Why Air America Sucks
by Brian JenningsAs a talk radio pro who defends and cherishes free speech, it’s time for me to weigh in on why Air America sucks. It’s not that I want them to fail – they already have once. As a free speech advocate, I cheer for their success – unlike what many liberals hope for conservative talk which I helped establish in America. But, since its inception, Air America has been a failure. After its first financial disaster, it is attempting to make a comeback and has new and credible leadership in industry veterans Bennett Zier and Bill Hess. But, it’s a long climb out of a deep hole.
Air America’s newest ace is none other than former TV huckster Montel Williams. He follows Jerry Springer who followed none other than…..Al Franken. Now, there is some name value in all three, but the first two failed in radio. Franken was an absolute disaster. As I wrote in my upcoming book “Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio,” Franken didn’t know he had to have something between the ears to do a three-hour radio talk show each day. And, that’s what so many of these non-radio personalities don’t get. Doing a three-hour radio talk show takes hours of prep time. Most hosts spend about three hours of prep time for each hour of on-air time. These guys just walked into the studio and thought it would happen automatically. Listeners would flock to them….they were superstars…NOT! There are no teleprompters in radio!
I once watched Franken accept an award in New York before a gathering of radio executives a few years ago and I almost puked. We were ready for a 5-10 minute acceptance speech, but what we got was a 30-40 minute rant against Bush. Nothing but whining. And this was at a cocktail party gathering. We all walked out.
Those liberals who have made it in talk radio don’t have an association with Air America. Some stations have a liberal lean and work in markets like San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle. Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz and Thom Hartmann have gained success independent of Air America. But ratings nationwide are next to nothing for Air America stations.
There are many reasons why Air America has so far failed to gain traction with listeners. One is because most of the media is already liberal and it’s questionable whether there’s more room for more liberalism in the media today. Look at NPR as one example: it’s ratings are at an all-time high, so why many liberals are calling for a return of “fairness” regulations is beyond any normal logic. But we’re not talking about logical people.
When Air America first began, it was comprised of a bunch of non-professional whiners. They put ideology ahead of entertainment value. None were a match for Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Mark Levin, Lars Larson, and any number of radio professionals who were entertaining as well as informative. Air America was not entertaining–it was “acid reflux” in our speakers. They had nothing positive to say about anything. Meantime, conservative talkers have always been more positive, happy, and genuine and this resonates with America. It’s at the core value of what conservatives believe. Traditionally, we are an optimistic group of people and believe in the goodness of the individual. Air America sounded the complete opposite and so American ears turned away.
Air America also fails to resonate in the heartland. Most decent people still believe in an old fashioned handshake as their bond. There was no handshake coming from Air America. There was from Rush and always will be. Air America is also having trouble generating revenue because entrepreneurs and hard-working business people who tend to buy radio advertising believe in spending their money conservatively – and with conservatives. They support their core values with their core dollars. Air America doesn’t have as many sources of revenue due to socioeconomic values in America. As an example, conservative radio in Portland, Oregon does four times as much revenue as the liberal station, according to my long time sales sources in the market. The reason is as mentioned above.
When the Fairness Doctrine was lifted in 1987, conservatives could come out and voice an opinion on the radio without fear of government retribution. There was so much pent up demand that it took off like wildfire. There just isn’t that same pent up demand for liberal talk because it is everywhere to begin with. It’s the law of supply and demand. And, of course liberals don’t understand that.
So, back to Montel Williams. Good luck.
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178 Comments
Umm, I believe that's actually spelled "Err America".
It's popularity- or lack thereof- brings to mind an old lefty expression, "What if they gave a bore and nobody came?"
"After its first financial disaster, it is attempting to make a comeback…"
Oh great… now Air America will want bailout money.
Montell Williams? Are you kidding me?
Well, gosh – if NPR leans to the left, then if the Fairness Doctrine is reinstated we should be able to get conservative viewpoints aired on it!
Oh wait…"fairness" is for OTHER people. Never mind.
Isn't this going to cut into the time he has for hawking those "collectible" Obama coins and plates?
