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{{Short description|American progressive talk radio network}}
<!-- FAIR USE of Airamerica_logo.png see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/Image:airamerica_logo.png for rationale -->
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
] ] network and program syndicator with a ] point of view.]]
{{Infobox radio network
'''Air America Radio''' is a ] and program ] service in the ], started on ], ]. It features a ], ], ] point of view and specializes in presentations and monologues by liberal personalities, guest interviews, calls by listeners, and ] reports. Some of the personalities who host shows on Air America Radio include ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].
| network_name = Air America
| network_logo = ]
| network_type = Radio network
| branding = ]
| airdate =
| country = United States
| available =
| founder = ]<br />]<br />]
| slogan =
| motto =
| market_share =
| license_area =
| broadcast_area = United States (broadcast)<br />]
| area =
| erp =
| owner = ]
| key_people = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
| launch_date = March 31, 2004
| closure_date = January 21, 2010
| affiliates = 66
}}
'''Air America''' (formerly '''Air America Radio''' and '''Air America Media''') was an ] radio network specializing in ]. It was on the air from March 2004 to January 2010.<ref name="Dagnes179"/>


The network was founded as a left–wing alternative to counter talk radio with a right–wing perspective.<ref name="Dagnes179"/> Air America featured programs with monologues by on-air personalities, guest interviews, call-ins from listeners, and news reports. Several shows had million plus audiences, and multiple weekday presenters continued on in radio, television, or politics after their time on Air America. For example, in 2008, ''The ] Program'' had 1.5–2 million unique listeners a week and '']'' had 1.5–1.75 million unique listeners a week.<ref>, (for Spring 2008), TALKERS Magazine</ref><ref>, (for Fall 2008), TALKERS Magazine</ref> Hartmann, ], and ] later had shows on other radio networks. ] started his "] podcast" by trespassing in Air America's studios after the network's demise, before moving to Los Angeles. ] went from his show to the ], and ] moved her show to television on ].
The network's primary station is ]'s WLIB-AM and, ], 70 stations in the United States, as well as ], offer some or all of the programs produced and distributed by Air America Radio. Air America Radio also makes use of ] on the ], reaching a national and ] audience.


The network was financially troubled, however. A scandal involving nearly $1 million in loans from a ] in New York secretly transacted by ] came out in 2005 and was a source of negative publicity. The loans were repaid, but in October 2006, mounting debts forced Air America Radio to file ]. The company was bought by New York real estate investor ] and his brother ], who purchased the network in March 2007 for US$4.25&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web
== Programming overview ==
|url = http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0207071airamerica1.html
|title = Air America Fire Sale
|website = The Smoking Gun
|date = February 7, 2007
|access-date = March 14, 2007
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070305224511/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0207071airamerica1.html
|archive-date= March 5, 2007 | url-status= live}}
</ref><ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20070306-1031-airamericaradio.html
|title=Green brothers close deal to buy liberal talk radio network Air America
|newspaper=San Diego Union-Tribune
|agency=Associated Press
|date=March 6, 2007 |access-date=March 14, 2007 |url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829182618/http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20070306-1031-airamericaradio.html
|archive-date=August 29, 2008 }}</ref>


The company eventually changed its name from Air America Radio to Air America Media and lastly to just Air America, an effort to establish itself as a broadcaster on multiple media sources including television and the Internet, and one not merely relegated to radio. Always primarily a radio network, on January 21, 2010, Air America went off the air citing difficulties with the current economic environment. It filed for ] and liquidated itself. Bennett Zier was the company's last CEO including through the bankruptcy and liquidation.
Like most ] outlets, Air America Radio's ] includes news, talk, ], interviews, guest ]s, and listeners' telephone calls. In various ]s, there are traffic and weather reports throughout the broadcast day. The talk portions feature some extended host ]s in the classic ] format. Live and pre-recorded ], featuring various ]s, are also aired.


Sometime after the network's closure, Newsweb Corporation (owned by Chicago entrepreneur, political activist, and philanthropist ], owner of Chicago's ] progressive talk radio station) acquired ownership of the branding.
=== News, editorials and public affairs ===


==Programming overview==
Air America News and ] shows offer headline and short feature ] reports, and, in some markets, traffic and weather reports as well. The news is a general purpose offering from standard wire service sources such as ] and ], however, the broadcast network puts some accent on ] news unlike other radio networks which tend to focus more on ] reports and daily ] news.
], son of President Ronald Reagan, and ] (background, right) hosted progressive talk shows at Air America.]]
Air America Media's progressive talk ] consisted of news, talk, comedy, interviews, guest editorials, and listeners' telephone calls. The talk portions featured some extended host ]s in the classic talk radio format. Live and pre-recorded comedy routines, featuring various comedians, were also aired. As with most ] broadcast networks, local affiliate stations were able to air select programs or the entire schedule, subject to contractual arrangements.


===Format===
The ] shows tend to closely follow the ] of the day with monologues and reflections offered by the hosts. Listener calls are worked into these sections along with guest interviews. Air America Radio has a definite political orientation, and many broadcasts could be described as ] or editorial and opinion pieces, but, in keeping with many of the principles of ], the hosts distinguish their own opinions from the factual reporting. Hosts offer frequent citations to news reports, studies and government documents to provide background information and sources for the views they express.
The shows followed a half-hour format from six minutes past the hour to 28 minutes after the hour followed by a ''hard break'' for six minutes until 34 minutes past the hour. The final hard break occurs at 58 minutes past the hour, leading into the news at the top of the hour. There was also a floating break in both the first and second half-hours. Local stations could run their own commercials, local news and weather or other features during the breaks.


===News===
In general, the hosts, guests and viewpoints of Air America represent the ] and center of the ], or the ]. Opponents of Air America claim that ], ], and ] political theories and thinking are not only discussed, but are espoused. Supporters say this is untrue, and that a thorough listening would quash this claim. Guests and callers are heard and express their views on shows by Mike Malloy, The Majority Report and Laura Flanders.
Air America featured its own news summary breaks at the top of each hour, with content from wire services such as the ] (AP) and ] (UPI). Some affiliates used other news services or would run their own newscasts during the six-minute "news hole" at the top of the hour. AAR later switched to ] News, and finally Free Speech Radio News. These newscasts ended on June 29, 2007, with local stations signing up with other radio news networks.


===Public affairs and editorials===
Samples of regular guests heard on Air America Radio:
The ] programs tended to closely follow current happenings in the news, with monologues and reflections offered by the hosts and their guests. Listener comments by phone or the Internet were worked into these segments along with the interviews.


===Music===
* ] of '']''
Although better known for its political shows, Air America also featured a couple of music oriented shows on weekends. ''On the Real'' featuring ] had a strong music focus. '']'' (which ended in 2007 with Earle moving to ]<ref>{{cite press release
* ] (of ], aka Eschaton)
|title=Country Music Renegade Steve Earle to Launch a Weekly Show Exclusively on Sirius Satellite Radio
* ] of ]
|publisher=Air America Radio
* of the ]
|date=June 4, 2008 |url=http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_music_blog/2007/06/steve_earle_lau.html
* ] - Journalist with ] online magazine.
|access-date=October 3, 2008 |url-status=dead
* ] public interest group
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208070436/http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_music_blog/2007/06/steve_earle_lau.html
* ], ]'s media watchdog organization.
|archive-date=February 8, 2009 }}</ref>) mixed music with political commentary. ] was a guest host on the network at least once. Also, most of the talk shows had their own theme songs, used ] to segue between commercials and segments, and played political novelty songs. Theme songs and bumper music were generally commercially released rock music.
* ]
* ]


===Weekday programs===
In addition, there are '']'' minutes and commentary by ] and others.
Air America produced sixteen hours of weekday network programming. The entire schedule was carried on the network's ], and affiliates may have carried some, most or all shows.


The network's schedule as of Mid-2009:
=== Comedy on Air America ===
<br>
{| class="wikitable"
! width="170"| Time
! width="250"| Show
! Notes
|-
| 5–6{{nbsp}}a.m. ET
| '']''
| audio rebroadcast of the ] program ].
|-
| 6–9{{nbsp}}a.m. ET
| '']''
| redebuts in new time slot May 26, 2009. Original debut: May 14, 2007.
|-
| 9{{nbsp}}a.m. – noon ET
| '']''
| debut: April 20, 2009; took ''The Lionel Show'''s old time slot.
|-
| 12–3{{nbsp}}p.m. ET
| ''Live in Washington with Jack Rice''
|
|-
| 3–6{{nbsp}}p.m. ET
| ''Montel Across America''
| debut: May 18, 2009; took '']'''s old time slot.
|-
| 6–9{{nbsp}}p.m. ET
| ''The ] Show''
| debut: September 8, 2008. Expanded from 1 to 3 hours on February 3, 2009.
|-
| 9–11{{nbsp}}p.m. ET
| '']''
| with Richard Greene, moved from weekends September 4, 2007.
|-
| 11{{nbsp}}p.m. – 1{{nbsp}}a.m. ET
| '']''
|debut: September 2006 ran through May 15, 2009.
|-
| 11{{nbsp}}p.m. – 1{{nbsp}}a.m. ET
| ''The Nicole Sandler Show''
|debut: June 15, 2009; took Jon Elliott time slot.
|-
| 1–3{{nbsp}}a.m. ET
| ''Montel Across America'' rebroadcast
|
|-
| 3–5{{nbsp}}a.m. ET
| ''The David Bender Show'' rebroadcast
|
|}


*A one-hour webcast, '']'', aired weekdays from 3-4PM Eastern. ] and ] hosted the show from the actual break room at Air America Media in New York. Breakroom Live aired its last show on July 15, 2009.
:''See main articles at ], ], ], ], ], ].''


