the drooling moonbats on the left can't reach out to middle America! When you idiots do nothing but preach hate and discontent, NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR IT!
Adios moonbats. Please move to France with the other losers!
September 14th, 2006 at 6:45 amI am Very very saddend Buy this. But I heard most of my favorite programs can be heard on communist radio,- Al Frankin BUMMER.
September 14th, 2006 at 6:45 amWhat.....Air America is still on in some part of the country? I thought it had died out a couple of years ago. Does anyone who matters actually listen?
September 14th, 2006 at 6:46 amI love watching liberals go down in flames. You people deserve every lost election and trouble that comes your way. You've bought elections since the 30's and now find out that you can't compete with FREE THINKING!
You libsurgents won't be missed!
September 14th, 2006 at 6:48 amIsn't it at least unseemly for John Podesta to use the occasion of AAR's misfortune to promote his own stuff?
Shame on you.
Carolyn Kay
September 14th, 2006 at 6:49 amMakeThemAccountable.com
THIS IS AWESOME. ANOTHER MASSIVE LOSS FOR THE LIBSURGENTS!
BWHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHAAHHAHA!
September 14th, 2006 at 6:49 amWill someone please close the garbage can lid-the stinking maggots who feed on rot are infesting this site!!!
September 14th, 2006 at 6:56 amThe law of "opposite announcements" is in place, i.e., "We're not going bankrupt!" (I'm paraphrasing)
Sure you're not. Sounds to me like it's only a matter of time.
September 14th, 2006 at 6:59 amAl Jehsira Carries All The News I want to heard. All Americans MUST listen Thanks yous.
September 14th, 2006 at 6:59 amHey SAPPERFIED, I didn't quite understand you... Sounded like you were mumbling...
September 14th, 2006 at 7:09 amAmericans ARE BABYS KILLERS
September 14th, 2006 at 7:14 amMost humble greetings to you my progressive brothers and sisters. I am Hakkim Afaladonoir, son of the late Crown Prince of Emiristan who was brutally terminated by your Centril Intalligence Agencies because he made too much money in oil.
Now, I am charged with moving 110 million USD in cash out of Emiristan, and must find a progressive believing we can all live as one. Under UN Charpter and Geneva Inventions, a most trustworthy progressive is needed not likely taken by the CIA.
Your payment in kind for this generosity and action for the people of Emiristan shall be 12% as fixed by international convention. You only require to having a US checking account and cooperation with our legal friends here is all arrange.
Do not allow evil Bush to be aware of our highly confidential business deal. I know I can trust American progressive to know why.
Please write and be blessed.
EmirHakkim32@hotmail.com
September 14th, 2006 at 7:28 amAnyone notice how the first 60 posts were all crying about the end of Air America but then the tide turned. The next 250 posts were cheering the exit of Springer, Franken, Rhodes, etc.
If the liberals can't even generate enough people to dominate their own liberal web page, how can they compete with Rush in the open market? They refuse to accept the fact that they are a small, radical fringe group.
The Rush TV show was broadcast in New York at 2 A.M. The local stations buried it on purpose. If Air American started broadcasting at 2 A.M everyday, it would have gone down even faster. BTW, the Rush show wasn't bankrolled with money stolen from the poor.
Smilin' Bob
September 14th, 2006 at 7:32 amMatt (From Sept 13)
September 14th, 2006 at 7:40 amYou're not allowed to say 'God' on our board. You know we liberals don't like God or anything to do with him. Bad liberal! Bad Bad Bad!!!! Now go lay down.
Al franken was paid 2 million a year to do this show. The little people like me make under 22k a year and he is complaining about his pay. He should be doing his job for about the same as I get he is no better than me. Power to the people!!
September 14th, 2006 at 7:41 amAir America brought me back to listening to the radio. I listen to it almost all day at work using a walkman. It needs to use a different business model than right-wing radio. Air America listeners tend to be news junkies, passionate about politics, and fervently loyal listeners. Many of us used to listen to NPR until it started to muzzle itself.
September 14th, 2006 at 7:51 amWe read blogs. We are very well-informed. Air America should have tied itself into the blogs and all the tremendous, passionate support that could be out there for liberal radio. I would love to have heard regularly from the liberal journalists that are NEVER booked on the MSM. I love to hear from the top liberal blogging sites as well. Air America itself and its hosts should have been more responsive to listeners. There is a budding liberal infrastructure out there and Air America could help tie it together.
Why does Air America have no rich liberal supporters?
Danny Goldberg doesn't have a sense of humor and should never have been put in charge of programming. That was a disastrous decision.
The hardcore liberal-left is 35% of the population. That is a potentially large audience. There are many more people who will listen in times like these, especially to very funny people like Stephanie Miller, who gets across the mendacity and incompetence of this administration with a lot of politically incorrect humor. (Liberals ARE funnier than right-wingers. Right-wing humor is sadistic; liberal humor is ironic, and therefore considerably more developed.) People are sick of Limbaugh and Hannity being the only people on the air. (In fact, I find those to fat-faced idiots offensive.)
Well, it looks like XM will be losing as well. I spend all my work hours driving all over the place and could only listen to Air America on satellite. If I don't have Air America, I'm going to cancel my account with XM. They also recently dropped MSNBC from their playlist, which ticked me off, but I was willing to stay with them as long as Air America was there.
September 14th, 2006 at 7:51 amComment #303
Comment by P. Gerke — September 14, 2006 @ 6:10 am
It always amuses me that when libs accuse the conservatives of hate speech and name calling, they always try to make their point by engaging in more hate, venom and name calling than those they accuse.
September 14th, 2006 at 7:53 amJust face it, AA never was viable because it was something that only a few committed to the far left ever listened to. Most of the "conservative" radio shows have thinking listeners across the spectrum, so advertisers are willing to buy time.
Good riddance. Nothing more than psychotic, hate filled rants towards the right. If they actually backed up their claims with established facts rather than hysteria and lies, then maybe they would convert a few people.
They do nothing more than complain about how every problem in the world is a vast right wing conspiracy, offering neither proof, nor their own solution. I love how Dick Cheney and Haliburton are their bogey men.
I fear for the very existance of this country if the far left ever gets into power.
September 14th, 2006 at 8:02 amHey post #302, your condensending, clench-teethed rant is just another example of what is wrong with modern progessive (retro-liberal) group-think. You spew anger at having your ideas challenged, asserting that you own the truth, you own the "facts", and anyone who doesn't agree with you is an uninformed moron. Do you believe that Bush orchestrated the theft of the election in 2000? Do you put any credence in the theory that the federal government/Halliburton was behind 9/11? Do you agree that America has done more harm than good in the world over the past 50 years? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you are, to put it in medical terms, a looney, left-wing nutcase. And, more importantly, represent your views represent a minority in this country. That is why you have lost control of congress, the white house, and the majority of state governments over the past 15 years. As someone said above, most of us grow up and develop into conservatives. Liberalism is a lot like purberty, something most of us go through before responsibilities of life take over. Conservatives hate the damage done to our families, our communities, and our nation by the failed nutty social engineering experiments that liberals all always pushing. Liberals hate people and ideas that challenge their echo chamber, pot-impaired, star trek view of the world.
September 14th, 2006 at 8:03 am[...] This must be an example of that "higher level thinking" educrats are always talking about — when the only thing "high" about it are the boots you need to wade through it. Air America is going bankrupt, but "progressive" radio is stronger than ever! [...]
September 14th, 2006 at 8:07 amWithout a doubt, in one word, this thread has become.....
TROLLTASTIC!!!!
I find it odd that all of these right wingers come out for this story, not for the thousands of others that have appeared here daily, where we throw facts in their face about their leaders that they elected, about the lies that this administration is built on...oh well.
September 14th, 2006 at 8:21 amIt's interesting that just about all the "trolls" that hate Air America do so because they never listen to it but they "know" it's all lies and unfounded accusations. (I guess it came to them in a dream or something.)
So that means I can say "I never say 'Path to 9-11', but I 'know' that it was all lies and unfounded accusations!"
I wonder why there's a double standard for ultra-radical right-whine trolls in this type of specious argument?
September 14th, 2006 at 8:29 amA crime detective would call this a clue. Maybe when people hear liberalism expoused on the radio, they're repulsed. It's depressing and very difficult to make sound good. Liberal politicians are always more successful when they deny they are liberals, so it should be of no surprise that liberalism on the radio won't work. Not even most liberals can stand to listen to it.
September 14th, 2006 at 8:30 amThe left wing noise machine is just fine. All your base are belong to us.
September 14th, 2006 at 8:31 amThough I really rather listen to a drill as it spins it's way into my tooth than listen to the drivel from any of the "talent" on Air America, the fact remains they provide a service for a small segment of the American population. For all of those who believe this blog's leading story then check out "http://www.pardonmyenglish.com/archives/2006/01/welfair_america.html"
.
It turns out that Air American has not and does not intend to file bankruptcy but is rather having some internal political turmoil.
Guess it truly does mean you can't believe everything you read until you have researched the topic or the topic follows beliefs that you hold to be true.
Listen to Neil Boortz sometime... his church of the painful truth as well as Larry Elder are refreshing changes from the usual talk radio... if you like listening to people who abhor big government, love freedom, and hold someone responsible for their actions or their words.
September 14th, 2006 at 8:33 amCould you progressives just accept the fact that America just does not side with the the type of thinking you promote. The day your way of thinking gets in tuned with American values will be the day America will sit and listen. Accept defeat already, and there's more to life than Bush bashing.
September 14th, 2006 at 8:35 am...and the invisible hand of the free market works its magic, as usual... I'm politically neutral, but here's a little Radio 101 for you lefties, from a 20-year vet. of the business:
1) No audience = no ratings
2) No ratings = no advertisers
3) No advertisers = no revenue
I always said that as soon as the limosine liberals stop writing those big checks, AAR would dry up and blow away like a leaf in November. Looks like that day has arrived...
