Starting Monday the handful of stations still carrying Air America will have to find something else to broadcast.
While everyone was still yammering about the significance of Republican Scott Brown's remarkable victory in Massachusetts, another significant defeat for the American left went virtually unnoticed as Air America Radio shut down forever on Thursday. After trying to operate on a model which was clearly incapable of attracting affiliates, listeners or advertisers and without further infusions of cash from wealthy sympathizers, the management faced up to economic reality and finally gave up.…
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— go to most recent comments26 - jeannie danna
I will prove my point to all of you. Watch and see.
Roger, Please find a link for me that shows a checkered past.
27 - Franco
Air America is off the air? If a left wing loon has a radio show and no one hears, do they make a sound? The answer is "Who Cares!"
Air America Crashes, Burns â€" Will Anyone Besides Franken and Maddow Notice?
28 - roger nowosielski
Try Albert Shanker and the origin of the teacher's union.
29 - Baronius
Jeannie, #21 was for Dave maybe?
30 - Christine
Auhhh, they will be missed.
31 - Glenn Contrarian
Dave -
Here's a wonderful couple of facts for you:
Two quick points to keep in mind:
1) You can either claim that ABC/CBS/CNN/MSNBC/NBC/NPR/NYT/WAPO/ETC are "liberal media," or that there is no market for liberal media -- but not both. Please pick one.* Thanks!
2) The Washington Times has been losing money for two decades. In the early days of Fox News, Rupert Murdoch paid cable companies $11 per subscriber to carry FNC (and Rudy Giuliani pressured Time Warner to carry the outlet in New York City.) Point being: conservative media outlets have succeeded not only because of market forces, as conservatives would have you believe, but because right-wing billionaires like Murdoch and Rev. Moon have been willing to subsidize them.
32 - zingzing
i for one am a little bit wary of corporations having this much sway over our elections process... although that would be like saying they don't have sway already, and it's more in the open now... but i don't like the general idea of corporations, who only have their own bottom line in mind, buying candidates...
say this had happened before the 2008 election. mccain would have gotten the backing of the drug and oil companies, and might, on their billions, have won the election. now, whether you like it or not, or whether he likes it or not, he's beholden to those companies, and if he doesn't please them, they won't back him the next time. so instead of citizens' votes, presidents are now going after corporations' dollars? and this time exclusively?
it's a dangerous, warped path. i don't see how the right wing can get behind this... it just makes no sense, especially with their "we're the voice of the people" stuff...
i've yet to see a good reason for this. all i see from the right wing is that it's about the first amendment... but i've never really heard a corporation say anything. and a corporation doesn't write anything. and a corporation doesn't think. it really seems like this is just packing more and more power into less and less space, and that would be something the right wing should be against.
i don't get it. inform me.
plus, do you know how many political ads we'll see now? it's going to blow up. toss out your televisions.
33 - Baronius
I don't know about the rest of the right wing, but I'm tickled any time the Supreme Court stands up for the Constitution. And while I always enjoy seeing Congress getting slapped down for overreaching, it's even more satisfying when the legislation has McCain's name on the title page. Additionally, the nation survived until 2002 without that law, so I'm not worried about the effects of it being overturned.
34 - Arch Conservative
"I'm sorry about losing air america...one more voice sqwellched."
Jeannie, Who was it exactly that "squelched" the voice of Air America.
The way I heard it, the "squelched" themselves out of business with shoddy management and an inferior product.
Here's a shocker...for once I agree with zing.....
It's more than little unsettling to see corporations being treated as persons. they should have the right to conduct business but not buy politicians.
35 - Heloise
John Edwards babydaddy. Who knew? We knew! But what did the left media heads know? Everything. He lied, fornicated and stole his way to high on the political horse.
I was banned from Kos for telling the truth about the couple Edwards. Their heads were so far up his butt they couldn't see. If the left bloggers and talkers become complicit in the lies on the left then good riddance.
For this Eduwards' baby daddy story deliberate shutout: I say shut the media up. If that's the best they can do to protect innocent voters in the wake of a fake like Edwards keeping Hillary from getting the nod.
I orginally wanted Hillary for prez but changed horses early on.
The media sucks. Less of it the better. Then there are the GOP coverups for the gay legislatures who are in the closet. We will never get the truth from right, left or center. I say the less of the talkers the better.
