Did You Listen to Air America

[MineralMan]

Poll question: Did You Listen to Air America

on a regular basis? I'm curious, since I never really did listen to it as a primary radio station. Comments are appreciated.

[GoCubsGo]

1. I could only get it via online streaming

Once they dumped Sam Seder for Lionel, I gave up on them.

[MineralMan]

2. Thanks for the additional information!

[hlthe2b]

12. Sam Seder was great... to choose Lionel over him was insane.

Lionel was as bad as Alex Bennet is now on XM-Sirius on their supposed LW channel.

[Strelnikov_]

22. I hung on for Sammy's weekend show and Hartman

When Hartman left, would still stream Break Room Live and the Ring of Fire pod.

Once they canned BRL this summer, I was pretty much done.

[dana_b]

47. same here

our local "liberal" station didn't carry Air America anymore however they still broadcast Malloy, Rhodes, Hartmann, Schultz and a few others.

[hlthe2b]

3. From the day it began until they basically dismantled it..(well before its demise).

I remember waking up at 4AM Mountain TIme to listen to the hilarious Marc Maron and company on MOrning Sedition. I loved that mix of zany comedy skits with really cathartic political discourse and some super interviews including live interviews with Michael Ware from Iraq--one of the few reporters to REALLY cover what was happening in Iraq. Unfortunately, that innovative period was very short-lived.

Once Al Franken left for MN, the drama and back-stabbing that lead to the loss of Mike Malloy and Sam Seder, as well as the nasty situation that was Randi Rhodes at the time, left little reason to listen after about year 4. I would have listened to Ron Reagan and Robert Kennedy on Ring of Fire in its remaining couple of years, but the local affiliate dropped them as did XM satellite. Ring of Fire will continue with Westwood One syndication and it seems probable that Ron Reagan will pop up somewhere. The first years of AAR were fun and innovative. Sadly, they had very destructive management.

[MineralMan]

4. Thanks.

[leeroysphitz]

5. I streamed them at first while I was at work but each show would focus on the same 4 or 5

talking points. So It became impossible to listen for any length of time without getting bored by the repetition.

I gave up on them completely when they let Springer on board.

[Ruby the Liberal]

6. It never aired anywhere I have lived.

[NorthCarolina]

15. Same for us here.

There was a station in Asheville, NC at one point, but we were unable to receive it here in Charlotte.

[FormerDittoHead]

7. I was a subscriber, but firing Mike Malloy then hiring Lionel did it for me.

I HATED what they did to Mike Malloy and Lionel was a BIG, FAT MISTAKE.

[katandmoon]

8. I couldn't get past the nastiness of Randi Rhodes.

[MineralMan]

9. Keep the comments coming. Thanks to everyone who is posting.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

10. I tuned in a few times

but the shows I caught seemed to be about clever digs against republicans, not much informative on issues, so it got old real fast.

:hi:

[jonnyblitz]

11. nope, not a talk radio fan. nt

[Smarmie Doofus]

13. Listened reguarly to Franken and others in the early years.

One had to navigate around the relentless tedium of Jerry Springer ( good god, how did he get on there).

They lost me altogether when they dropped Ron Kuby for Montel Williams. Too much navigation required at that point. That was my "drive time".

Thereafter, I occasionally caught Reagan's show. He was/is good. Wish he'd can the radio stuff and run for office.

[Sebastian Doyle]

14. Used to listen to it all day long

But that was back in 2004/2005 when they actually had a full schedule of the original shows.

It all started to fall about when they betrayed Mike Malloy on August 30, 2006. (Yeah, I know the Morning Sedition fans will say it happened before then, but that show was on too early for my time zone, so it never really existed for me.)

They had none of their original talent left by the time they closed the doors, unless you count Rachel - and that was just a rebroadcast of her MSNBC show, no longer original programming. And Ring of Fire on Saturdays, though that show apparently won't miss a beat, since they were self-produced.

They fucked Mike Malloy. They fucked Al Franken. (both are still owed about $100,000 which neither will probably ever see now) They fucked Randi Rhodes. They fucked Sam Seder on at least three different occasions. Hell, they even fucked Jerry Springer, though admittedly his show was far too low key for a morning time slot - partially his own fault for deliberately NOT wanting to allow any comparison to his TV show.

