So Air America is finally dead.

[Mojambo]

http://airamerica.com/

[FBaggins]

1. What is it with this week!!!???

I think I'll call in sick and hide under my bed until Saturday morning.

[fascisthunter]

2. I Stopped Listening to Them a While Ago

they were way too DLC for me... Monetl Williams? Are ya kiddin' me?

[Mojambo]

4. Yeah, I hadn't listened in a long time.

I am worried about what will happen to some of these local progressive talk stations that relied on Air America for filler programming in between good progressive talk like Hartmann and Malloy etc...

[GreenPartyVoter]

29. Same here.

[Cleita]

6. This is what happens when the DLC becomes in charge. No one wants

Republican Lites running things. Obama should take note.

[choie]

3. Good riddance

any "liberal" talk radio station that fires Sam Seder, Mark Maron, Jeannine Garafolo and Mike Malloy deserves to die.

[Sebastian Doyle]

21. True enough.

Ron Reagan deserved better though. As did Mike Papantonio and RFK Jr, whose weekend show "Ring of Fire" was the ONLY remaining show from the original lineup.

Mark Green, that DLC sucking piece of shit, took a great network, and completely destroyed it. Hopefully Ron, Mike, and Bobby can move on with Dial Global (where Thom, Stephanie, and Ed are) or self-syndicate like Mike Malloy.

[senseandsensibility]

32. How do you listen to Dial Global?

I never heard of it before.

[Sebastian Doyle]

33. They're the syndicator, but I don't believe they do any direct streaming like Air America did.

You have to go through the affiliates. But here's a great link...

http://radiotime.com/Search.aspx?id=c57925&filter=live:

That will give you all the talk radio streams currently playing.

[senseandsensibility]

34. Thanks

:hi: I'll check it out.

[w8liftinglady]

5. I remember Air America as being my sanity when my son was in Iraq

If it wasn't for Rachel,Randi,Mike and "Ring of Fire".I don't know what I would have done here in Dumbfukistan.I'm sad to see them go.

[Dennis Donovan]

7. Rest in Peace,AAR - a great idea, poorly executed...

:(

[Cleita]

8. To give them a little bit of credit, they had to take the lowest powered and

most poorly equipped stations across the nation. For some reason the religious stations and right wing nut talk stations get the powerful signals with the largest reach.

[Obamanaut]

15. On the other hand, if they had had an ample quantity of advertisers

with a listener base that supported those advertisers - would there not have been greater success?

And with that greater success, there would not be the need for the hue and cry for 'fairness' from the more conservative stations.

[Cleita]

16. Well, I felt they made a huge mistake in firing Mike Malloy to begin with and

little by little silencing the voices that had made AAR listened to to begin with. So there were bad business decisions there.

[KamaAina]

30. The reason is, they're owned by right wing nut corps like Cheap Channel

leaving us with the 500-watt stations way up on the dial by the police calls.

[Cant trust em]

9. That's really sad.

Why don't liberals like partisan talk radio like conservatives do?

[1]

10. we have du!

[w8liftinglady]

13. because we aren't a bunch of poo-flinging chimps...

facts take a little more work-neocons don't like to think that hard.

[CTD]

11. Talk radio seems to be a more natural format for right-wingers

Where opinions trump facts.

I never had much enthusiasm for any type of talk radio. The hosts tell me what I've already read somewhere online and the callers either also echo facts I've read online or spout incoherent crap.

I never found incoherent crap to be particularly amusing.

Not to mention, too many people take to long to get to the point. At least online, at forums like this, you can stop reading and skip on to the next post when you get bored. On talk radio, you have to suffer through the inanity.

[eleny]

12. I liked listening to Ron Reagan Jr when his program aired here later at night

They did have a couple of good people on the air. I hope those people find a way to stay on the air somehow.

[Cant trust em]

14. Stinks, but I prefer NPR anyway. nt

[renate]

17. oh no.... this really, really, really makes me sad

They helped save my sanity. And I live in Oregon! I can't imagine how essential Air America was to people living in more conservative areas.

