Air America: RIP

[dudalb]

I have always thought that the problem was that there are only so many people who like being told what to think, and they are largely conservative. It just does not work with a liberal format.

Daredelvis

Yeah, there is no such think as a totally dogamatic Liberal.....

 

[GStan]

Liberals are do-nothing couch potatoes that just watch TV. Conservatives are busy doing other stuff like being productive citizens, so they listen to talk radio.

 

[dudalb]

I have always thought that the problem was that there are only so many people who like being told what to think, and they are largely conservative. It just does not work with a liberal format.

Daredelvis

Liberals are do-nothing couch potatoes that just watch TV. Conservatives are busy doing other stuff like being productive citizens, so they listen to talk radio.

And here is what is wrong with American Politics in a nutshell:
My side is good, inteligent and noble, the other side is evil,stupid and ignoble.

 

[Brainster]

I'm guessing you don't listen to Glenn Beck much. He has cried on air because he his afraid the liberals have brought the country to the verge of collapse.

What I said applies to the model, not necessarily to individual broadcasts or broadcasters. And I have never, to the best of my recollection, listened to Glenn Beck.

 

[quixotecoyote]

What I said applies to the model, not necessarily to individual broadcasts or broadcasters. And I have never, to the best of my recollection, listened to Glenn Beck.

I tend to listen to AM radio when I'm on long drives, because the rage tends to keep me awake. Now i haven't had to do the 90 minute commute for about a year, but back then I heard more pissing and moaning about the degeneration of society and how nobody was listening to God/Christ/The Ghost of Reagan.

 

[dudalb]

You think age demographics contributed as well? You would think that Rush et al are targeting older white people who actually listen to talk radio. Younger folks who AA seems to be targeting don't tune into nationally broadcast talk radio.

Also, younger people who are out working have offices with rules about playing a radio. If you are retired, you can play your radio however you like.

It seems it was a combination of a bad business model, a lack of understanding the medium, and a changing industry that killed Air America.

Demographics is not just a matter of age. Lot of other things...are just as importnat such as income,etc.

 

[The Fallen Serpent]

Poltically I find most of my information through the internet. I am a liberal and I enjoy Rachel Maddow, but I watch her show online so never felt the need to listen to her radio online. If I am listening to the radio I am doing something else and would rather be entertained instead of distracted with heavy thought. Perhaps I am part of the problem for Air America's failure.

 

[cisco]

I'm sure it failed for a number of reasons; trying to pin down one is stupid. Radio in general is in trouble and has been for a few years at least.

 

[SalG13]

I have always loved talk radio and listened to it instead of music even as a kid. Conservative talk shows are far easier to find on the dial and many of the shows discuss relevant topics and whether you agree with them or not have good entertainment value (if you enjoy the format of talk radio that is).

In my opinion, Air America was punishingly not entertaining. I admit, my time listening to it did not last long, but when I did it was full of dead air and hosts who didn't seem to understand the medium that they were broadcasting on.

 

[dudalb]

I have always loved talk radio and listened to it instead of music even as a kid. Conservative talk shows are far easier to find on the dial and many of the shows discuss relevant topics and whether you agree with them or not have good entertainment value (if you enjoy the format of talk radio that is).

In my opinion, Air America was punishingly not entertaining. I admit, my time listening to it did not last long, but when I did it was full of dead air and hosts who didn't seem to understand the medium that they were broadcasting on.

This. For every good host AA managed to find, they had three or four bad ones.
The problem was not that AA was liberal..some liberal talk show hosts have been quite sucessful despite the demos being against them..but it was badly ran by people who had little understanding of radio.

 

[Eyeron]

So, how exactly should it have been different if they understood how radio works?

And also, I find this kind of dubious because it seems to me that radio talk shows can fail even if they are run by people who do understand them.

 

[dudalb]

So, how exactly should it have been different if they understood how radio works?

And also, I find this kind of dubious because it seems to me that radio talk shows can fail even if they are run by people who do understand them.

They would not have rolled out the station with a bunch of rookies who had never hosted a radio talk show before,for one thing.
I am not saying it would have suceeded, but it would have had a better chance if it had come off like a amateur level station during the vital first months of operation.
And someone who knew the business never would have insisted on a "Take all our programming or none" approach.

 

[Drysdale]

I tried listening to it when it first went on satellite radio since we were traveling cross-country on a trip. I've gotta say it was brutal.

Now my views on some issues lean to the right, actually moreso away from the current democrats views to be honest. But it was pretty bad to me.

 

[Skeptic]

And here is what is wrong with American Politics in a nutshell:
My side is good, inteligent and noble, the other side is evil,stupid and ignoble.

Er, I'm quite sure (based on the "duck" smiley) that GStan was writing tongue in cheek.

 

[Skeptic]

Air America was not talking TO the audience, it was talking AT the audience. It didn't care what it's potential audience wanted to hear about, it cared only what its self-important broadcasters wanted to talk about. No wonder it went belly-up.

 

[Number Six]

I notice that on one hand talk radio works much better for conservatives but on the other hand irreverent, smart-alecky, smart, political comedy shows a la The Daily Show and The Colbert Report work much better for liberals. Talk radio for liberals tanks and Daily Show-type shows for conservatives seem to tank too. I remember Fox tried one a few years ago and it's history now.

I can't put my finger on why that is, and I know I'm going entirely by feel on this, but I bet there's a reason for why one works and the other doesn't for each.

 

[Towlie]

It's the medium of AM radio, plain and simple. It's the sewer of commercial broadcasting, where time is equally split between advertising and programming, and the advertising is aimed chiefly at the conservative lowbrow masses. Talented liberal commentators just don't belong there, and soon move on to their own prime time television shows or to the U.S. Senate.

 

[dudalb]

It's the medium of AM radio, plain and simple. It's the sewer of commercial broadcasting, where time is equally split between advertising and programming, and the advertising is aimed chiefly at the conservative lowbrow masses. Talented liberal commentators just don't belong there, and soon move on to their own prime time television shows or to the U.S. Senate.

And you win the Sour Grapes Award.
God forbid it was because the programming that Air America offered was bad, but it was the stupid masses who listen to AM radio.
Frankly, this kind of snobbery is one reason why the libs have problems with blue coller voters...and,once again, it bit them in the butt Tuesday in Mass.

 

[332nd]

It's the medium of AM radio, plain and simple. It's the sewer of commercial broadcasting, where time is equally split between advertising and programming, and the advertising is aimed chiefly at the conservative lowbrow masses. Talented liberal commentators just don't belong there, and soon move on to their own prime time television shows or to the U.S. Senate.

So... 2 or 3 were talented?

 

[dudalb]

So... 2 or 3 were talented?

And maybe that is why they left Air America as soon as possible.