September 14th, 2006 at 8:37 amSay it ain't so. I've been listening since its inception, and it was the first time since the Bush administration put its vice-grip on our government that I felt like I wasn't going insane. I never felt that the station was managed correctly from the beginning, but it was like a port in the storm, and if anything happens to it, I will be very sad. Then there's the Reich-wing gloating that we'll have to endure, as if AAR's misery made their position any more correct. Please, Mr. Soros, Mr. Turner... anyone sane and with money. Help.
September 14th, 2006 at 8:39 amHow depressing: Ann Richards has passed on and Air America is on life support.
September 14th, 2006 at 8:48 amI for one listen to the radio at work all day every day. Air America and Pacifica are what I listen to.
What you want to bet that every last one of the rightwingers will say when their side has had its way "well, we didn't know what the government was doing."
[...] Today’s the day that it’s been reported that Air America will file for bankruptcy. [...]
September 14th, 2006 at 8:48 amIt's just as well. Those radio waves were probably sour anyway.
September 14th, 2006 at 8:51 amOhhh....booo hoooo.....liberals suck at radio!
September 14th, 2006 at 9:05 amHAHA Suckers!
How great it is for our democracy, the public can listen to political talk show and only hear waht right wingers have to say. How great it is for our democracy!
Let's all rejoyce!
Yeah! Hannity, O'reilly, Coulter, Malkin, Ingraham, Limbaugh, Beck!
Keep brainwashing us, you're doing such a great job!
George W. Bush, best president ever!!
Thank you guys!
September 14th, 2006 at 9:15 amHey Timmy;
I'm sure you suck at life. HAHA pansy.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:18 am"…and the invisible hand of the free market works its magic, as usual… I’m politically neutral, but here’s a little Radio 101 for you lefties, from a 20-year vet. of the business: "
You are not politically Neutral you're a troll.
1) No audience = no ratings The ratings were and are there they're actually beating a good portion of rightwing radio.
2) No ratings= no advertisers Actually in this case the truth and the potential to sway voters equals no advertisers because the corporate world doesn't want the cushy life of republican control to go away.
3) No advertisers = no revenue This part is true
I always said that as soon as the limosine liberals stop writing those big checks, See, this is how I know you are a troll, Limosine Liberal is a talking point.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:21 amcome on guys !
don't you recognize an al franken prank when you see one ?
they're doing fine :
listener numbers are going through the roof,
sponsors are beating down the doors to shovel heir money in,
the shows have never been funnier, pithier and on-target !
don't fall for the gloom and doom, don't worry BE HAPPY ! ! !
September 14th, 2006 at 9:22 amOn the upside, Ole whatsisname got booted off Dancing with the Stars last night...man was he a bigtime suckasaurus.....
September 14th, 2006 at 9:26 amDon't worry my little left wing nuts. With the help of that hate/war monger Rush Limbaugh, your whining, handwringing opinions will continue to be heard. The audio clips of left wingers played on Rush's show get more exposure than anything said on all the 'proggressive' radio shows put together. With his help, your views will be heard by millions. This is why you are losing--the more people know about you, the more they will abandon you.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:30 amHahahahahaha....... How AI managed to survive this long is beyond me! Losers!
September 14th, 2006 at 9:31 amERR America is dead because it sucked and noone listened to it ,while Franken and his cronies bilked loans and funding schemes from suckers to keep it afloat.
It was commen knowledge for anyone with a half a brain in this business to stay as far the hell away from the Err America sinking ship as possible.
Heck ,the kindiest thing its puppets say about it ,is that Franken is "boring".What does that tell you?
September 14th, 2006 at 9:32 amBwahahahahahahah!
Enjoy the obscurity.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:32 amA sad day for the "progressive" community. Bwahahahaha...
September 14th, 2006 at 9:34 amAIR AMERICA BLOWS ILLEGAL ALIEN COCK!
DIE FRANKEN DIE!NOONE LISTENED!
IF A FRANKEN CRASHED IN THE FOREST WOULD ANYONE HEAR IT?
September 14th, 2006 at 9:36 amHEAD ON--apply directly to the forehead!
September 14th, 2006 at 9:40 amHEAD ON--apply directly to the forehead!
HEAD ON--apply directly to the forehead!
AIR AMERICA BANKRUPT BECAUSE NOONE LISTENS TO IT? I AM SHOCKED I TELL YOU,IM SHOCKED!
September 14th, 2006 at 9:41 am"Please, Mr. Soros, Mr. Turner… anyone sane and with money. Help."
This speaks volumes. The supposed movement for the common working man is now controlled by leftist billionaires who pull their strings. Can anyone say "ACORN"? The Dems all have to lick Soros' boots or they get the Lieberman treatment. What a shame and embarrassment.
The Republican/conservative movement tends to get its money from smaller donations from real people. Meanwhile, conservative radio survived and thrived with little to no financial aid, because it actually has a message and moral compass. People listen becasue they something worth listening to! Conservative books, which have had to use smaller publishers and had less money to promote them, blow their liberal counterparts away.
"Bush is an idiot", "Choice to kill our unborn children" and "Cut and run" are not big resonators with America. Get some real ideas. Get a moral compass. Until then, your radio and books will fail. Thank God.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:42 am"Most of the “conservative†radio shows have thinking listeners across the spectrum"
BWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAHHHHHH. Thinking? If Bush told you to march into the gas chambers you'd ask "Is today good for you?". What a loser. By the way, why aren't you in Iraq, supporting Dear Leader?
September 14th, 2006 at 9:43 amI will have some of what post 349 is smoking!!!
September 14th, 2006 at 9:45 amWhen are you guys going to wake up. I have voted Dem all of my life, including Al Gore. Campaigned for McGoverna, Dukakis and Mondale, but what you call progressives have destroyed the party. It is all about hate and screaming now. Where has the thoughtful concerned party gone. I actually voted for Bush this last time because I felt there was some sincerity and commitment to a belief, not simply mindless "I hate" therefore "I am" critisizing of anyone with a differing view. Wake up guys Michael Moore, Sean Penn, and the rest of the Hollywood fools are not leaders they are guilt ridden mindless props that have nothing meaningful to add - they only take away. I am waiting for the party to come back to its' senses.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:48 am"The Republican/conservative movement tends to get its money from smaller donations from real people. Meanwhile, conservative radio survived and thrived with little to no financial aid, because it actually has a message and moral compass. People listen becasue they something worth listening to! Conservative books, which have had to use smaller publishers and had less money to promote them, blow their liberal counterparts away. "
Wow. I guess this wingtard has never heard of Dickie Scaife, the Coors family, and the Olin foundation.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:48 am"BOTH of us want to influence America in our favor. Our methods are different, though. You, Brother Arafat, use arms. I use words."
"Struggle, Brother Ceausescu! Armed struggle and terror are the only things America respects."
"You, Brother Yasser, were here in 1972, and you are here now. You can see for yourself that nothing has changed in Romania in that time. We are still the same Communist country, where private property is not only prohibited--it is a disgrace. But the West now loves me. Two American presidents have come to Romania since I started my ´Horizon´ operation, none before. Now, in the past six years alone, I have gotten twelve billion dollars in Western credits--two billion a year. Ten years ago, the most important technological intelligence Romania could pry out of America was about hybrid corn. Now Bucharest is one of the best in the Warsaw Pact at collecting high tech inteligence on America."
"Is that really true?"
"It is not only what I think, it´s what Brezhnev just told me."
"Amazing."
"Before I started my ´Horizon´ operation, I couldn´t export anything to America. All I did was import their high tech. Now my exports almost equal my imports, and in ten years the balance will be ten to one in my favor. Five years ago I had barely a dozen intelligence officers over in America. Now I have five times that many, the ambassador included, and in a couple of years it´ll be ten times that many. And what has America gotten out of it all? Shit. Nothing but shit."
September 14th, 2006 at 9:52 amUmm yeah because Ken Lay, and the oil companies represent the "little guy" jees what the hell are you smoking? I mean really? We represent the little people, uh sure thing dude what about all of those huge contributions from major corporations all over the US?
Just keep saying it, soon it won't matter.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:52 am"BWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAHHHHHH. Thinking? If Bush told you to march into the gas chambers you’d ask “Is today good for you?â€. "
Good, just follow the talking points. Don't think for yourself. Look what happened to Lieberman when he dared to be a man. Don't use rational argument, just attack. Throw enough crap and maybe some will stick.
Sad, the state of what was once a well reasoned and necessary counterpoint to the Right.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:54 amI am very disheartened to hear that Air America might be silent. It is a great source for garnering more support for Republican ideals.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:56 am[...] Well, it looks like those poor black kids in New York won’t get any money from the liberal radio network (oxymoronic!). Air America has filed for bankruptcy. [...]
September 14th, 2006 at 9:59 amIf Air America does fail it's because it tells the truth. The truth doesn't play well in George's (Orwell and Bush) America, where half the populace STILL thinks Sadam had WMDs. All you right-wing nutcases may soon get your wish. Someday, you'll be sorry for what has become of your country.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:03 amAAR is fine. They will restructure and continue for several more years as it stands. Let the wingnuts dance around like cockroaches. lol
September 14th, 2006 at 10:07 amThe collapse of the Soviet Union was staged.
The collapse of Air America was not.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:09 am"In 1999-2000 the GOP collected about $216 million in small contributions to its federal committees - about 46 percent of its overall revenues. The Democratic Party was much more reliant on large contributions, drawing only 23 percent of its money from donors giving $200 or less."
