« March 2005 | Main | May 2005 »
Endorsement: Al Franken for Senator
Since I don't live in Minnesota or have an overwhelming interest in the state, I strongly endorse Al Franken in his apparent upcoming bid to replace Norm Coleman as Senator from Minnesota. Plus, it would be entertaining to watch him represent liberalism while perhaps trying to put his fellow Senators in headlocks in the Senate cloakroom or screaming drunken obscenities at them. Just imagine a hopped-up Al Franken at 3am on CSPAN!Franken appears to be serious, since he's moving himself and his show to Minneapolis. Salon's "Senator Franken?" has more:
...But he pauses, shrugs indecisively, a boyish chuckle follows. "I think. I don't know. That might be part of the calculus of whether I go for it or not." Whether Franken will "go for it" in 2008, against freshman Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, remains to be seen. "I can tell you honestly, I don't know if I'm going to run," Franken continues, as we now sit 41 floors below his studio, in the skyscraper's courtyard. "But I'm doing the stuff I need to do, in order to do it."(Via this)
[Jesse Ventura comments:] "Coleman is savvy. He's spun well. He's in very tight with President Bush... The moment [Franken] declares his candidacy, he has to go off the radio. He has to look forward to having his entire past exposed. He'd better come clean and be honest with it. If he's done drugs in the past, he better be honest about that. He better be honest about things he did at Harvard, if he has anything in the closet," because, Ventura emphasizes, Coleman is "going to have the Republican machine behind him 110 percent."
[University of Minnesota political scientist Lawrence Jacobs says:] "Al Franken is a comedian... He hasn't lived in the state for a number of years. Why do we take it seriously apart from the fact that this guy creates a scene?"
Posted in StuartSmalley at 12:03 PM | Comments (4)
Air America ratings: beating conservatives in San Diego!
Congratulations to Air America, as they're beating conservative talk in San Diego!
For example of how the reactionary bourgeois forces attempt to hide this fact, see the nifty table in the post "Liberal Radio Flopping in San Diego".
The post's very title is a running dog lie, as AAR is not flopping!
Yes, it has fallen a bit in the ratings from Summer 04 to Winter 05: from 2.6 to 1.6. And, yes, it is still behind KOGO, KFMB, and even Los Angeles' KFI by wide margins.
But, Air America is still surging ahead of conservative talker KCBQ! Do not listen to the counter-revolutionary forces that tell you that KCBQ offers the C Team of conservative talk: Laura Ingraham, Michael Medved, Dennis Prager, and Hugh Hewitt. Those are not the "C Team". They're the heart and soul of conservative talk, lead by chief BushBot Hugh Hewitt. Despite all the machinations against AAR, if they can beat a key BushBot like Hewitt, the future looks bright.
Posted in Meta at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)
Nothing to see here, move along
Drudge describes Air America's latest attempt at publicity: a "humorous" skit involving gun shots and a guy with a fake American accent talking about social security.
I believe nothing will happen concerning this for at least two reasons: it will be determined that there is no credible threat, and only "liberals" can do the sustained outrage bit.
If everything was reversed, you could expect 24/7 coverage from the major networks, 100,000 word pieces about this in the NYT, the mass signing of petitions, boycotts, protests, marches, T-shirts, ad infinitum. But, since the target is (putatively) conservative, expect this issue to be over with this week.
UPDATE: On today's show, she apologized for any misunderstanding.
She also taunted Drudge with "come out, come out wherever you are". Gay-baiting someone who says he's straight and was almost married?
In today's visual news, Randi says she doesn't have a computer at home and she was on the pot when she heard the news over the phone.
Also: "I'm so non-violent it's unbelievable"
She blames the segment on New York: it was written and put together in NYC. However, she takes full respon for items that appear on her show. She claims she only heard the end of the bit and she says that the bit was not funny from what she heard.
Now she wants to know who told drudge about the investigation.
Developing...
Posted in RandiRhodes at 11:40 AM | Comments (1)
Putting Air America's Winter 2005 ratings into their proper perspective
I enjoy writing this blog, and the last thing I want is for Air America to go under. So, I'd like to present the bright spots in AAR's latest ratings.
Both Brian Maloney and Byron York ("Air America’s Year of Decline") seem to be taking a great deal of glee in putting forth misleading information about Air America.
Both Maloney and York point out that the ratings for WLIB - AAR's flagship NYC station - remain the same as they did when the station broadcast Caribbean music and talk.