NPR is really the dirty secret on why Air America is failing. Any liberal who wants to listen to a radio show tunes in NPR. Of course they have to play this kabuki dance where NPR pretends its unbiased. Funny how unbiased always really means 'massive leftwing tilt.'
Ever since the "Fairness Doctrine" reared its ugly head again, my response has been "Fine. Let's start with NPR and Public Television…" Nobody ever takes me up on it. I wonder why?
Those are two taxpayer-funded outlets that could stand a hefty dose of balanced content!
Problem is not just with Air America, but also with the people who work for both News Corp and Time Warner or who work for Time Warner and another company that their President Jeff Bewkes has order from the people who also work with other non-Time Warner companies to send their friends "up the river". These include Clark Howard, Jane Hall, Bill Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, Mona Charen. Bill Bennett, J.C. Watts, Adam Lashinshky, Nina Easton, Dick Stocton, Pam Oliver, Frank Caliendo, Karen MaGinnins, Larry McReynolds, Bill Webber, Kyle Petty, Ralph Sheheen, and Matt Yocum.
I never understood how anyone could take listening to Al Franken for longer than 30 seconds as he has one of the most irritatingly whiny voices I've ever heard.
Nice analysis. The problem with Air America has always been a fundamental misunderstanding of the market place. They waded into an oversaturated market with unattractive product. That's bad strategy.
AA thought they could attract liberals because of the relative lack of liberal talk radio. But they failed to grasp that their competition for the liberal audience was not conservative talk radio, but was instead the liberal mainstream media — who already cater to liberals. To attract liberals, they needed to offer something that pulled liberals away from those existing liberal outlets. They had nothing.
Unless Montel can come up with something unique, I just don't see them succeeding.
I live in Madison, Wisconsin, a MISERABLY liberal town (the Berkeley of the Midwest). Air America was on the radio for a while here. And, it truly was funny to listen to. (Well, it was less funny when I realized that there were real, live human beings who actually enjoyed it for its political content.)
But, dang! Because of a traveling job… I was subjected to the occasional rantings of Ed Schultz and some female host. All said, I probably heard a total of two hours scattered out over 20 different instances over the course of three months.
Every single minute of that two hours was centered around the Bush Administration. (This was midway through Pres. Bush's first term… so, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rice, Armitage, etc.) Every single minute was bitter, vile, spiteful, and ugly. NOt an ounce of hope, optimism, or good ol' America-rocks!
I'm not a lock-step Ditto-head (i.e. Rush fan). But, at least Rush can laugh about non-political things once in a while. He could talk football or golf. And, when necessary, he often points fingers at Republicans who stray from the conservative reservation. But, not our good friends at Air America. No one that I know enjoys downing Castor Oil for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Let's hope Air America never figures this out.
Air America now has three (3!) FM outlets in the Chicago area, in addition to their AM station. How the heck did that happen?
We don't have Air America in Phoenix anymore. It used to be at 1480 (and still is, according to Air America's website) but that station plays show tunes now. I remember it moving to 1190, but that's a Mexican music station now. Did I miss something? Is it Airo Mexico now?
I think I am like most here. I had heard so much about Err America when it first came on, that I turned it on. My word! I am usually a fairly upbeat person, but after an hour I was looking for a rusty, dirty razor to take to my wrists. No wonder the far lefties are so depressed and mean all the time. If you feed someone a steady diet of bile, then you can expect nasty results. I noticed I was muttering while listening to the Franken show, and it was "make it stop." over and over again. Pretty sure it can drive people insane, and when you don't have far to go…………………….
CJ –
If Madison is the "Berkeley of the Midwest", what is Ann Arbor?
(I have a committed lefty sister who's a prof at UMich.)
Think there is going to be a execption for tax payer funded operations. Funny how that works out?
I can't wait for April 15th. Hope there's plenty of union thugs at the tea party that day.
One of my best friends (who is conservative AND lives in San Francisco) refers to it as "the People's Republic of Berkeley".
You've got to remember, the left is steeped in misery. . . it underpins everything they do.