===Weekend programs===
Each host on Air America has his or her own comedic style. For example, on '']'', guests are introduced with ] theme songs, based on popular songs. '']'' and '']'' have parodies and satires of commercials, humorous songs, longer skits, and ] such as buzzers and bells.
On many Air America affiliates, weekends featured repeats and highlights from the network's weekday shows, combined with new original programming and some syndicated shows produced independently.


Original network programming for weekends included:
] of ] occasionally records skits and ] for broadcast during the show. For example, Seder called the press department of a ] who claimed to have proof that ] leaders in ] were ] due to an abundance of sinful women in the city's vicinity. Seder called the senator's press department asking if they had actual phone numbers of women of ill repute, so he could do further research personally. His co-host ], through her ongoing rants, focuses her humor mainly on current events. However, sometimes she does not go for a ] on her assumption that some actions by ] are so outrageous that they are intrinsically funny.
* ''Marc Sussman's Money Message'' (9–10{{nbsp}}a.m. ET Saturday)
* '']'' with ] (10–11{{nbsp}}a.m. Saturday; rebroadcast 7–8{{nbsp}}p.m. ET Sunday)
*''Freethought Radio'' with ] and ] (1–2{{nbsp}}p.m. ET Saturday)
*'']'' with ] (2–3{{nbsp}}p.m. ET Saturday)
* '']'' with ] and ] (3–6{{nbsp}}p.m. ET Saturday)
* '']'' with ] and ] (6–7{{nbsp}}p.m. ET Saturday; rebroadcast 9–10{{nbsp}}a.m. ET Sunday)
* '']'' with ] (1–2{{nbsp}}p.m. ET Sunday)
* '']'' with ] (4–7{{nbsp}}p.m. ET Sunday)
* '']'' with ] (10–11{{nbsp}}p.m. ET Sunday)
* '']'' with ] and ] (11{{nbsp}}p.m.–1{{nbsp}}a.m. ET Sunday)


===Former programs===
=== Listener participation ===
* '']'' (noon–3{{nbsp}}p.m. ET) Aired March 31, 2004 – February 14, 2007. Originally called ''The O'Franken Factor''. Franken left the show in order to run for the ] from ].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/business/media/30radio.html?ref=business |title= Air America to Be Acquired by New York Investor |work=The New York Times |author= Louise Story |date= January 30, 2007 |access-date=March 14, 2007 }} ''subscription required''</ref>
* '']'' (7–10{{nbsp}}p.m. ET) Aired March 31, 2004 – September 15, 2006. Co-hosted by ] and ]
* '']'' (3–7{{nbsp}}p.m. ET, later shortened to 3–6{{nbsp}}p.m. ET) Aired March 31, 2004 – April 3, 2008. Moved to ] on April 10, 2008.
* '']'' with ], ], and ] (6–9{{nbsp}}a.m. ET) Aired April 1, 2004 – December 16, 2005.
* ''Unfiltered'' with ], ], and ] (9{{nbsp}}a.m.–noon ET) Aired April 1, 2004 – April 1, 2005.
* '']'' (10{{nbsp}}p.m.–1{{nbsp}}a.m. ET), Aired August 2, 2004 – August 30, 2006. Moved to ] on October 30, 2006.
* '']'' with ] (9{{nbsp}}pm- midnight ET), Aired April 1, 2005 – September 18, 2006. Broadcast via Air America Syndication until December 8, 2006.
* '']'' with ] (8–9{{nbsp}}p.m. ET) Aired 2005 – May 2007, then combined with ''The Mark Riley Show'' into ''The Air Americans''.
* ''Air America Mornings'' (5–9{{nbsp}}a.m. ET) umbrella name for Air America's morning drive-time shows: The Mark Riley Show and The Rachel Maddow Show.
* '']'' (5–6{{nbsp}}a.m. ET) Aired January 2006 – May 2007, then combined with ''Politically Direct'' into ''The Air Americans''.
* '']'' with ], (11{{nbsp}}p.m. – 1{{nbsp}}a.m. ET) Aired September 2006 – May 15, 2009.
* '']'' with ]<ref name="Conway85">{{cite book|last=Conway|first=Kyle|title=Little Mosque on the Prairie and the Paradoxes of Cultural Translation|year=2017|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=9781487520557|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3792DgAAQBAJ&q=Air+America+Cenk&pg=PA85|pages=85}}</ref><ref name="Dagnes179">{{cite book|last=Dagnes|first=Alison|title=Super Mad at Everything All the Time: Political Media and Our National Anger|year=2019|publisher=Springer|isbn=9783030061319|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=36qMDwAAQBAJ&q=Uygur|pages=179}}</ref> (6–9{{nbsp}}a.m. ET), Aired September 18, 2006 – January 15, 2008.
* '']'' (noon–3{{nbsp}}p.m. ET) Aired March 2007 – February 28, 2009. Replaced the Al Franken Show. Moved to the ] network.
* ''The Air Americans'', hosted by Mark Riley with contributors David Bender, Laura Flanders, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Mike Papantonio. (8{{nbsp}}pm-midnight ET) Aired May 21, 2007 – August 2007.
* ''American Afternoon'', featuring revolving celebrity guest hosts such as ], ], ], and ]. (3–6{{nbsp}}p.m. ET) Aired April–June 2008. Aired as a replacement for Randi Rhodes, later replaced by Doin' Time with Ron Kuby.*
* '']'' with ] (9–10{{nbsp}}p.m. ET), the show moved from the weekends to weeknights effective September 18, 2006. Show removed from weekday schedule May 18, 2007, and may resurface eventually on Sunday mornings.
* '']'' (two hours)
* ''Liberal Arts'' with ] (one hour)
* '']'' with ] (one hour)
* ''So What Else Is News?'' with ] (first daily for one hour; later weekends for two hours)
* '']'' with ]


===Syndication===
Listeners' calls are taken on most of the programs through a toll-free number, but are especially featured on ''Springer on the Radio'', ''The Randi Rhodes Show'', ''The Laura Flanders Show'', ''The Mike Malloy Show'', and ''Ring of Fire'' with Bobby Kennedy. The listener calls are sometimes confined to a particular topic or feature, such as being a contestant on "Wait Wait, Don't Lie to Me" on ''The Al Franken Show'' or on ''Morning Sedition'''s "Liberal Confessional." Other times listeners direct the flow of the conversation.
On September 8, 2005, Air America Radio formed a separate syndication division, designed to offer additional programming and services to both progressive talk and other talk/music formats. Air America Syndication was used to syndicate ], and later '']'' which aired at the same time as ] and ] respectively on the regular network lineup. Springer ended his show on December 5, 2006, and Franken's ended on February 14, 2007. On January 29, 2007, Air America announced that Hartmann would replace Franken on the regular network lineup. When Air America entered bankruptcy, there were no programs syndicated as a part of Air America Syndication.


==History==
] uses phone calls from listeners only occasionally, and predominantly only when ] is on the program. ] is frequently scheduled off on Wednesdays, and in those programs Seder utilizes phone calls from listeners more readily. On Fridays, ] has the day off for ], and on these programs Garofalo predominantly rants the entire time with only occasional guest interviews, and the listener participation is nil.
===Beginnings===
In late 2002 Chicago entrepreneurs ] and ], angered at the firing of their favorite radio host, ], decided to try to get Malloy syndicated nationally. At Mike's behest they called Atlanta-based radio executive Jon Sinton and requested a national berth for Malloy. The Drobnys hired Sinton as CEO of AnShell Media, and the three went about raising money. The first official fundraiser was in October 2002 at the home of ]. The gathering was enthusiastically attended by many Hollywood notables. Sinton's brother, broadcaster Carey Bruce Sinton, suggested calling the venture Central Air, a name that stuck until just before launch.