But, that's just it: WLIB's ratings have not "tanked," they've held steady! Imagine if WLIB had converted to, say, All Gary Numan, All the Time. Where would they be now? So, in a way, WLIB's ratings are higher than they would have normally been. In other words, compared to what might have happened, WLIB's ratings have seen a dramatic increase.
They also point out that WLIB is #31 on Long Island. Do you know how many radio stations there are on Long Island?
As for Los Angeles' KTLK, yes, they are indeed in 44th place and tied for last. Stations lower than that aren't even tracked. At first that might seem a bit grim.
But, let's look at the bigger picture and imagine if they'd converted KTLK into something like Urdu Chat. In that case, they might possibly have even been off the chart! It was the Air America format that kept KTLK on the chart!
Urdu Chat or the Phlebotomist Channel would have caused them to sink to oblivion.
AAR saved the day for KTLK!
Plus, Stephanie Miller is charging in to raise KTLK to at least #43 or #42.
Posted in Meta at 07:51 PM | Comments (0)
Does your radio empire need a write-off?
If you're considering becoming an Air America affiliate, Billboard has a FAQ here. While everything sounds good, there is one discordant fact: Jerry Springer and Al Franken will visit your market.
They present two shining examples of AAR ratings success: KPOJ in Portland and WINZ in Miami.
For those who understand radio ratings, here's some raw data for KPOJ: link, link, link. KPOJ comes in at #8, #10, and #14 in various ratings lists.
And, here are the ratings for WINZ in West Palm Beach and Miami. Your task: find the most obscure radio format that does better than Air America in either market. That shouldn't be hard.
Posted in Meta at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)
ChuckD to be rehabilitated
According to him, he wasn't fired and he hasn't left AAR. In fact, he'll be coming back next month with a new Sunday night show: "But a daily presence of a person of color besides Mark Riley in the morning could be needed to balance some of the things that appear to be redundant after about 5pm. Air America is still a necessary signal."
From publicenemy.com/index.php?page=page3
Posted in ChuckD at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)
Air America lands on "Redundant"
Pat Sajak discusses AAR in "Dead Air (America)". According to him, the problem with Air America is simple: the market is saturated. Who needs AAR when you can get the same viewpoint from the MSM?
Posted in Meta at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)
Memphis paper cares what Franken thinks
Stuart Smalley recently sat down for a chat with the editorial board of Memphis' Commercial Appeal newspaper. Apparently they had nothing better to do that day. Here's a snippet of Al Franken's wisdom:Q: You're trying to preach, "Let's be united," (but) your mode of operation seems to be divisiveness. Obviously it's satire. But there's still a divisive element to it.Now you know why people dislike Stuart. For instance, one of the members of the editorial board wrote this commentary about him: "'One-trick pony' Al is taking us for a ride".
Franken: Most of the time I find that people who characterize me that way don't know my work at all. About a week after the election, I got an e-mail from a guy in the Navy who's in the submarine corps. He had never heard me, never read anything I had written, and all he knew about me was stuff that he had heard from Rush Limbaugh, from (Bill) O'Reilly, and from Ann Coulter... [...he studies Air America, goes out and buy Stuart's books, studies them, learns, and writes back to Franken:] I apologize. I thought that I was smart enough to sort out the (nonsense) from these guys, and I guess I'm not."
Posted in StuartSmalley at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)
Danny Goldberg strikes back at the L.A. Times reactionaries
The Los Angeles Enquirer-Cageliner-Times prints an epistle ("Radio's Air America Is Finding an Audience") from Air America's CEO, Danny Goldberg concerning the recent L.A. Times piece "Why the Liberals Can't Keep Air America From Spiraling In".
Apparently that article is "petulant and inaccurate" and "there is a large and growing audience for liberal talk."
The letter includes these assertions that remain to be verified by our interns at Team BoreAmerica:
...Every one of the original stations that picked up Air America has experienced dramatic increases in ratings. Our audience more than quadrupled what it was just nine months ago... A recent study by the independent Paragon Media showed that in markets where we are on the air, the names Al Franken and Air America have a greater familiarity than any other talk-radio names except Rush Limbaugh. Our Internet stream reaches 1.3 million separate listeners a week, more than any conservative show...
The Times also publishes the thoughts of KTLK's Station Manager: "The truth is, like it or not, Air America and Progressive Talk radio are here, they are flourishing and this is only the beginning."
Posted in Meta at 05:23 PM | Comments (0)
Stephanie Miller on KTLK AM 1150 starts May 2
Stephanie Miller is going to be doing the morning show on Air America's Los Angeles affiliate, KTLK AM 1150, starting on May 2. Miller was previously on KFI and KABC, and she'll be replacing Morning Sedition's local broadcast.
