Air America Media (formerly
Air America Radio) is an
American radio network specializing in
politically liberal talk programming. The network started programming on March 31, 2004 and features discussion and information programs with hosts reflecting
progressive points of view. The network specializes in presentations and monologues by on-air personalities, guest interviews, calls by listeners, and news reports. Air America's most popular host, Lionel, is estimated to have over 1.75 million unique listeners a week.
On October 13, 2006 mounting debts forced Air America Radio to file
Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company was bought by Green Family Media, made up of New York real estate investor
Stephen L. Green and his brother
Mark J. Green, who closed on the purchase of the network on March 6, 2007 for
US$ 4.25 million.
The company recently changed its name from Air America Radio to Air America Media, an effort to establish itself as a progressive voice on media including radio, television, and the Internet, and one not merely relegated to radio.
Programming overview
Ron Reagan, son of President Ronald Reagan, hosts a progressive talk show at Air America.
Air America Media's liberal talk
radio programming and radio shows consist primarily of news, talk, comedy, interviews, guest editorials, and listeners' telephone calls. The talk portions feature some extended host
monologues in the classic talk radio format. Live and pre-recorded
comedy routines, featuring various comedians, are also aired. As with most
syndicated broadcast networks, local affiliate stations are able to choose which programs to air subject to contractual arrangements.
Format
The shows follow a half hour format from six minutes past the hour to 28 minutes after the hour followed by a
hard break for six minutes until 34 minutes past the hour. The final hard break occurs at 58 minutes past the hour leading into the news at the top of the hour.
News
Before June 29, 2007, Air America featured their own news summary breaks at the top of each hour, with content from wire services such as the
Associated Press (AP) and
United Press International (UPI). Newscasters included
Bill Crowley, Wayne Gillman, Mike Piazza, and Mark Scheerer. Some affiliates use other news services or run their own newscasts during the six minute "
news hole" at the top of the hour. AAR later switched to
AP Radio Network News, and more recently
Free Speech Radio News.
Public affairs and editorials
The
public affairs programs tend to closely follow current happenings in the news, with monologues and reflections offered by the hosts and their guests. Listener comments by phone or the Internet are worked into these segments along with the interviews.
Music
Although better known for its political shows, Air America also features a couple of music oriented shows on weekends.
On The Real featuring
Chuck D has a strong music focus.
The Steve Earle Show (which ended in 2007 with Earle moving to
Sirius Satellite Radio) mixed music with political commentary. Also, most of the talk shows have their own theme songs, use
bumper music to segue between commercials and segments, and play political novelty songs. Theme songs and bumper music are generally commercially released rock music.
Weekday programs
Air America produces sixteen hours of weekday network programming. The entire schedule is carried on the network's
internet stream, and affiliates may carry some, most or all shows.
The network's current schedule, as of May 2009:
Weekend programs
On many Air America affiliates, weekends feature repeats and highlights from the network's weekday shows, combined with new original programming and some syndicated shows produced independently.
Original network programming for weekends includes:
Former programs
- The Al Franken Show (three hours: 12-3 PM ET) Aired March 31, 2004-February 14, 2007. Originally called The O'Franken Factor. Franken left the show in order to run for the U.S. Senate from Minnesota.
- The Mark Riley Show (one hour: 5-6 AM ET), combined with Politically Direct into The Air Americans.
- Politically Direct with David Bender (one hour 8-9 PM ET), the show moved from the weekends to weeknights effective September 18, 2006, combined with The Mark Riley Show into The Air Americans.
- EcoTalk with Betsy Rosenberg (one hour 9-10 PM ET), the show moved from the weekends to weeknights effective September 18, 2006. Show removed from weekday schedule May 18, 2007, and may resurface eventually on Sunday mornings.
Syndication
On September 8, 2005 Air America Radio formed a separate syndication division, designed to offer additional programming and services to both progressive talk and other talk/music formats. Air America Syndication was used to syndicate
Thom Hartmann, and later
Springer on the Radio which aired at the same time as
The Al Franken Show and
The Sam Seder Show respectively on the regular network lineup. Springer ended his show on December 5, 2006 and Franken's ended on February 14, 2007. On January 29, 2007, Air America announced that Hartmann would replace Franken on the regular network lineup. There currently are no programs syndicated as a part of Air America Syndication.