They made a lot of programming decisions I disagreed with, but even during the hours I didn't listen it was just nice to know that they were there. I really am so sorry to hear this.

[Mojambo]

18. I'm really worried about what's to become of some of these affiliates

I don't want to lose my progressive talk station!

[w8liftinglady]

19. we've been through 2 different affiliates in North Texas...I think it has to do with advertising.

I'm glad I have Sirius Talk Left.

[Liberal In Texas]

22. Most of the Progressive Talk out there hasn't been AAR for awhile.

Most notably NOT AAR and in no particular order:
Stephanie Miller
Bill Press
Ed Shultz
Thom Hartmann
Randi Rhodes
Mike Malloy

And on Sirius/XM:
The Young Turks
Mark Thompson

Ring of Fire may still be available http://ringoffireradio.com/blogengine/
So I guess if you were a Lionel fan, condolences.

[oregonjen]

23. I just emailed KPOJ to see if there will be a statement regarding this

Ron Reagan's show was Air America. I enjoyed his show a lot. What other programming does KPOJ air that was AA's?

[GreenTea]

20. Well it lasted six long years when all republicans said (hoped) it wouldn't last out the 2004 year

Monday January 25th will be AAR last night....just two month's and a few day shy of AAR six anniversary....they were very helpful while they lasted those six years - good luck and we hope some progressive organization will pick up the slack and excel

[Liberal In Texas]

24. I suppose this means Mike Malloy will never get the money they owe him. n/t

[GreenTea]

25. That's what bankruptcy means. n/t

[FLPanhandle]

26. Unfortunately, Obama in the WH and a Democratic Congress were the end for them.

They were the only real sounding board besides the internet against the Bush Administration.

Conversely, a dem WH and Congress are a windfall to Rush and the RW radio hosts.

[Liberal In Texas]

31. They were undone by their poor management long before the election.

Progressive radio is still out there and it's getting stronger. Slowly, but RW radio didn't pop into existence overnight. It took a long time to buy up all the small stations to form conglomerates.

Thanks for playing.

[HootieMcBoob]

27. I used to have AAR on all day long

When they originally went on the air they had an excellent lineup. Unfiltered with Rachel Maddow, Liz Winstead and Chuck D along with Morning Sedition with Mark Maron and Mark Riley! Those were classic radio shows!

Al Franken was terrific (Liam the loose boweled leprechaun! I'm so happy he's a Senator!) and I loved Thom Hartman too. Randi Rhodes was a breath of fresh air during some really horrific times.

I cooked dinner many an evening listening to Majority Report with Janeane Garofalo and Sam Seder. Sam Seder, over time, grew to be my very favorite AAR personality. Mike Malloy at night was a real treat even though in NYC they didn't air the full show. The weekend lineups were also really good.

Then they began to make a lot of really bad decisions. Canceling Morning Sedition and firing Mike Malloy. Hiring Lionel and Jerry Springer and Montel Williams were extraordinarily stupid moves.

They just didn't seem to understand what we wanted to hear.

I'll always remember AAR fondly. If it hadn't been for them during the dark days of Bush I don't know what I would have done.

[KharmaTrain]

28. It's Amazing They Lasted This Long...

AAR suffered from poor financing the moment it took flight...this led to them never really gaining many affiliates and trying to hang onto those that it did have. They got into radio during the start of a long decline that not only drove AAR to Chapter 7 but has seen a lot of other companies headed in that direction. I honestly doubt the station ever made a profit and relied on someone with deep pockets...be it Sheldon Drobyny or Mark Greene to keep it going.

They were caught in a Catch 22...they didn't have enough affiliates to bring in big money and couldn't go out to get more affiliates cause they didn't have the money. They also got hit hard by Jones...now THE only Progressive radio network who had more popular shows...Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller, Bill Press. Overall, radio is on life support...losing a large number of listeners (especially young people) and the short and long term projections don't look very good, not only for AAR, but for almost everyone, including the right wing hate networks. The fact they lasted this long is a trestimony to the dedication of those who ran the network.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

35. Liberals don't need a voice of authority to enforce indefensible values

It is as simple as that,