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."
Most Democrats are not genuine liberals. They might listen to Savage or Jerry Doyle or Bill O'Rielly. The "lower class" as you call them, also listen to Howard Stern, Opie & Anthony, etc. I think John & Ken in LA try to tap into that segment, too. But they aren't going to tune in to hear about what Harry Reid or Bill Frist said that day. It's quite amazing that conservatives do.
The upper class and (pseudo)intellectuals listen faithfully to NPR. They won't turn away and they think they're good people for not listening to the kind of radio that Air America thinks it's emulating.
The only way Air America can survive is if NPR is completely defunded.
Ironically.
On the contrary, unlike almost all Freepers and even Rush Limbaugh, I am using the CORRECT terminology. These people are NOT liberals. Thomas Jefferson, Jahn Adams and James Madison were liberals.
"Progressive", or more accurately, "Neo-Progressive" is the proper historical term for today's so-called "liberal" Democrats and assorted lefties. Progressivism in the US traces its roots back to the period just after the Civil War, and Progressive thought so dominated the 20th century political agenda and termonology that even today most Americans think that the President's job is to run the country. That idea is a purely PROGRESSIVE construct.
A great book on the subject (not written by a conservative, but very balanced and informative), is: A Fierce Discontent: The Rise And Fall Of The Progressive Movement In America, 1870-1920
Also, if you really want a hoot, check out the bible of the Progressive movement, which was named the most influential American novel of the prior 50 years by five different magazines in 1935. The book is: Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy .
Written in 1887, this Utopian novel describes the perfect progressive society which the author presumes will exist in Boston in the year 2000. Amazing.
Personally, I wish more people would adopt the "Progressive" terminology to describe the loony (or even moderate) left. It is more accurate, and it really halps clarify things. Plus it will allow us true liberals (who like the founders, have a liberal view of individual liberty vs. government power), to proudly take back that term for ourselves and restore its true meaning.
Most of us here at FR are really Classical AMerican Liberals, and the Progressives hijacked that term to help sell their programs back at the end of the 19th century.
The marketing strategy is wrong, too. You don't sell a 24/7 programming block, you sell maybe two shows in a bundle. One the station wants and the other the station doesn't want, but runs at off-peak hours so that you can promote it with the first show.
Both sound equally exhilirating. :-) Thanks
It may be broadcast regionally or nationally, dunno, but our local affiliate - WMAL 630 in D.C. area - has a catch phrase it often uses:
I think, therefore AM
LOL, I shoulda known. Thanks for the reeducation.
I must admit, the leftists have supported this fiasco much longer than I thought they would. It's a money pit. I just can't believe that anyone could consider it a worthwhile place to put their money in order to propagate their ideology. They aren't reaching anyone other than their base.
Reminds me of my trip to Prague right after the Wall fell.
They weren't quite ready for Western tourism yet, and the only affordable hotel room I could find was a dilapidated old grimy one near the town center -- bathroom in the hall, no shower (only a tub), windows that hadn't been opened in years, etc.
Next to the bed there was a little white plastic radio, obviously of Russian make. I turned it on and it was classical music. I went to turn the channel, only to discover there was no tuning knob whatsoever.
It was permanently tuned to the state radio station. Nice dose of Communist reality right there.
Now if Err Amerika could increase another 1000 percent, it would be competitive.
I could win $10,000,000 in a lottery. But I'm not counting on it.
So true!
Great minds think alike.
All they have to do is keep pumping money into it
There are plenty of Boys/Girls clubs around.
"In New York City, Air America has increased its share of core listeners - young and middle-aged men - by 40 percent."
40% of practically nothing is still practically nothing.
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