History
Beginnings
In late 2002 Chicago entrepreneurs
Sheldon Drobny and
Anita Drobny, angered at the firing of their favorite radio host,
Mike Malloy, decided to try to get Malloy syndicated nationally. At Mike's behest they called Atlanta-based radio executive Jon Sinton and requested a national berth for Malloy. The Drobnys hired Sinton as CEO of AnShell Media, and the three went about raising money. The first official fundraiser was in October, 2002 at the home of
Arianna Huffington. The gathering was enthusiastically attended by many Hollywood notables. Sinton's brother, broadcaster Carey Bruce Sinton, suggested calling the venture Central Air, a name that stuck until just before launch.
AnShell announced its intentions publicly in a
New York Times article in February 2003 in which writer Jim Rutenburg interviewed Jon Sinton about the need for a balanced national discussion. Sinton, the Drobnys and their associate, Javier Saade, a
Harvard Business School grad and venture capitalist, continued to raise awareness and money throughout 2003 by spending time in New York, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles. Sinton met repeatedly with
Al Franken to convince him to become the network's anchor talent. Writer and comedian
A. Whitney Brown was among those hired to write for the network.
After mentioning actress and activist
Janeane Garofalo during an appearance on
Judy Woodruff's
Politics Today show on
CNN, Sinton received a call from Garofalo stating her interest in hosting a show. On a fundraising trip to Los Angeles, Sinton, at the suggestion of Al Franken, met with
Daily Show co-creator
Lizz Winstead and convinced her to come along as vice president of entertainment programming. In November 2003, Sinton's brother Steve Sinton left
Clear Channel's talk radio division to join AAR as vice president of programming and operations.
Meanwhile, fundraising was difficult. During a trip to Washington D.C., former
Clinton Chief of Staff John Podesta suggested a young lawyer, David Goodfriend, who introduced the Drobnys and Sinton to his former college roommate,
Evan Montvel Cohen, who had profited from advertising and research companies in the Pacific Rim. Having taken the idea as far as they could, the principals sold AnShell Media to Cohen and his partner,
Rex Sorensen, a broadcaster from
Guam, who formed
Progress Media, with Cohen as chairman, and
Mark Walsh as CEO; Sinton remained as President.
Launch and rapid growth
In early 2004, talent, engineers and producers were hired, a lease was signed with New York's
WLIB creating a New York home and affiliate, and, at noon Eastern time on March 31, the newly re-named Air America Radio Network was launched.
Air America Radio was then the only all-
progressive talk radio network. A predecessor, the
UAW's
I.E. America Radio Network, which was home to hosts such as Thom Hartmann, Peter Werbe, and Mike Malloy, never gained national attention. Its last day on the air was February 27, 2004, only weeks before Air America took to the airwaves.
Franken's show was the centerpiece of the network, and would remain so for a little less than 3 years. The show featured Franken's low-key humor, political commentary, and guest and audience participation.
AAR became the fastest growing network in modern radio history as Sinton was able to assemble a national network of 100 stations, including 18 of the top twenty markets, in just six months.
Difficulties and turnover
At the time it started Air America Radio,
Progress Media stated it had secured US$30 million in
venture capital before its debut. The amount was later estimated by the Wall Street Journal to be closer to US$6 million; Sorensen said that an investor had backed out at the last minute.
Two weeks after the on-air debut of Air America Radio, programming was withdrawn in two key markets due to contract disputes.
Multicultural Radio owned two stations contracted to carry Air America programming, in
Chicago and
Santa Monica,
California. Air America alleged that Multicultural Radio had sold time on its
Los Angeles station to both Air America and another party, and said that that was why it stopped payment on checks due to Multicultural while Air America investigated. Multicultural Radio argued that Air America had bounced a check and claimed it was owed in excess of US$1 million. Air America Radio filed a complaint in
New York Supreme Court, charging
breach of contract and was briefly granted an injunction to restore the network on
WNTD-AM in Chicago. On April 20, 2004, the network announced the dispute had been settled, and Air America's last day of broadcast on
WNTD was April 30, 2004. The New York Supreme Court ultimately concluded that the injunction was improvidently entered and that Air America Radio's court action was without merit, dismissing Air America's complaint and awarding over US$250,000 in damages and attorneys' fees to Multicultural. According to a subsequent lawsuit filed by Multicultural, Air America Radio never paid the sums ordered by the court.
Four weeks after Air America's debut, its CEO, Mark Walsh, and executive vice president for programming, Dave Logan, left the network. One week after those departures, its chairman and vice chairman, Evan Cohen and his investment partner Rex Sorensen, were forced out by the remaining investors who asked Sinton and the network's executive producer, Carl Ginsburg, a lawyer and experienced newsman, to operate the company.
As part of a reorganization, the Progress Media board of directors bought the assets of that company, creating a new company, Piquant LLC; at around the same time, the company decided to stop trying to buy radio stations and lease air time, and to allow affiliates to carry programming outside of the network's offerings.