Around this same time, Democratic political operative ] and radio industry veteran Paul Fiddick launched ] in Washington, D.C. Democracy Radio was an organization founded in September 2002 dedicated to creating political balance on America's commercial radio airwaves. Its concept was to develop, fund and incubate progressive oriented talk programming and retain well established radio networks to market the programs to stations around the country. Democracy Radio developed and produced talk shows that launched the national careers of ] and ].
=== Complementary programming ===
Stations broadcasting Air America programming often augment or replace parts of the network's lineup with other programming, typically with a progressive or liberal political perspective.
Some examples include:
*''The Stephanie Miller Show'' with ] (three hours: 9AM-12PM EST) (distributed by the Jones Radio Network)
*''The Thom Hartmann Radio Program'' with ] (three hours: 12PM-3PM EST)
*''The Ed Schultz Show'' with ] (three hours: 3PM-6PM EST) (distributed by the Jones Radio Network)
* ''The Lionel Show'' with Michael LeBron (three hours: 10PM-1AM EST) (distributed by the WOR network)


AnShell announced its intentions publicly in a '']'' article in February 2003 in which writer Jim Rutenburg interviewed Jon Sinton about the need for a balanced national discussion. Sinton, the Drobnys and their associate, Javier Saade, a ] grad and venture capitalist, continued to raise awareness but little money throughout 2003 by spending time in New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Sinton met repeatedly with ] to convince him to become the network's anchor talent. Franken did not commit to the enterprise, as he was worried about its sustainability.
== Business plan overview ==
Air America is a new entrant into a mature format of news, ], comedy known in the radio industry as "talkers." The network was known as ''Central Air'' during its development phase.


After mentioning actress and activist ] during an appearance on ]'s ''Politics Today'' show on ], Sinton received a call from Garofalo stating her interest in hosting a show. On a fundraising trip to Los Angeles, Sinton, at the suggestion of Al Franken, met with '']'' co-creator ], and she would later co-host one of the original shows and be the first program manager.<ref>, by Richard Corliss, ''Time'' magazine, April 5, 2005</ref>
=== Historical context ===
In formulating its programming decisions and business plan, Air America took into account the history of media and politics. Since the ], ] of the ] had been building ]s and media to formulate or contribute to a ] alternative. Groups with ] politics moved to harness the emerging alternative media formats, particularly ], and for many years, the airwaves were dominated by ] and others espousing various right-wing political views. Writers, including British journalists ], ], and ], have credited this Republican alternative with shifting the tone of American public debate, creating an electoral environment where Republican candidates are more able to succeed, and in which Democratic candidates are forced further to the right in order to be "electable". Micklethwait and Wooldridge wrote about this in "]," and ] wrote about it in ].


In November 2003, Sinton's brother Steve Sinton left ]'s talk radio division to join AAR as vice president of programming and operations.
Conservative dominance of talk radio played an important role in winning a shift in the balance of the ] in the ] ], though other factors such as the ] also played significant roles. That analysis also credits the media with hampering Clinton's second term by keeping alive ] in the ], and contributing to the victory of ] in the ].


Meanwhile, none of these talent agreements were finalized,{{citation needed | date=April 2011}} as fundraising was difficult. The reputation of the effort was coming under duress and scrutiny,{{citation needed | date=April 2011}} as it was announced but not taking shape. A further complication was that AnShell found itself competing against Democracy Radio for investors. During a trip to Washington, D.C., former ] ] ] suggested a young lawyer, David Goodfriend, who introduced the Drobnys and Sinton to his former college roommate, ], who had profited from advertising and research companies in the Pacific Rim. Having taken the idea as far as they could, the principals sold AnShell Media to Cohen and his partner, ], a broadcaster from ], US, who formed ], with Cohen as chairman, and ] as CEO; Sinton's title remained as president, but his impact on day-to-day operations was reduced after the sale to Cohen
The growing realization that liberal groups were becoming ineffective in terms of getting their viewpoint across in the media was the reason the concept of creating a liberal talk radio network emerged as a serious idea.


===Launch and rapid growth===
=== Early start-up difficulties ===
From the hiring of Goodfriend and Walsh in the fall of 2003, the network began to take shape. Al Franken and Garafalo finally agreed to contracts, and in short order the company was able reach agreement and hire Winstead, Chuck D, comedian Marc Maron, media attorney Carl Ginsberg, and many more people. In early 2004, talent, engineers and producers were hired, a lease was signed with New York's ] creating a New York home and affiliate, and, at noon Eastern time on March 31,<ref>, by James Sullivan, ''The San Francisco Chronicle'', page A-2, April 1, 2004</ref> the newly renamed Air America Radio Network was launched.
Air America was started as part of ''Progress Media'', which said it had amassed $30 million in ] prior to its debut, a claim which later turned out to be untrue (only $6 million was initially collected). Two individuals from Guam, Rex Sorensen and ], were involved in raising the capital but denied any wrongdoing. Cohen had an unusual history for his position in a progressive-left radio network since he was a Republican political operative in Guam and former chief of staff for Republican Governor Tommy Tanaka. Cohen dismissed concerns by saying he was a committed "progressive" and that Republicans in Guam "are left of Paul Wellstone." It was reported that Cohen had unpaid business debts in Guam, although Cohen denies this. Tommy Tanaka pleaded guilty to corruption charges in 2003.


Air America Radio was then the only all-] network. A predecessor, the ]'s ], which was home to hosts such as Thom Hartmann, Peter Werbe, and Mike Malloy, never gained national attention. Its last day on the air was February 27, 2004, only weeks before Air America took to the airwaves. Although not a network, Democracy Radio launched ] three months prior to the launch of Air America in January 2004. The ] followed September 2004.
Two weeks after their debut, Air America Radio was pulled off the air by the owners of two stations the network had licensed in ] and ] (near ]). This was due to a contract dispute between Air America and the station's owner, ]. Air America alleges Multicultural Radio may have sold time on their Los Angeles station to them and another party, and stopped payment on checks to them while they investigated. Multicultural Radio alleges that Air America bounced a check and owes $1 million. Air America Radio filed a complaint in ], charging ] and was granted an injunction to restore the network on WNTD-AM in Chicago. On ], the network announced the dispute had been settled, and Air America's last day of broadcast on WNTD was ].


Franken's show was the centerpiece of Air America, and would remain so for a little less than 3 years. The show featured Franken's low-key humor, political commentary, and guest and audience participation. ] was also in the initial lineup.
Four weeks after Air America's debut, the CEO, ], and Dave Logan, its executive vice president for programming, left the network. One week after those departures, the chairman and vice chairman, Evan Cohen and his investment partner Rex Sorensen, also left. Some attributed Cohen's departure to investor unhappiness with how he handled the dispute with Multicultural Radio Broadcasting.
AAR became the fastest growing network in modern radio history, increasing its listeners from 120,000 to 400,000 within three months, and reaching 2.137 million listeners per week in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chron.com/culture/main/article/Franken-s-Air-America-bounces-back-with-Bush-win-1935037.php|title=Franken's Air America bounces back with Bush win|first=Steve|last=Gorman|date=February 3, 2005|website=chron.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1045633,00.html|title=Radio: America Still on the Air|date=April 6, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050406060045/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1045633,00.html |archive-date=April 6, 2005 }}</ref>


===Difficulties and turnover===
Columnist ] of the '']'' quoted a marketing communications manager from ], declaring "GM will not advertise on any Air America affiliates." However, GM ] commercials have been appearing on the Internet stream since the fall of 2004.
At the time it started Air America Radio, ''Progress Media'', (an entity created and completely controlled by Evan Cohen and his former business partner, Rex Sorenson) stated it had secured US$30&nbsp;million in ] before its debut. The amount was later estimated by the Wall Street Journal to be closer to US$6&nbsp;million; Sorensen said that an investor had backed out at the last minute.


Sorensen never identified who the supposed investor was. Sorensen served as the chief financial officer of both Progress Media, and Air America Radio. He had complete control over all funds and banking relationships for the company, and reported directly to the chairman, Evan Cohen. No one else at the company, from Walsh on down, had any control of or input to Sorensen's activities.<ref>{{citation
As part of a reorganization, investors in Progress Media bought the assets of that company, creating its current owner, Piquant LLC. An important change which accompanied the reorganization was a decision to stop trying to buy radio stations, lease air time, or insist that stations carry all of the network's programming.
| last = Wetmore
| first = Ken
| title = Nobody was duped: Sorensen denies allegations surrounding Air America
| publisher = KUAM News
| date =June 24, 2004
| url = http://www.kuam.com/news/10010.aspx
| access-date =August 3, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060112142411/http://www.kuam.com/news/10010.aspx |archive-date = January 12, 2006}}
</ref>


On April 2, 2004, the day after launching the network, CEO Mark Walsh departed the offices for good. He had been having a number of disagreements with Evan Cohen about the direction of the company, and in particular about the complete lack of financial transparency in Cohen's business dealings and fundraising efforts. Walsh was a resident of Washington, D.C., and told Cohen that he could not be part of an enterprise run in such an opaque and disruptive fashion. Walsh never returned to the offices while Cohen was chairman, and resigned from the company several weeks later.
On ], ], a new CEO, ], was named. Goldberg set a goal of getting the network in 90% of the country as soon as possible. Expansions early in his tenure included ] and ] in March 2005, and a return to Chicago in May 2005. At a media conference in July 2005, Goldberg stated that Air America Radio would be on 75 stations as of August and that Air America News would be relaunched in September as a much more expansive operation to "provide news for our stations and beyond."