Now NBC is on shaky ground and losing big money. What no one here knows is that I used to work for a fake black woman who is one of the top dogs at NBC (Peacock Productions) which was an omen that I too would become part of the media. The NBCs, ABCs and CBSs are next, after the major papers.
36 - roger nowosielski
Here's Baronius again, flagging the Constitution as though it were the Bible.
Isn't one document enough for you? How many sacred documents do you need to make your life complete? I understand it helps, but it shouldn't abrogate the need to engage in your own thinking.
(Another Bliffle type comment.)
37 - roger nowosielski
"I've never really heard a corporation say anything. and a corporation doesn't write anything."
Precisely, zinger. But then let's face it. Anytime a corporation would speak on its own behalf, it would be self-incriminating. That's why patriots like Baronius et al hid behind the Constitution and the flag and in the name of free speech, are all for allowing these entities do their dirty work in secret, though campaign financing.
Sorry Baronius, the good ole Bliffle spirit is kicking strong.
38 - Dr Dreadful
It's been a few years since Air America was on the air in my local market, but I'm not entirely surprised that they went under. Compared to the slick presentation of the conservative networks they had a distinctly amateurish flavour. They had some talented pundits like Rachel Maddow and the Young Turks, but as someone said above, most of the best shows - the marvellous Stephanie Miller was my favourite - were actually syndicated.
Like I said, amateurs. Randi Rhodes was shrill and Ed Schultz was simply obnoxious - these two were just as bad as Limbaugh. And I'd love to know who came to the sublimely demented conclusion that RFK Junior had a good radio voice... :-)
39 - roger nowosielski
Any one-sided radio show or presentation is boring. However, some NPR programs offer challenging viewpoints, from both sides.
40 - Baronius
Seriously, Roger, this is getting weird.
41 - roger nowosielski
Alright, Baronius. I tried to make you come out of your skin, but I realize that at this point it's futile.
Take care.
42 - Clavos
@ # 40: You're surprised, Baronius?
43 - jeannie danna
Dave, #12,
teachers unions have done infinitely more harm to America than the corporations because they direct their efforts at corruption at both our kids and our wallets.
This is just your opinion, and I still see nothing to support it!
Show me one example of corruption toward our kids.
It is really sad, that we have to beg the taxpayers every year to fund our schools. Education is the right of the people, and
not just another election that is won, or lost, every year.
Did the school budget pass?
44 - jeannie danna
Roger, #28,
Here he is!
45 - jeannie danna
After reading this bio, I would conclude that Albert Shanker was a great man and that he dedicated his life to raising the standards of education for our children and improving the working conditions for our teachers.
Also, calling a profession a vocation somehow lessons it's importance, or the amount of earning power a teacher with a Masters Degree would have.
46 - roger nowosielski
#42,
Typical contribution to the discussion.
47 - jeannie danna
I see one more comment I would like to answer, but I don't have a spell checker.
I'd have to be perfect to talk with the big guns, eh ARCH?
48 - Dave Nalle
The teachers' union didn't cause this country's meltdown. The corporations did.
I'm not convinced the country has melted down, and to the extent that it has done so, only certain very specific types of corporations were responsible. It's hardly an indictment of our entire business community.
Dave
49 - Dave Nalle
1) You can either claim that ABC/CBS/CNN/MSNBC/NBC/NPR/NYT/WAPO/ETC are "liberal media," or that there is no market for liberal media -- but not both. Please pick one.* Thanks!
Did you READ my article? I said nothing like this in it. I haven't claimed that any of those channels are liberal. I didn't even say that Air America was liberal. Air America was bitter, angry and unpleasant. That was the main problem with it.
but because right-wing billionaires like Murdoch and Rev. Moon have been willing to subsidize them.
It's debatable that Murdoch is right wing. The evidence suggests that he just saw the Roger Ayles business plan as potentially profitable, made the investment and reaped the profits. Which is how it should be.
I suppose it's a commentary on the wisdom of other potential investors that they didn't see the Air America business model as viable.
Dave
50 - Dave Nalle
This is just your opinion, and I still see nothing to support it!
Show me one example of corruption toward our kids.