They teach their kids that they cannot succeed because some evil capitalist will steal their labor. They teach their little girls that males are out to enslave them, that even the very language is intended to insult them. They teach minorities that they cannot hope to achieve anything in this society and that they should be in constant fear of being rounded up. They pound into kids' heads the idea that the earth is dying, and that everything they do everyday makes its worse.
If that's what you heard your whole life, from birth to grad school, that you are a helpless victim of unseen conspiracies that are working against you all the time, wouldn't you be kind of angry too?
C'mon, we all knew from the start that Air America wouldn't fly.
As the great Evan Sayet says, isn't it fitting that Air America's now living on Soros-funded welfare?
"It used to be at 1480 (and still is, according to Air America's website) but that station plays show tunes now."
A large contingent of those that would listen to Air America tend to be fans of Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and the theater? Shocking!
It’s amusing listening to the leftist pukes prattle about the need to impose the “fairness” doctrine on Conservative radio in the name of “the public good.” Of course they ignore the fact that America has rejected leftwing radio and their gaggle of illiterate clowns. Liberals fail in the public marketplace of ideas, which is why they need to mandate their delusional views be heard and why taxpayers are forced to fund unviable entities like NPR. Let NPR sustain itself like other Conservative stations, but we all know what will happen, the same that happened to Airhead America: Failure.
Air America couldn't survive in my quite liberal town of Austin. I'm sure there are plenty of reasons for its failure but a big one is that it was just plain bad radio. I don't much care for Michael Savage–I think he's a bad public face for our side and I can't take his over-the-top act seriously. But I can listen to Michael Savage because he's very good at what he does. Although both Savage and Air America have a similar act (anger, anger, anger), he's Joe Montana versus the quarterback of the Pop Warner team down the street when compared to anyone I heard on Air America.
Airhead America. Bitter. Bitter.
Um, Scott –
I wouldn't think of listening to Air America, but I love Judy and theater (majored in college), and even think the lyric "People… people who need people… are the luckiest people in the world…" sung by the young Barbra is timeless.
Shocking?
One reason conservatives rule talk radio and liberals rule Hollywood is that if you actually sit and talk about the issues, you realize that most answers are conservative based. If you try to answer the worlds problems with a liberal point of view, it doesn't work. That is why in Hollywood, liberals have to "sing and dance" their message… to mask how bad and wrong the message is.
These schmeckleheads couldn't find an audience if they gave away the Soros fortune. Bad radio can grate like fingernails on the chalkboard. Their lineup was so inspiring to listen to, and that Randy Rhodes was some class act. I find taking the gaspipe is much more pleasurable experience.
Every time I venture into the state of Michigan it overwhelms me with a sense of decay and smell of despair …..it brings up images in my mind of Chernobyl shortly after the accident.
Oh well…..Go Buckeyes
lol And the movie version crashed at the box office too.
I can't imagine they're foolhardy enough to really enact the fairness doctrine again, but if they did, conservative talk would just go to an Internet-based streaming content feed, with the same sponsors. AM would die, though.
It'd be more fun though if Rush et. al. bought massive AM transmitters in Mexico instead, and called it Radio Free America.
I live in the Sacramento area and we literally worry about our SUV being vandalized if we go to Berkeley because they're so militant.
Ann Arbor,the Austin of the Midwest?
Guess those Obama coins aren't doing so well for Mr. Williams.
Guess those Obama coins aren't doing so well for Mr. Williams.
The state motto of New Mexico is " Land of Enchantment". Conservatives have renamed it the "Land of Encampment".
Well alllllrighty then! No tea cup poodle jokes, please.
!
Randy Rhodes using the name of the late, great guitarist Randy Rhoads is an insult to his memory.
Is the flip side a map of Kenya?
Are they going to steal from widows and orphans again?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2005/jul/28/2...
I've never had a chance to listen to Air America but I'm pretty sure I've heard their message many times from Hollywood and from comedians. I have heard NPR before and I had to shut it off before I fell asleep while driving.