Two weeks after the on-air debut of Air America Radio, programming was withdrawn in two key markets due to contract disputes. ] owned two stations contracted to carry Air America programming, in Chicago and ], California. Air America alleged that Multicultural Radio had sold time on its Los Angeles station to both Air America and another party, and said that that was why it stopped payment on checks due to Multicultural while Air America investigated. Multicultural Radio argued that Air America had bounced a check and claimed it was owed in excess of US$1 million. Air America Radio filed a complaint in ], charging ] and was briefly granted an injunction to restore the network on ] in Chicago. On April 20, 2004, the network announced the dispute had been settled, and Air America's last day of broadcast on WNTD was April 30, 2004. The New York Supreme Court ultimately concluded that the injunction was improvidently entered and that Air America Radio's court action was without merit, dismissing Air America's complaint and awarding over US$250,000 in damages and attorneys' fees to Multicultural.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://michellemalkin.com/archives/mrbidefault.pdf |title=Radio Free America, Inc., v Multicultural Radio, Inc., Order and Judgement Index no. 105834/4 |format=.PDF |date=October 15, 2004 |access-date=March 14, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927082801/http://michellemalkin.com/archives/mrbidefault.pdf |archive-date=September 27, 2006 }}</ref> According to a subsequent lawsuit filed by Multicultural, Air America Radio never paid the sums ordered by the court.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2006/09/14/2006-09-14_ch_11_rumors_in_the_air_again.html |title=Chapter 11 Rumors in the air again |newspaper=New York Daily News |date=September 14, 2006 |access-date=March 14, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930063735/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2006/09/14/2006-09-14_ch_11_rumors_in_the_air_again.html |archive-date=September 30, 2007}}</ref>
A documentary on the network's rocky start and ultimate resurgence, '']'', premiered ], ] on ].


Four weeks after Air America's debut, its executive vice president for programming, Dave Logan, left the network. One week after those departures, its chairman and vice chairman, Evan Cohen and his investment partner Rex Sorensen, were forced out by the remaining investors. In a tense late night meeting, which included Franken, Saade, the Drobnys, Mark Walsh and other investors, the company found out that it had virtually no assets. It asked David Goodfriend to operate the company while a reorganization was planned and new funds were raised. Subsequently, the company had a number of acting CEO's, including outside investor Doug Kreeger and Jon Sinton for a short period.
In April 2005, the studio of an AAR affiliate in ], WANR-AM, was briefly occupied by a group that changed the locks and began broadcasting ] programming until the police forced them to leave. A few weeks later, the group seeking to switch the station's format to Christian programming was able to purchase the station, and the Air America programming was discontinued.


The tumultuous early days of the network were chronicled in a fly-on-the-wall ] documentary, ''Left of the Dial''.<ref>{{cite book|page=175|title=Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation|first=Eric|last=Deggans|year=2012|publisher=St. Martin's Publishing Group|isbn=978-1137093066}}</ref>
=== Ratings ===


As part of a reorganization, the Progress Media board of directors bought the assets of that company, creating a new company, Piquant LLC; at around the same time, the company decided to stop trying to buy radio stations and lease air time, and to allow affiliates to carry programming outside of the network's offerings.
Air America won a 1.3-percent share of the market audience during its first full quarter in operation. That number rose slightly to 1.4 percent in the Summer 2004, and fell back to 1.2 percent in the Fall 2004 period, where it remains today.
The new ] ratings for Winter 2005, which covers January, February, and March, show that WLIB, the station which carries Air America in New York, took a 1.2-percent share of all listeners 12 years and older, down one tenth of one point from the station's 1.3 percent share in Winter 2004.


On February 28, 2005, a new CEO, ], was named, and in April 2005, Gary Krantz was named president of the network. Ginsburg and Sinton were named co-] with Ginsburg in charge of operations and Sinton running programming and affiliate relations.
Between the hours of 10 A.M. and 3 P.M., the period that includes Franken's program, Air America drew a 1.4-percent share of the New York audience aged 25 to 54 in Winter 2005. That number is the latest in a nearly year-long decline. In Spring of 2004, Air America's first quarter on the air, it drew a 2.2-percent share of the audience. That rose to 2.3 percent in the Summer of 2004, then fell to 1.6 percent in the Fall of 2004, and is now 1.4 percent&mdash;Air America's lowest-ever quarterly rating in that time and demographic slot.
The ratings also show ] radio, which airs Rush Limbaugh, consistently beating Air America in New York City although Franken's ratings have beaten those of fellow talkshow host, conservative Bill O'Reilly. In the 10 a.m. to 3 P.M. period in the Winter of 2005, WABC won 2.7 percent of the audience to Air America's 1.4 percent. In Spring 2004, WABC beat Air America 2.7 percent to 2.2 percent. In Summer 2004, WABC won 2.7 percent to 2.3 percent. In Fall 2004, WABC widened its margin significantly and won 3.6 percent to 1.6 percent.
Although Air America’s ratings have shown improvements in other markets, it still lags far behind its competitors . Phoenix's ratings at ] went up 0.4 points in the spring ratings book to a 1.1 share, at 23rd place compared to 3rd place rival KFYI’s 5.2 share. Portland's ] shows a stronger 4.5share placing it 5th in the market, behind rival KEX’s 5.0 share. Denver's ] currently ranks 22nd with a 2.0 share and Seattle's ] is 24th with a 1.4 share, both well behind rival conservative talk formats.


In December 2005, over Sinton's objections, CEO Danny Goldberg broke up the network's morning drive-time show ''Morning Sedition'', and let comedian and co-host ]'s contract lapse. While the increased overhead for the show's heavily produced format may have been a factor in the show's demise, Maron claimed that Goldberg did not "get" or agree with the comedy on the show.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} Maron exacerbated the conflict by calling attention to his situation during the show for several weeks, prompting a petition drive that garnered over 5,000 signatures. This was to no avail, as Maron announced on November 28 that his last show would be December 16, 2005. Maron was offered an evening show, which ran briefly on affiliate ] in Los Angeles, but Air America never followed through with promised national syndication and the show was cancelled in July 2006. Goldberg announced his resignation on April 6, 2006, after a little more than a year on the job. Maron guest hosted a few times in 2007, and later co-hosted a webcast program for Air America called "Breakroom Live".
For more ratings information, see the listings at and search by call letter within the specific markets.


]'s last day as co-host of ''The Majority Report'' was on July 14, 2006. Several reasons for her departure were cited (including her outside acting responsibilities). The show ended a few months later.
=== Sponsors ===


By the late summer of 2006 Sinton and Ginsburg's influence was marginalized (both would leave in short order).
Commercial sponsors have included:
*Consumer Products and Services
*Automotive
*Insurance
*Financial/Professional Services
*Business Services
*U.S. Government office of National Drug Control Policy, ]


On August 30, 2006, nighttime host ] was fired from the network. Malloy had hosted a nighttime show from the inception of the network. The show was vitriolic in its criticism of the right–wing. Comments included referring to the Bushes as the "Bush crime family"; right–wingers commonly were referred to as "rat bastards" and "pigs". In the two weeks before the firing, Malloy had announced an impending multi-year deal for him to stay with Air America (and to return on the air in New York City). The firing was explained as for financial reasons. Rumours persist that Malloy's criticism of Israel during its bombardment of Lebanon in the summer of 2006 may have played a role. News of his termination was conveyed via a short statement on the homepage of Malloy's website, posted by his wife/producer Kathy Bay Malloy.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.mikemalloy.com | title=Mike Malloy Fired by Air America Radio | access-date=October 13, 2006| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061007075912/http://www.mikemalloy.com/| archive-date= October 7, 2006 | url-status= live}}</ref> His final show was on August 29, 2006, filling in for Randi Rhodes. No mention of his firing was made during the broadcast. Malloy's firing drew criticism from Air America on-air talent, including Rhodes and ]. It also began a large online campaign, including a petition that had over 17,000 signatures as of October 2006. At the end of October, Malloy resumed his show on a newly created progressive radio network, ].
Local advertising placment and availability may vary in different markets.


