Air America Lionel- a Freeper waiting to be banned

[The Count]

That was my impression as I checked up on him again this morning (after his opening day disaster). (I remember a few of those during the 2003-2004 primaries)
It became WORSE! He is bullying and buzzing callers for not giving the answer he wants (in this case I think he was shooting for the lameo "the market regulates the media") I never listened to Limpballs but how much more annoying than this can it be?
How Air America has fallen!
Shame on you Mark Green!
I wirked for your campaign, was inconsolable that you didn't get to me our mayor. But if you'd have ran NYC like you run AAR, I'm not all that sad anymore (no compliment to Bloomberg should ne in any way implied here)
A rude loud mouth blowhard, making the case for hate speech on his first day - it's THAT what we needed more of?
There are handful of libertarians in this country - grossly over-represented in the media already - where they are passed as "the other side" to the nazis...
I am so tired of that fake debate! (Bush: "Great president or greatest?")
There goes AAR- down the same drain as it all.:argh: :banghead: :rant:

[quiet.american]

1. Thanks for the report - I'm still mourning no daily Sam Seder, so didn't listen.

I think it's actually Mark Green's brother that runs the station -- but regardless, AAR has just about committed suicide. Armstrong Williams for their morning show in NY, and now this clown, Lionel -- oh for the halcyon days when Al Franken was the only host anyone complained about.

[musette_sf]

7. Sam will be special guest

on tonight's Mike Malloy show....

[quiet.american]

20. Thanks for that info. n/t

[Oreo]

2. I can't listen to him

The beeped out Opie and Anthony thing wasn't funny the first time nevermind the 20th.

[garybeck]

3. I wish we could collecitvely tell AAR what we think.

are they getting the message?

do they really think this is going to help their ratings?

[Breeze54]

5. lmao!! You silly !!

AAR plays lots of crappy music between segments!
And last I heard, they don't 'really' answer e-mails.

As far as Lionel, he was a riot the other night about athieism and Falwell.
He has that northeast brand of sarcasm that a lot of the country doesn't seem to 'get'.
It's an acquired taste. :P
But this morning he lost me...bland, boring and to much crappy music, which
I find kind of strange, as his website lists a lot of good bands but no links.

[librechik]

4. I suspect SBS

Somebody's Boyfriend Syndrome. For example: "Who's the guy who got Margaret's job? He can't even alphabetize and I can't read his handwriting."

Answer: Somebody's Boyfriend. It's a sickness. you see it everywhere; our meriticracy is so dead--replaced by feudalism.

Question: Blaby has been here three years and he's totally incompetent and everybody hates him! Why in Hell does he still have a job?

Answer: He's Somebody's Boyfriend.

[LoZoccolo]

6. Did you just say "a Freeper waiting to be banned"?

That's what I thought you said. Real life is not like Democratic Underground, you know.

[xultar]

8. That's what I don't get. People here complain that they don't lockstep

and complain when people aren't in lockstep.

[Nunyabiz]

30. Lionel is only about 2 steps to the right

of Mike Malloy. I haven't listened to him since he moved to AAR but I assure you he is as far from "freeper" as you can get.

[Frank Cannon]

9. I listened to Lionel for years, and I liked him

Maybe he's changed since he went to AAR. I don't know. But I hardly think he's a RW nut.

I'm sorry Sam Seder is gone. I liked him better than Lionel. But Lionel is (or was) still pretty good when I was listening to him.

Different strokes, I guess.

[bunkerbuster1]

12. Lionel's better than Jerry Springer

lest we forget, the bland, boring-ass Jerry Springer had been the morning guy prior to Seder.

I've barely heard Lionel on AAR, but I've heard him before. He's going to infuriate a lot of folks on DU; he infuriates me too sometimes, but:

1) I think he really does take his civil and fiscal libertarian views seriously;

2) He's given alternative 9/11 theorists very respectful air time in the past (more than you can say for a lot of progressive talkshow hosts)

I too wish Seder were still AAR's late-morning guy, but if Lionel winds up bringing in a lot more listeners/ad revenue than Seder, it'll be hard to argue that it was a mistake.

