Posted on 12/08/2005 9:53:02 AM PST by rface
Maryland-based Talkers Magazine figures that Limbaugh reached an average of 13.75 million people each day in fall 2005; Franken only 1.25 million.......
Industry followers say Air America still trails conservative programming - including Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly - in nearly all major markets. But they also note that Air America could slowly build its base.
In New York City, Air America has increased its share of core listeners - young and middle-aged men - by 40 percent. And the network has doubled its number of affiliates since February. They are now on the air in86 markets nationally, spokesman Jaime Horn said.
"I think we're doing better than people thought. We're on the air over two-thirds of the country," Franken noted.
Maryland-based Talkers Magazine, which follows the talk radio industry, figures that Limbaugh reached an average of 13.75 million people each day in fall 2005; Franken only 1.25 million. The two are on the air at nearly the same time in most markets.
While the two factions may not really be competing for the same listeners, Air America still faces a tough time attracting liberal listeners to AM talk radio and away from other options, everything from album rock and National Public Radio to jazz and classical music stations and university radio stations, Horn said.
It might even be hard to get Franken's target audience to listen to the radio. Conservatives, on the other hand, have been tuning in to AM talk radio market for two decades.
Officials for Midwest Communications, which carries Limbaugh's show in Duluth, did not return phone calls regarding the show's popularity here.
Air America and Franken have been on the air in the Twin Ports since Labor Day, when Red Rock Radio changed the format of its 1490 AM station (KQDS-AM) from news and talk to all talk. That's not enough time to gauge how successful the station's new format is with Northland listeners, said Jeff Anderson, senior account manager for Red Rock Radio. But the station is selling ads.
Liberal talk radio shouldn't be too hard a sell in a town that backed John Kerry for president with more than 67 percent of its votes in 2004.
"We think he's (Franken) connecting here," Anderson said. "It's been well received, including by a lot of advertisers that normally wouldn't be (advertising) on commercial radio."
Lynne Maine of Duluth attended Wednesday's show at UMD because she likes Franken's comedy and politics. She's not necessarily a fan of political talk radio.
"I listen to him every day. But I don't listen to the station all day," she said. "All that bashing from the left is almost as bad as listening to the bashing from the right."
Red Rock will find out after the February Arbitron radio ratings are released whether Franken and his Air America cohorts are drawing an audience here. But Wednesday's UMD show might be an indicator.
"We were out of tickets, all 600 or 700 of them, in less than 45 minutes," Anderson said. "So a few people like Al Franken in Duluth."
Whatever it is he does, it has never been what I'd cal 'comedy'. It has to be funny to be 'comedy'.
Would'a, could'a, should'a...
How can any sane individual listen to a steady diet of hate talk from the likes of Franken and Rhodes. I tried listening to them to get a take on their view and got so tired of the 'we hate everything conservative' mantra and their totally idiotic solutions to whatever they were against.
Apparently I was not alone as the radio station canceled them.
Rush Limbaugh has over 10 times the audience of Franken and the title of the article uses the very weak word of “Trail” to describe that this joke Air America has been totally annihilated by conservative talk shows.
The people who listen to AA identify themselves as fools and hustling salesmen are always looking for fools to separate them from their money. It's like a fool sting thing.
I tell everyone I know to listen to Air America, and I tell them that it's the forefront of Democrat Party thought. Most people get back to me and tell me that it certainly does not represent THEIR Democrat party, what the heck was I thinking?
Guess that makes Franken a "big fat loser".
And are they still paying the stations for broadcasting their shows?
Didn't I just recently read on FR that Air America's ratings are so low that they are immeasurable?
It's like a fool sting thing.
----
Yes, they nailed Soros' bank account, and another billionaire moron whose name I cannot remember. Yes, that is the only way they survive...separating fools from their money and votes.
Semantically, that means Air America leads or is tied with conservative programming in one or more major market. Otherwise the author would not include "nearly". I find it difficult to believe AA is doing well anywhere. Or is the author lying in order to soften the cold hard truth?
I enjoy the apparent irony that his taxes are paying to make his show a failure- but the irony is only 'apparent'.
Neither he nor the show's 'investors' really care if they have any audience share. It's just a political PR ploy.
How dare Airhead America sell advertising! Don't they know that is capitalism? Don't they know that business profits from the listeners who patronize those advertisers??
Talk about a message of double standards........
Naah. A runty, fat loser.
I keep hoping these schleps will just go away but i keep hearing about them and it really annoys me
(Besides off of Boys and Girls Clubs, that is)
Soros has cut them off. Some other lib recently bailed them out.
Yeah....like in Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea......
I think that's supposed to be "young and middle-aged gay men".
When you start from zero and compare against it, it is not hard to increase your audience.
NEARLY all major markets? Does that mean that there is at least ONE major market where AA leads Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly? If so, which one?
Or is this just some Progressive reporter's way of softening the language so that AA doesn't sound like the loser it consistently proves to be.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.