Ron Reagan was the only show among the Mark Green era replacements that was worth a shit, and I really hope he gets back on the air soon. Other than that, there's really nothing left to miss about Air America.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

16. I listened every time I drove my car.

[elocs]

17. I've always felt like the freepers listen to their radio gods and we listen to ours.

Each side preaches to their own choir and each choir shouts, "AMEN!" to what they hear. The radio gods wax on with righteous indignation and the choir is just orgasmic how they are on fire.

No matter which side it is, I prefer to think for myself instead of parroting someone else's lines. I'll leave that to the teabaggers and freepers.

[hlthe2b]

19. During its best years, you could actually learn something..

Some of the shows actually presented real news and interviews or did real reporting (Ring of Fire with Bobby Kennedy and Mike Papantonio for example). They weren't all about cathartic preaching to the choir, though Janeane Garofolo tended to do so quite a bit. Al Franken had quite a bit of really good regular interviews, though with pretty mainstream folks. I credit Marc Maron (Morning Sedition) with bringing people like Michale Ware to our attention (with REAL Unvarnished reporting from Iraq) well before any MSM would do so.

[Strelnikov_]

25. Agree. When Sammy was doing a daily show I could get up to speed

Also, I get kind of hearing the 'preached to' meme. These are obviously people who never listened to the truly 'progressive' AAR programs in their day. Sammy would call out both sides, which is probably why he was canned so many times.

[ProfessorGAC]

18. I Don't Listen Constantly, But If I'm In The Car For A While. . .

. . .i'll tune in for Ed or Thom. I don't listen at night, and i only catch the morning show occasionally. I like Stephanie, but i'm hardly ever in the car during her show.
GAC

[Liberal In Texas]

36. You of course know that none of those shows you mentioned are Air America.

Thom Hartmann was for awhile after Franken left to run for the senate. AAR was so badly managed it'll hardly be noticeable that it's gone.

[ProfessorGAC]

48. Sorry

The big progessive station on Chicago was, i thought, Air America.
GAC

[tnlurker]

20. Only for the 18 months or so

That the station lasted in Memphis. They changed to a sports format after about 18 months so we longer got Air America.

[shotten99]

21. I never felt it necessary to have my own thoughts parroted back to me.

[hlthe2b]

28. That seems pretty insulting to others here

Did you ever listen or is this your assumption of what it was like?

[CrownPrinceBandar]

23. When it first came on the air...........

I thought their lineup was the strongest. Franken, Seder, Bobby Kennedy Jr. and Maron made for some interesting listening. I'm also greatful to AA for turning me onto Rachel Maddow, whom I've come to greatly respect.

[Quixote1818]

24. Nothing has changed here in Albuquerque. We never had AA but we have always had

Thom Hartmann, Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller, Randi Rhodes etc. We still get them today just like we always did. AA made bad decisions especially allowing investors who were calling the shots and getting rid of the real talent. Still AA allowed a lot of talent to get launched like Rachel's snow on MSNBC.

[hlthe2b]

26. Launching pad for one tv star pundit (Maddow) & one US Senator

Not bad...

[Quixote1818]

34. Yeah, and there are still plenty of progressive radio shows now. nt

[eridani]

50. That's the major point, I think

We needed them a few years ago and now we don't.

[abq e streeter]

41. Another DUer here in cold snowy Albuquerque

I posted below that I'd miss it, but I guess I didn't realize that 1350 AM wasn't really AA....thought we were going to lose these shows; Hartman etc... So you're saying that we'll continue to get the ones you mentioned on 1350? That'd be very good news.

Edit just to say :hi: to my fellow Albuquerquean (Albuquerqueoid?)

[blogslut]

27. I did initially

But listened less and less after the 2004 election. Eventually, they pretty much shut the doors to free internet streaming so I gave up on it.

[Warren Stupidity]

29. shitty low power am - how not to launch a network

[Liberal In Texas]

39. They didn't own the stations.

It was a network that local stations could opt to run all or parts.

The lousy low power stations they and other progressive talkers wind up on is more due to the media consolidation where 2 or 3 companies own almost all the stations in any one market.

That's why you can hear Limpballs on multiple stations no matter where you are.

[CatholicEdHead]

30. No, I was out of range of the closest station

So I usually have public radio on.

[frylock]

31. till they killed it in san diego..

i think it was in 2006.

[devilgrrl]

32. Yes, until they got Lionel.

I'm sick of talk radio anyway - where's the music?