Press release here. Her website here.
Miller was last (and first) mentioned here in this post. Apparently she doesn't know the difference between an Uzi and an AK-47.
However, now that we're able to monitor her, that will probably be just the first of a long series of mistakes noted herein.
UPDATE: The leader of Team BoreAmerica's reactionary running dogs has issued the following statement from his new headquarters in Moroznaya Zemlya, Siberia: "I am making this statement completely out of my own free will. Earlier I had stated that Morning Sedition had been canceled, and that is not true. For this I apologize. It was 'Unfiltered' that was canceled. Morning Sedition continues to fight the bourgeoisie, and for that I salute them and their valiant efforts. Earlier I had pointed to the post "Liberal hypocrisy at Air America?" which as all right-thinking people now know is completely immaterial in this context. I apologize to all comrades throughout the world for my errors."
Posted in AlsoRans at 12:22 PM | Comments (1)
Air America beholden to special interests?
Say it ain't so, but David Kirby, author of Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy (St. Martin’s Press, 2005), says that Air America canceled an appearance he had on their network:
"NPR and the Public Broadcasting System get a lot of money from drug companies," Kirby told Corporate Crime Reporter. "And they need whatever money they can get, so they are not going to offend any advertiser - ever. Whereas the major commercial networks have a little more leeway and play. They take more risks. The conservative press is anti-government, whereas the liberal press is so pro-public health - it is like the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) can do no wrong, doctors can do no wrong. It’s like - the liberal Democratic Party establishment created this public health system that we are so proud of, and we are not going to attack it."
"On the left, support of government public health programs trumps hatred of drug companies," Kirby said. "And the right is a little more divided. You have the pro-business right - the Bill Frist and the Wall Street Journal editorial side - who are defending the drug companies at all costs. And then you have the real anti-government and anti-bureaucracy types who fear and distrust government and think this [the mercury/autism link] is entirely plausible."
Posted in Meta at 04:35 PM | Comments (0)
Air America: Lance Armstrong retiring due to pressure from Big Oil
I can't substantiate this report, but it's too good to substantiate anyway:...today [Air America] really outdid themselves by saying that Lance Armstrong is being forced into retirement by "Big Oil", as they don’t appreciate the positive spin he's put on BIKING!The exact station and host involved was not given, but, then again, it could be any of them, right?
Posted in Meta at 08:17 PM | Comments (0)
Why advertise on Air America Minnesota?
Because, by advertising on Air America Minnesota, you'll get in on the ground floor of the liberal sensation that's rocking the nation! And, you'll join all the other fine advertisers on the Fastest Growing Radio Station in the Twin Cities! Hurry, before all the good spots are gone!Here are the other fine advertisers on Air America Minnesota:
Subaru Dealers of MinnesotaAnd, well, that's the end of that list.
Joshua Cleaning ("Mention Air America For a discount")
Carpet Network
American-made Air Purifiers (the site they give leads to a parked domain directory)
Amazing Husband Handyman (Russell Dedrick)
Via this, which also informs us:
...Funny thing is, I have yet to hear a paid spot. It's all PSAs all the time. In fact, if I hear the "Stroke" PSA one more time, I'm going to buy my own schedule on the off chance I can bump it from the rotation.
Now there’s an idea; create a series of satirical spots ripping the Left by supporting their numbskull ideology. They'll never get it.
Posted in Meta at 08:07 PM | Comments (0)
Megan Hils obsessive about social security
Kimberly Shroyer in the Queen City Forum has the scoop on Springer sidekick Megan Hils:...And her charm isn't manufactured. As the female sidekick to Springer and Jene Galvin, she joins two men who have been friends and political allies since the 70s on this cutting edge liberal call-in radio show based in Cincinnati . She doesn't pretend to be naturally schooled in politics. Galvin quips, "She's in the room because she says to young listeners and female listeners, 'Hey, I'm in this.' They have someone in there that is like [them]."Note that that page includes two huge photos inline, both featuring Hils. While Hils is certainly interesting, Kimberly steals the show.
Megan says her charm has nothing to do with it; she changes the dynamic of who is listening and how it's received. "I think I bring a youth perspective. I'm a little more center of the road than [Jerry and Jene]; they're extreme for anybody. I don't agree with Jerry and Jene on everything, but I think it's good to bounce ideas off of each other."
This year's election brought out many people who normally do not vote. Hils connects to that feeling as she intangibly grows with her listeners. "I have formed much stronger opinions about everything. For example, Social Security didn't really ever enter my daily thought. And now it's something I'm constantly thinking about; just every day things that I didn't realize how political they are..."