Eat it.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:09 amI'm not a liberal per se, but I'm sorry to here that Air America is struggling financially. I'm all for BOTH sides having the opportunity to get their messages out to the masses so that EVERYONE, no matter what party affiliation, has the information to make informed decisions. Without opposing views and an abundence of information how could we operate as a society.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:11 amWow...I think every remaining Bush supporter trolled this thread. For 30%, they sure are loud.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:14 amHee hee hee.......only in the dim liberal universe is the bankruptcy of radical left wing Radio is thus, we are ensured, considered 'strong'....
Hee hee hee........Boy oh boy.....now what pray tell will you 200 listeners of Randi et al now do?? Join Hizballah I suppose.....
Snort...Chuckle.....
September 14th, 2006 at 10:19 amJRN: Analysts should not underestimate the left. Neither should they underestimate the alliances formed with Arab terrorist groups and the environmentalists. The combining of various discontented groups will doubtless produce surprising results across the board. The L.A. riots are a good example. The communists and their front groups hijacked existing discontent and set up teams with gasoline cans and matches. Trained incendiaries set a lot of buildings on fire in a surprisingly short period of time. Now replicate that kind of situation across an entire country. These were revolutionary acts perpetrated by Marxists. The media ignored the role that communists played in the riots. One must watch this carefully because the left has a strong hold on politically active minority groups. In these groups the communists and their foreign supporters have a powerful weapon for creating pre-war diversions, for tying down troops and masking decapitation strikes against national governments. -- J.R. Nyquist
September 14th, 2006 at 10:22 amHahahahahahahahahahahahahaha the format sucks that's why nobody is listening. Keep your liberal Billionairs throwing money at something that will never work. Hahahahahahahaahaha
September 14th, 2006 at 10:22 amDing dong, the witch is dead...
Which old witch?
That Randi bitch!
Ding dong, that frigid bitch is dead!
(radio wise that is)
September 14th, 2006 at 10:22 amDidn't Air America get started with a lineup of comedians and a hip hop artist? Speaks volumes.
Some of your biggest voices are comics, actors and a fat slob who makes "documentaries" (LMAO). Conservative media actually possesses highly-educated people with experience and degrees in government and law. Your idea of substance is clowns like Franken and Maher.
You have no ideas! You are the party of "No". "No Bush" but NO freaking alternatives either! Pathetic.
Have any of you actually stopped to think why Fox crushes CNN, despite CNN's being there first? Why you could fit all of MSNBC's veiwers into a VW Bug? Why virtually every attempt by libs to get into radio over the years has been a humiliating failure? Why the lefty network news has seen ratings drop by about 50% since 1980?
You are losing your stranglehold on information (propaganda) and the people now have a choice. Your messages are empty losers. And they always will be. People don't have to listen to your BS anymore. Choice arrives and you are now losing. Enjoy. Bon appetit!
September 14th, 2006 at 10:30 amSuch hogwash!
>>>In fact, Air America succeeded at creating something that didn’t exist: the progressive talk radio format.
That format has been in use since I did talk radio.
The attempt at making "progressive politics" the featured subject is not very successful for a number of reasons. There are two primary reasons: the hosts presume you can follow their far-out left-arm conspiracy logic without background and then, without substantive footing, begin a rant.
Very effective with mentally unstable people; very ineffective with reasoning people.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:33 am[Widespread terrorist and sabotage operations in advance of World War III] are known officially in the GRU as the "preparatory period," and unofficially as the "overture." The overture is a series of large and small operations the purpose of which is, before actual military operations begin, to weaken the enemy's morale, create an atmosphere of suspicion, fear and uncertainty, and divert the attention of the enemy's armies and police forces to a huge number of different targets, each of which may be the object of the next attack.
The overture is carried out by agents of the secret services of the Soviet satellite countries and by mercenaries recruited by intermediaries. The principal method employed at this stage is "gray terror," that is, a kind of terror which is not conducted in the name of the Soviet Union. The Soviet secret services do not at this stage leave their visiting cards, or leave other people's cards. The terror is carried out in the name of already existing extremist groups not connected in any way with the Soviet Union, or in the name of fictitious organizations.
VIKTOR SUVOROV, Spetsnaz
September 14th, 2006 at 10:34 amI wonder if all the trolls will come back to say "Ooops, I was just plain wrong!" when Air America does NOT fold?
No, they have no ethics other than to follow the lemming pack, just like all good neo-con dead-head zombies.
I guess they're all ignoring the news and simply following links from ultra-rabid right-whine sites to this one and just following orders to "spew chunks like good little programmed dummies". Good going, guys! Keep up the pathetic work, trolls!
September 14th, 2006 at 10:34 amThere's a great untapped audience out there for unbiased talk radio, the kind that looks at every issue from the point of view of common sense only and is intellectually honest. AirAmerica should've tried that instead of filling their roster almost exclusively with extreme partisans and conspiracy nuts.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:35 amAA going under (#15) is "...definitely a good sign"???? Dream on. Yes, and the Hindenberg disaster did wonders for the airship industry. AA is simply "on the ropes"? Nice sentiment, but investors/advertisers don't line up to keep failing and unpopular (and unprofitable) operations above water (see Jim "Notower" Hightower just so you losers can continue to have your pity party. It is so apt that AA is going bankrupt - in the marketplace of ideas, you libs have always been bankrupt.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:35 amHey! Slow down here! We are confusing bankruptcy (which AAR has not yet declared) with the end of a business. Lots of companies, including most major US Airlines (United, Delta, Northwest, ATA...) have declared bankruptcy - and continue to operate. They use it as a way to discard debt and restructure to survive. This is what AAR would almost certainly do - IF they actually declare bankruptcy. They have a new schedule coming out Sept 18th, with the Young Turks, Rachel Maddow in the late afternoon slot and other good changes. Stay tuned - this is a voice we need in America.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:36 am#379 - "Very effective with mentally unstable people"
Ahh! So THAT'S why Rush Limbaugh has done so well with the brain-dead sheeple that listen to his show!
September 14th, 2006 at 10:40 amLooks like more trolls following links from ultra-radical right-whine sites and NOT actually checking into the truth that Air America is NOT going bankrupt!
Go ahead, trolls! Make fools of yourself! Pardon, make even BIGGER fools of yourselves!
September 14th, 2006 at 10:42 am#384 - ABQ-Tom, any news on if they'll be moving Ed Schultz to a new slot?
I love listening to Rachel Madow in the morning, but I'll get to listen to more of her in the evening!
Thanks for the TRUE update!
September 14th, 2006 at 10:43 am"I guess they’re all ignoring the news and simply following links from ultra-rabid right-whine sites to this one and just following orders to “spew chunks like good little programmed dummiesâ€."
This from the folks who listen to ex-SNL writers?
Have you ever actually listened to conservative radio? Highly-regarded journalists, authors, scholars and actual politicians appear regularly. And they tend to actually invite Democratic Party and left-leaning counterpoints!
Air America, in contrast, offers cheap shots, rants and potty humor from Al Franken and Friends. But what should we expect from folks who are willing to protest (violently if need be) to ensure the right to kill the unborn, yet will strap themselves to a tree or a rock to ensure said tree or nearby small creature aren't threatened? What f***ed up people you are. No wonder you lose.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:48 amSo that is AARs big plan.
Use the federal courts to skip out on their debts, and try to find some other group of widows and orphans to steal operating funding from?
September 14th, 2006 at 10:51 amPermit me to join in the chorus of howls of derisive, mocking laughter at the sheer ignorance of you supposedly "beter-than-thou" Lefties concerning your inabilities to grasp the functions of free-market forces. Simply put, if Air America was able to actually generate interest it wouldn't have to cry bankrupt. The fact that it is an off-putting, ranting, ignorant, insubstantial load of broadcast bovine excretia whose only uniqueness is the facts that it is able to defy the laws of physics by being able to both suck AND blow at the same time, is nothing which would appeal to a broad, non-niche oriented market.
The unintentionally-comedic ignorance is further evidenced by the comment made above calling for some Daddy Gotbux like Teddy Kennedy or George Soros to ride in on a sliver Prius and save the day...make up your marijuana-toasted minds: either the Left HATES the rich (like the Kennedys, Kerry, Soros, et. al) and wants to make the marches to advance the greater Socialist cause for the Proletariat OR you accept the advantages of free-market Capitalism which gives rise to those folks to whom you call upon, pleading on your knees, to salvage the blatantly unsuccessful failure that is/was Air America.
Let me anticipate the reflexive conniptions of rage which this post will generate by thanking you in advance for your predictability in being hyper emotional in any responses which will be unable to refute the inarguable truth of the points made...not to mention the endless belly laughs!
September 14th, 2006 at 10:59 amI'm not surprised and they have nobody to blame but the idiots running the company. Hiring Springer was a huge mistake - DULL. Morning Sedition was the best radio show anywhere, but they cut that one out and put in it's place a dullard whose attempts at humor are painful to bear. Al, well Al is just a wimp and not anywhere near as interesting as Al thinks he is. Then they fired Malloy who is the only one left on the air with any courage to let it fly.
Good riddance.
September 14th, 2006 at 11:04 am[...] Air America denies bankruptcy rumor. So who started it? [...]
September 14th, 2006 at 11:07 am#388 - "Have you ever actually listened to conservative radio? Highly-regarded journalists, authors, scholars and actual politicians appear regularly. And they tend to actually invite Democratic Party and left-leaning counterpoints!"
Ha! What a joke! Have you ever tried to call into Rush Limbaugh? If you don't "ditto" his opinions 110%, you will never make it on his show. Every now and again, he'll make the false claim that he doesn't screen his callers, but they still do it.
Have you ever listened to Ed Schultz? He doesn't screen his callers, and he actually listens to the anti-free speech ramblers! I'm amazed by his "anyone can call" approach.
Rachel madow has had Pat Buchanan on her show, not that Pat is a scholar or a Highly-regarded journalist. She's had a number of politicians on her show. So has Ed Schults, as well as both pro-left and pro-right authors, scholars, and actual Afghanistan/iraq war veterans that are pro-Dem & pro-Rep! You'll NEVER hear about a pro-Dem showing up on Rush Limbaugh's show.