===Gloria Wise controversy===
In addition to commercial sponsors, Air America also devotes time to public service announcements or ]s. Some of the groups AAR has included are ] and the ] endorsed group ] and PSAs from the ].
{{Further|Air America-Gloria Wise loan controversy}}
{{Sectstub}}
In July 2005, the '']'' reported that the ] of ], a non-profit organization providing services for children and seniors in the ], loaned {{US$|480000}} (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|480000|2005|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}) to Progress Media, then owner of Air America Radio. It later turned out that there had been four separate transfers from Gloria Wise between October 2, 2003, and March 14, 2004, totalling {{US$|875000}} (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|875000|2004|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}), and that no interest was to be paid on these loans.<ref>
{{cite news | last1 = Lombino | first1 = David | url = https://www.nysun.com/new-york/franken-signed-air-americas-payment-pact/19659/ | title = Franken Signed Air America's Payment Pact | date = September 7, 2005 | work = ] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210411035840/https://www.nysun.com/new-york/franken-signed-air-americas-payment-pact/19659/ | archive-date = April 11, 2021 | url-status = live | url-access = subscription | df = dmy-all}}</ref>


Since then, the city has suspended further funding of the agency, and ] has revoked the group's right to use their name, likeness or logo. At the time the funds were to have been transferred, ], the founder and first chairman of Air America and the former chairman of the now-defunct Progress Media, was also director of development for Gloria Wise.
=== Support from Clear Channel ===


In response to this report, Air America Radio's owners at the time, Piquant LLC, issued a press release stating Piquant had "no obligation to Progress Media's business activities", and Piquant, as previously agreed, would "fully compensate" the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club.<ref>{{cite press release| url= http://www.airamerica.com/press/gloriawise| title= Statement from Air America Radio| publisher= Air America Radio| access-date= March 14, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070206121937/http://www.airamerica.com/press/gloriawise| archive-date= February 6, 2007| url-status= dead| df= mdy-all}}</ref> While Gloria Wise remains under investigation, Air America has since repaid the loan.<ref>{{cite news | last1 = Lombino | first1 = David | url = https://www.nysun.com/new-york/air-america-funds-returned-to-a-bronx-boys/40533/ | title = Air America Funds Returned To a Bronx Boys and Girls Club | date = September 28, 2006 | work = ] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210411035649/https://www.nysun.com/new-york/air-america-funds-returned-to-a-bronx-boys/40533/ | archive-date = April 11, 2021 | url-status = live | url-access = subscription | df = dmy-all}}</ref> On May 28, 2008, Cohen was arrested at ] on a warrant from the State of Hawaii. He was indicted in Hawaii for ] and stealing over {{US$|60000}} (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|60000|2008|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}) from a ]-based landscaping company.
] tested the format at KPOJ-AM in ], the first station to join Air America as an affiliate broadcasting Air America shows combined with other programming. As a result, the station increased its ages 12 and up market share by nearly an ]. KPOJ's spring 2004 ] ratings grew from a 0.4 to a 3.7.


===''Air America, The Playbook''===
The success in Portland led Clear Channel to switch more of its stations to the format, so that ] over a third of Air America's affiliates are owned by Clear Channel. This includes stations in ]s such as Florida (] and ] (12th largest radio market)), Colorado, Ohio, and New Mexico, as well as major markets such as ] (17th largest) and ] (9th largest).
''Air America, the Playbook'', a 300 plus page collection of essays, transcripts, and interviews by mostly Air America personalities was published shortly before the 2006 Congressional elections. It was on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list for October 8, 2006.<ref>, ''The New York Times'', October 8, 2006</ref>


===Reorganizational bankruptcy and sale to Green Family Media===
Infinity Broadcasting is also testing Air America on its stations. On October 22, 2004, Infinity announced that it was switching one of its country stations in Seattle (1090 AM) to Air America.
A week later, on October 13, 2006, Air America filed for bankruptcy protection under ], at the ] for the Southern District of New York.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,220507,00.html | title=Air America Radio Files for Bankruptcy Protection | access-date=October 13, 2006 | work=Fox News | date=October 13, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061104195252/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C220507%2C00.html | archive-date=November 4, 2006 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref> Air America continued broadcasting while the finances were worked out with the creditors. The company had US$4,331,265.30 in assets and US$20,266,056.23 in liabilities. ] alone was owed US$360,749.98 and ], founder of ], was owed the most at US$9.8&nbsp;million. The filing had over 25 pages of creditors and showed that the company lost US$9.1&nbsp;million in 2004, US$19.6&nbsp;million in 2005 and an additional US$13.1&nbsp;million by mid-October in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013062airamerica1.html |title=Free Fall Radio: Air America Goes Bankrupt |access-date=October 13, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023011438/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013062airamerica1.html |archive-date=October 23, 2006 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/061013/air_america_radio_bankruptcy.html?.v=20 |title=Air America Radio Files for Chapter 11 |access-date=October 13, 2006 }}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>


On January 29, 2007, Air America "signed a letter of intent to sell its business to SLG Radio LLC, an entity controlled by ], the founder and chairman of SL Green Realty Corp, a company that controls 27 million ft<sup>2</sup> (2.5 million m<sup>2</sup>) of real estate with a market capitalization of US$12 billion". Air America CEO Scott Elberg said of Air America's sale, "We are extremely pleased to have reached this agreement with Mr. Green, which will solidify Air America's future."<ref>{{cite press release| url= http://www.airamerica.com/node/3244| title= Air America Radio Announced Today That it Has Signed a Letter of Intent| publisher= Air America Radio| date= January 29, 2007| access-date= March 14, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070304164004/http://www.airamerica.com/node/3244| archive-date= March 4, 2007| url-status= dead| df= mdy-all}}</ref> The sale was completed on March 6, 2007, to Green Family Media, a new company created by Stephen Green and his brother Mark Green.
The senior vice president of Infinity Radio Seattle said of the switch, "We believe this is distinctive programming. There are those in the radio business who believe that shows with a liberal perspective won't get an audience. Air America in recent months has shattered that myth."


===Franken moves on to the U.S. Senate===
=== Community relations ===
], host of Air America Radio's former flagship program, ''The Al Franken Show''.]]
During the bankruptcy, key on-air personality Al Franken decided that he was going to give up his show of three years in order to run for U.S. Senate. He made his official announcement during the last show. Thom Hartmann replaced him in March 2007. Franken won a ] to become the 60th Senator in the Democratic Caucus for the 111th United States Congress.


===Air America 2.0===
*Al Franken has taken his talents overseas for the ] carrying in the long tradition of U.S. entertainers of all backgrounds going to entertain military personnel overseas. Franken has done so in a non-partisan manner.
After the sale, major changes were quickly put into place. Stephen Green became the network's chairman, and Mark Green became president of Air America, with a hands-on role. Former chief executive Scott Elberg remained as chief operating officer. Mark Green announced on Thursday, April 25, 2007, that ] would take over the handling of Air America's ad sales from ].<ref>{{cite news
*'']'' has gone on several road trips giving new audiences an opportunity to meet the hosts in person.
| url = http://ltradio.blogspot.com/2007/04/big-changes-for-air-america.html
*On the air, one show will have promotional spots in the other show.
| title = Big changes for Air America
*Each program on Air America also has its own website in the ] format. These various blogs provide a text and graphics link between hosts and the audience. The blogs foster a feeling of community. *Public Service Announcements are featured from a diverse number of groups from the ] to Willie Nelson endorsed ].
| publisher = <nowiki>LTR – The Alternative Media Resource</nowiki>
*In addition to these, several of the hosts have independent name blogs. ''see: External links''
| date = April 25, 2007
*
| access-date =July 19, 2007
{{sectstub}}
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070629231206/http://ltradio.blogspot.com/2007/04/big-changes-for-air-america.html| archive-date= June 29, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| url = http://talkingradio.blogspot.com/2007/04/aar-reveals-new-program-line-up-and-ad.html
| title = AAR Reveals New Program Line-up and Ad Sales Arrangement
| publisher = <nowiki>Talking Radio</nowiki>
| access-date =April 25, 2007
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070523235827/http://talkingradio.blogspot.com/2007/04/aar-reveals-new-program-line-up-and-ad.html| archive-date= May 23, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> In addition, a new lineup was unveiled for the radio network. The top four weekday shows were kept, but extensive changes were made to the rest of the lineup. Green also announced a redesign for the network's website, in addition to a new logo.<ref>{{cite news
| url = http://ltradio.blogspot.com/2007/05/extreme-makeover-air-america-edition.html
| title = Extreme Makeover – Air America Edition
| publisher = LTR – The Alternative Media Resource
| date = December 21, 2006
| access-date =July 19, 2007
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070621212620/http://ltradio.blogspot.com/2007/05/extreme-makeover-air-america-edition.html| archive-date= June 21, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>