And, we learn that Jerry Springer has eschewed the Queen City for doing his part of the show from the Windy City.
(Via this)
UPDATE: I meant to discuss this in the post, but I forgot. You'll note that the tagline for the Queen City Forum is "always in it, always on it, always want it." And, you'll note that Jene Galvin says "I'm in this" and "They have someone in there".
You might be confused over this use of "in [something]", and you aren't alone. However, that usage is specific to the Queen City. In other words, they're Cincyisms. Roughly translated into English, to say that you're "in it" means, "I'm committed to building international Communism and struggling against the reactionary counterrevolutionary bourgeoise oppressors of the proletariat." Like I said, it's a Cincy thing.
Posted in PureClass at 08:52 PM | Comments (2)
The thoughtful side of Jerry Springer
Despite the title, "Taking out the trash" from the Chicago Tribune is a generally favorable portrait of America's favorite liberal. Grab a chair and check it out:..."We did sophisticated polling and focus groups, and there's no question the show is a negative," [Dale Butland, Springer's political spokesman] says. "People are willing to get past it, but what they also said clearly is that there has to be some separation between him and the show."Springer might run for governor of Ohio, and he has until February to get his name on the ballot. But, for now he's concentrating on serving as liberalism's spokesman on Air America.
..."We like the other side of Jerry--the thoughtful guy who has been a politician and policy-maker," says Jon Sinton, Air America's co-chief operating officer.
Sinton says the network was a little worried that listeners would react negatively to Springer, but early feedback has been surprisingly positive.
Springer "is a richly complex guy, and his TV persona melts away in the first 30 seconds you listen to his show," Sinton said. "He's a great spokesperson for a large number of Americans..."
[...describes a visit to a taping of the Springer (TV) show...]
"This is a guy who exploits human misfortune for a living," says Jason Mauk, a spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party. "And he expects that somehow Ohioans are shallow enough to set that aside and elect him to office. He has no moral or ethical ground to stand on."
"He's got a fat wallet," Mauk says. "They hope he'll drop a couple dollars while he's walking by. The number of people who hate him or what he represents--maybe not him personally--far outweighs the political support he needs to win in Ohio..."
The Trib also publishes a sidebar entitled "Springer's career":
...1974: He resigns from the Cincinnati council after police raid a Kentucky massage parlor and find a personal check Springer had written to a prostitute. He apologizes and is re-elected a year later...
Posted in PureClass at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)
Random musings April 15 2005
Eclipse Ramblings informs the world that two unspecified Air America hosts on an unspecified AAR station don't know the difference between an Uzi and an AK-47: "To make such nonsensical statements, the on-air "personalities" at Err America have to be woefully ignorant or are knowingly telling lies. Either one is not good."
On the other side of town, geographic unknown let's us all know: "Next Wednesday, April 20th, Mike Malloy the overnight host on Air America is going to have a Freeper call-in show for the first hour of his show."
And, concerning our post "Liberal hypocrisy at Air America?" I left a comment at springerontheradio.com (Springer's official blog) asking if Team Springer! had a comment on the article "Ethnic Cleansing at Air America". Let's see how long the comment stays there and if it gets a response.
I also note that the sitemeter stats for Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!'s blog are public, and they don't look too good: an average of 1345 unique visits per day.
Not that this blog's stats look too good either, but then again I don't have my own national radio show and I don't have backlinks from:
http://www.airamericaradio.com/shows/springer/
http://www.wtam.com/main.html
http://www.jerryspringer.com/
http://www.700wlw.com/main.html
http://www.wcky.com/lineup.html
[... and probably many more radio stations...]
I note that the google search jerry springer radio has Jerry's site as #3, so it's not like google is ignoring him. Despite that, he shows almost no google traffic.
I think it's a combination of two factors: no one really cares, and Jerry's fans only have computer access at libraries and other public facilities.
4/16/05 UPDATE: I looked at Springer's stats again and his daily average has gone down. And, out of 100 referrals he got maybe a dozen from google. He does have a lot of hits listed without a referral, so those might be type-ins or bookmarks. But, even so if it were my blog I'd be very curious as to why I'm getting so little SE traffic.
Posted in PureClass at 11:10 AM | Comments (1)
Liberal hypocrisy at Air America?