They should forget the Montel garbage and have Maury and "is he the father.
Montel Williams needs his co-host, the fraudulent snake oil saleswoman, "psychic" Sylvia Browne….
The fairness doctrine would affect radio – and I believe I heard the internet may be included as well.
I wonder if satellite radio would be hit by the doctrine of fairness?? If Rush and gang did go to satellite, I'd be buying Sirius stock!
Whenever you hear terms like "Economic Justice" or "Fairness Doctrine" it is just so Minister for Truth (1984). The libs don't even try to sound non-Orwellian. They even have a "Truth Commission" for the political lynching of Bush set up in Congress.
What else is Montel going to after his talk show got canceled? Maybe he could sell Sham-Wow's? He could go work for Sylvia Browne perhaps & suddenly become "psychic." Maybe his spirit guide's name is Chartreuse & he is meant to go on Air America to fail…
/sarcasm
Jerry Springer was on? And now Montel Williams? Two who made careers as somewhat impartial moderators espousing a rough standard of decency, while whipping up the faithful to keep them listening.
Yeah, sounds like liberals.
Wonder how Lt. Williams, who had a respectable career in the Marines and Navy (http://www.military.com/Careers/Content1?file=tra... ) feels about the de rigueur talking down of the military and its actions?
What?
Translate please? I am old and missed your point. please splain it to me. I might just cancel my TW cable.
Bewkes oversees Time Inc., HBO, Turner Broadcasting (CNN, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network), Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema, Time Warner Cable and AOL.
Did they smuggle the Libs over the border? If so which way did they go North or SOUTH?
Jimmyb –
"….Look at me, I'm Roger De Bris….tell me true, how's my gown for the costume 'do….be BRUTAL, be BRUTAL!…"
"The Producers" (Original, of course) is in my Top Five!
I will be filing an extension this year, maybe all the way to 9/15. And, I am not sending in any money with my extension doc. Hey, it has been a tough year and I need my coin.
Hope the feds can get by without it.
The Fairness Doctrine to beat down Conservative talk radio and now the government, or at least a couple of dorks want to bail out the newspaper industry.
Pathetic, sore losers those lefties.
Even when they're winning they think they're losing
The fundamental problem for liberals is that they can't reason folks into doing what they want them to do. Thus, they need to get elected, so that they can TAKE money to fund what they want. In other words, it is essentially a fascist doctrine.
How can you sell that?
I remember listening to Air America three years ago in los Alamos, N.M.. Any time a caller made mention of that incident at Waco back in '93, no matter how innocuous, the host would hang up on the caller and go on like the call never happened. And whenever the name Clinton was mentioned on Randi Rhoades' show musical chimes were played. So it was especially weird when Rhoades went off on an obscene rant against Hillary last year. Rhoades would have fit right in on the O.J. Simpson jury, which as everyone will remember, excluded men of sound minds.
A M 1360 was our Air America in San Diego. It lasted about a year and a half. It was fun listening to those clown for awhile. Actually, I really couldn't listen for more than five minutes at a time. All it was hate America, Hate Bush, hate the military, hate Cheney, Hate Rummy, hate God, the flag, and Memorial Day. Nothing was ever good in America the entire time they were on air. The lies they told were unimaginable absolute garbage but their people ate it up. San Diego has a liberal section and a far left wing in the county. It has a lot of money so people like Al Gore, Clinton, and every one associated drifting in and out of town all the time.
The vial attacks air America put on ordinary people that called to question why they said something was pathetic.
But, their gone now and the city is better off..
There are some in Congress who favor a Fairness Doctrine for the Internet. China governs content over the Internet. Control is Tyranny.
I'm not a fan of Franken, but he was the best act on Air America when I listened to it.
I'm not a fan of Franken, but he was the best act on Air America when I listened to it.
Cheap shot! Hasn't New Mexico been punished enough by having Bill Richardson as governor? And every senator and congressman from the Democrat party? Have a little pity.
