Another Chance for Air America Radio?

Why doesn't anyone know this? The news that Air America Radio is under new management once again came as no surprise to me, but then I guess nothing surprises me anymore. Surely its been a sweet deal for the brother Green who gained control for a minimal layout of money, and has now sold out...its sorta like flipping a building, huh?

The Greens have been a pretty big disappointment for those of us who were hoping for a return to the original groundbreaking Air America formula of edgy, smart, talent that was breaking through the old ho-hum radio of yesterday, and leading the charge into America's next chapter. As a new media outlet, Air America deserved the luxury of the years that it takes for any new venture like this to start turning a profit, and ever since Danny Goldberg cut that off at the knees, what has been needed is new management that could see what happened and try to roll back a bit and try to once again give the brilliant formula a chance. This thing is a long term investment, not a moneymaker....and flipping the mostly empty shell doesn't count.

Mark Green is not what you'd call a beloved New York icon, and his continual run for office and compulsive push towards the klieg lights, with his brother's endless financing, made his view of public service seem like more of a vanity project than an honest move to further the liberal voice or help his constituents . Y'know, we're fighting for our lives in this country; things have never been this bad...maybe it will never be the same...and we need a voice. What we don't need is the cronyism that Green brought to this vital programming. This cronyism brought in a New York programmer on board, who brought his friend "Lionel" along with him. Jerry Springer was a dream compared to this guy, who barged into a morning slot with a bad attitude towards the die hard fans of AAR, and made it quite clear that he didn't like them. Nor did he feel like a liberal himself...some voice for the progressive movement, huh?

Meanwhile the brilliant programmer just couldn't find a far enough corner to stuff Sam Seder into. For some reason they have a problem with an intelligent, funny, and truly progressive host who can hold his own against any veteran broadcaster, even as he remains fresh and new enough to be edgy and fresh. Seder who easily holds a place among the breakout stars of this thing, has been shuffled around until realizing his upwards book trend involved piecing together 3 different slots, managed to keep his rabid following intact despite the best efforts of the management; currently, he fills in for hosts on damned cruises, and oversees his own little corner of Sundays with his take on the week and the Sunday shows. His fans are waiting patiently to get him back into a daily slot. The fans may be willing to wait but how long is the very talented Seder going to take this shit. Lets hope that the new management rights this immediately.

Surely, the new management of Air America Radio must realize that Seder and Marc Maron are experimenting with a video cast show that already has an impressive following in its beta stage. The show still involves quite a bit of hilarious technical difficulties, but beyond that there is the original, concise political commentary and topical humor that is reminiscent of the golden early days of working out the kinks and moments of sheer brilliance that was the mark of early Air America . They must realize that Maron's following has not given up hope that he might return to radio. They must see that the original formula needed time to gain ground, and that the biggest mistakes made along the way involved yanking shows, shuffling them around, and replacing what had become the branded AAR hosts with what seemed to be "established" shows but were just fillers that alienated the growing audience.

Enter Charlie Kireker, a Vermont investment specialist who has an eclectic background and an iron in quite a few fires. He has done government work, sat on boards, and has consulted on an array of companies. From what I've heard, Kireker is a sharp guy and is someone who could be a good fit with AAR. That remains to be seen, but Kireker's Pendulum Media is in the process of buying Green Family Media, and for the time being Mark Green is still acting as President; the money brother is still sitting on the board as well.

The interesting thing about the team that Kierker is bringing with him, is that
it ranges from founding members of AAR to an array of individuals who each bring very strong backgrounds in business, investment, marketing, and hopefully, common sense, to the table.

Most notable is Phillipe Collin, who has an extensive background in the management of digital media, and who seems to realize the strong connection that Air America has with its audience. If the plan is to tap the possibilities of Internet Broadcasting and the interactive model that is being explored by Maron and Seder, among others, then this is a good place to start and a promising line up.

The fact that this news has not been all that widely reported and has remained underwhelming is testament to the fact of how low AAR has slipped in their interaction not only with the audience, but also as a force and presence in media and the ongoing political conversation that is going to be so vital during this coming political year and further. Unraveling the mess that the neocons have made of this country is going to be a huge job and the progressive voice is going to be ever more important as we move into our next phase.

So, here is my advice to the new guys: Get Maron back under contract. Do whatever you need to to smooth out the crap that he has been through. Get Seder back on 5 days per week for a few hours; how about the empty morning slot? How about the 9-midnight slot? He has been on early and late and his fans seem to follow. Don't dump the mornings; that's a mistake. Get someone like Maron in place and give him a few years to work though the curve. Look at the very real possibility that Rachel Maddow might have better things to do sooner than you think, and that those things may entice her more than a 3rd hour. Be sure to at least have some hosts on board to fill in, so that you're not scraping around for someone after Seder has worked 7 days in a row.

