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The right controls the White House and Congress, and it dominates the radio talk show airwaves. But liberal radio is starting to show signs of progress. One example: the network Air America, which features comedian Al Franken and others. A year after its debut, it's expanding its reach and raising money. Can liberal radio turn more dials to the left?
· Springer Joins Left Radio
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20050127175909990003
Springer Adds Voice to Liberal Talk Radio
By JOHN NOLAN, AP
CINCINNATI (Jan. 26) - Liberal talk radio shows are beginning to find a place in American broadcasting after years of dominance by Rush Limbaugh and his conservative cohorts.
Despite the fresh infusion of high-profile names into market - including Jerry Springer, whose program started last week on WCKY-AM - no liberal talk show host can yet claim the clout of Limbaugh, whose show is heard on nearly 600 stations and reaches an audience of about 20 million each week.
Taken together, however, talk radio is clearly on the rise.
There are 1,316 news-talk radio stations, compared with 1,197 a decade earlier and 360 at the end of 1990, according to Inside Radio. Only the country music format, on 2,019 stations, is more prevalent.
Because station formats change so frequently and some stations offer both liberal and conservative commentators, industry officials aren't sure how many all-conservative or all-liberal talk stations there are.
Jones Radio Network distributes its liberal program by host Ed Schultz, which started a year ago, to 75 stations. Another 20 stations air the network's show featuring Stephanie Miller.
"I think that the listeners may have been there all along, but there wasn't entertaining progressive radio that was out there for them to listen to,'' said Amy Bolton, vice president of news and talk for Jones Radio, which is based in Denver.
"There's room for all types of talk radio, not just the conservative male that is quintessentially Rush Limbaugh,'' said Michael Harrison, editor and publisher of Talkers magazine, which covers talk radio and television.
Beginning in 2004, all-liberal radio networks and high-profile liberal talk shows such as "The Al Franken Show'' started as an alternative for listeners who felt alienated by the country's conservative swing, industry experts said.
"People want to hear somebody on the radio who talks like themselves,'' said Tom Taylor, editor of Inside Radio, an industry publication.
Two close presidential races indicate the size of the potential audience, said Jon Sinton, president of the liberal talk radio network Air America. "That's why we think it's a business,'' he said Tuesday.
New York-based Air America, which started last March, includes Franken's show and another commentary program by Randi Rhodes. The network's programs are now broadcast on about 45 radio stations, as well as the Sirius and XM satellite radio networks, Sinton said.
The conservative shows will continue to dominate because they had years to establish themselves, said John Rosso, a senior vice president with ABC Radio Networks, which distributes the program featuring the conservative commentator Sean Hannity.
Still, Bolton said the spread of the progressive format was encouraging.
"When we launched, everybody said we couldn't do it,'' Bolton said. "It simply takes time to build.''
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