The answer is really quite simple for the failure of Airhead America. Listening to conservative talk radio takes genuine intelligence and the application of logic. Even Rush Limbaugh's detractors who listen and call in, deep inside themselves are crying out to hear the truth. It's just that they've heard the incessant Bush-bashing for eight years and have a difficult time distinguishing fantasy from reality. Now I,being a level headed conservative with an IQ of 159, couldn't listen to the likes of Franken or Randi Rhoades for five seconds. Listening to radio also requires a thought process unlike just watching a television screen. Not much "thinking" involved in "seeing". I've long ago come to the conclusion that we humans thrive on conflict. It just so happens that one side uses logic and the other "feelings" and "gooood intentions". Think about it. If it weren't for those idiot liberals that provide turmoil, we'd wither and die. I mean, why would we even need to excercize our brains?I'm definitely not saying there aren't intelligent liberals out there but they have an agenda. That agenda is to control as many people as possible. Power over the people, especially the stupid ones is an addicting drug.
The answer is really quite simple for the failure of Airhead America. Listening to conservative talk radio takes genuine intelligence and the application of logic. Even Rush Limbaugh's detractors who listen and call in, deep inside themselves are crying out to hear the truth. It's just that they've heard the incessant Bush-bashing for eight years and have a difficult time distinguishing fantasy from reality. Now I,being a level headed conservative with an IQ of 159, couldn't listen to the likes of Franken or Randi Rhoades for five seconds. Listening to radio also requires a thought process unlike just watching a television screen. Not much "thinking" involved in "seeing". I've long ago come to the conclusion that we humans thrive on conflict. It just so happens that one side uses logic and the other "feelings" and "gooood intentions". Think about it. If it weren't for those idiot liberals that provide turmoil, we'd wither and die. I mean, why would we even need to excercize our brains?I'm definitely not saying there aren't intelligent liberals out there but they have an agenda. That agenda is to control as many people as possible. Power over the people, especially the stupid ones is an addicting drug.
Nope, not punished nearly enough. As a Native New Mexican, (I was born at Sandia Base, when the Army owned half of Kirtland), there were Conservatives, and JFK Conservatives, (Mom), way back then.
Over time, NM became infected with the So. Calif. virus, entitlement, corruption of the Patron system, (Richardson, Aragon, Sanchez, et.al.), and militant environmentalism. The "Taos Hum" infects them all.
But all is not lost. The farmers and ranchers all have guns here, and won't let their lands be taken without a fight.
I'd back that. We get enough signal bleed here in NM from Mex stations now. Buy 'em up, put up some parasitic directional antennas, and flood nighttime AM programming!
I reported last month the souvenir Inauguration plates were already 75% off at Walgreens. They're still there.
Absolutely right, Andrew. You nailed it.
CJ….glad you mention Ed Schult. He is part of my book and a decent guy albeit a liberal. We'll get him back to our side someday…somehow.
Just fire your liberal employee’s that’ll cut expenses.
Buy them buy the dozen and sell them on eBay. Dems will probably pay twice the price.
Tell it like it is brother!
Gerard….they won't implement the FD again…but they will take the doctrine and implement it through re-regulation of the media thru the FCC. They will get what they want. They know the firestrom it would create by continuing to support the the Fairness Doctrine, so they have plans to go thru the backdoor (FCC) and regulation. We must fight this. Very serious.
Not exactly a glowing endoesement.
Yeah I like that. The British did the same thing in the 60’s so they could listen to Rock-n-Roll. They put ships in international waters and pumped in the music. I like it pirate radio.
Good point! Liberals are dumb.
I have a BDS'd brother who should be committed.
heh, heh…..I Camo Cladded my 98 Grand Cherokee. It's worked so far!
Thanks for the laugh. I would do that but that would make me like THEM.
Air America will soon go the way of the DoDo Bird. Misery simply doesn’t sell!
The format falls apart with the first reasoned caller, then you get the typical liberal invective, really, really, “boring!”
There you go again with that "market" stuff. Everyone knows the market is just a creation of right-wing subversives attempting to prevent the public from listening to liberal information twenty-four/seven without having to worry about where the dial on the radio lands. You are stoopid. (We seem to have lost a few trolls for awhile, so I thought I'd fill in the void).