Understand that some of your hosts are a little tired, and really look at how insane some slots have become; lots of screaming going on. But mostly, lets have some humor back in this thing! The thing about AAR that saved so many of us from pulling our own hair out, made so many of us more politically active, and worked in concert with the netroots to bring about real change in this country, was that it mixed the Daily Show funny with really intelligent commentary. It inspired so many people who were in despair and got people off the couch and into elections, onto the net, and out marching and voting. Along the way, many of the shows were on an upwards trend. You are not going to be profitable for years...I cant imagine that you are unless you've got some sort of magic business plan. Just put something good in place and let it grow. Go with the edgy and new, rather than the old tired Springeresque Lionels out there. Your audience is not stupid...don't treat them that way. You've got something that was very special for a long time; don't fuck it up.


Anyone wishing to contact Air America to let them know how you feel about the current lineup or what you'd like to see, should write to Phillipe Collin

Another Air America Misstep...Is This Goodbye to Sam Seder?

I love Dan Pashman, (son of Lewis and Linda Pashman.) I got familiar with him as a producer and on air personality on Air America Radio. His work with Brendan McDonald during the Katrina disaster was stellar. They were a couple of, probably not so innocent, producers covering a vacation week for the hosts of late lamented Morning Sedition, when the dam burst and they were in the driver's seat. They did such a great job and their banter on various talk shows that they have produced since then, and particularly with Marc Maron, has been great.
I guess that also, the Dan Pashman laugh has been something that signals to fans of a certain type of comedy that we are all on the same planet.
So, I was sorta thrilled to hear Dan take over for Sam Seder's departing temporary producer, Joel from Al Franken's show. Are you following me?
I shoulda realized, though, that the Pashman laugh is not a sign of comedy anymore....Its a sign of the endtimes!
So, after a pretty straightforward Seder show today, Pashman was heard to say, on the Sammy-cam that had been inadvertently left on, they had to tape the promos for next week and that, after the holidays, Thursday and Friday of next week are their last shows. Pashman himself is moving to Laura Flanders show, which is probably, I'm guessing, moving to a daily slot where maybe we might have seen Maron at some point.
I wrote to the new director of programming, hired on just a a week or so ago, by the Green brothers, David Bernstein ,in my usual style, which is pretty intense and wordy (see my post from the last time they canceled Maron...was that almost a year ago?) and I was very happy to get a response pretty quickly.
The thing is that the response, while kind, thoughtful, and thorough, sort of goes against what I'm pretty sure is happening. Unless there are some last minute talks going on, the reply I got was either a bit of a snow job, or the words of someone who isn't fully into the job and up on whats happening yet.

So, while my own ears, and the ears of many of my fellow bloggers heard one thing come out of Pashman, David Bernstein claims that he will listen to listeners and station managers around the country in order to make a decision....a decison that I think has already been made.

I'm upset, but not as upset as I guess I have been in the past. I think I may be writing Air America off. It was a voice of reason in the darkness 3 years ago, and a grand experiment that was new and very real in a sea of crazy lies. Now, its become another hack network that needs to scramble to meet revenue requirements. I should add that those requirements are arbitrary and set by some business plan that shouldn't exist at all, considering what we're dealing with here.

If there is to be no fairness doctrine, and the FCC has moved again and again to allow conglomeration of media outlets, and then the liberal voice has been silenced methodically by the big bucks of the right, who have created a strong foundation over many years, and using bluster, lies, fear, and hate...and drama...to spin a story and a following that puts them not only in the black but in the driver's seat as far as the information getting out to the American people, then the American people have been robbed of their right to know....Is this not the Pony Express or the Guy riding into town shouting "The British are coming, the British are coming!"
Are Americans expected to live in a world of propaganda with an educational system that is hell bent on dumbing down the masses? Don't we have a RIGHT to hear both sides?...or is that up to the president and Karl Rove to decide?

Air America is as important to the American people as the assurance of a free flow of information and ideas. An assurance that has been stifled in a campaign by the right to ensure that the masses don't find out the truth. The lies that pass for "news" coming out of the likes of the Limbaugh's and O'Reilly's out there would be laughable of they weren't so tragically accepted as the gospel truth.
The fair exchange if ideas should be subsidized by the government if the marketplace does not allow for a balance.