On March 14, 2007, the new owners of Air America announced<ref>{{cite news
=== Promotion ===
|url = http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=137203&pt=todaysnews
Air America Radio's early promotions humorously describe the network as further to the left than a number of well-known right-wing groups, such as the ] and the ], as well as the fictional and apolitical character ].
|title = Air America Radio Appoints VP Of Programming
|publisher = Radio Ink Magazine
|date = March 14, 2007
|access-date = March 22, 2007
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927201154/http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=137203&pt=todaysnews
|archive-date = September 27, 2007
|df = mdy-all
}}
</ref> the hiring of longtime radio veteran David Bernstein to be the new vice president of programming. Prior to joining Air America, he was best known as the program director at New York radio station ] from 1995 to 2002.<ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://news.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/$rol.exe/headline_id=n16292
|title=Air America Appoints David Bernstein VP/Programming
|publisher=Radio Online
|date=March 14, 2007 |access-date=March 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930190520/http://news.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/%24rol.exe/headline_id%3Dn16292
|archive-date=September 30, 2007 |url-status=dead
}}
</ref> In an interview with the '']'',<ref>{{cite news
|url = http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/03/19/2007-03-19_new_pd_sees_air_america_as_just_good_rad.html
|title = New PD sees Air America as just good radio
|newspaper = New York Daily News
|date = March 19, 2007
|access-date = March 22, 2007
|first = David
|last = Hinckley
|archive-date = February 7, 2009
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090207172235/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/03/19/2007-03-19_new_pd_sees_air_america_as_just_good_rad.html
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> Bernstein explained his vision of Air America's future as "I don't see our purpose as 'answering' conservative radio or ]. There's no clear majority in this country today. We want to talk to everyone and help everyone make the right choice." On November 15, 2007, industry news site Radio Online reported that Bernstein was exiting Air America.<ref>{{cite news
| url = http://msg1svc.net/servlet/Pv?c=703d636e746169726368656b26733d31363235266d3d393526743d4826723d4e2664613d30
| title = David Bernstein Exits Air America as VP/Programming
| publisher = Radio Online
| date = November 15, 2007
| access-date = July 17, 2008
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090207182733/http://msg1svc.net/servlet/Pv?c=703d636e746169726368656b26733d31363235266d3d393526743d4826723d4e2664613d30
| archive-date = February 7, 2009
| df = mdy-all
}}
</ref>


After being suspended by Air America management for derogatory remarks toward ] and ] while off the air, ] quit the network on April 9, 2008, citing a contract dispute.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411212545/http://www.radioink.com/HeadlineEntry.asp?hid=141727&pt=todaysnews |date=April 11, 2008 }}. Radio Ink. April 10, 2008.</ref> She was one of Air America's more popular hosts, with a listener base of 1.5 million unique listeners per week built up over 4 years.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090324132107/http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2009/printable_audio_talkradio.htm |date=March 24, 2009 }}, ''stateofthemedia.org'', retrieved November 9, 2009</ref> Rhodes moved to ] the next week,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/10/randi-rhodes-quits-air-am_n_96050.html |work=Huffington Post | first=Danny | last=Shea | title=Randi Rhodes Blames Air America's New Owners On Larry King: "This Is Really About Them Wanting To Change My Contract" | date=April 10, 2008}}</ref> and was syndicated by ] after Nova M went bankrupt.
Current campaigns (]) include outdoor advertising in New York City. Billboards and transit shelters feature pictures of Rhodes, Springer, and other hosts with the slogan, "The only talk radio left."


]'s "Changing the Media, Changing America" event in ] (June 2006)]]


Meanwhile, longtime host ] was finding her way into television. As a guest host and as a panelist, she appeared on ]. She started her own show on the network in September 2008, in prime time after ] and ]. Her radio show became more of a replay of her television show, and ultimately her radio program became a one-hour show in the mornings.
== Weekday programs ==
Air America produces seventeen hours of weekday programming, including news summaries at the top of each hour.
* '']'' with ] (one hour: 5&ndash;6 am ET), as of ], ].
* '']'' with ] and ] (three hours: 6&ndash;9 am ET)
*'']'' with ] (three hours: 9 am&ndash;12 pm ET), since ], ].
* '']'' (initially known as '']'') with ] and ] (three hours: 12&ndash;3&nbsp;pm ET)
* '']'' with ] (four hours: 3&ndash;7 pm ET)
* '']'' with ] and ] (three hours: 7&ndash;10 pm ET)
* '']'' with ] (three hours: 10 pm&ndash;1 am ET), since ], ].


Maddow didn't want to completely depart from radio. She commented "My relationship with the radio audience is valuable and important. I also believe in what Air America is doing."<ref>, by David Hinkley, ''New York Daily News'', February 3, 2009</ref>
== Weekend programs (varies) ==
For those stations for which Air America has full control, weekends feature repeats and highlights from their weekday shows, combined with new original programming and some syndicated shows produced independently.


] moved his show to the ] radio network on March 1, 2009. Hartmann had been the flagship program on AAR for a year. ] hosted the new flagship program in Lionel's previous spot, and Lionel moved his show to the 12{{nbsp}}p.m.–3{{nbsp}}p.m. ET slot.
New network programming for weekends includes:
* ''The Laura Flanders Show'' with ] (three hours)
* '']'' with ] and ] (two hours) 5&ndash;7 pm ET Saturday
* ''EcoTalk'' with Betsy Rosenberg (one hour)
* ''So What Else Is News?'' with Marty Kaplan (two hours)
* ''Mother Jones Radio'' with Angie Coiro (one hour)
* ''The Kyle Jason Show'' with Kyle Jason (two hours)
* '']'' with ] (one hour)
* '']'' with David Bender (one hour)
* '']'' with ] and ] (two hours)
* ''Liberal Arts'' with Katherine Lanpher (one hour)


=== Sale and closure ===
== Controversies ==
Stephen Green sold Air America Radio in 2009 to Charles Kireker. Mark Green continued as president.<ref>Stein, Sam, , Huffington Post, March 28, 2008/May 25, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2019.</ref>


On January 21, 2010, Air America announced that it would immediately cease programming and file for ],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/air-america-to-cease-broadcasting-immediately/ |title=Air America to Cease Broadcasting Immediately |last=Stelter |first=Brian |date=January 21, 2010 |work=The New York Times |access-date=January 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124115638/http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/air-america-to-cease-broadcasting-immediately/ |archive-date=January 24, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> giving the following explanation on their website:
=== Skit on "The Randi Rhodes Show" about "shooting spoiled child" in bad taste ===
In ] of ] one pre-recorded comedy routine broadcast during '']'' sparked a minor controversy. The ] reviewed and set-aside further investigation or action regarding an ], ] radio feature broadcast from New York City during the show&mdash;Rhodes was in a ] studio. The skit featured an announcer staying: "A spoiled child is telling us our Social Security isn't safe anymore, so he is going to fix it for us. Well, here's your answer, you ungrateful whelp: (] of 4 gunshots being fired). Just try it, you little bastard. . The implication, according to ], is that the spoiled child is ]. Randi Rhodes apologized for that skit on Wednesday, ], ], admitting it was "an attempt at humor ... bad joke." Rhodes further stated "It was a bit. It was bad. I apologize a thousand times." Rhodes also said the incident should be seen as a call for major networks to pay more attention to what the questionable ] habits of her ] counterparts.


<blockquote>The very difficult economic environment has had a significant impact on Air America's business. This past year has seen a "perfect storm" in the media industry generally. National and local advertising revenues have fallen drastically, causing many media companies nationwide to fold or seek bankruptcy protection. From large to small, recent bankruptcies like ] and closures like that of the industry's long-time trade publication ] have signaled that these are very difficult and rapidly changing times.</blockquote>
Jon Sinton, Air America's president of programming said "We are not under investigation from the Secret Service. We regret that a produced comedy bit that was in bad taste slipped through our normal vetting process. We do acknowledge that it was an internal error and internal discipline will be enforced."


Others involved with Air America or progressive talk radio cite other reasons as the cause of the network's demise. Thom Hartmann left Air America due in part to his dissatisfaction with the network's merry-go-round management. "We've been far more successful since we left," Mr. Hartmann said in an interview after the closure. Several other former employees have made similar complaints, specifically that the management of Air America lacked the necessary broadcasting business expertise.<ref name="closureNYT">, by Brian Stelter, ''Media Decoder Blog'', ''The New York Times'', January 22, 2010</ref>
] reported the Secret Service initially looked into the broadcast to see if it constituted a threat to Bush but later issued a statement saying they would take no action.


Progressive commentator ] cited problems with the network's constituent stations:
References:
*Randi Rhodes broadcast in question may be heard
*
*
*Applicable case law &mdash;


<blockquote>Because conservatives were so entrenched on heritage stations, the progressives on Air America were relegated to smaller, less powerful, under-performing signals that could not compete with their more established counterparts; certainly not without lots of promotion and time to develop, both of which were denied in most cases.<ref name="closureNYT" /></blockquote>
=== Gloria Wise/Air America Loan Controversy ===
In July, 2005 the Bronx News issued a report alleging that $480,000 was loaned to Air America Radio by the of ], a non-profit organization providing services for children and seniors in the ]. As the club is heavily funded by the ], the legality of such a transfer is under investigation. At the time the funds were said to have been transferred, ], former chairman of now-defunct Progress Media, the original owners of Air America, was also Director of Development for Gloria Wise.


