Air America R.I.P.
I'm nearly a month late on this news but act to ensure it makes the filing cabinet. Air America, the left-wing broadcasting network that featured such on-air talent as Al Franken, Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz and people I can't remember, is gone.
Time Magazine may miss the network but, as the support indicated, few others will. I used to flip over to Air America to understand the left. I found ranting and humor that wasn't funny.
To be fair, I listen to very little talk radio, but I never found myself fearing the Air America message. It didn't resonate. I remember Bill Clinton's verbal skills making me nervous. He had a way of framing issues that was convincing. Obama campaigned similarly. Mario Cuomo used to sound pretty damn good until you wrote down what he was saying and tried to parse it.
Today, the left has Keith Olbermann. I may not be the right person to give the left advice, but they need better spokespeople. The right didn't have a version of Air America because conservative talk show hosts sprout up organically. The left's message is gimmicky. It needs to change to keep attention. Air America never changed.
Time Magazine may miss the network but, as the support indicated, few others will. I used to flip over to Air America to understand the left. I found ranting and humor that wasn't funny.
To be fair, I listen to very little talk radio, but I never found myself fearing the Air America message. It didn't resonate. I remember Bill Clinton's verbal skills making me nervous. He had a way of framing issues that was convincing. Obama campaigned similarly. Mario Cuomo used to sound pretty damn good until you wrote down what he was saying and tried to parse it.
Today, the left has Keith Olbermann. I may not be the right person to give the left advice, but they need better spokespeople. The right didn't have a version of Air America because conservative talk show hosts sprout up organically. The left's message is gimmicky. It needs to change to keep attention. Air America never changed.
I was/wan't surprised at the demise of Air America. They began poorly funded and managed and never quite recovered. They made some personnel and scheduling changes that never quite made sense to me and probably not to their intended audience either.
In a way, I thought they were modeling themselves a bit after WBAI here in NYC although they didn't tack quite as far left. But WBAI's intended audience is smaller and more defined with an extremely loyal following.
In a way I believe that MSNBC grew out of Air America and no coincendence that hosts Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz appear there.
Coming from the opposite side of the aisle, I also wander over to radio right but some of it is just too strident for me. I appreciate intelligence - not knee capping. Both sides of the aisle are guilty of that.
The reason I'm here is that although at once I was turned away by your politics, you had written some comments, and made some posts that I believe showed us to share common ground. And also pointed out tactics and strategies that were not confined to either right or left. I appreciate that.
In a way, I think it's shameful that Air America collapsed. I think there's still an audience there - but don't know if anyone will again take that risk.
- Jeff
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Thanks, Jeff. I've enjoyed our back and forth over the years. You and I have demonstrated that principled disagreement can be productive. And to think that it all started with a single act of constructive spelling help that you offered me.
You are yet another great side benefit that has come from operating Cultural Offering. I envision a large dinner one day in the future when I can meet all the wonderful people I've met through this blog. If you would all show up, I'd be happy to cook the meal in my very own kitchen.
Have a great weekend.
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