On February 28, 2005, a new CEO,
Danny Goldberg, was named, and in April 2005, Gary Krantz was named president of the network. Ginsburg and Sinton were named co-
COOs with Ginsburg in charge of operations and Sinton running programming and affiliate relations.
In December 2005, over Sinton's objections, CEO Danny Goldberg broke up the network's morning drive-time show
Morning Sedition, and let comedian and co-host
Marc Maron's contract lapse. While the increased overhead for the show's heavily produced format may have been a factor in the show's demise, Maron claimed that Goldberg did not "get" or agree with the comedy on the show. Maron exacerbated the conflict by calling attention to his situation during the show for several weeks, prompting a petition drive that garnered over 5,000 signatures. This was to no avail, as Maron announced on November 28 that his last show would be December 16, 2005. Maron was offered an evening show, which ran briefly on affiliate
KTLK in
Los Angeles, but Air America never followed through with promised national syndication and the show was cancelled in July 2006. Goldberg announced his resignation on April 6, 2006, after a little more than a year on the job. Maron guest hosted a few times in 2007, and now cohosts a webcast program for Air America called "Breakroom Live".
Janeane Garofalo's last day as co-host of
The Majority Report was on July 14, 2006. Several reasons for her departure were cited (including her outside acting responsibilities). The show ended a few months later.
By the late summer of 2006 Sinton and Ginsburg's influence was marginalized (both would leave in short order).
On August 30, 2006, nighttime host
Mike Malloy was fired from the network. Malloy had hosted a nighttime show from the inception of the network. The show was especially vitriolic and anti-right wing. Comments included referring to the Bushes as the "Bush crime family"; right-wingers commonly were referred to as "rat bastards" and "pigs". In the two weeks before the firing, Malloy had announced an impending multi-year deal for him to stay with Air America (and to return on the air in
New York City). The firing was explained as for financial reasons. Rumours persist that Malloy's criticism of Israel during its bombardment of Lebanon in the summer of 2006 may have played a role. News of his termination was conveyed via a short statement on the homepage of Malloy's website, posted by his wife/producer Kathy Bay Malloy. His final show was on August 29, 2006, filling in for Randi Rhodes. No mention of his firing was made during the broadcast. Malloy's firing drew criticism from Air America on-air talent, including
The Majority Report's
Sam Seder and
Randi Rhodes. It also began a large online campaign, including a petition that had over 17,000 signatures as of October 2006. At the end of October, Malloy resumed his show on a newly created progressive radio network,
Nova M Radio.
Gloria Wise controversy
In July 2005, the
Bronx News reported that the
Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club of
Co-op City, a non-profit organization providing services for children and seniors in the
Bronx, loaned US$480,000 to Progress Media, then owner of Air America Radio. It later turned out that there had been four separate transfers from Gloria Wise between October 2, 2003, and March 14, 2004, totalling $875,000, and that no interest was to be paid on these loans.
Since then, the city has suspended further funding of the agency, and
Boys and Girls Clubs of America has revoked the group's right to use their name, likeness or logo. At the time the funds were to have been transferred,
Evan Cohen, former chairman of the now-defunct Progress Media, was also Director of Development for Gloria Wise.
In response to this report, Air America Radio's owners at the time, Piquant LLC, issued a press release stating Piquant had "no obligation to Progress Media's business activities", and Piquant, as previously agreed, would "fully compensate" the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club. While Gloria Wise remains under investigation, Air America has since repaid the loan. On May 28, 2008, Cohen was arrested at
Guam International Airport on a warrant from the State of Hawaii. He was indicted in that state for
money laundering and stealing over $60,000 from a
Honolulu-based landscaping company.
Reorganizational bankruptcy and sale to Green Family Media
On October 13, 2006, Air America filed for
bankruptcy protection under
Chapter 11, at the
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of
New York. Air America continued broadcasting while the finances were worked out with the creditors. The company had US$4,331,265.30 in assets and US$20,266,056.23 in liabilities.
Al Franken alone was owed US$360,749.98 and
Rob Glaser, founder of
Real Networks, was owed the most at US$9.8 million. The filing had over 25 pages of creditors and showed that the company lost US$9.1 million in 2004, US$19.6 million in 2005 and an additional US$13.1 million by mid-October in 2006.
On January 29, 2007, Air America "signed a letter of intent to sell its business to SLG Radio LLC, an entity controlled by
Stephen L. Green, the founder and chairman of SL Green Realty Corp, a company that controls 27 million ft
2 (2.5 million m
2) of real estate with a market capitalization of US$12 billion". Air America CEO Scott Elberg said of Air America's sale, "We are extremely pleased to have reached this agreement with Mr. Green, which will solidify Air America’s future." The sale was completed on March 6, 2007 to Green Family Media, a new company created by Stephen Green and his brother Mark J. Green.