At some point after the network's closure in 2010, Newsweb Corporation (the owner of Chicago's ] AM band radio station) gained ownership of the network's name.
In response to this report, Air America Radio's current owners, Piquant LLC, issued a characterizing the alleged corruption on the part of Gloria Wise and Progress Media as "absolutely disgraceful." In addition, Piquant stated that though they were not obliged to pay back the debts of Progress Media, they had previously arranged to fully compensate Gloria Wise in order to clear AAR's name. Critics have raised questions about the legality of the transfer of AAR assets from Progress Media to Piquant LLC. Specifically, the possibility exists that the transaction constitutes a ] intended to avoid debts incurred by Evan Cohen. Others have noted that, since Piquant LLC is owned by most, though not all, of the same investors as Progress Media, a creditor that could not collect on their debts might attempt to ] and hold the individual investors liable. In turn, the investors of Piquant could be able to sue Evan Cohen for securities fraud.


==Ratings==
On August 2, 2005, the ] reported that the Gloria Wise executive committee estimated a total of $875,000 was transfered from the club to Air America Radio as well as directly to Evan Cohen.
In ]'s Spring 2008 ratings book, stations carrying a majority AAR programming and in markets reporting every quarter averaged a 1.3 ]. The highest rated Air America affiliates were ] in Portland, Oregon (3.7 share), ] in Madison, Wisconsin (3.5), and ] in Albuquerque, New Mexico (2.6). The lowest rated affiliates were ] and ] in Detroit, Michigan (unmeasurable), ] in Columbia, South Carolina (0.4), ] in Grand Rapids, Michigan (0.5), and flagship station ] in New York City (0.5).


] in Madison had announced in November 2006 that it would switch to all sports programming by the end of the year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Statement: The change in formats on WXXM 92.1FM to FOX SPORTS RADIO 92.1 |url=http://www.themic921.com/pages/statement.html |website=themic921.com |access-date=March 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720182733/http://www.themic921.com/pages/statement.html |archive-date=July 20, 2008 |date=November 10, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Tyler |first1=Jeff |title=Madison Air America affiliate will switch to sports |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2006/11/06/daily46.html |website=bizjournals.com |publisher=American City Business Journals |access-date=March 9, 2023 |date=November 10, 2006}}</ref> Following backlash from the station's listeners<ref>{{cite news |url=http://ltradio.blogspot.com/2006/12/clear-channel-backlash-in-madison.html |title=Clear Channel backlash in Madison |publisher=LTR – The Alternative Media Resource |date=December 12, 2006}}</ref> and syndicated hosts,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://ltradio.blogspot.com/2006/12/schultz-on-mic-thats-no-way-to-run.html |title=Schultz on 'The Mic': "That's no way to run a railroad" |publisher =LTR – The Alternative Media Resource | date= December 8, 2006 |access-date=July 19, 2007}}</ref> Clear Channel in Madison later backtracked, deciding to leave the ] talk format on the station.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://ltradio.blogspot.com/2006/12/mic-lives.html |title= The Mic lives! |publisher=LTR – The Alternative Media Resource |date=December 21, 2006|access-date=July 19, 2007}}</ref>
On August 6, 2005, the ] reported that the office of the New York ] was joining the New York City Department of Investigation in the inquiry into the behavior of the Gloria Wise executive board. They also reported that Air America has begun paying back the funds, starting with a $50,000 payment, into an escrow account controlled by AAR's lawyers, although city investigators preferred a neutral account that could not be touched by either party.


==Affiliates==
On August 12, 2005, the ] reported that Al Franken commented on the scandal during his show earlier that week. Franken characterized Evan Cohen as "a crook" and said "I don't know why they did it, and I don't know where the money went. I don't know if it was used for operations, which I imagine it was. I think he was robbing Peter to pay Paul."
{{Main|List of Air America Radio affiliates}}
As of October 2008, Air America programming was carried on 66 terrestrial broadcast stations,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.airamerica.com/stations | title=www.airamerica.com/stations | access-date=October 13, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080507074915/http://airamerica.com/stations |archive-date = May 7, 2008}}</ref> an increase of 10 percent over the previous six months. Thirty-two of these stations broadcast a majority AAR programming. During the first 4½ years of the network's existence, Air America has lost 63 affiliates to other programming or formats. Air America counts any station that carries any of their programming as an affiliate, similar to radio networks such as ].{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} Stations owned by ] had been early backers of the network, and the company used the network as programming for some of its smaller AM stations. However, in the past few years, the network has been moving instead toward replacing Air America on those stations with ] (a Clear Channel product), as ] Cincinnati, ] San Diego and ] Miami<ref>, by Glenn Garvin, ''The Miami Herald'', April 14, 2009</ref> were all once Air America affiliates but are now affiliated with Fox Sports. (There have been a few notable exceptions that have remained with Air America, such as ] in Madison, Wisconsin, which kept Air America after listener protests, and ] in San Francisco, where the Fox Sports affiliation is held by another station and there are fewer programming options due to significant competition).


SiriusXM Satellite Radio channel "]" currently broadcasts programs from two former Air Americans: ] and ].
On August 18, 2005, the ] reported that in May, 2005, Multicultural Radio Broadcasting filed suit against the current owners of Air America Radio, Piquant LLC for $255,000 alleging that the transfer of assets from Progress Media to Piquant LLC was a "sham" transaction designed specifically to stiff the creditors of Air America. The suit is an attempt by Multicultural Broadcasting to enforce a November 2004 judgement against Air America.


==Archives== ==See also==
*'']''
'''Air America Place''' is the official audio archive of all Air America Radio programs. The website also houses a blog and a message board for fans of Air America to post on. Air America Place is located at http://www.airamericaplace.com.
*]
*]
*], podcast successor to the original Majority Report on Air America
*]
*]
*]
*]


==References==
'''White Rose Society''' also has archives for Mike Malloy, Randi Rhodes, and numerous other liberal programs, some of which are on Air America affiliates. White Rose Society is located at http://www.whiterosesociety.org/
{{Reflist|3}}


== Affiliates == ==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
:''Please see ] for complete listing.''


{{AAR}}
== External links and references ==
{{American broadcast radio}}
* ]:
{{Al Franken}}
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{{Rachel Maddow}}
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{{Marc Maron}}
* ]:
{{Authority control}}
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* ]: (subscription req'd)
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* , from the ] website
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Latest revision as of 19:30, 8 November 2024

American progressive talk radio network

Air America
TypeRadio network
CountryUnited States
BrandingProgressive talk
Ownership
OwnerNewsweb Radio Company
Key peopleThom Hartmann, Al Franken, Rachel Maddow, Cenk Uygur, Marc Maron, Chuck D, Lizz Winstead, Sam Seder, Randi Rhodes, Janeane Garofalo
History
Launch dateMarch 31, 2004
ClosedJanuary 21, 2010
Coverage
Affiliates66

Air America (formerly Air America Radio and Air America Media) was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk radio. It was on the air from March 2004 to January 2010.

The network was founded as a left–wing alternative to counter talk radio with a right–wing perspective. Air America featured programs with monologues by on-air personalities, guest interviews, call-ins from listeners, and news reports. Several shows had million plus audiences, and multiple weekday presenters continued on in radio, television, or politics after their time on Air America. For example, in 2008, The Thom Hartmann Program had 1.5–2 million unique listeners a week and The Lionel Show had 1.5–1.75 million unique listeners a week. Hartmann, Randi Rhodes, and Mike Malloy later had shows on other radio networks. Marc Maron started his "WTF podcast" by trespassing in Air America's studios after the network's demise, before moving to Los Angeles. Al Franken went from his show to the United States Senate, and Rachel Maddow moved her show to television on MSNBC.

The network was financially troubled, however. A scandal involving nearly $1 million in loans from a Boys & Girls Club in New York secretly transacted by Evan Cohen came out in 2005 and was a source of negative publicity. The loans were repaid, but in October 2006, mounting debts forced Air America Radio to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company was bought by New York real estate investor Stephen L. Green and his brother Mark Green, who purchased the network in March 2007 for US$4.25 million.

The company eventually changed its name from Air America Radio to Air America Media and lastly to just Air America, an effort to establish itself as a broadcaster on multiple media sources including television and the Internet, and one not merely relegated to radio. Always primarily a radio network, on January 21, 2010, Air America went off the air citing difficulties with the current economic environment. It filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and liquidated itself. Bennett Zier was the company's last CEO including through the bankruptcy and liquidation.

