When Air America went on the air, I had great hopes for an alternative voice to the hundreds and hundreds of right-leaning talk shows that populate the airwaves of America. I believe both have a right to share those airwaves in a market-driven manner. However, when only one side of an argument can be heard, there is little chance that listeners can help decide what they like to hear. You can't ask for something you've never heard. So, Air America (it seemed) offered that "other voice" - a chance for more balance among opinionated personalities. And, for a time, I thought they might have a chance. Then, things began to sour. The numbers were bad (and not improving) and stations began to drop the fledgling network. What happened? Air America was poorly managed from day one. It faced financial problems and never got a competitive foothold in most markets, finding itself stuck on small stations with limited coverage, while the more-established Conservative talkers were ensconced in big stations with big signals. So, Air America went through a series of owners and a series of philosophies, all of them baffling. Until this. Now, I believe, they have a death wish. There is no other explanation as to why they thought this was a good idea. By the way, I'm deferring to Atrios for the analysis. Even the little AM station that carried Air America in this market (the one you could barely hear at the city limits) went back to sports several months ago, so I couldn't listen.
Lionel was awful. Not just awful in the ways I expected - I hate the "independent thinker" schtick which suggests everyone else isn't - but truly awful radio period. Who the [...]
Tags: Air America, Lionel
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