Just because I listen to some of the people on Air America doesn't mean I lsten to them all! Do you listen to the rantings and raving of Malkin? That's one harpy that gives a bad name to humans, much less ultra-rabid right-whiners.
Wow, and here I though some of the trolls actually used their brains. This sad poster proves they just spew the party line given to them by someone else.
September 14th, 2006 at 11:09 amI landed here by mistake from Drudge...
September 14th, 2006 at 11:11 amThis is a human being blog, no?
In the real world when you lose u do not call
it a WIN, in the real world when your side is
in the minority, you do not talk about the majority
of the country thinking like u, and of course when
you lose an election you do not blame the voting
machines, the press, the right, the terrorists, or racism...
YOU BLAME THE MAJORITY THAT ENJOYS LIVING IN
REAL WORLD - TRY IT, YOU MIGHT LIKE IT....
"Liberal views are systematically given short shrift on the broadcast media and the print media. Only the Internet, so far, has genuine freedom of the press, where liberals have a fair chance to air their views, and the corporate conglomorates are trying to take control of it too."
This has got to be one of the most absurd statements ever made. NY Times anyone? I suppose they are hardline right-wingers? LMAO!!! LA Times? ABC, CBS, NBC? The likes of Dan Rather? The major network news is conservative I suppose? Comrade Katie Couric, anyone? Each of the major network news broadcasts still possesses about 3x the viwership of Fox News. That's EACH.
"Short shrift?". How can anyone say that and maintain even a modicum of self-respect? GET HELP!
September 14th, 2006 at 11:15 amIn regard to post 346, no one ever said that Bush is the president ever. You’ll find a lot criticism about George W. Bush from the right. But let us look at what the liberal Democrats produced for presidents in my lifetime.
John Kennedy, sure he was a womanizer, failed in the Bay of Pigs operation but, he was an optimist, he got his on the way to the moon. He revived the economy by cutting taxes, something no post modern Democrat would ever do. He also hung tough in the Cuban missile crisis. I give him a B+.
Lyndon Johnson, well he failed to achieve victory in Vietnam by micromanaging the effort. A war that he was pretty much was responsible for America’s involvement. He failed to raise taxes pay for it and increased social spending at the same time, setting us up for the collapse of the Social Security pyramid scheme. I’ll be kind and give him a C-.
Jimmy Carter the America hater. His failed policies in Central America and Iran are legendary. I’ll give him a D-.
Billy Boy Clinton, the terrorist were plotting 911 on his watch. The CIA and FBI could not share intelligence because of his corrupt administration. He numerous opportunities to take out Bin Laden but would never answer Sandy Berger to give the go ahead until it was too late. I have to give him a F.
As far as GW Bush goes I give him a C.
September 14th, 2006 at 11:15 amWHAT A GREAT POST !!!!!
September 14th, 2006 at 11:18 amThis Is Fun Being On A Blog With All Delusional People...
I May Visit More Often..,
Oh, Bye The Way, Do Delusional People Know They Are
September 14th, 2006 at 11:32 amDelusional And Don't Care Or They Really Just Don't Know??
Which Is It & Why Does It Affect The Left So Severely?
Peter Mac - hope you visit often. This place is extremely entertaining. You will hear theories never imagined, distortions of the truth that James Carvell could not contrive, hate on level that OBL would be impressed, and excuses that would rival the most lazy ass people you have ever met.
Just be prepared that when you provide any kind of evidence they go into to the Clinton mode of asking what your definition of " is" is.
September 14th, 2006 at 11:41 amJust reading the hateful comments from the reichwingers here points up the absolute need for progressive voices on the PUBLIC airwaves, including Randi Rhodes, Mike Molloy, Rachel Maddow and Stephanie Miller.
Good grief. The reichers don't recognize how steeped in hatred they are.
It makes me sick.
September 14th, 2006 at 11:45 amWow, these right-wing trolls are really impressing us with thier intellect.
The simple fact is that more conservatives view/listen to media than liberals. That has always been behind the success of Fox, not that they're stealing CNN and network viewers to be the most watched, but simply that they cater to a segment that watches the most news. AAR hopefully will survive (and thrive) but we shouldn't expect it to reach the levels the right-wing programming achieves. Where we do thrive is in the area of computers, blogging and forums, etc as this is our genre. This is where we exchange ideas and discourse, as opposed to being one-sided and having our hateful opinions spoon-fed to us and spewing the same old tired, grade-school responses on blogs in an attempt to raise our ire.
September 14th, 2006 at 11:46 amMy listening to Air America tapered off quite a bit during the past yar. They needed different hosts. Al Franken continued to make the same points over and over again for months at a time, even years, and it got stale, and some of his attempts at humor were pretty ridiculous. Randi Rhodes shrill sarcasm was too much to take and reminded me of the right wing ranters. Actually, some of the people that took over for Franken when he's been on vacation were better, such as Joe Conason.
Air America still remains big in Portland, OR. When it started up, they were practically giving away commercial time. Now the local station's rates are among the highest in the market.
September 14th, 2006 at 11:46 amAll false claims straight out of Path to 911 thoroughly debunked on this site. The scene with Sandy Berger refusing to give the go ahead was complete fiction - never happened - completely contradicts the 911 commission report.
September 14th, 2006 at 11:47 amThe truth is hidden in Sandy Burglar's shorts and socks. I wonder why he put those documents there? Why wasn't he prosecuted?
PS: What was Gorelick doing on the 9/11 Commission when it was a policy she was instrumental in implementing that led to the intelligence failures thet permitted 9/11 to happen?
September 14th, 2006 at 11:53 amFrom Radio Equalizer:
Carolyn Kay
September 14th, 2006 at 11:54 amMakeThemAccountable.com
It's going to take a while to get the neocon smell off this site. P-U!!!!!
Shows the level of vermin that reads drudge, that's for sure. Funny how the biggest conservative mouthpieces are a 3-time divorced drug addict and a closeted homosexual.
September 14th, 2006 at 11:59 am"....depress Air America’s value."
Is this even possible? How does one depress the nonexistent?
September 14th, 2006 at 12:01 pmI love Rush but began listening to Ed Schultz and Randi Rhodes to get the other side. I was hoping to be educated from the left but the main message was hate. Substance was missing. This format may work for rallying a mob, but the thinking person will see through this quickly.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:02 pmAs far as having a rich person for a sponsor, there's always George Sorros. And you know how ratings relate to advertising time value.
Air America needs to substantive.
It's all about advertising. You market to your audience. In the case of Air America, they should have pushed Kleenex (for all the boo-hooing), flag burning kits, body piercing, Birkenstocks and "alternative smoking products". :D
Good riddance. Don't fret, however, Katie Couric will keep up the fight on her "news" program.
This is all TOO FUNNY.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:05 pm[...] … From the first moment your Radio Equalizer heard about the report from lefty blog site Think Progress that [Air America Radio] would announce this move on Friday, it just didn’t smell right. Three independent sources are really claiming this to be true? [...]
September 14th, 2006 at 12:06 pmRemember when it was only NAZIS who used terms like INFESTED and RABID when discussing JEWS
Now it is CONSERVATIVES using those terms to describe American Citizens they want to disempower and dominate.
Very sad to see America go through what Germany, Italy and many other countries have gone through. The masses (and yes that is what the majority of Republican voters are at this point) controlled by an elite that has turned them against action for their own best interest.
Classic bottom level scum politics has destroyed yet another country.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:09 pmGermany came back - but not until it had to destroy itself.
God Bless America - and may it's citizens wake up.
The Democratic Party Platform:
Raise Taxes
Pro-Right to Kill Babies
Pro-Legislate from the Bench
Pro-Cut and Run
Pro-Slandering the Troops
Hate Bush to the Point of Aiding Our Enemies
No Answers
Have I missed anything?
September 14th, 2006 at 12:11 pmIt's upsetting to hear Air America in trouble. It would be a great loss to the American public.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:16 pmI really enjoyed Thom Hartman. He appeared to always approach topics by being well prepared (research). He also appears to be level headed, insightful, and analytical in his approach. I do hope he will continue to be available to the radio public.
Rachel Maddow has made some good points, but doesn't quite have the same level of calibar as T. Hartman
Randi Rhodes may have a good message, but it gets lost with her abrasive, repetitive approach.
Hey MKA+Atlanta,
Yes you are missing something.
Anything new.
We've heard all that tired, generalized rhetoric already from every talking head on Fox.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:24 pmPost 422: Seek help.
Conservatices are for SMALLER government. EMPOWERING the INDIVIDUAL rather than making them dependent on the STATE. YOUR policies are what keep an entire group of millions of people dependent on handouts and screaming "victim", while you point the finger at us and promise them a check.
Have you no shame?
September 14th, 2006 at 12:25 pmemrenz:
You are correct. Nothing new. From you, that is. No new ideas. No substance. No answers. Just helluva lot of Bush hate.
What I wrote is NOT new. It is old. It continues to be true. And sad. And encapsulates modern liberalism.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:29 pmI sure hope this does not happen, this station (and ALL the hosts) have saved my sanity! I LISTEN to it on-line all day while I work. (on dial up) I am in one of those "sincliar/clearchanel" areas & of course the only "progressive" radio for 200 miles is NPR. Whatever you do please make a FREE alternative available on-line, it's the only way many of us will hear the FACTS!
SURE you can trust the government, ask any Indian.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:30 pmAnd were it someone in your family that somehow fell upon hard times you would simply cast them to the wolves, I suppose. I mean no one should ever be offered a hand up in the world. Believing we're about "writing checks to everyone" is an over-simplistic view, my friend.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:32 pmI agree with # 419 above. I have tried to listen to left radio, and most of them, especially Rhandi Rhodes, have nothing but hate and name-calling. Al of their creaive energies seem to go to coming up with clever names to call people, instead of analysis of the issues (especially true of Stephanie Miller). The hosts on the left seem to be very condescending, and talk down to their listeners, especially those that don't agree with them. I do not like to listen to someone who is constantly calling me awful names, call me crazy.