I will be the first to petition to all the NPR stations – all the Urban stations which favor Obama….and all the liberal music stations. Thanks for your point.
True!
and wrap it in fantasy with a make believe ending. It's the only way liberalism succeeds.
It may come to that………..
It didn't bother me. But my mother says I was blessed with a naturally sunny disposition.
If Congress ever gets a hold over the internet, it is all over, my friend. It must stay free.
Savage is angry. Franken is bitter. Angry is interesting, bitter isn't. I haven't checked lately, but even here in San Francisco, Airhead America was on life support.
Agree. I have some references to that in my book and if it ever would occur, Andrew Breitbart would be out of business. Tonight Newt Gingrich said Obama is fastly heading toward a dictatorship. I recall one of his aides before Inauguration saying…."when he rules". The Tea Parties are signficant for our existence. Hang tough my friend.
NEWS ALERT: Vince the Shamwow guy, who's got friends here at BH has been arrested for beating up a hooker. I guess his fate will be similar to the pot-smoking "Dude you're gettin a Dell" Kid.
Go here: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0...
Thanks Lawhawk, it feels kind of lonely without the trolls. Did you notice, by the way, I've been resisting temptation all day. *pats self on back*
Thanks Brian. And thanks for the article! Everything you've contributed has been well worth the reading!
That's too bad. I visited Santa Fe in the early 1980s, it was beautiful. I've always thought NM might be a nice place to live some day if Colorado gets overpopulated with Californians.
ACORN and an abundance of "community organizers". Chances are at least one, if not all, of those stations is subsidized with tax dollars.
I suspect you were raised a classical liberal (not a modern liberal), and you just never realized it?
Brian, is there anyone in particular in Washington — Senator(s) or Congressmen — that we should single out to hear our displeasure on this issue?
I think about the liberal mindset and the one scene that consistently comes to mind is the first few scenes from Joe versus the Volcano. Every wall in the office is painted a dull grayish color, half the florescent bulbs are burned out and several of those flickered. Joe complained that the lights were sucking the life from him and so he would seek solace in the warm yellow glow of an incandescent lamp with a hula dancer on it. Shortly after the company doctor diagnoses him with a rare condition called a "brain cloud" that was fatal. Of course like any good zombie (or lemming) he never seeks a second opinion and willingly agrees to jump into a volcano.
Hasta la vista montel, you showed your true colors to your audience and now no one will remember any of the good.
And you think this a coincidence? As soon as people on this Board (conservatives) voice support for Vince, he's arrested on some trumped up charge by the Obama Police Complex?!!
Free Vince. . . Free Vince. . . Free Vince. . . Free Vince. . . ;-P
And you think this a coincidence? As soon as people on this Board (conservatives) voice support for Vince, he's arrested on some trumped up charge by the Obama Police Complex?!!
Free Vince. . . Free Vince. . . Free Vince. . . Free Vince. . . ;-P
Ahh NM another ghetto, just like MI..Another state run by the dems..Hmmm, am I seeing a pattern here?
Like everywhere it failed, it had less to do with ratings (although most were non-existent) and everything about ad revenues. When I sampled a couple of the liberal stations they had in Sacramento (both gone now), the ads were probably 80% PSA's and 20% small businesses. There were no large advertisers that wanted to do business because of the content and the listeners weren't likely to use their products. No advertisers, no revenue, no station. Until someone can come up with a revenue model, it will always fail.
Like everywhere it failed, it had less to do with ratings (although most were non-existent) and everything about ad revenues. When I sampled a couple of the liberal stations they had in Sacramento (both gone now), the ads were probably 80% PSA's and 20% small businesses. There were no large advertisers that wanted to do business because of the content and the listeners weren't likely to use their products. No advertisers, no revenue, no station. Until someone can come up with a revenue model, it will always fail.
Conservative talk radio has a "give and take" Liberal talk radio shouts anyone down who disagrees with them. Which is just about everyone.
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