(NY Daily News) After 2 years, Air America grows progressively upbeat

[brooklynite]

It was two years ago tomorrow that the progressive network Air America took to the radio, like a band of pioneers seeking a foothold in territory long dominated by hostile conservatives.
The ride has been as rocky as any 19th-century wagon train, and it's still not clear where the network is ultimately headed.

...snip...

Air America launched amid considerable optimism of its own - heady talk of buying its own network of stations while derailing the re-election of President Bush.

Bush survived. Air America almost fell.

...snip...

But new money arrived to keep it afloat as hosts like Al Franken and Rhodes started to build followings. Today, most of its marquee shows are heard in most major cities, albeit sometimes on lower-powered stations, and while its ratings have yet to match those of established conservatives like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, Air America CEO Danny Goldberg recently said he's optimistic.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ent_radio/story/404090p-342237c.html

[mzmolly]

1. AAR keeps getting better and better. I like what Randi said about the

critics below:

Affiliates, ratings and revenue are rising, he said, challenging critics, like Bill O'Reilly, who have regularly declared the network close to dead.

One of the major arguments by O'Reilly and other critics is that Air America will never succeed as long as it sounds like a Democratic Party mouthpiece.

Network hosts maintain they often chastize Democrats - over not opposing the war more strongly, for instance - and Rhodes says Air America's critics wouldn't be so persistent if the network wasn't making a difference.

"It's a sign of fear and loathing," she said. "They see where we've gotten with zero promotion, and they're terrified."