[DailyGrind51]

33. I listen to WCPT in the Chicago area.

[Fading Captain]

35. A few times. I found it nearly as bad as RW talk

There was a morning show with some woman and a hyperactive sound effects guy.
It was terrible...
Not funny.
I didn't like Franken's show either. Or Randi Rhodes.

Schultz/Mallow/Hartmann were good, but on when I wasn't near a Radio.

After awhile, I grew tired of political radio.

[Cleita]

37. Yes, but now that I think about it the shows I listened to via

my AAR affiliate are shows that aren't AAR, like Thom Hartmann, Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz, Randi Rhodes and Mike Malloy.

[Greyhound]

38. Every day until they turned it over to the MBA jackasses. Not anymore. n/t

[abq e streeter]

40. Only in the car, but that is usually close to an hour a day between going to and from work

running errands etc.....Hartman especially.I ALWAYS learn something when I listen to him. I usually agree with Randi,and also find her sometimes informative, but find her so obnoxious and annoying that I rarely last more than a few minutes before turning on some music...Stephanie Miller is very entertaining in the AM. Like most people here, could not stand Lionel,and Springer was an out and out embarrassment . Overall, I will definitely miss it.

On edit, according to a fellow Albuquerque poster above, our station is not technically AA, and we will continue to get Hartman et al. Good news for us...

[michreject]

42. Only talk radio I listen to is Pro Football

otherwise it's music.

[HooptieWagon]

43. Listened at the beginning via online streaming.

Quit listening around the time they fired Seder, Malloy, and Maron. Lost interest in DLC talk radio.

[umyeah]

44. I tried. I really did.

But it just didn't sell. They had a fair shot.

[Edweird]

45. They played 'The Stephanie Miller' show, (Jones Network) and that was my favorite.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

46. I was a loyal listener until they murdered their own programming. nt

[eridani]

49. Yes, though my local affiliate mainly carries non-Air America programs

Hartman, Schultz, Malloy and others are syndicated elsewhere. That has turned out to be a good thing, because AM 1090 KPTK is doing well. Ron Reagan lives in Seattle and will keep doing his show for the station--hopefully he can get it syndicated somewhere else also.

[Ganja Ninja]

51. I listened to it early on but once they did away with Morning Sedition

it started to go down hill and I gave it up.

[DFW]

52. It was never easy, as I had to grab podcasts on the net

But I always enjoyed Ring of Fire, as well as Thom Hartmann and Al Franken when he was on.

Obviously, it wasn't available live here in Europe.

[racaulk]

53. I did.

When I first found Air America, it was being transmit on a low powered AM frequency here in the Atlanta area. It was a complete breath of fresh air after years of hearing the crap that passes for radio around here (awful morning radio programs, the same 10 songs played repeatedly, etc). After that station was sold and its format changed, I invested in an XM unit for my car so I could keep listening to Air America. Now I can't imagine living without my satellite radio!

:hi:

[Festivito]

54. Yes. I wanted to fact-check them. Also, radio is useful.

I'd use someone else's car on occasion and tune the channel in to very good results.

Having our kind of information out there on a "real media" makes it real to people, makes it truth.

Without it, only Republicans proliferate such truth.

But, the reach of our local station is abominable.
It can't be well heard in downtown Detroit where people work.
It can't be well heard along peripheral expressways.
And, it's running is awful.
Long outages of dead air.
Ridiculous hours of repetitious connection attempts.
and, playing commercials or music over parts of the programs (at very conspiracy-inciting moments).
It also cuts to local sports some evenings, but that is okay. Just not good for a junkie like myself.

Thanks, if you're listening.

[dembotoz]

55. when i could get it. Milwaukee never got a station

and my little car radio could not pull in madison or chicago.

Milwaukee airwaves are just filled with rw hate anyway.

[live love laugh]

56. Air America seemed to have a deathwish--and it was fulfilled

They constantly changed in too short a time so that you never could settle in and get used to your favorite program or host.

[Orsino]

57. Only to Randi, and a little Malloy.

And to Maron/Riley, while they lasted. Now I only get Randi, via satellite.

[Tracer]

58. I listened until it was eliminated.

The station that carried it changed their format to Spanish music.

[slackmaster]

59. I couldn't get past the tone of Randi Rhodes' voice

The combination of New York speak plus rising inFLECTION at the end of every PHRASE made me want to throw my RADIO out the WINDOW.

[Norrin Radd]

60. Stopped when they got rid of Morning Sedition and then the Majority Report.