From the Counterpunch article "Ethnic Cleansing at Air America":When liberal Air America Radio Network yanked hip-hop legend Chuck D, a member of Public Enemy, off the air on April Fool's Day and replaced him with Jerry Springer, they made fools out of Black Democrats, especially those in the hip-hop community who believed Air America would serve as a shining example of the Democratic Party's purported commitment to tolerance, diversity, and partnership.Of course, when someone refers to firing someone who had no talent for radio as "ethnic cleansing" I guess we can pretty much ignore them. But, it should be fun to watch AAR squirm. Note also that the referenced group uses the word "apartheid." And, I'm surprised he didn't spell "clan" with a "K."
When the Coalition For A Just Cincinnati -- the group leading the economic boycott of Cincinnati -- decided to protest ethnic cleansing at Air America by picketing a live Springer broadcast, Jerry showed us just how intolerant he was. Like a scab, he crossed the picket line. Then he ordered a member of his all-white "Team Springer" clan to call the cops on us. In contrast, conservative Republican Sean Hannity welcomed protesting of his appearance in Cincinnati last summer. Who's intolerant?
...The removal of Chuck D -- one of only two daily African American talk show hosts -- represents much more than just the "whitening" of Air America, it symbolizes just how far the Party has drifted away from the Black community, it's most loyal support base...
The author's blog is even more far gone.
I note also that my buddy Jesse works or worked for Jerry, but perhaps isn't part of his "Team Springer" clan.
Posted in Meta at 01:24 PM | Comments (1)
I'd dearly love to, but she's going to have to ditch the dye job first
The title is my attempt to come up with a cheap pun based on Janeane's sitcom "All In" being picked up. The sitcom concerns Annie Duke, single mom and professional poker player.
Headlines include:
Garofalo has winning hand for NBC 'All In'
There are more. Surprisingly, the coverage from the National Enquirer is quite reserved, almost blurb-like.
A chronology of the casting is here. Rumor has it that the scripts for the first decade of the show have already been computed using template #B37.
For a taste of the echt, as always, we turn to the Poker Geek:
My guess is that you'll be able to say All In is about poker as much as you can say Everybody Loves Raymond is about writing a sports column.
6-21-05 UPDATE: Now see Janeane Garofalo poker sitcom not picked up.
Posted in Janeane at 09:33 PM | Comments (0)
AAR, XM, AOL, STFU
XM is now the exclusive satellite radio network for Air America. From the press release:
XM Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: XMSR), the nation's leading satellite radio provider with more than 3.77 million subscribers, has announced a new long-term agreement with Air America Radio, the national progressive entertainment talk radio network home to Al Franken, Randi Rhodes and Janeane Garofalo. As part of this agreement XM will be the official satellite radio network for Air America Radio... Beginning in May, XM's liberal talk channel, America Left (XM Channel 167) will be renamed Air America Radio...
AAR is currently on both Sirius and XM, and sharp-eyed readers will note the difference between "official" and "exclusive".
MediaWeek, in what could just be a rewrite of the above press release, says this will be exclusive.
However, someone claims to have received an email from XM's manager of Corporate Affairs in which she says:
Based on our new long-tern agreement, XM will be the only satellite radio provider to offer Air America Radio programming...In very similar news, XM also recently signed a deal with AOL:
This is the first time XM is partnering with an Internet company — but is AOL really the best partner? Sure, it's got a big, fat base of subscribers — but AOL's member ranks have been in decline for years, and aren't viewed by advertisers as, shall we say, the most desirable demographic out there...
Now, what does that remind you of?
Posted in Meta at 12:10 PM | Comments (0)
More "Left of the Dial" reviews
LogicalMeme reports:
...It stands to reason that if you put together a bunch of latte-sipping, bleeding hearts into an office building and ask them to form an efficiently operated business, chaos will ensue...
Ann Althouse raves:
Last night, I watched that new HBO documentary about Air America called "Left of the Dial." That is, I watched a lot of it, fell asleep, and woke up during the closing credits...
Crocodile Caucus laughed, cried:
...In all honestly I was kinda underwhelmed...
Previously: the DUmmies have their reviews.
UPDATE: There's another review here. It's got some juicy quotes from the show. Concentrate on those and try to ignore the use of words like "adumbrate."
And, there's a podcast review of Left of the Dial here.
Posted in Meta at 12:24 PM | Comments (0)
KXXT's recipe for Air America success
KXXT is an Air America affiliate in Phoenix, and they seem to have found the perfect recipe for success as an AAR affiliate: keep the AAR name, and ditch the AAR shows.
Their website is certainly one of the worst I've ever seen, complete with scrolling banners and the like. And, it doesn't seem to have been updated recently because it still shows them broadcasting the full AAR lineup.
