I wanted to gague the DU public on what they think of AirAmerica. While I am happy that there is finally a liberal leaning radio network, I cannot help but notice the problems they are having. They still have to get a San Francisco affiliate and they have lost Chicago and L.A. so far. I think they would do better if they got more real talk show hosts like Mike Malloy, Guy James, Alex Bennett, or Bernie Ward. It was smart that they got Randi Rhodes. I like Janeane Garofalo and Al Franken but let's have less celebrity and more talk pros.



John

n/t

Mike Malloy would be all over the Iraqi prisoner situation. I can just here him saying something like "You know Rumsfeld, that rat bastard, that PUNK knew damn well what was going on." "Have I mentioned tonight how much I hate these people?"He would get pretty graphic in his words.

God I need my Malloy fix!


John

I think it would go something like that :)

I really like Randi Rhodes too.

I'd love to be able to tune in Sunday afternoon to have somebody good lambaste the RepubliCONs after the morning talk show spin...

say...8-11p.m....followed by Bernie Ward!

improvement and help it survive (perhaps by buying some of the advertised products and letters to advertisers telling them we are doing it because of their ads in AAR). Everything experiences birth pains and we shouldn't try to kill it with criticism before they have a chance.

I don't see Al staying that long, as I don't think this is his cup of tea. I like him, but I think Malloy could do a better job.

Over all it is a good program.

They really need some producers who know what they are doing. There is no coherent "sound". I love the message, but the presentation is very bare bones and not attractive to the ears. The Al Franken show is particularly hard on the senses. There are no transitions for people to latch onto...as a result the show sounds very uneven.

Especially with the O'Franken Factor, there's are constant feeling of dead air behind them even when they're talking.

I love Unfiltered.

I do agree, Mike Malloy would be a great addition

But seriously get some real talk show hosts.



John

Air America. I love his commentary on modern 'urban' music... he is as scathing as he is correct!

Radio tends to grow & evolve over time and I think the shows I have listened to have gotten better - Morning Sedition & O'Franken both seem noticeably better than the first week. Randi Rhodes hit the ground running, though, and I think you can tell she was a well informed pro from Day 1. Franken is very well informed, but he is not a radio natural... unlike our president, however, Franken has worked hard (I think) and has improved quite a bit.

And, I've listened to the show between Morning Sedition and O'Franken for a few minutes here and there, but does Chuck D ever get a word in edgewise?

I wish he put himself out there more, but he's getting better. The first week he didn't say much of anything, now he talks more but not enough for me. He'd be great paired with Sue Ellicot, and of course, Flavor Flav should be there for him too.

...I am on a virtual all day conference call)...

But I'd still change a few things -

1. Hire Mike Malloy for the 3-6 or 9-11PM shift (he could choose) and give he and Kathy absolute free reign to do the show however the wanted.
2. Prohibit Franken from doing "Mastication Theater", the worst comedy set-piece on radio.
3. Combine Sue Ellicot, Liz Winstead, and Chuck D into a single show.
4. I'd insist that each show from 3PM on take at least ten calls per hour.
5. Restrict Franken to guests only one day a week, Friday and the rest of the time make him do a damn call in show like the O'Franken Factor is supposed to be. Maybe create an hour long show, that airs at night, where Franken can do the guest thing, taped. Same thing for The Majority Report, guests one day a week, the rest of the time, it's TALK radio Sam and Janine, let the callers through.
6. Wouldn't change a thing with Randi's show, she got the format DOWN.
7. I'd encourage Each show competing with a RW show that airs live at the same time to try and call into that competitive show once a day and spoof the host, MUAHAHAHAHAHAH...
8. I'd get Air America into the iTunes radio station listings (that's where I found IEAmerica and Mike Malloy for the first time.)
9. Relentless PR on TV, buy ads, take out magazine pages, insist that the hosts write editorials (and I'd find a syndicate to place them nationally).
10. Hire Roger Ebert. He's got a great grasp of politics and American culture. He's also been very critical of the moralizing going on in the Hollywood reviewer pool.

Now there's an example of a lib radio network (for the most part).

They've been fine tuning it, and have scaled back on the centrist talk, and even gotten some exclusive talent, along with syndicated stuff like Schultz and Colmes (uh oh! Here come the flames!). Truth be told, they obtained REAL radio talents, as these are the types of people who are going to really get people to listen once the novelty wears off. Say what you want about Alan Colmes. He looks like a complete ass on TV, but his radio show is pretty good. He's experienced in it, and it shows.