When you listen to Rush, whether you agree or not with him, you learn something, and you get to hear interesting and thought-provoking analysis of the issues. Any names he uses for people are restricted to politicians and public figures who have thrown themselves into the debate, and thus, are fair game. But he does not call average Americans names, unlike left radio.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:34 pmI'm glad this Post has attracted a lot of reich wing windbags that equate the possibility that Air America might be filing for bankruptcy with the notion that we progrssives are the minority.
You're puppet president, our liar and chief is the one who is morally bankrupt he should be shown the door along with dead eye Dick Cheney. So keep on listening to Rush Lintball, Faux News, Bill O’Really and Sean Slantitty for your lame talking points. We progressives on the other hand will continue seeking out truth and justice the Air America way.
The reason that Air America Radio was formed was to shed light on the way in which our corporate run media pulls the strings of our political leaders and vice versa. The way in which they suppress certain information, reveals certain facts, in order to cover up lies and corruption that in turn are hurting our political institutions at home and abroad. So as long as the American people are subject to listening to propaganda and talking points being handed down by corporate run media hounds rather than being told the truth there will always be a need for alternative news outlets like Air America Radio. I say bravo to Air America and long live the progressive movement that has only just begun to expose the corruption that goes on in this current administration
So to all you right-wingers out there I say give a listen AAR. In this pond Progressive knowledge, the truth can be most refreshing.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:37 pmemrenz:
Ever hear of charity? Private donation?
I do not push for the elimination of a safety net, but it has gone too far. Since the birth of the modern welfare state, incarceration rates have skyrocketed. Ditto birth out of wedlock and the marginalization of the traditional family unit, creating a vicious cycle. Government programs are notoriously inefficient, corrupt and ineffective. And don't get me started on the schools. Throw more money! Oh, it's getting worse? Throw more! No school vouchers! No testing for teachers! Get the teacher union's votes and $$$!
Awful.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:41 pmMKA+Atlanta ,
Please, PLEASE, quote one line of Bush-hate from what I wrote here today.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:41 pmDefinition of "unhinged": RW trolls on this thread.
Seriously, get your doctor to up the meds. And learn to spell.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:42 pmDigTruth:
Airbag America's biggest voice is a foul-mouthed ex-SNL writer with virtually zero other credentials. Law degree? Government experience?
September 14th, 2006 at 12:48 pmemrenz:
Who accused you specifically?
September 14th, 2006 at 12:49 pmA Quick Poll>>>
If The Left Loses In Nov. - Who Will They Blame:
> BUSH
> ROVE
>VOTING MACHINES
> PRESS
> RACISM
> THE PUBLIC
NOT AVAILABLE TO VOTE ON - LIBERALISM/LATITUDINARIANISM
September 14th, 2006 at 12:49 pm"The Democratic Party Platform:"
Raise Taxes:
I would raise taxes on the richest 1% of Americans. They’ll hardly notice, and no it DOES NOT TRICKLE DOWN. That’s a myth created by the wealthy that want to keep more of their money.
Pro-Right to Kill Babies:
I’m 44. 18-year-olds dying in an unjust, created Iraq war is the same thing to me.
Pro-Legislate from the Bench:
Laws are often open to interpretation, not unlike religion.
Pro-Cut and Run:
Please quote any Democrat that has said we should “Cut and Run†We should set a timeline to get out. I don’t thing the US should “Stay and Pay.â€
Pro-Slandering the Troops:
Slandering the troops to many conservatives is speaking out against the war. Encouraging them to fight in an unjust, unnecessary war is worse, and frankly, un-American.
Hate Bush to the Point of Aiding Our Enemies:
So it’s true. We aren’t fond of him. Should we lie and encourage him to make still more decisions that we disagree with? That’s the one that makes the least amount of sense to me. If we believe his policies harm our nation, how does falsely embracing his ideas improve things?
No Answers:
I believe these meet the definition of answers.
Have I missed anything?
September 14th, 2006 at 12:55 pmAbout the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior:
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy,which is always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progbressed through the following sequence:
1. Bondate to spiritual faith
2. Spiritual faith to great courage
3. Courage to liberty
4. Liberty to abundance
5. Abundance to complacency
6. Complacenty to apathy
7. Apathy to dependence"
Population of counties won by: Gore 127 million; Bush 143 million
Square miles of land won by: Gore: 580,000; Bush 2,427,000
States won by: Gore: 19; Bush: 29
Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Gore: 13.2, Bush: 2.1
In aggregate, the map of the territory Bush won was mostly the land owned by the tax-paying citizens of this great country.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:57 pmGore's territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off government welfare.
The U.S. is now somewhere between the "complacenty and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some 40% of the nation's populatin having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.
I figured out how Air America Radio can stay on the air! Yes it will require some changes, but their mission and values can continue. I suggest the following schedule changes to boost listenership (all times Pacific):
6:00am-9:00am: Laura Ingraham
September 14th, 2006 at 12:58 pm9:00am-12:00pm: Rush Limbaugh
12:00pm-3:00pm: The Sean Hannity Show
3:00pm-6:00pm: The Savage Nation with Michael Savage
6:00pm-9:00pm: The Michael Reagan Show
9:00pm-11:00pm: The Bill O'Reilly Show
11:00pm-6:00am: Paid Advertising
200 years eh? Maybe it's time for it to all come crumbling down and we can truly build a utopian society!
September 14th, 2006 at 1:06 pmRJP3 - #422:
I suggest you search this page and discover which side has thrown the terms "INFEST" and "RABID" more often, conservatives or liberals. You will be unpleasantly surprised. You'll find the same unpleasant answer regarding Nazi comparisons. And some of you dare to accuse conservatives exclusively of hate? Look around at your own side first.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:06 pmRight/Male Left/Female
I can't hate the right because one must have compassion for those who live in fear. It is an aspect of the ego afraid of the freedom of the heart and it's natural closeness to the expansiveness of God. Fear wants to confine and control. It has a place for male dominated religion but not God within.
This is why the right is so afraid of such simple things as condoms and people having sex. One has to let go to have an orgasm. It is a spiritual experience that takes one out of control and this creates a moment of openness and thus fear for the controlling ego. In that moment it has to experience the truth, that it is very small feeble and fragile. The right is very rigid and male.
When I took care of horses the alpha male at the head of the pecking order was the most fearful of them all.
Those who love are more feminine in nature expansive and spiritual (not necessarily religious) human beings and need not control or fear life or death. They are naturally closer to the soul and it's eternal nature.
As a male I respect the more feminine nature of the left tho some types of helpfulness only breeds more helplessness.
Go after the Taliban, yes. Kill 100,000 Iraqis, how sad.
Go forward Air America you are wonderful.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:10 pmMKA+Atlanta,
You did. I quote: "You are correct. Nothing new. From you, that is. No new ideas. No substance. No answers. Just helluva lot of Bush hate."
September 14th, 2006 at 1:11 pmConservative Radio: Free enterprise at work.
Air America: Free enterprise at work.
NPR: Your tax dollars at work.
The people at Air America just didn't understand the free enterprise business model.
If NPR wasn't paid by tax dollars, it would die like Air America.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:15 pmGood Riddance,
Thank you for your post. I had heard pieces of Tyler's theory, but never the complete theory.
However, you have provided evidence that liberals truly are "progressives" - they have progressed all the way to the "dependence" state.
How do you liberals answers these staggering facts?
Square miles of land won by: Gore: 580,000; Bush 2,427,000
Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Gore: 13.2, Bush: 2.1
September 14th, 2006 at 1:16 pmPost # 439 RIGHT OUT OF THE PARK>>>>>>>
IT IS FAR, IT IS HIGH,IT IS DEEP, IT IS GONE !!!
LIBS Are Having A Hard Time Today...
September 14th, 2006 at 1:18 pmHow Come???
Ideas, Facts, Sanity, What Is It...
As an AAR junkie I was wondering when the benefactors would tighten their purse on the shows that had no ratings. I admit it was crushing to see a show like Majority Report, which pioneered a seamless radio merging with the blogs, consistently show no ratings over the years. And lately it has become increasingly apparent that the start-up trial period for these shows was stretching beyond reason and the axe would have to fall.
Ratings have consistently shown only Franken and Rhodes with marketable ratings on AAR, while Stephanie Miller (arguably the funniest show on radio as fellow coffee-spitters will confrim) and Ed Schultz lead the pack on AAR affiliates even though they are owned separately by Clear Channel affiliate P1, which seems positioned perfectly to pick up where/when/if AAR fails with many profitable libtalk stations and literally hundreds of other stations they might be more willing to add to the libtalk mix when they control the programming.
I should mention here that there is still a lurking suspicion that Clear Channel's participation in filling out the AAR network, done surely to hedge their far-right radio position when and if Dems return to power, might be some kind of dirty trick, or that they might somehow be persuaded by their GOP allies to dump the whole project. But with their Portland and Seattle stations at the top of the ratings, Los Angeles' KTLK so loaded with mainstream commercials as to demonstrate the viability of the overall project, and the only apparent hindrance to smooth sales in other cities being the fact that many of their progtalk seedlings have very poor signals and could later be swapped with better CC station in each market, then it would be commercially suicidal to dump a format that Talkers magazine has recently called "the fastest growing segment of radio."
In fact, I will go out on a limb here to say that having the whole progtalk project default to Clear Channel might be the best possible thing as they have the sales operation, loose stations, and national coverage to assure that their new progressive division (who the President left to found) P1 could go all the way.