Franken moves on to the U.S. Senate
Al Franken, host of Air America Radio's former flagship program,
The Al Franken Show.
During the bankruptcy, key on air personality Al Franken decided that he was going to give up his show of three years in order to run for U.S. Senate. He made his official announcement during the last show. Thom Hartmann replaced him in March 2007. Senator Franken won a close and highly contested election to become the 60th Senator in the Democratic Caucus.
Air America 2.0
After the sale, major changes were quickly put into place. Stephen Green became the network's chairman, and Mark Green became president of Air America, with a hands-on role. Former chief executive Scott Elberg remained as chief operating officer. Mark Green announced on Thursday, April 25, 2007, that
Westwood One would take over the handling of Air America's ad sales from
Jones Radio Networks. In addition, a new lineup was unveiled for the radio network. The top four weekday shows were kept, but extensive changes were made to the rest of the lineup. Green also announced a redesign for the network's website, in addition to a new logo.
On March 14, 2007, the new owners of Air America announced the hiring of longtime radio veteran David Bernstein to be the new Vice President of Programming. Prior to joining Air America, he was best known as the program director at New York radio station
WOR from 1995 to 2002. In an interview with the
New York Daily News, Bernstein explained his vision of Air America's future as "I don't see our purpose as 'answering' conservative radio or
Rush Limbaugh. There's no clear majority in this country today. We want to talk to everyone and help everyone make the right choice." On November 15, 2007, industry news site Radio Online reported that Bernstein was exiting Air America.
After being suspended by Air America management for derogatory remarks toward
Geraldine Ferraro and
Hillary Clinton while off the air,
Randi Rhodes quit the network on April 9, 2008, citing a contract dispute. She was one of Air America's more popular hosts, with 1.5 million unique listeners per week. Rhodes moved to
Nova M Radio the next week. The Randi Rhodes show is aired in its former time slot on the
America Left channel on
Sirius XM Satellite Radio.
Thom Hartmann moved his show to the
Dial Global radio network on March 1, 2009. Hartmann had been the flagship program on AAR for a year.
Montel Williams hosts the new flagship program in in Lionel's previous spot, and Lionel moved his show to the 12pm-3pm ET slot.
Ratings
In
Arbitron's Spring 2008 ratings book, stations carrying a majority AAR programming and in markets reporting every quarter averaged a 1.3
share. The highest rated Air America affiliates were
KPOJ in Portland, Oregon (3.7 share),
WXXM in Madison, Wisconsin (3.5), and
KABQ in Albuquerque, New Mexico (2.6). The lowest rated affiliates were
WDTW and
WLBY in Detroit, Michigan (unmeasurable),
WOIC in Columbia, South Carolina (0.4),
WTKG in Grand Rapids, Michigan (0.5), and flagship station
WWRL in New York City (0.5).
WXXM in Madison had announced in November 2006 that it would switch to all sports programming by the end of the year. Following a very vocal backlash from the station's listeners and syndicated hosts, Clear Channel in Madison later backtracked, deciding to leave the
progressive talk format on the station.
WWRL in New York recently dropped Thom Hartmann and now gets less than half of its programming from Air America.
Affiliates
As of October 2008, Air America programming was carried on 66 terrestrial broadcast stations, an increase of 10 percent over the previous six months. Thirty-two of these stations broadcast a majority AAR programming. During the 4 1/2 years of the network's existence, Air America has lost 63 affiliates to other programming or formats. Air America counts any station that carries any of their programming as an affiliate, similar to radio networks such as
ESPN Radio. Stations owned by
Clear Channel Communications had been early backers of the network, and the company used the network as programming for some of its smaller AM stations. However, in the past few years, the network has been moving instead toward replacing Air America on those stations with
Fox Sports Radio (a Clear Channel product), as
WCKY Cincinnati,
KLSD San Diego and
WINZ Miami were all once Air America affiliates but are now affiliated with Fox Sports. (There have been a few notable exceptions that have remained with Air America, such as
WXXM in Madison, Wisconsin, which kept Air America after listener protests, and
KKGN in San Francisco, where the Fox Sports affiliation is held by another station and there are fewer programming options due to significant competition).
Interestingly, the majority of the programming on Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel "
America Left" consists of shows of former Air Americans:
Mike Malloy,
Thom Hartmann (twice a day),
Bill Press, and "
The Young Turks."
See also