Now, see "Doctor passing test as talk-show host, earns 2-hour slot at KXXT". They've turned over their 7-9pm weekdays slot to a relative newcomer to radio, "Dr. Mike" Newcomb. And, Charles Goyette does 7-10am weekdays. Now, all they need to do is replace the national loons with local loons in the other key slots, and they'll be all set for ratings success.
Posted in Meta at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)
Not So Golden Mike Malloy
Air America's looniest talk show host, Mike Malloy, recently was selected as the N.Y. Air Awards' "Best Talk Show".
The NYAA is given out by the... March of Dimes. I believe they selected him based on comic and entertainment value and not because they necessarily agree with LIHOP or Malloy's stance on the Bush Crime Family.
Here's who he beat:
Curtis Sliwa and Ron Kuby (The former leans right, the latter leans way far left. Kuby, together with William Kunstler, invented Colin Ferguson's "black rage" defense and America thanks them for that gift to society.)
Joan Hamburg ("Exciting Information And Consumer Advice". Probably of the far left variety, although as we've never heard of her before we aren't sure.)
Karen Hunter & Steve Malzberg (He leans right, she wrote a book on Al Sharpton.)
For those not keeping score, that's five or six "liberals" vs. two conservatives. And, half of the nominees were from Air America. Although I'm not familiar with NYC talk radio, I have to believe there's a larger and more balanced pool to select from.
Posted in MikeWho at 04:48 PM | Comments (2)
Air America ratings controversy
Is Air America surging ahead and bringing liberalism to corners near and far? Or, are their ratings flat and could Clear Channel have reasons other than ratings for trying out the new format? Industry observer Brian Maloney reports:Despite a huge effort by radio syndicators and online supporters to make liberal talk radio appear successful, the truth is that it continues to struggle to gain listenership, as measured by the Arbitron ratings service...
So far, the conversion of a significant conservative talker to a "progressive" format in Providence, Rhode Island, has been an unmitigated disaster...
Air America's flagship New York station [WLIB] is failing to generate any audience growth, both in-city and in outlying areas. The ratings information is for the broadest listener measurement category, persons 12 and older, 6am to midnight daily...
...Boston liberal talker shows anemic, miniscule 0.6 audience share in numbers released minutes ago. Conservative talker WTKK increases again to 4.3 from 4.1 share. Conservative WRKO steady with a 4.0. This is Boston we are talking about here!
San Diego "progressive" talker KLSD drops from 2.3 to 1.9 in brand new data. Conservative talkers KOGO and KFMB miles ahead with 5.5 and 4.5, respectively...
Posted in Meta at 02:43 PM | Comments (3)
Sounds like a job for Bud Dickman
Spotted on craigslist:Harrison on the Edge is a progressive talk show done by the openly gay son of a neo Nazi. [And you thought Jeff Foxworthy's shtick got old real quick -- LW] The show is airing on LA’s Progressive Talk KTLK AM 1150 Saturday nights from 7-10 p.m. [At least it's not Sunday morning at 4am -- LW]
From political conspiracies to pop culture, Harrison focuses on the distinctive intelligence, talent, humor and personality of his guests—from A-list to Black list—pulling out their very best.
...We are seeking a Producer Intern... The Producer Intern will also occasionally appear on-air as an enhancement to the show.
...Job location is Burbank
Compensation: Internship for credit
Posted in AlsoRans at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)
KTLK AM 1150 developing local talkers
Uh oh:...Well, it seems as though the local lib outlet has picked up the concept quicker that a fourteen year old boy picks up the puberty, as Progressive Talk KTLK AM 1150 begins to fertilize their homegrown eggs by giving birth to their own local talent. While the introduction of a local weekend lineup of Johnny Wendell, Cary Harrison and some guy who will appear a bit later in this column's credits, doesn't mean the babies will automatically grow into strapping leftist Hannitys and Limbaughs or even somewhere-in-between John & Kens, it does mean that progressive radio seems to be learning from their earlier Air America reproduction missteps. LA's local lefties start hanging up on right April 9...
STEVE YOUNG, author of "Great Failures of the Extremely Successful" takes the KTLK 1150AM mike every Saturday, 1-4 PM beginning April 9th. His blog can be found at www.theunfilteredtruth.com
Posted in Meta at 11:48 PM | Comments (0)
Blog surf, read, and get it wrong: Part 2
From this:...Wednesday night, [Mike] Malloy reported that the Michigan legislature had passed a bill that would enable health care providers to refuse to perform a medical service if doing so was contrary to their religious convictions. Or as Malloy put it, "There is a law working its way through the Michigan legislature if doctors or other health care providers cannot be disciplined or sue if they refuse to treat gay patients…."* Malloy claimed that Michigan Catholics proposed the bill "to kill and destroy gay people."
