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Progressive radio network Air America will finally debut in the D.C. market tonight at midnight, broadcasting as WZAA 1050 AM. The daily schedule will include such well known personalities as Rachel Maddow, Ron Reagan, Ana Marie Cox, Montel Williams, Lionel, Arianna Huffington and Carlos Watson. Special guests will also appear on the station tomorrow to mark the D.C. launch, including Helen Thomas, Chris Matthews, and Sen. Bernie Sanders. “We plan to utilize our new Washington, D.C. broadcast facilities to originate nationwide programming with our talent,” said Bill Hess, senior vice president of programming of Air America Media. “Now that we’re in our new D.C. home on Idaho Avenue, we’re also producing regularly-scheduled local programming.”
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Does anyone know about the armed robbery on 13th NW last night in Columbia Heights? The helicopters
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Finally, something worth listening to on the radio besides NPR.
I used to listen to their insanely great programming (Rachel Maddow's early days, Stephanie Miller) on their old 1260 station, despite the awful static, low-power, and brain-dead automation computer. Now that they're on a station with a semi-decent signal, I'm really looking forward to listening to Air America again.
Air America still exists? Who knew? Certainly not the radio listening public.
I would have thought that after they bilked a charity out of its money they would have gone quietly into the night.
Their ratings will be abysmal, advertising revenue will be nearly non-existent, but in the end, they will blame it all on "big media companies connected to Karl Rove" or some such nonsense.
I tried really hard to like Air America the last time it was on the air here in town, but it turned out to be horribly unlistenable. I can't imagine it has improved much since then, especially with the likes of "Dumb as Rocks" Ana Marie Cox getting airtime these days.
NPR = 100,000,000,000,000 times better radio.
Concur.
hillvada, I'm not sure why you're so sure the rating will be abysmal. MSNBC's ratings went through the roof when from a news to a biased bs format. Apparently, the Left enjoys unbalanced not-news hate mongering nearly as much as the Right.
We really ARE all the same, Santa.
Wow. And on the AM band, too. They'll be right at home between the crop reports, the End Times preachers, and the mariachi music. They'd be better off on the Dumont Network.
Air America still exists? Who knew? Certainly not the radio listening public.
True. I think there's an impedance mismatch going on here:
On the one hand, Air America aspires to be "talk radio" for progressives (let's leave aside the excrable Ana Marie Cox, and whatever-the-fuck Lionel is).
On the other hand, only completely fucking imbecilic fuck-nozzles listen to talk radio.
Liberals read blogs.
What? No Sen. Al Franken? :-(
hillvada: Air American did not "bilk a charity out of its money". It was something perhaps worse: the guy at the head of the charity was also on the board of Air America, and he moved the money. A little bit of conflict of interest, maybe? The money was a loan (interest-free, natch) and Air America has repaid it.
I don't think we need to wait to see who they "blame" for their abysmal ratings. Their ratings have always been abysmal for 5 years. Who do they blame? Who have they blamed?
In case anyone's dying to know what's on the schedule:
It's just above the headline "Why Rush Is Blameless for that Shooting in DC". Looks like this "Lionel" entity is a slightly more right-of-center version of Alan Colmes. Just the sort of talent you want to build a progressive radio station around.
ibc, I was going to make the same point. but there is an exception to that rule: even liberals need something to listen to while commuting.
even liberals need something to listen to while commuting
Yeah, but you can't get radio reception on the subway, and you shouldn't wear headphones while bicycling. Since I am assured by Rush that liberals are coordinating with Al Qaeda to blow up every freeway in America during morning rush hour, this seems like a fatal flaw.
Progressive talk 1260 was guilty of some pretty ridiculous programming, but its the lesser of two evils by far. The amount of venomous conservative right-wing talk out there is horrific.
One good thing is that they're unlikely to have the parade of Republican apologists that seems to take up an awful lot of NPR time.