Meanwhile, AAR's trials and tribulations are like those of a family member and let's hope they do well with the Young Turks, Sam Seder finds his long overdue ratings, Rachel Maddow is moved to the news division to grace us with her crystalline intellect hourly (not to mention election anchoring), and wry Al continues to provide the smartest guests on radio, Randi gives em the hell they've earned, and Air America radio earns a Murrow-like place in taking back our country, fortified by a wised-up Clear Channel.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:21 pm[...] As Allah says: You weren’t good enough, you weren’t smart enough, and gosh darn it, nobody liked you. Filed under: The Loony Left • [...]
September 14th, 2006 at 1:22 pmRe: 446
I'm a liberal from a two-income household, we own our home in the suburbs of Phoenix. We have two kids and a dog, collect no welfare and murdered no one and don't even own a gun.
And we both voted for Gore.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:23 pmCONS > GIVE ME THE FACTS
September 14th, 2006 at 1:23 pmLIBS > HIDE THE FACTS
emrenz:
“The Democratic Party Platform:â€
Raise Taxes:
I assume you are not amongst the top 1%. Easy to hit the other guy. The fact is that tax increases hurt growth. Growth means jobs. Jobs mean tax revenues. A huge number of lower-income and middle-class people in this country don't even pay taxes already.
Pro-Right to Kill Babies:
"18-year-olds dying in an unjust, created Iraq war is the same thing to me." We can disagree on the war, but this is going too far. Our forces are all-volunteer. Our troops re-up at a very high rate. And last time I checked, it wasn't Americans pulling triigers on Americans or setting IEDs. How you can compare this to legalizing the sticking of a fork in a defenseless baby's head is beyond me. It is just sick.
Pro-Legislate from the Bench:
I think we both know this about abortion. The libs will do anything to see that it never gets to a ballot. Even Ruth Bader Ginsburg has stated that Roe poorly written and argued. It is why libs go insane every time a conservative gets to nominate a judge. Ballots + non-liberal courts = libs worst nightmare.
Pro-Cut and Run:
Please quote any Democrat that has said we should “Cut and Runâ€. A timeline or conditions? Big difference. What are your views on the "rapid deployment force" based in freaking Okinawa? Cut and run. Like abortion/baby-killing, you can name it waht you like ("Choice"), but it is what it is.
Pro-Slandering the Troops:
Slandering the troops to many conservatives is speaking out against the war. Encouraging them to fight in an unjust, unnecessary war is worse, and frankly, un-American. Kerry (again)? Murtha????
Hate Bush to the Point of Aiding Our Enemies:
Calling the president stupid and a liar helps whom?
No Answers:
I believe these meet the definition of answers. Really?
Have I missed anything?
Comment by emrenz
September 14th, 2006 at 1:24 pmCeausecu took a whole tomato and bit into it like an apple, splattering juice and seeds. Then he stuffed his mouth full of onion and feta cheese, mechanically wiping his fingers off on the white damask tablecloth, all the while studying Arafat with his shifting, badger-like eyes. "How are your influence operations going?"
"The advisors Hassan got from Brother Pacepa are true artists."
Ceausescu picked up on the idea. "Influence is indeed an art, a skill."
"At this very moment we´ve got something going in Vienna," Hassan intervened, "and the results might be a peace prize from Kreisky." Bruno Kreiski was the chancellor of Austria at the time. Arafat burst into a peal of laughter. "A gift from a Jew to the PLO. Wouldn´t that be marvelous?"
"We have another operation using Abu Nidal," Hassan added.
"Who would ever suspect that Nidal, my fiercest enemy, the very fellow who is killing off my men, could actually be doing things for me?" Arafat boasted.
"Congratulations," said Ceausescu, "How about pretending to break with terrorism? The West would love it."
"Just pretending, like with your independence?"
"Exactly. But pretending over and over. Political influence, like dialectical materialism, is built on the same basic tenet that quantitative accumulation generates qualitative transformation."
"I´m not the expert on Marxism that you are, Brother Ceausescu."
"Dialectical materialism works like cocaine, let´s say. If you sniff it once or twice, it may not change your life. If you use it day after day, though, it will make you into an addict, a different man." That´s the qualitative transformation."
"A snort of a pacifist Arafat day after day...?"
"Exactly, Brother Yasser. The West may even become addicted to your PLO."
September 14th, 2006 at 1:28 pmFranken the Vomit Bomb found out "What goes around comes around"...
Keep it up FrankenFool, maybe people will support you by buying your books to discover your inner skirt I mean.. mind. Weak and unfunny as it is.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:30 pmRecruiting terrorists, spetsnaz style
A spetsnaz officer out to recruit agents for direct terrorist action has a wonderful base for his work in the West. There are a tremendous number of people who are discontented and ready to protest against absolutely anything. And while millions protest peacefully, some individuals will resort to any means to make their protest. The spetsnaz officer has only to find the malcontent who is ready to go to extremes.
A man who protests against the presence of American troops in Europe and sprays slogans on walls is an interesting subject. If he not only paints slogans but is also prepared to fire at an American general, should he be given the submachine gun or an RPG-7 grenade launcher to do the job, he is an exceptionally interesting person. His goals tally perfectly with those of the senior officers of the GRU.
....The senior officers of the GRU have a particular dislike of Western nuclear power stations, which reduce the West's dependence on imported oil (including Soviet oil) and make it stronger and more independent. They are one of spetsnaz's most important targets.
...a group of animal rights activists in the UK injected bars of chocolate with poison. If spetsnaz were able to contact that group, and there is every chance it might, it would be extremely keen (without, of course, mentioning its name) to suggest to them a number of even more effective ways of protesting. Activists, radicals, peace campaigners, green party members: as far as the leaders of the GRU are concerned, these are like ripe watermelons, green on the outside, but red on the inside -- and mouth-watering.
So there is a good base for recruiting. There are enough discontented people in the West who are ready not only to kill others but also to sacrifice their own lives for the sake of their own particular ideals which spetsnaz may exploit. The spetsnaz officer has only to find and take advantage of the malcontent who is ready to go to extremes.
VIKTOR SUVOROV, Spetsnaz
September 14th, 2006 at 1:39 pm.
.
.
Look how afraid all these people from the right are.
Bin Laden owns them.
.
.
.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:39 pm"I’m a liberal from a two-income household, we own our home in the suburbs of Phoenix. We have two kids and a dog, collect no welfare and murdered no one and don’t even own a gun.
And we both voted for Gore."
Sounds like a nice life. Voting for a spittle-spewing loonie like Gore could change much of that rather quickly.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:42 pmI have to say after reading the comments above that the majority are just nasty adolescent name calling, probably from morbidly obese rightwing shut-ins whose entertainment is AM right wing talk radio.
As one girl in a poli sci class pointed out, you understand why so many of these rightists are hateful and mean when you take a look at them and realize that even a prostitute would turn them down.
Surgeon General's 2006 Obesity report: 30% of red zip codes are morbidly obese.
Not even a pig will eat itself to death. Bush Voters are therefore proven dumber than pigs.
(which we already knew when the new owners of the IQ test released the results of 10 million web IQ tests which showed a 50 point disparity between red and blue state voters.)
Facts, folks. Not get back to your belching.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:42 pmMKA+Atlanta
I’m happy to pay taxes if it will help someone worse off than me or improve our way of life. Yes, even when I’m rich. I pay a higher percentage now compared to the rich and don’t complain. Do I believe much of our tax money is wasted? Absolutely. We do need to be efficient and wise in our expenditures.
It really seems to come down to abortion with you. Suppose there were 20 embryos and one infant in a room and the room catches fire-you can only save one, the embryos or the infant. Which are you going to save? Which lives are more viable? Every pro-lifer I ever asked answered “the infant.†They’re all alive aren’t they? The logical choice should be the 20 embryos, yet it never is. You do rate life.
Please quote Kerry and Murtha slandering troops directly. By the way, both more heroes than any of this administration’s war-mongering chicken-hawks could ever hope to be. They actually served their country. Poor examples. You mentioned it’s easy for me to suggest the other guy pay more taxes, well it’s easy to send the other people’s kids off to war isn’t it?) They’ve earned the right to speak. Furthermore, do you believe we should give up the civil right to free speech during wartime?
So admittedly, your guys came up with “cut and run†and no Democrat has said it.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:46 pmHundreds of people could be left without their favorite radio station if Air America goes away.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:46 pmThe comments here by GW Bush Republican sympathisers are priceless. As if just because Air America Radio goes bankrupt, then conversely their own morally, ethically and intellectually bankrupt pseudo-"conservative" worldview is vindicated and will surely further rule the day. Dream on, Bush symp's. The GW Bush Era/Error is a disaster and when the consequences of it become more fully felt, GW Bush "conservatism" (sic) will be thoroughly discredited. GW Bush Republicans don't have the intelligence or competence to run an elevator, much less a great nation-state of 300 million people. The days of GW Bush Republian fake "conservatism" are numbered. (Go James Webb, beat Macaca Allen!)
September 14th, 2006 at 1:50 pm.
.
.
.
.
.
Do you fear Islam?
.
.
.
.
If yes,
.
.
.
Bin Laden owns you.
.
.
.
.
.
.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:51 pm.
Post # 458
Fat People Can Lose Weight...
Skinny, Dumb, Blind, & Anti American iIs No Way To Live....
Welcome To The World Of The Left, They Are Smart , We Are Not...
September 14th, 2006 at 1:56 pmSheesh, you guys. When even SugarDaddy Soros gives up on ya, you *know* you're worthless.
Buh. Bye.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:57 pmMKA+Atlanta
It was fun blogging with you, but I’ve got a doctor’s appointment so I’m going to have to cut and run.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:58 pmHello To Post # 462
We Pay Attention To People Trying To Kill Us In The Name Of Islam>>
This Is Why The LIBS LOSE Hello.....