I've written numerous articles on this subject. Go look them up. When school districts are spending 55% of their revenue on administration and 45% on educating, the system is hopelessly corrupt.
It is really sad, that we have to beg the taxpayers every year to fund our schools.
We don't "beg" them, we take their money by force of government. And then if they want a decent education they have to forfeit that money and pay to educate their kids privately.
Education is the right of the people,
In no sense is this true. It's certainly desirable and something we want to make available in our society, but that doesn't make it a right.
Dave
51 - Dr Dreadful
It's debatable that Murdoch is right wing. The evidence suggests that he just saw the Roger Ayles business plan as potentially profitable, made the investment and reaped the profits.
Don't really know what Murdoch's personal politics are (if he has any), but it's certainly true that he'll do whatever sells newspapers or gets people to tune in.
He owns The Sun newspaper, which was (and as far as I know, still is) editorially conservative. However, once it became clear that the Conservatives were going to get flattened in the 1997 UK general election, The Sun promptly announced that it would be advising its readers to vote Labour.
He knows which way the wind's blowing, often before the wind does!
52 - El Bicho
"He knows which way the wind's blowing,"
so he "don't need a weatherman"?
53 - roger nowosielski
"Education is the right of the people" Jeannie
"In no sense is this true." Dave
Isn't true that up to K-12 level it's rather mandatory? Just asking.
54 - jeannie danna
A gift for Dave.
:)we will talk later.
55 - jeannie danna
I hate to burst the bubble of this article, but...
56 - roger nowosielski
Good link, Jeannie.
You might also mention NPR, which features good programming, e.g., "All Things Considered," "The Diane Rehm Show," or "Fresh Air."
It's certainly more informative and challenging than Fox News; and contrary to popular opinion, more often than not it offers a variety of viewpoints.
57 - Zedd
Baronius,
What the film really ended up being is a HUGE political contribution and that is why it shouldn't have been permitted.
Also, and maybe more importantly, corporations are not individuals. A corporation may have individuals within it that don't share the political views of its heads. What you end up with is a misrepresentation. A usurping of power from the masses to the powerful. The powerful in the corporations use the funds which are provided by all of the workers to choose the candidate of their liking. Very wrong headed.
58 - Zedd
I didn't get an opportunity to listen to Air America after it as up-scaled. I was turned off by it, in it's original form. I can't stand talk radio. I think it's base. No real issues are discussed, just some shallow, spot light crazed personality and a lot of poorly read folks chiming in.
I couldn't see it succeeding because a large portion of Dems (the engaged ones) are more intelectual. Having someone whine and complain for an hour without proposing and implementing viable solutions is pointless. It wasn't going to work.
Had Huffington come aboard early on, they might have had a chance. I loved Kennedy's show however. It was very informative. Jerry Springer also did a fantastic job.
59 - Baronius
Zedd, when you say "more intellectual", do you mean smarter, or less populist?
60 - roger nowosielski
I should say neither, Zedd, just more prone to thinking.
61 - pablo
1 Deanna:
You said:
"What do you think about the Supreme Court's decision yesterday? The decision that claims a group has the same rights as an individual."
Actually Deanna this is not what the Court ruled. They in fact ruled that Corporations have more rights than individuals, as there is now no limit on how much they can contribute for the most part. Below are the limitations on you and me:
* $2,400 per Election to a Federal candidate -- Each primary, runoff, and general election counts as a separate election.
* $30,400 per calendar year to a national party committee -- applies separately to a party's national committee, and House and Senate campaign committee.
* $10,000 per calendar year to state, district & local party committees
* $5,000 per calendar year to state, district & local party committee
Aggregate Total -- $115,500 per two-year election cycle as follows:
* $45,600 per two-year cycle to candidates
* $69,000 per two-year cycle to all national party committees and PACs
7 Nalle:
"Jeannie, our legal system has always recognized the right of people to incorporate and create an entity with most of the rights of a person."
As usual Nalle shows his ignorance of jurisprudence, and mixes fiction with fact. Indeed it was U.S. Supreme Court case Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company that through the due process clause of the 14th amendment granted constitutional rights to corporations for the first time in 1886.