I haven't listened to AAR lately, as they are no longer on the air locally (Chicago area). Franken's show is kinda boring, and is a poor choice to hinge the future of the network on. Randi Rhodes' show is great, and I really believe she is a star in the making. 'Minority Report' is surprisingly good, but the rest is just filler. They need to build around some dynamic personalities like Malloy and set them loose. This groupthink stuff is going to kill them.

Otherwise, nice to see radio that caters to our way of thinking.

Randi annoys me when she takes calls and then interrupts the caller and THEN ignores what they said BUT at least she is polished and it shows.

Maybe "professional" is the wrong word.

Cause I think there are probably a LOT of people on College Radio who would do great jobs.

Undiscovered talent is what Air America should be trying for in a FEW slots.

And experienced talent that already have followings in OTHER slots.

Other than that I LOVE it. Also could use Guy James.

MALLOY
MALLOY
MALLOY

(shit, that was 3 words)



A lot of the AA presentation is a bit pedestrian, with the exception of Randi. I used to find her a bit abrasive, but she's been on the mark for the last couple of weeks with some very entertaining stuff.

But hey, Air America, you really need

MALLOY

The Majority Report is their best program imo. Franken's program needs some work. Suffice to say, it hasn't been good enough to pull me away from Pacifica or Radiopower yet. They need to reel in some more experienced radio liberal personalities. Obviously Malloy would be great, but I'm not holding out hope for that. I think Tony Trupiano and Peter Werbe would be terrific fits.

I've been listening for about a month now, so here goes:

Randi Rhodes - May she live to be 150, and spend all her time on the radio. She is the star of this network, without question.

Al Franken - Learning how to do radio, and learning it well. His "star quotient" allows him to book many quality guests, and his interviewing style is evolving. He knows when to kid and when not to - I think his show will grow in stature as his radio persona matures.

Morning Sedition - At times, un-listenable. Morning drive time shock jock radio with a lean to the left. No one here knows how to walk the line between comedy and real news - hence they have no credibility in either. If i wanted stand-up comedy I'd go to a comedy club. "Dream diary", BTW, is about as inane as it gets.

Unfiltered - I don't listen much at this time of day, but what I've heard strikes me as rather amateurish. Here is another time slot that cries out for a professional to take the helm. Effective morning people can react to last nights news, as long as they have facts at their disposal to combat the previous nights lies. Not happening with this show, or the one that precedes it.

Majority Report - Two screamers, but Janine pulls it off and Sam doesn't. I like this show because it wears its emotions on its sleeve, and that at times can be a good thing. Both hosts show knowledge of their subject matter, and I think this show could be around for a while. It needs to watch out for "over-emoting", however, lest it become a parody of itself. Right now, though, it has the anger element right where it needs to be - ratcheted up.

Hey all!

I've been putting together an Air America Radio forum and fan site. It's for fans of the show and a forum to discuss politics with thoughtful types from both sides of the aisle.

I invite you to stop by, say hi.

In fact if there are any regular listeners who have a particular show they listen to regularly, we are looking for a couple of "show owners" who will help document some of the content they hear on the show.

If you are interested in being a show owner or just hanging out, stop by and sign up and either send me an email or a private message.

~jAZ

admin@AirAmericaTALK.com
"Challenging Rightwing Rhetoric since 2004"

http://www.AirAmericaTALK.com

"So What Else Is News?" covers a lot of societal and cultural issues from a liberal point of view, using more wit than Franken displays, and a lot of great guests too. Kaplan's show isn't live and doesn't take calls so it gets overlooked, but I love it.

Franken is like easy listening, breakfast club radio. I really dislike Katherine Lanpher's broadcast persona, always lecturing and scolding. If that's supposed to be a foil to Franken's humor then they both need a lot of work.

Majority Report has really interesting guests and Janeane is great, but hey Janeane: Sam Seder is NOT smarter than you and his rants are more like temper tantrums. An embarrassment. And both of you, stop referring to right-wingers as rednecks.

Randi's fine. I disagree with some of her POVs, I think she gets tinfoil-hat sometimes and she seems convinced that nobody pays as much attention or knows as much as she does, but she's fine.

I haven't heard Ring of Fire yet but I like Mike Papantonio from what I heard of him on Majority Report.

The earlier-morning shows haven't held my interest so I don't listen to them.

Some of the suggestions others have posted would really help AAR but I support the station and listen to it as much as I can every day.

But I agree that they need some new talent.

Get Bernie Ward and the ratings will rocket.