General Discussion

What Ever Happened to Air America?

To make matters worse, the network was beset by a raft of off-air problems almost from its inception: a charity-loan scandal, contract disputes with affiliates and employees, continual changes in ownership and management, and a 2006 bankruptcy. As Air America's fifth birthday approaches, it seems fair to ask: is the concept of a liberal talk-radio network dead? And why didn't it take off as its supporters had hoped?Air America is in fact still soldiering on, and when I spoke to the three men who are now running it—chairman and lead investor Charlie Kireker, C.E.O. Bennett Zier, and head of programming Bill Hess—they all voiced their optimism about the company's future. But in retrospect the spirit of 2004 seems laughably bullish. The network's trouble began two weeks after its April Fool's Day launch...