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Posted on 03/31/2004 4:43:28 AM PST by jimbo123
The progressive talk network Air America kicks off today, hoping to give nonconservatives a daily place to roast their ideological opposites.
Just the way conservatives do now.
Air America can be heard locally on WLIB (1190 AM), over XM satellite radio or by Internet at airamericaradio.com.
While the network hopes to stir controversy, it already has some here that it probably doesn't want.
A community rally is planned tomorrow night at 7 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, 132 Odell Clark Place, to protest the loss of WLIB's talk and Caribbean programming. The Coalition of Artists and Activists wants a boycott of the new network.
"Air America is in no way offering a satisfactory substitute for local community programming," says Bob Law, a veteran radio personality and long-time activist.
He says the Coalition has two major concerns: "the scapegoating of the black community" for the financial problems that led WLIB to make a lease deal with Air America, and the way he says Air America has taken advantage of a situation created by racism.
"We have no doubt WLIB isn't making money," says Law. "But that's not because the community isn't listening. It's because Arbitron does not record that listening and because advertisers won't pay what they should to reach those listeners.
"It's a system that leaves AM stations like WLIB vulnerable, and Air America is taking advantage of that vulnerability."
The least Air America should do, says Law, "is hire a prominent, respected, forceful host from our community."
He also says that if WLIB ends up being sold, "It should be offered first to buyers from our community."
Air America's lineup includes Marc Maron, Sue Ellicott and WLIB's Mark Riley, 6-9 a.m.; Lizz Winstead, Chuck D and Rachel Maddow, 9 a.m.-noon; Al Franken and Katherine Lanpher, noon-3 p.m.; Randi Rhodes, 3-7 p.m.; Marty Kaplan, 7-8 p.m.; and Janeane Garofalo with Sam Seder, 8-11 p.m.
Chuck D is reportedly signed for the first three months.
WLIB will carry local programs midnight-5 a.m. Nationally, Air America will be heard in about 20% of the country, including Chicago and Los Angeles.
As for Bob Law, this is sour grapes. He's as liberal as Fidel Castro. WWRL, the outlet over which he broadcasts, is even smaller than LIB. LIB is owned by inner-city, a broadcasting conglomeration founded by Percy Sutton with folks like David Dinkins and Jesse Jackson on board from the beginning.
Black politics in NYC is split into two long-fighting camps, Brooklyn and Harlem. There are generations of bad blood between the two camps which is why NYC is not another Atlanta or Detroit. Bob Law and his protege Gary Byrd (an incredibly self-absorbed idiot who was fired by LIB) are in the Brooklyn camp.
Mark Riley is a sophomoric boob who is worse at follow-up than Sean. Riley's typical response to any statement that should lead to a line of further questioning is "Hmmmm, interesting". He will impress nobody.
Lib radio has one goal and it is not long term survival. They need, in their plan, to be around only until third week November.
You know, it might have been Loftus that he had on.
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Just so I understand what's going on: 1) the existing radio station caters to the "Carabean community" and is losing money (d@mn those racists at Arbitron),2) so they sold it to a fabricated liberal network which is a wholly owned subsidary of the DNC that has no plans to make money, and 3)the "community" feels that instead of being sold to out of town losers, the local losers should have been given a shot at not making money first.
I'm hoping that the local losers make life extremely hot for the out-of-town losers to the point that the entire circus tent collapses on their collective heads.
All in all this is an excellent way for the libs to piss away valuable campaign contributions AND alienate a sizable portion of their base at the same time. What's not to love?
That's a given. I was thinking more like their desire to undermine and sabotage conservative talk radio. But I doubt they have anyone with that type of humor.
Sean's on from 3-6 in NY, The Great One, Mark Levin's on from 6-7, Luara from 7-9, and Monica Crowley from 9-10.
You are an astute observer. I think you're dead-on. This whole thing is an arm of the campaign. No other explanation that I have heard makes any sense.
Who is funding this thing?
I know, he never really does, to keep them coming back. But to be fair, he doesn't challenge CATO scholars either. When he has foreign corespondents on, that is when his show is best.
They replaced Laura for this guy? :/
No, Laura does 7-9, he has been on at 10 since 9/11(or 12)/01. Laura is on vacation this week and Mark Levin does her 7 o'clock hour when there isn't a Devils game.
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