[Breeze54]

13. He didn't seem RW to me at all. Quite the opposite.

I think he uses sarcasm to try to get the callers to think!
He really was very funny the other night.

I was alone and laughing outloud. :P

[byronius]

25. Man, that's a great sig line photo. I love that song. I love that band.

I still play ELO regularly.

[Frank Cannon]

27. They're the best.

Great to hear from another ELO fan! :bounce:

[irish.lambchop]

10. I responded to a similar post about lionel here -

and at samsedershow.com. Think it was yesterday that lionel 'deputized' his listeners as producers and told everyone to write in to tell him what we wanted to hear/discuss. I wrote in and said I wanted to hear Sam Seder. Every morning I send one email to him - [e-mail] - that says the same thing: I want Sam Seder back.

[eleny]

11. I think Lionel is making big mistake

His nighttime schtick on WOR won't always fly in an early morning progressive leaning venue.

I've enjoyed many, many of his broadcasts. But if he thinks that liberals are going to accept him or bend to his will regarding some of his themes such as the use of political labels or his chauvinistic language or how he really likes GW as a person - he's mistaken.

He has changed some of his views on Iraq, GW and 9/11 over the years. But these days I wouldn't get up to listen at 7 A.M. here online in Mountain Time.

I believe that in the long run, Lionel won't be too happy on AAR. I can hardly wait until he tries to take on Randi. Mark my words, he will try it. She'll make hamburger out of his ego. That might be good for him.

[NYCGirl]

14. He did a brilliant segments on the US Attorneys scandal and Jose Padilla

the other day.

[eleny]

15. It seems to be feast or famin with Lionel

I've enjoyed his programs about 9/11 and also when he dissects the legal aspects of issues. Brilliant is the word I'd use, too.

Then on other days it's like he stays home and sends his evil twin to broadcast for him.

[NYCGirl]

16. I've never heard him before this week — and although there've been segments

that I didn't care for at all, when he's really on it, he's impressive and quite knowledgeable. I also like the way he handles callers.

[eleny]

17. He has entire shows where he asks for the * diehards to call in

Have to admit that those shows are priceless. I don't know how they'll fly in an early morning time slot. But during the late hours he reeled in the night crawlers.

[Frank Cannon]

23. Lionel is an attorney, and he knows the law cold

And he can quote chapter and verse on it like no one else I've ever heard, except maybe Mike Papantonio and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on AAR's "Ring of Fire". I think all of these guys do a great job explaining complicated legal issues in entertaining and easy-to-understand terms. But that's just me.

[rocktivity]

18. My biggest problem with Lionel's show is that is really all about

...Lionel.

x(
rocknation

[lazyriver]

21. Thank you. For me, that's all that needs to be said.

[Breeze54]

28. That's not true.

You also have to know critical thinking, have a sense of humor and be schooled in sarcasm.
He uses a lot of that! :P But he doesn't use it constantly and he can harp too much at times.
But all those DJ's do that, including Randi, imho!!

[jmatthan]

19. I don't know why you bother!

There are so many alternatives. Just express your disgust and move on to other great Liberal Talk Show Hosts.

Why give publicity by discussing such immature Talk Show Hosts as Lionel.

I have this as my listening schedule of Liberal Talk Show Hosts - virtually in order of MY MERIT:

Mike Malloy - Nova M
Peter Werbe - WRIF
Peter B. Collins AM 540 KRXA
Bernie Ward KGO
Stephanie Miller AM 540 KRXA
Ray Taliferro KGO
Guy James Online, Head On Radio
Nate Clay WLS
Head On Radio
Mike Webb Online
Thom Hartmann
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mike Papantonio
Laura Flanders
The Young Turks
Randi Rhodes
David Bender
Rachel Maddow
Ed Schultz AM 540 KRXA
John Rothmann KGO

So why bother with a squeaky voice obnoxious host as Lionel?

