What is going on at Air America?
First, Richard Bey leaves the morning show. OK, no biggie.
Then all of a sudden last week, the progressive radio station's New York City affiliate WWRL 1600 inexplicably drops their best host Thom Hartmann from the station (his Friday brunch with Senator Bernie Sanders was reason enough to tune in), as well as The Lionel Show, just when I had finally come around to listening to the latter.
For what superior programming did WWRL bump Thom and Lionel? A daily two-hour infomercial, faux left wing host Ed Schultz, and none other than Al Sharpton.
Just as my ears were still ringing from WWRL's abrupt overhaul, Raw Story announced today that Randi Rhodes has quit Air America in the wake of her temporary suspension for calling Hillary Clinton by an inappropriate epithet (mind you, not on the air). As a longtime listener, I fully admit that Randi can be irksomely repetitive at times, but her audience benefits greatly every day from the depth of her knowledge and insistence upon fact over the Administration's pervasive fictions. New Yorkers are worse off without her.
I expected more from Air America's President Mark Green, but apparently he is determined to run his family's station as competently as his failed bid for Mayor in 2000.
I haven't looked at how these changes have effected WWRL's ratings, but I know for certain the station has lost one loyal listener from Brooklyn. The Optimist will miss left-wing talk, but at least the Mets have 155 more games this season for their fans to listen to and enjoy.
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6 comments:
Right on!!! I agree 110% with your article about Air America and WWRL.
It is a DAMN SHAME that that biggest radio market in the country does not have a full day of good progressive talk on FREE RADIO.
I don't by Air America's excuse in not having a 100% free broadcast radio flagship that more and more of their listeners come from internet and XM radio. If the Hannitys, the Limbaughs, the Savages(no truer name has been spoken) still spue forth their hateful vemon on free broasdcast radio that is the area that progressives need to stake out territory again in the biggest market in the country and the second most liberal city in the country.
and I dont know what is Rennie Bishop's head! His programming decisions are all over the map. getting rid of Mark Reilly a Harlem guy with mountains of street credin the mourning drive show made no sense. Coz Carson is a good guy but he is NOT A NEW YORK GUY. Wasn't tha the purpose of the mourning show to deal with local and national issues from a local perspective???
uhmm... that mayoral election was 2001 not 2000.
but yeah... wwrl, worst station ever.
I am very disappointed!To me Air America was decimated!What a shame!
You destroyed a very informative and promising progressive radio show. What happened to the Rachel Maddow Show? It should be named the David Gregory Show.Rachel Maddow has a very limited part in her "own Show".
Coz Carson Out at wwrl Errol Lewis In..........
Coz is out over wwrl Local guy and fellow Crown Heights Native like myself Errol Lewis will be manning the helms of the morning show ver at wwrl effective immediately.
Strange, I like COz Carson he was great on the morning show. I wonder what happened. He was, I thought, a dynamic host. Radio people come and go with not much reason these days. I never understood why Riley wasn't kept on. He is my all time favorite. TOm Hartman should have also been kept on the line up. He was very informative and entertaining. Ed Shultz less so.
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