September 14th, 2006 at 2:08 pmThis Is Fun
I think The Libs are cut and running from their our group think site>>>
PRICELESS
September 14th, 2006 at 2:11 pmI’m happy to pay taxes if it will help someone worse off than me or improve our way of life. Yes, even when I’m rich. I pay a higher percentage now compared to the rich and don’t complain. Do I believe much of our tax money is wasted? Absolutely. We do need to be efficient and wise in our expenditures. [What could be more foolish than expecting efficent and wise expenditures from government. It is an oxymoron.]
It really seems to come down to abortion with you. Suppose there were 20 embryos and one infant in a room and the room catches fire-you can only save one, the embryos or the infant. Which are you going to save? Which lives are more viable? Every pro-lifer I ever asked answered “the infant.†They’re all alive aren’t they? The logical choice should be the 20 embryos, yet it never is. You do rate life." [No. It is not just abortion with me. In fact, I think is far more a hot button with the libs. I do find it morally reprehensible, however. Your example has nothing to with abortion. Your choice is who lives and who dies because someone must - it is unavoidable. Nobody HAS to die by abortion. It is an action. A choice. Nobody is "saved". A baby is picked to die or is not.]
Please quote Kerry and Murtha slandering troops directly. By the way, both more heroes than any of this administration’s war-mongering chicken-hawks could ever hope to be. [Most of Kerry's fellow vets who had anything to do with him, including his commanders, apparently disagree] They actually served their country. [Kerry served and then disgraced himself utterly.] Poor examples. You mentioned it’s easy for me to suggest the other guy pay more taxes, well it’s easy to send the other people’s kids off to war isn’t it?) [Actually, no. It's not] They’ve earned the right to speak. Furthermore, do you believe we should give up the civil right to free speech during wartime? [Abandon free speech? No. Use common sense and control partisan diarrhea of the mouth, yes.]
Kerry: And there is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs of the--of--the historical customs, religious customs.
REP. JOHN “JACK†MURTHA: Well, I’ll tell you exactly what happened. One Marine was killed and the Marines just said we’re going to take care – we don’t know who the enemy is, the pressure was too much on them, so they went into houses and they actually killed civilians.
So admittedly, your guys came up with “cut and run†and no Democrat has said it. The description? Yes. The idea? All yours.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:12 pm"It was fun blogging with you, but I’ve got a doctor’s appointment so I’m going to have to cut and run."
LOL. Ditto.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:14 pmGolitsyn wrote a book in 1984 titled New Lies for Old. In that book he predicted the collapse of the communist bloc. He said this collapse would be deceptive and it would be orchestrated from above. There can be no doubt on this point: the long-range strategy of the communist bloc is real, and not a paranoid fiction. We know about it from defectors like the Czech general, Jan Sejna. It wasn't only Golitsyn who warned the West. We have heard similar statements, as well, from Vladimir Rezun and Col. Stanislav Lunev.
The communist bloc strategy is predicated on the development of deceptive changes (perestroika) in communist bloc countries. These changes began in the late 1980s, as foretold by Golitsyn in his 1984 book. And these changes were, as he predicted, directed from the Kremlin according to a well-worked out plan. Without an understanding of Soviet clandestine methods -- methods that were developed over a period of seventy years -- it is impossible to understand the grand sweep of Russian and Chinese moves today.
This kind of strategy is alien to Western thinknig. In essence, despite the changes that occurred in 1989-91, the old communist bloc still exists. Only the label has been removed, and the iron hand now fits inside a velvet glove. These communist countries are weak countries, predicated on terror, oppression and war. They can only hope to succeed against America and the West by deceptive means, by the pretense of peace and democratic reform.
In reality, they are building their military power in secret, working with criminal groups and terror groups through intermediaries. They seek to economically cripple the United States, diplomatically isolate America and destroy the foundations of American military power. All of this is made possible by a broad-based, long range deception strategy.
If they achieve their objectives the world will belong to the communists who continue to consolidate their grip in Africa, South America, Europe and Asia.
Golitysn's predictive methodology successfully anticipated the changes in Eastern Europe; he foretold the advent of the Russia-China alliance and the present campaign against "American imperialism." We can ill-afford to ignore this methodology when it has successfully anticipated so many crucial developments. Even if Golitsyn has made mistakes, his basic approach is an invaluable tool for understanding the grand strategy of Russia and China, and whoever ignores Golitsyn's warnings is making a potentially grave error.
J.R. Nyquist
September 14th, 2006 at 2:23 pmOh, real nice there gregrocker. Complain about the adolescent name-calling just before you launch into a rambling, drug-induced diatribe full of adolescent name-calling. Your hypocricy and lack of consistency makes you a perfect shill for the retro-liberal cause. The liberal mantra of "Do as I say, not as I do. I will judge you but you better not judge me. I will challenge your ideas but you better not challenge mine." Any of this sound familiar?
September 14th, 2006 at 2:24 pmDo I fear Islam?
Yes. Only a fool wouldn't.
The Quran is replete with calls to violence to advance the spread of the faith. I suggest you look up the terms "dhimmitude" and "Dar al-Harb". I suggest you do a little research on just how Islam has spread around the world (quick: before the evil Crusaders came, Jerusalem was held by the Muslims, right? Guess how the Muslims got ahold of it?). Care to compare how women are treated in the Muslim world compared to the West? Politicial freedom? Ever ask yourself why it isn't 17-40 year old Christians who hijack planes and blow themselves up on a fairy regular basis and claim it for the glory of God?
September 14th, 2006 at 2:25 pmQuote
"Hello To Post # 462
We Pay Attention To People Trying To Kill Us In The Name Of Islam>>
This Is Why The LIBS LOSE Hello….. "
Let them kill us.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:26 pm...zero other credentials. Law degree? Government experience?
Comment by MKA+Atlanta — September 14, 2006 @ 12:48 pm
describes limpball, all right...
AirAmericaRadio, MediaMatters, and many others point out his LIES on a daily basis...
September 14th, 2006 at 2:27 pmthat sad waste of skin has done as much, if not more, harm to this country as bushco itself... and his cult here seems to be proud ot that...
...
I see the wignuts have something to cheer about.
They are usually cheering on the cheerleader in the failed neocon plan in the Middle East.
Try cheering on what is best for your country and stop being so scared of the big, bad Muslims.
Cheer for accountability for the failures.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:31 pmChris,
How about you just let them kill YOU? At least it would clean up the gene pool a bit.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:31 pmkaty,
September 14th, 2006 at 2:33 pmAir America and MediaMatters couldn't find their asses if you gave them a map, compass and detailed directions.
To 472.
Let them hate us, let them kill us.
As you, they are my brothers.
I can love you and them.
No need to fear life or death.
You are eternal, as they.
Eventually you will love them and know that you and they are God.
..for now, enjoy your fear and hate for all it is worth. They are tools to learn by.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:39 pmWhat's up with all the hateful responses? Air America Radio provides a viable alterantive to all the right-wing talk out there. I don't understand why the right would want us all to have the same views on everything. Isn't that what makes this country great? If we all got in line with the right wing, would we still be a democracy? From all the celebrating the right seems to be doing over AAR's financial troubles, it appears they are just desperate. Why don't you jerks just go back to listening to Druggy Limbaugh and take your ignorant hateful talking points with you?
September 14th, 2006 at 2:41 pmI'll bet the folks who died in the Wolrd Trade Center attacks, the USS Cole, the marine barracks in Beirut, the Achille Lauro, Pan Am Flight 103, the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the Khobar Towers etc etc etc would have wished we were a little more afraid of the big, bad Muslims. I'd bet there are lots of non-Americans like the hundreds of school children slaughtered in Russia, the train-bombing victims in Madrid and the hundreds dead in the bombings in Bali (amongst countless other examples) who would have wished the same.
So there are two guys called Joe Wilson who are complete fools....
September 14th, 2006 at 2:50 pm[...] The Think Progress post is here. [...]
September 14th, 2006 at 2:51 pm"Let them hate us, let them kill us.
As you, they are my brothers.
I can love you and them.
No need to fear life or death.
You are eternal, as they.
Eventually you will love them and know that you and they are God.
..for now, enjoy your fear and hate for all it is worth. They are tools to learn by."
When does the flying saucer come to pick you up?
September 14th, 2006 at 2:53 pmWhat’s up with all the hateful responses?...
Comment by Jim Clay — September 14, 2006 @ 2:41 pm
F E A R and I G N O R A N C E...
September 14th, 2006 at 2:55 pm.
Air America is dead because there are not enough listeners in the entire US to warrant sponsor support. It's demise is the result of good old American freedom of choice.
Translated, this means that Air America's political, ethical and moral agenda is not supported by the majority of American listeners who would rather listen to something closer to their reality. Hallucinations are fun for the LSD crowd, but altered perceptions unanchored because of moral relativism are considered lunacy by fair-minded citizens.
RIP Air America - Most Americans Never Knew You
September 14th, 2006 at 2:57 pmsmile!
September 14th, 2006 at 3:01 pmAudience (in millions):
1. Rush Limbaugh--13.75+
2. Sean Hannity--12.50+
3. Michael Savage--8.00+
4. Dr. Laura Schlesinger--7.75+
4. Howard Stern--7.75+
5. Laura Ingraham--5.00+
6. Neil Boortz--3.75+
6. Mike Gallagher--3.75+
7. Jim Bohannon--3.25+
7. Clark Howard--3.25+
7. Bill O'Reilly--3.25+
7. Doug Stephan--3.25+
8. Glenn Beck--2.75+
8. Dr. Joy Browne--2.75+
9. Jerry Doyle--2.25+
9. Kim Komando--2.25+
9. Michael Medved--2.25+
9. Dave Ramsey--2.25+
10. Bill Bennett--2.00+
10. Jim Rome--2.00+
11. Bob Brinker--1.75+
11. ED SCHULTZ--1.75+
12. Tom Leykis--1.50+
12. G. Gordon Liddy--1.50+
13. Jim Cramer--1.25+
13. AL FRANKEN--1.25+
13. Tony Snow--1.25+
14. Alan Colmes--1.00+
14. Dr. Dean Edell--1.00+
14. Phil Hendrie--1.00+
14. Rusty Humphries--1.00+
14. STEPHANIE MILLER--1.00+
I'd be willing to bet that Frankenfailure's audiences are pretty concentrated in a very few markets.....