Beyond that, whoever takes on Air America is not taking on an entity that is anywhere near to being profitable...and thats not the point....Just like funding failed campaign after failed campaign is about ideas, this project should also be looked at as a campaign. The return is not going to be something to put in the bank right away, but the social return will be great...and in funding this venture, the Greens will ensure themselves a great place in history as the Pony Express when the right would have cut off the news and the mail. Air America will surely become more important as the country turns more and more blue. So its a little troubling to me to have the programming manager email to me:

It is a business as well as a platform. Air America had a horrible financial showing and ended up in bankruptcy.
New owners have a mission of reviving the brand name Air America and making it a financial success, or else there will be no liberal talk radio at all.

He then went on to say that he was still going to talk to listeners and program managers around the country and then because "majority rules," he will make his decision.
This is a decision that seems to already have been made and I don't think that majority rules...usually in these parts, bullshit rules.

So, as much as I want to think that the new Air America owners get it, I expect that we are looking at more of the same. There will be a business plan that is not profitable and is reworked every quarter in the futile effort to try to wring something out of this mess, and the money brother will sink just as much money into a format that will resemble NPR and still not be profitable....The same amount of money risked on exciting and edgy talkers would at least make history and a statement.
Unfortunately, it looks to me that this thing is going to go out with a small fizzle rather than a bang....and the sad thing is that it doesn't have to go out at all.

Hopefully I'm wrong...hopefully they will pull a Maron/Seder show out of their butts, but I'm not counting my joy before its hatched.
I'm expecting a Mark Green Show, that will have poor ratings but will never be canceled, and more of the Thom Hartmann sort of somnambulists intelligencia shows.
What do these people have against comedy?? Why do liberals have to be so freakin' serious? A huge part of our inability to get anything done is that we take ourselves too seriously...as Maron put it "..progressive utopians with no sense of humor..."



Sam Seder is one of the best talkers on liberal radio right now, and he is funny and cool too...The Greens are fools if they let him go...lets hope they come to their senses, but I am sort of doubting it....In the meantime: Buy Sam's great book FUBAR. I have the book and the audio book and they are both great and make great gifts! Look for it in soft cover in the coming months too!




In bird news, the Parrot store is bulging with babies of all sizes and they are CUTE!! They even have EGGS in the incubator! I will have to get more pictures pronto.The baby bunnies are hopping around in their mini perfection (thats gonna end in a second as soon as they start to get big enough to become the poop factories that rabbits are.)
I know that Todd wasn't thinking about cuteness last night when he was up every 3 hours feeding pink squirmy birds, but hell, Will spent a few months waking every hour and didn't sleep through the night till...well, recently...(and then, welcome to the teen years, aka, you think you had it bad before this!...)
Todd says that every time he sees one of the little pinkys he thinks of buffalo wings! Now, of course, he is a bird lover, and is only kidding (so PETA folk, don't bother with the hate mail,) But they are so cute when they are naked and helpless...and then when they get their fuzz and pin feathers. I could be very happy with a job at the bird store as my final career move.
In the meantime, and while i work out the nasty details of my little life here, my breeding baby parrotlets are doing well (cute,) but they wont breed till next year. the beautiful breeding pair of Yellow Side Conures are comfortably ensconced in their new home, which I refer to as the den of sexual iniquity, complete with private nest box that I am thinking of outfitting with a night vision webcam for when and if I get babies...we'll see. Someone need to be getting some around here, so I hope they are getting busy!
For birds that have been breeding stock for the past 3 years, they are very nice, and only bite a little. They have an incredible interest in being part of the household and interacting....so I'm working towards taming them (which might hurt their breeding potential, but oh well...I think that every bird should have the opportunity to know what its like to be part of a family, if they can't be in the wild or in a huge aviary.)




Thats all I have. I could get in bed and just stay there for the entire weekend, but I think I'm going to try to go to a bird show tomorrow and then I have to go to the city on Sunday to bring the boys to the Origami USA club at the Museum of Natural History (where I am still hoping to have time to get to the evolution exhibit when it doesn't have a freakin' cocktail party going on,) see grandpa and do some stuff there, and hopefully head downtown to walk around SoHo with mom a bit. She found a great new store that I have to go to...today she brought me some of those Chinese articulated fish charms and a silver skull charm....and I need more STUFF...right???

Lets hope for some good news in the world, from Air America, and from whatever lucky media outlet(s) is/are gonna get Marc and Sam...

And maybe we need to think a little bit more about our rights, and the need to have as much information from both sides as is possible under law.