...But Malloy had to rewind himself on Thursday night's show, acknowledging that his hot news tip was a year old and the proposed legislation is stalled in a Senate committee...
Posted in MikeWho at 11:32 AM | Comments (0)
Blog surf, read, and get it wrong
From the 4/1/05 press release "Air America Attacks Against Public Advocate Welcomed but Unfounded":A Public Advocate fundraising letter posted on a left-wing blog site was read on Air America today [by Randi Rhodes --LW]. The liberal radio network insinuated that the letter was sent to the Terri Schindler Schiavo donor list by Public Advocate--an accusation that is completely false.
Public Advocate of the United States, a national pro-family group based out of northern Virginia, has supported Terri and her parents during her long fought unsuccessful fight for her life, however the group has never and has no future plans to mail to any of her donors.
"While we are honored to be attacked by the left-wing extremists at Air America, we wish they would get the facts straight..."
Posted in RandiRhodes at 11:26 AM | Comments (0)
Another reason to distrust Wikipedia
[4/9/05: final (?) update: CalicoCat (mentioned in the update) suggested I create a new category to put this blog in. After I did that, he deleted the new category I created and put this blog in the "External links" section. OK, fine. I'm willing to compromise. Since he put it there it might stay there, but I'll keep a watchful eye peeled just to make sure no one else comes along and removes it.] I added BoreAmerica to the Air America Radio entry at Wikipedia, and it was promptly removed. Let's see if this message I posted to their talk page suffers a similar fate:Earlier today I added BoreAmerica.com to the "Fan sites: Message boards, archives, chat rooms" section, and it was removed by ClockworkSoul with this message: "Remove POV anti-blog. This contributes nothing notable or informative to the article." If BoreAmerica doesn't add anything, then neither do the fan sites. Or, are only sites that support AAR allowed? Is a critical discussion of AAR not allowed? Since I've covered negative information on AAR - information that you probably won't find at the fan sites - don't you think those coming to this page might not get the complete picture?At post time, here are the links in that section:
- Unoffical Air America Message Board
- Unofficial fan site
- Air America Links Unofficial link and streaming site
- Air America Place audio archive
- White Rose Society, The Mike Malloy Show archives in MP3 format
- The Randi Rhodes Show, archives in MP3 format
- Archived Radio shows
- Independent Air America Radio IRC Chat channel (chat room) on Undernet
4-07-05: There's an update below... 4-07-05 UPDATE: "CalicoCat" responds to the comment I posted at the talk page with the following. I think everyone will agree that he amply demonstrates his biases. Nevertheless, I'm going to do as he suggests and add it to a new section.
You might open up a sub-category in External Links for right-wing nut-job sites that are critical of AAR, but not just any old blog that has some ad hominem screed about "that nasty, commie, pinko, anti-american, stupid liberal joke of a radio network, ditto, ditto, ditto" thing. Also, the category is "fan sites, message boards, blogs, etc." so adding that there would not be appropriate, to my way of thinking, since they obviously are not "fan sites."I responded:
In general, I'd caution againt turning this article into some kind of horrible "debate" page, or quasi-editorial, that's not what wikepedia is. See what wikipedia is not. As it standands, this is an article about the entity air american radio. That said, you might draft some other section about Criticism of Air American, however, it would have to be drafted with care to make it neutral and factually supported. For what it's worth, I've noticed more reversionism (censorship)of information criical of the likes of Rush Limbaugh and so on; but, on the other hand, some of the better pages on -- to quote Mike Malloy -- "flying monkey right-wing talkshow hosts do stick to the subjects of the articles and are presented in an accurate and neutral fashion. For example, I added a site showing some the gross distortions and lies factually documented about Bill O'Rielly and no one's removed it, just an external link. It was a good source, brought out another point of view in a neutral, factual way. Wikipeidia is not for editorializing, even weasel-worded editorializing. "some peple think" kind of phrases. See weasel words. I'd keep the focus as it is, on the -- who, what, where, when, why, how -- of Air American Radio itself. Hope this helps... Calicocat 14:46, 6 Apr 2005 (UTC)
"right-wing nut-job sites"? Quite an interesting way of looking at things. In any case, my blog BoreAmerica.com (http://boreamerica.com) has been online for over a year and, except for housekeeping entries like this one (http://boreamerica.com/archives/2005/04/another-reason-to-distrust-wikipedia.html) it's all about Air America, their hosts, and their outside projects. And, I cover the things you won't read at the fan sites currently listed at the entry. As it stands now, this entry has a great deal of pro-AAR information, but not very much about their various problems.