September 14th, 2006 at 3:08 pmWhen Charlie Sheen went public about the 911 cover-up, Air America Radio stood down (just like Norad) and didn't even mention a thing about it--that was the limus test.
AAR are just left gatekeepers. Talkshow hosts like Franken and Shultz are keeping the real issues off their shows.
When AAR fired Mike Malloy, they lost the last reason for anyone to bother listening. Mike was the only one with enough guts to tackle the 911 cover-up. Having Webster Tarpley on his show for a two hour interview was probably the last straw for the AAR censors.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:09 pmPost 479
We Like The Free Market System
Not Loans From Boys & Girls Clubs,
That, Then Go Unpaid... Does That Sound HateFull??
Maybe your hero George OpenSorors help you... not
Good News For America, Bad News for the LIBS... How True , How Sad>
September 14th, 2006 at 3:09 pmGod Bless America !! Land of The Free- Home of The Brave !!
Chris -
I'm smiling right now. I'd be astounded if you really bought your own "let them kill us" argument. To apply that argument consistently you would also have to tell those we attack to just smile and let us kill them too. Yet, somehow I think you'd be against that. Am I wrong?
September 14th, 2006 at 3:12 pmEvery soldier in Iraq passes around the "Chicken Hawk List" first posted on the washingtonpost.com website. It completely contradicts what most of us believed about the GOP supporting the troops. Just about every single GOP supporter of the Iraq War - from Congress to cable tv to talk radio to the actual frickin Pentagon! - either never served in the military or actively dodged the draft during Vietnam. Meanwhile, almost every Democrat who oppposed the war had either served honorably or was a War Hero! Think Bush/Cheney/Limbaugh vs. Kerry/Gore/Daschle/Gephardt...
So you could say that soldiers are starting to get the picture. I come home and find that some 90 Iraq vets running for office this year and every one is a Democrat. Reagan's own Secretary of Navy has defected to run for Senate as a Dem from my home state Virginia.
I hear from the intake shrink at the local VA that a third of soldiers are coming back with some level of PTSD due to the frequent "shell shock." I also hear that everyone is waiting to see the new web project from the guy who made a fortune selling "Maps to the Hollywood Movie Stars homes" - a website which is zip code searchable for "Maps to the NeoCon Chickenhawks Homes." We're gonna make sure every PTSD soldier is hooked up to that website soon. Let's see if we can avoid another another Vietnam.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:18 pmWhen Charlie Sheen went public about the 911 cover-up, Air America Radio stood down (just like Norad) and didn’t even mention a thing about it–that was the limus test.
AAR are just left gatekeepers. Talkshow hosts like Franken and Shultz are keeping the real issues off their shows.
When AAR fired Mike Malloy, they lost the last reason for anyone to bother listening. Mike was the only one with enough guts to tackle the 911 cover-up. Having Webster Tarpley on his show for a two hour interview was probably the last straw for the AAR censors.
Comment by Protean
Charlie Freaking Sheen??? The cover up????
Tell us, who's got your vote for the top political analyst in America? Madonna? Sean Penn? Alec Baldwin? Barbara Streisand? Or another one of those Hollywood uber-intellects? Oh, lest I forget "the Dixie Chicks"????
LMAO!!!!!!!!! You libs are too much!!!!
September 14th, 2006 at 3:21 pmMKA+Atlanta - #486:
The top prog host I can see on that list is Ed Schultz tied at 11 (which would actually be 21 if the ties were counted normally). That puts all the prog hosts below at least two financial advisors, two pop shrinks, and two sports commentators. Progressive radio is STRONG, man!
September 14th, 2006 at 3:28 pmIf the liberal media would drop their "hate America first" program, spend more time on positive accomplishments and less on bending over backwards to undermine our efforts, mayeb we will avoid another Vietnam. Former North Vietnamese Colonel Bui Tin has talked about the damage our press and anti-war movements can do to our efforts (as happened in Vietnam).
Do any of you libs know that militarily, Tet was a complete disaster for the Communists? Walter Cronkite made it a victory for them...
September 14th, 2006 at 3:28 pmHow about Fox News' hurricane experts... Richard Simmons & Don King (murderer)... the Govenator in California... the right is just a gulity in using halfwits, Hollywood & losers as experts in their time of need.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:34 pmso you dumb liberals cant run a radio station and yet you want to run our country???? good job (hint my sarcasm), you are all a joke and I am glad that you can stop polluting our nation with your pointless and useless complaints all because you dont have what you want.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:36 pmI know it's hard to comprehend that America isn't ready to listen to renowned forensic scientist Charlie Sheen about the 911 cover up or famed international arms inspector Sean Penn about the lack of WMD in Iraq or even that unbiased world liaison and senior CIA intelligence analyst, Barbara Streisand about the administration's manipulation of pre-war intelligence, but for Pete's sake, do we have to hate the Dixie Chicks?!?! They are hot!
Jim Quinn has a name for these folks; it is 'Moon-bat'. It fits!
September 14th, 2006 at 3:40 pmThe top prog host I can see on that list is Ed Schultz tied at 11 (which would actually be 21 if the ties were counted normally). That puts all the prog hosts below at least two financial advisors, two pop shrinks, and two sports commentators. Progressive radio is STRONG, man!
Comment by Seth II
Pathetic. Newspaper circulation is going nowhere and generally declining, CNN and MSNBC are getting spanked in the cable ratings on a regular basis, the major network news programs are on an inexorable decline, the lib's attempts at book writing usually end up on the $1 (but we'll take $0.50) table within a week.... Oh, and lest we forget this abortive attempt at a "progressive" radio network which is forced to bilk children's clubs out of funding in order to stay afloat (but not for long ;) )...
There is a God.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:43 pmThe right wing is sure to seize on Air America’s financial woes as a sign that progressive talk radio is unpopular. In fact, Air America succeeded at creating something that didn’t exist: the progressive talk radio format. That format is now established and strong and will continue with or without Air America.
Nice spin. Do you know how silly this sounds? It reminds me in 1984 when the government proclaims chocolate production is at an all time at the same moment it's cutting his chocolate ration.
Air America failure is not good for progressives, liberals (whatever) no matter how you slice it. Instead of trying to spin it as a victory, you may want to try a little self reflection as to why it didnt work. The "format" (whatever that means) was clearly rejected by the public which is not listening in any sizeable numbers. Having listened to the station, my opinion is that the radio personalities lectured too long and did not take many callers. The whole attractiveness of talk radio is that it is audience interactive. Of course, progressives dont really care about such interaction with the "common" man. The purpose of the listener is to sit there and be educated. Also, the message progressives send is that the U.S. is the cause of all the world's problems, capitalism is too flawed, etc. That message has been clearly rejected.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:44 pmQuote
"Chris -
I’m smiling right now. I’d be astounded if you really bought your own “let them kill us†argument. To apply that argument consistently you would also have to tell those we attack to just smile and let us kill them too. Yet, somehow I think you’d be against that. Am I wrong? "
We don't need to attack anyone.
If you want to influence what you may see as injustice, study how Gandhi took India back from the British.
You may not like him, yet the results hold a remarkable place in human history.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:47 pmIf you want to influence what you may see as injustice, study how Gandhi took India back from the British.
Dimwit: You see no difference between people who think they will go to heaven and have a non-stop, eternal stripper party for killing themselves and any non-Muslim (man, woman, child) they can, and the British Empire? Islam didn't take over India becasue it was stopped militarily. Had Ghandi tried to turn the other cheek to a Muslim fanatic, he'd have been dead and Allah would have been thrilled.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:53 pmRadio is the wrong avenue to reach "progressives". Most rely on endless hours of TV for what little information and half truths they need to form baseless opinions.
Most talk radio is conservative because that is how they reach working people.
September 14th, 2006 at 4:00 pmAnne coulter for president!!!
September 14th, 2006 at 4:01 pmChris - #499 said:
I like him plenty. He was intelligent and compassionate and I doubt I'll live long enough to see anyone like him arise. The advantage he had was that the citizenry among his adversaries respected him and didn't want him hurt or killed. He did not fear being killed, but had he been assassinated twenty years earlier than he was, the independence movement very likely could have turned out differently...and worse.
We do not have Ghandi's advantage of a sympathetic adversarial citizenry. Our adversaries and their supporters want a lot of Americans killed, and take the opportunities to fulfill that desire. The comparison is not adequate.
Ghandi and his supporters risked only their own lives. You're asking us to risk everybody's.
September 14th, 2006 at 4:03 pmI used to be a Democrat but changed my party affiliation to Independent recently. Air America and the Pelosi, Moore, Sheehan crowd pushed me over the edge. The Dems have become too shrill, and AAmerica was an outcome of that shrillness. Who wants to hear how horrible we Americans are all the time? So many lunatic rantings, especially from Randi Rhodes. A total turnoff literally. If Air America goes off the air for good, it can only be a positive thing. Maybe people like me might actually start listening to the so called Progressive message again.
September 14th, 2006 at 4:07 pmMKA+Atlanta
No need for name calling.
I think Osama has approval to kill around 11 million of us using nuclear means. This will probably be done. There is probably nothing at this point that can or will stop this.
We can occupy where we do not belong, we can kill all we want. And, we can reap the response to this. We can escalate to the destruction of man. Or, we can rise above this.