Another interesting thing of note, under our legal system individuals are born with certain rights that are unalienable those that are listed in the constitution are not constitutional rights at all but constitutional guarantees of those unalienable rights. Granted that there are some rights in the constitution that are not unalienable (ie innate) such as the right to vote, or the right to counsel etc.
Corporations by law have limited liability and thus the real people behind the veil are protected from financial ruin, unlike us individuals who are not protected this way. The biggest mistake that this country every made was granting legal personhood to corporations, and this latest decision by the Court means the end of anything even remotely resembling a government of by and for the people. Henceforth it will be a government for the corporations, of the corporations and now by the corporations. God help us all.
62 - roger nowosielski
Great post, Pablo.
There may be another insidious reason behind the court's decision. As the public well dries up in these economic times, so would campaign financing if it was restricted to individuals. That's the least that politicians would want - to campaign without adequate funding. Hence, let in the corporations so that the show will go on.
In the end, they're protecting their own kind.
63 - Baronius
That's silly, Roger. The overlap between federal judges and politicians is minimal. The fact is that the four liberals voted for a limitation on speech, the four conservatives against it, and Kennedy has always held the same position on this issue.
64 - roger nowosielski
What's silly is that you keep on believing in the integrity of a broken system. And I haven't posted #62 as though some valid legal reason in the heads of the justices - only as a possible conjecture for your and others' entertainment.
You should know something of the extent to which subconscious thinking influences overt thought. You're a paramount example of it.
65 - jeannie danna
Zed, #58,
It's amazing how many of my comments I erase before ever posting one...
66 - Ruvy
Pablo,
Another interesting thing of note, under our legal system individuals are born with certain rights that are unalienable those that are listed in the constitution are not constitutional rights at all but constitutional guarantees of those unalienable rights. Granted that there are some rights in the constitution that are not unalienable (ie innate) such as the right to vote, or the right to counsel etc.
Be careful with this stuff, Pablo. The term "inalienable rights" comes from the Declaration of Independence, and is not part of the Constitution of 1787. It represents a philosophical stance rather than an enumeration of rights under law. The Declaration has no standing as a legal document.
The bill of rights is an extension of the Constitution of 1787, which is, as Obama has correctly pointed out, a charter of negative liberties. That is its genius as a document.
As to the court decision, it seems a means of pumping money into an empty system legally. Corporate plutocrats rarely worry about the niceties of the law - that's what those well paid lawyers are all about....
67 - roger nowosielski
Well, we're all seem to be on the same page here, and that's rare being that you are a syndycalist, Pablo a conspiracy theorist, and I, for lack of a better term, ultra-progressive.
68 - jeannie danna
Dave,
Air America was bitter, angry and unpleasant.
Just like Rush Limbaugh's babble.
But, you don't see me shouting to take away his mic. In fact, I always say that, "It is because of the American Labor Movement that this man has one in the first place!"
and, we need all kinds of voices...to make this a Republic. :)
69 - jeannie danna
Baronius,
The overlap between federal judges and politicians is minimal.
That statement is, exactly, why Supreme Court Justices are appointed, and not voted in...to keep the political influences away!
I did some studying while waiting to come back up here and bitch! :)
70 - roger nowosielski
Jeannie is on a crusade to convert Dave and make him sin no more.
Good luck, Jeannie. If anyone can do it, it's you.
71 - Baronius
Ruvy, the Declaration has legal status as a founding document.
Roger, there you go hurting my feelings again.
72 - roger nowosielski
I knew you were going to take it as a good sport.
73 - roger nowosielski
Baronius,
I hope you understand that I'm being kind.
Since I can't understand your thinking and wouldn't dare accuse you of hypocrisy, I must resort to some other explanation. And "subconscious" is the only option left.
74 - Baronius
Maybe the failure isn't in my thinking, but in your understanding.
75 - Ruvy
Baronius,
Ruvy, the Declaration has legal status as a founding document.
While it has standing as a "founding document", its assertions, beyond separating the thirteen provinces on North America from British rule, are not issues that stand up in a court of law - anywhere in the United States.
By contrast, the English Bill of Rights of 1689, which grants the rights of life, liberty and property to Englishmen, can and does stand up in any court in the United Kingdom.
The Declaration is not legislation, and it is not part of the Constitution. If it were, it would enshrine the right of revolution as a constitutional right. Think about it.....