And look at the list above - till you get down to Thom Hartmann, there is no Air America Radio host, and all the others are just superb, some hilarious and all talk Truth to Power!

When I wrote to Mike Malloy and copied Shelby Drobny of Nova M Radio about John Loftus, I had a reply literally within a few minutes and the guy was off the air by the night.

http://talkshowratings.blogspot.com/2007/04/wow-that-was-fast-cross-posted-on.html

I do not take credit for that, although I got the full wrath of John Loftus :-), as Mr. Drobny had had several inputs before me and took John Loftus off the air for his own reasons - but listener input was most important.

My suggestion is to write to Air America Radio that you dislike Lionel, giving specific examples of his take on things which have offended you and then STOP listening to him!

I am listening to all these in Oulu, Finland, many thousands of miles from USA. I think you have great Liberal Talk Show hosts - so support the good ones and ignore the others!

And above all, support RadioPower.org and Benburch of WhiteRoseSociety.org who have, for so many years, done wonders for Liberal Talk Radio.

[Gregorian]

22. There is a reason Democracy Now is so good.

One is Amy. The other is the lack of corporate sponsors.

I won't listen to AAR. I listened the first week, and was repulsed by ads. I made the same comment I'm making now, then. And I was heaped with flames. Maybe Amy Goodman is actually stupid because she must obviously be working for little or no pay. Well, I'm not listening to AAR, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.

[corkhead]

24. I started streaming Stephanie Miller the Monday following Sam Seder's departure

I caught a few minutes of Lionel on day one and wasn't impressed. He isn't "delivering" my ears. You are spot on. I too am sick of Libertarians as the loyal opposition to pukes.

Check out Stephanie Miller, it is a much more entertaining show than I expected.

[bunny planet]

26. He's awful isn't he. I can't believe this clown is who replaced Sam Seder.

I suggest a call in campaign to the station, all my emails to their suggestion box get returned to me. Personally I think Mark Green is off to a very inauspicious start demoting Sam, who is lightyears better than this guy and was building a steady, loyal audience even in the sucky timeslot. First, had to endure 2+ years of Jerry Springer in that time slot, now this. Seems as if there is always an effort to sabotage the programming with stupid descisions. Put the Young Turks on in that slot (albeit not in real time), put Stephanie Miller in syndication, or best solution of all, bring Sam back. This guy Lionel is unlistenable. WTF.

I sometimes think Mark Green just bought the station so that he could be in a position to lambaste Rudy when the time comes, if the time comes. There is still hope though, lets flood them with calls. We hate this Lionel guy.

[K8-EEE]

29. I DO NOT understand the appeal of that guy at all?????

He's like sitting next to some boring goon on the plane when there's no other free seats! He's so boring....and kind of nuts!

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

31. On his 1st day, he used rightwing buzzwords like "pol. correctness" and "culture of victimization"

and actually began the broadcast with the announcement that "he's not here to please liberal listeners. He's here to get ratings."
hell, if that's the point, why not just add limbaugh to the schedule. he gets ratings.

the problem with aar wasn't the lineup. it was the lack of promotion to advertisers, coupled with bad financial management. the shows actually had respectable numbers for a start-up network.

[bagimin]

32. Lionel is

very amusing.
But he's no Neil Rogers.

[AusTexDem]

33. He beat that stupid Opie & Andy bit into the ground.

and it wasn't even funny.
What a waste of air time.

[sandyd921]

34. Today was it for me.

Lionel's basic schtick seemed to be selling his libertarian drivel to progressive listeners. Sorry it's not going to work. We don't buy it. I'll stream Stephanie Miller from now on in that time slot.

[Downtown Hound]

35. I haven't listened to AAR since they fired Malloy.

As far as I'm concerned, that was the day they stopped being a progressive network. And now you tell me that they're hiring Libertarians? Jeez, what a disaster.

[jazzjunkysue]

36. I heard some of it. Nasty. I thought I was on the wrong station. Fire him.

These are the same people who fired Marc Maron. Figures. Randi had better take hold of the rutter, her ship's starting to turn right.