Alan Colmes OFF of Sirius

[drbtg1]

The changes on the programming page for Sirius Left 146 shows Colmes has been replaced with Stephanie Miller (for the 10pm-midnight block) and Thom Hartmann (for the midnight-1am block)

:woohoo:

http://www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Sirius/Page&c=Channel&cid=1104779630493&s=prog

Sirius hasn't changed the schedule page yet, though.

http://www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Sirius/Page&c=Channel&cid=1104779630493&s=sched

Unfortunately, this may also be a harbinger for Sirius to be adding the previously mentioned, non-exclusive Faux Talk Channel that XM already announced that they're adding.
:grr:

[BlueEyedSon]

1. I want my AAR back (on Sirius)!!!!

[drbtg1]

11. Yeah, I know. You have my sympathies.

Faux Talk channel is non-exclusive, so that may be hitting Sirius soon also, getting an even wider potential audience than AAR can.

The following link states a business trend that, if it continues through the holiday season, would show Danny Goldberg to be an even worse businessman than previously considered.

http://www.shareholder.com/sirius/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=176914&cat=&newsroom=

[tularetom]

2. No matter what else they've done or will do

Getting rid of colmes is a good move.

[shaniqua6392]

3. Alan Colmes will not be missed by me.

I think he is spineless and is no match for Hannity on FAUX News show. I am constantly waiting for him to speak up and fight and he never does.

[oc2002]

6. of course, colmes(lowercase) knows he is a prop for HANNITY(uppercase).

colmes, maybe a nice guy, but he is just a prop for Hannity,..

[cascadiance]

7. Sirius is not being missed by me!

I can still get Stephanie Miller far sooner than that in the day by podcasting her in the morning before going to work here on the West Coast. If this is all that Sirius is doing to update Sirius Left, then I'm glad I "left" it behind!

[drbtg1]

10. Oh, I'd certainly agree that Sirius could do more

I'd much rather have Stephanie Miller and Thom Hartmann live and complete instead of Alex Bennett and Lynn Samuels (although I'll acknowledge that Sirius did get original liberal programming, it's just not enough).

However, for Sirius to replace Colmes with Ms. Miller and Mr. Hartmann is a nice step forward for all mankind.

[leeroysphitz]

4. Good!!!!! n/t

[corkhead]

5. I just hope they do the same on XM

and put malloy back in the slot he belongs in.

I can't stand Colmes, that milquetoast POS; his callers are 90% repuke morans who taunt him for attention. I have never heard any serious progressive discussion on his program, although I cannot say I have listened to it more than maybe a couple of hours total over the last couple months when I have been stuck in my car at 10pm or later.

It is a circus sideshow for wingers. it belongs on a rightwinger channel.

edit: for clairity Colmes is the POS, not Malloy

[NYCGirl]

8. Malloy will be in his timeslot on XM starting in January. NT

[drbtg1]

9. As I've noted in another thread, it appears Colmes on XM...

...will be on an all new Faux Talk channel on XM.

http://www.xmradio.com/newsroom/screen/pr_2005_10_18.html

The move for Colmes on XM would certainly allow XM to put Mr. Malloy's show in its proper place.

Unfortunately, the Faux Talk channel, unlike AAR, is non-exclusive, so they may be infecting all of satellite radio eventually. Good business move, bad moral move.

[cascadiance]

12. For Thom Hartmann they probably anticipate XM offering him at that time...

Up until now they had Thom Hartmann on at 1-3 AM timeframe (EST). My guess is that soon if and when Alan Colmes gets yanked from XM's Air America lineup, that Mike Malloy would then be carried live, and Thom Hartmann would be carried in Malloy's old slot. Then Sirius would have a real problem carrying only 2 hours of his show around that time compared to 3 hours for XM. Now they can say they carry Hartmann's 3 hour show an hour earlier than XM (a relatively even situation I guess). However, XM and Air America might just respond by putting Hartmann in his live slot on Air America if Al Franken leaves for a Senate race, etc. If that happens, perhaps Air America might also recruit someone like Bernie Ward to go live in place of the tape delayed slot occupied now by Malloy too. Ward has been reportedly looking for syndication lately.

Stephanie Miller is OK at this time for "listen radio", but I'd rather have Mike Malloy LIVE at that time, and Thom Hartmann LIVE in the mornings instead of "listen radio" at midnight EST. If I want "listen radio" instead of live "talk radio", I'd rather use podcasts when I can choose when and where i listen to those delayed broadcasts more. If Sirius really wants to be a viable competitor for the progressive listener, they'd consider adding another left talk channel and have one of them be focused on all live content and add stuff like Democracy Now, etc. too.

[drbtg1]

13. I don't think XM cares...

...much about programming in the graveyard shift, certainly not enough to get programming that would only air there. Not enough return on investment. As I look at XM's website for their right wing channel, it appears the graveyard shift is occupied by repeats of the preceding day's Michael Reagan and Rusty Humphries programs. (Sirius, on the other hand, will air delayed but doesn't repeat programming for the graveyard shift for both left and right channels.)

I'd suspect XM would program 1am-5am with repeats of whoever gets the highest ratings for AAR (probably Mr.Franken and Ms. Rhodes).

[cascadiance]

14. Depends on what time zone you live in...

Out here on the west coast, that really isn't a "graveyard shift", much like Morning Sedition and/or Rachel Maddow IS a graveyard shift for us here but not the east coast. Many of us here are driving at around 10:00 PM to midnight in the evening (the start of this time frame). Bernie Ward certainly gets a good live audience at this timeframe on KGO. And this is really probably more of an Air America decision to offer Hartmann at this timeframe anyway, but one that XM can "take advantage of" when they no longer unilaterally put Malloy in the graveyard shift after moving Colmes off.

[drbtg1]

15. I'd agree with the concept that programming in the graveyard shift...

...would be a good idea, particularly for the west coast. But XM has already shown a precedent with their right wing channel for not going for original programming there, only airing what they already broadcast earlier. I wouldn't hold my breath for Mr. Ward or Mr. Hartmann to air on XM during 1am-5am EST (10pm-2am PST) after Mr. Malloy gets moved to his proper timeslot.

As for it being an "Air America decision", it's ultimately up to the contracts between AAR and XM, but since XM would have to pay more for Mr. Hartmann, again, continue breathing.