Quoting from the NPOV: "The policy is easily misunderstood. It doesn't assume that it's possible to write an article from a single, unbiased, objective point of view. The policy says that we should fairly represent all sides of a dispute, and not make an article state, imply, or insinuate that any one side is correct."
So, I just created a new category as you suggested. LonewackoDotCom 11:45, 7 Apr 2005 (PST)
Posted in Blog at 07:14 PM | Comments (0)
"Al Franken is really like a genius"
The titular quote is from Danny Goldberg, the new CEO of Air America. Nikki Finke (who identifies herself as "a regular unpaid contributor on Air America shows") interviewed him for the L.A. Weekly (which makes the L.A. Times look like the Washington Times) in "Goldberg Flies Air America":...Gone are the monologues and monotones of former politicians Mario Cuomo and Jim Hightower and even lawyers like Alan Dershowitz. Just as Democracy Radio sought out converted former Republican and ex–football player Ed Schultz, whose syndicated show has gone from two radio outlets to 77 in the past year, Air America also thought outside the box.I note that Chuck D's bio is still on AirAmerica's site, right under the graphic of a smiling Jerry Springer. Does he have a new show that replaces Unfiltered?
It offered gigs to liberally attuned comedians Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo and Marc Maron as well as media and politics veterans Marty Kaplan, Laura Flanders and Mark Riley. Expecting Franken to go head-to-head with Limbaugh in many markets was a huge risk for such a radio and political neophyte. Even liberals who had heard he would be the cornerstone of Air America’s programming feared Franken would make a fool of himself. But when Goldberg began listening to him, "I thought, 'My God, Al Franken is really like a genius.' He’s brilliant at taking complicated issues and, with a strict focus on the facts and logic, refuting conservative arguments. To be involved with somebody like that is such an honor." And he also describes as "very good" Randi Rhodes, who, before Air America gave her a national platform, was beating Rush Limbaugh in the ratings in her Palm Beach County listening area.
Public Enemy rapper Chuck D and eight-time Grammy nominee Steve Earle have new shows...
Anyhoo, while Nikki Finke might be a real entertainment reporter (it was she who broke the news about Ronald Reagan's death by calling in to Drudge's radio show and convincing him she was a real reporter), wouldn't it have been a bit better to send someone who's not affiliated with the network to do the interview?
(Via this)
Posted in Meta at 01:20 PM | Comments (0)
Jerry Springer to rescue liberalism, liberal radio
The NY Times covers his first day in "Politics, Yes, but No Fistfights for Jerry Springer on Radio":...His critics may scoff at being called crass by the host of such television episodes as "Male Siamese Twins" and "I Refuse to Wear Clothes." But Mr. Springer insists his radio program is political, and a far cry from his television program..."The Rhetoric" asks: Will they guests fight until an Air America radio security guard gets involved? A take from the other side here. Includes a review of "Left of the Dial"! A 1998 article includes the following:
In recruiting Mr. Springer, Air America Radio got an established celebrity with a dedicated audience...
Each personality on Air America draws "a slightly different audience composition," said Danny Goldberg, the chief executive of Air America, a subsidiary of Progress Media. "What we're trying to do is broaden out the progressive audience."
Mr. Goldberg added that Mr. Springer appealed to a large national fan base. "He's got a real brilliance at talking about complicated political ideas in a conversational, accessible manner," he said...
"He exploits every human vulnerability and every debased human behavior for the sake of ratings," said Robert Peters, spokesman for Morality In Media, a New York-based organization that monitors the content of TV shows. "The show focuses on the kind of behavior that civilized people have been trying to curb since the beginning of civilization."Plus ca change...
Posted in PureClass at 11:53 AM | Comments (0)
Air America's target listener
I believe this is set as the home page of every marketeer working at Air America. The starry night background might perhaps be forgiven if it didn't contain things like this:
We went to Cincinnati to be volunteers and poll monitors for the non-partisan group, People for the American Way, for this 2004 Election day......Our spirits were extremely distraught by the outcome of the election... We encourage you to BE BRAVE, to nourish your spirits and trust that the universe is "unfolding as it should". It is vital that we seek the truth and stay encouraged...
Listen to AIR AMERICA RADIO...
...Randi Rhodes, Goddess of Fiery, Fearless Facts and Faithful Fortitude, and her compatriots at Air America are presenting to us the TRUTH that corporate media will not reveal.
Of course, I removed the poetic line breaks. There's also a pic of Randi Rhodes at the link, but it's not as good as the one here.
Posted in Meta at 06:15 PM | Comments (0)