Sometime after the network's closure, Newsweb Corporation (owned by Chicago entrepreneur, political activist, and philanthropist Fred Eychaner, owner of Chicago's WCPT progressive talk radio station) acquired ownership of the branding.

Programming overview

Ron Reagan, son of President Ronald Reagan, and Thom Hartmann (background, right) hosted progressive talk shows at Air America.

Air America Media's progressive talk radio programming consisted of news, talk, comedy, interviews, guest editorials, and listeners' telephone calls. The talk portions featured some extended host monologues in the classic talk radio format. Live and pre-recorded comedy routines, featuring various comedians, were also aired. As with most syndicated broadcast networks, local affiliate stations were able to air select programs or the entire schedule, subject to contractual arrangements.

Format

The shows followed a half-hour format from six minutes past the hour to 28 minutes after the hour followed by a hard break for six minutes until 34 minutes past the hour. The final hard break occurs at 58 minutes past the hour, leading into the news at the top of the hour. There was also a floating break in both the first and second half-hours. Local stations could run their own commercials, local news and weather or other features during the breaks.

News

Air America featured its own news summary breaks at the top of each hour, with content from wire services such as the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI). Some affiliates used other news services or would run their own newscasts during the six-minute "news hole" at the top of the hour. AAR later switched to AP Radio Network News, and finally Free Speech Radio News. These newscasts ended on June 29, 2007, with local stations signing up with other radio news networks.

Public affairs and editorials

The public affairs programs tended to closely follow current happenings in the news, with monologues and reflections offered by the hosts and their guests. Listener comments by phone or the Internet were worked into these segments along with the interviews.

Music

Although better known for its political shows, Air America also featured a couple of music oriented shows on weekends. On the Real featuring Chuck D had a strong music focus. The Steve Earle Show (which ended in 2007 with Earle moving to Sirius Satellite Radio) mixed music with political commentary. Dr. Demento was a guest host on the network at least once. Also, most of the talk shows had their own theme songs, used bumper music to segue between commercials and segments, and played political novelty songs. Theme songs and bumper music were generally commercially released rock music.

Weekday programs

Air America produced sixteen hours of weekday network programming. The entire schedule was carried on the network's internet stream, and affiliates may have carried some, most or all shows.

The network's schedule as of Mid-2009:

Time Show Notes
5–6 a.m. ET The Rachel Maddow Show audio rebroadcast of the MSNBC program of the same name.
6–9 a.m. ET The Lionel Show redebuts in new time slot May 26, 2009. Original debut: May 14, 2007.
9 a.m. – noon ET Montel Across America debut: April 20, 2009; took The Lionel Show's old time slot.
12–3 p.m. ET Live in Washington with Jack Rice
3–6 p.m. ET Montel Across America debut: May 18, 2009; took Doing Time with Ron Kuby's old time slot.
6–9 p.m. ET The Ron Reagan Show debut: September 8, 2008. Expanded from 1 to 3 hours on February 3, 2009.
9–11 p.m. ET Clout with Richard Greene, moved from weekends September 4, 2007.
11 p.m. – 1 a.m. ET This Is America with Jon Elliott debut: September 2006 ran through May 15, 2009.
11 p.m. – 1 a.m. ET The Nicole Sandler Show debut: June 15, 2009; took Jon Elliott time slot.
1–3 a.m. ET Montel Across America rebroadcast
3–5 a.m. ET The David Bender Show rebroadcast

Weekend programs

On many Air America affiliates, weekends featured repeats and highlights from the network's weekday shows, combined with new original programming and some syndicated shows produced independently.

Original network programming for weekends included:

Former programs

Syndication

On September 8, 2005, Air America Radio formed a separate syndication division, designed to offer additional programming and services to both progressive talk and other talk/music formats. Air America Syndication was used to syndicate Thom Hartmann, and later Springer on the Radio which aired at the same time as The Al Franken Show and The Sam Seder Show respectively on the regular network lineup. Springer ended his show on December 5, 2006, and Franken's ended on February 14, 2007. On January 29, 2007, Air America announced that Hartmann would replace Franken on the regular network lineup. When Air America entered bankruptcy, there were no programs syndicated as a part of Air America Syndication.

History

Beginnings

In late 2002 Chicago entrepreneurs Sheldon Drobny and Anita Drobny, angered at the firing of their favorite radio host, Mike Malloy, decided to try to get Malloy syndicated nationally. At Mike's behest they called Atlanta-based radio executive Jon Sinton and requested a national berth for Malloy. The Drobnys hired Sinton as CEO of AnShell Media, and the three went about raising money. The first official fundraiser was in October 2002 at the home of Arianna Huffington. The gathering was enthusiastically attended by many Hollywood notables. Sinton's brother, broadcaster Carey Bruce Sinton, suggested calling the venture Central Air, a name that stuck until just before launch.

Around this same time, Democratic political operative Tom Athans and radio industry veteran Paul Fiddick launched Democracy Radio in Washington, D.C. Democracy Radio was an organization founded in September 2002 dedicated to creating political balance on America's commercial radio airwaves. Its concept was to develop, fund and incubate progressive oriented talk programming and retain well established radio networks to market the programs to stations around the country. Democracy Radio developed and produced talk shows that launched the national careers of Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller.

AnShell announced its intentions publicly in a New York Times article in February 2003 in which writer Jim Rutenburg interviewed Jon Sinton about the need for a balanced national discussion. Sinton, the Drobnys and their associate, Javier Saade, a Harvard Business School grad and venture capitalist, continued to raise awareness but little money throughout 2003 by spending time in New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Sinton met repeatedly with Al Franken to convince him to become the network's anchor talent. Franken did not commit to the enterprise, as he was worried about its sustainability.

After mentioning actress and activist Janeane Garofalo during an appearance on Judy Woodruff's Politics Today show on CNN, Sinton received a call from Garofalo stating her interest in hosting a show. On a fundraising trip to Los Angeles, Sinton, at the suggestion of Al Franken, met with Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead, and she would later co-host one of the original shows and be the first program manager.

In November 2003, Sinton's brother Steve Sinton left Clear Channel's talk radio division to join AAR as vice president of programming and operations.

Meanwhile, none of these talent agreements were finalized, as fundraising was difficult. The reputation of the effort was coming under duress and scrutiny, as it was announced but not taking shape. A further complication was that AnShell found itself competing against Democracy Radio for investors. During a trip to Washington, D.C., former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta suggested a young lawyer, David Goodfriend, who introduced the Drobnys and Sinton to his former college roommate, Evan Montvel Cohen, who had profited from advertising and research companies in the Pacific Rim. Having taken the idea as far as they could, the principals sold AnShell Media to Cohen and his partner, Rex Sorensen, a broadcaster from Guam, US, who formed Progress Media, with Cohen as chairman, and Mark Walsh as CEO; Sinton's title remained as president, but his impact on day-to-day operations was reduced after the sale to Cohen

Launch and rapid growth

From the hiring of Goodfriend and Walsh in the fall of 2003, the network began to take shape. Al Franken and Garafalo finally agreed to contracts, and in short order the company was able reach agreement and hire Winstead, Chuck D, comedian Marc Maron, media attorney Carl Ginsberg, and many more people. In early 2004, talent, engineers and producers were hired, a lease was signed with New York's WLIB creating a New York home and affiliate, and, at noon Eastern time on March 31, the newly renamed Air America Radio Network was launched.

Air America Radio was then the only all-progressive talk radio network. A predecessor, the UAW's I.E. America Radio Network, which was home to hosts such as Thom Hartmann, Peter Werbe, and Mike Malloy, never gained national attention. Its last day on the air was February 27, 2004, only weeks before Air America took to the airwaves. Although not a network, Democracy Radio launched The Ed Schultz Show three months prior to the launch of Air America in January 2004. The Stephanie Miller Show followed September 2004.

Franken's show was the centerpiece of Air America, and would remain so for a little less than 3 years. The show featured Franken's low-key humor, political commentary, and guest and audience participation. Randi Rhodes was also in the initial lineup.

AAR became the fastest growing network in modern radio history, increasing its listeners from 120,000 to 400,000 within three months, and reaching 2.137 million listeners per week in 2005.

Difficulties and turnover

At the time it started Air America Radio, Progress Media, (an entity created and completely controlled by Evan Cohen and his former business partner, Rex Sorenson) stated it had secured US$30 million in venture capital before its debut. The amount was later estimated by the Wall Street Journal to be closer to US$6 million; Sorensen said that an investor had backed out at the last minute.

Sorensen never identified who the supposed investor was. Sorensen served as the chief financial officer of both Progress Media, and Air America Radio. He had complete control over all funds and banking relationships for the company, and reported directly to the chairman, Evan Cohen. No one else at the company, from Walsh on down, had any control of or input to Sorensen's activities.

On April 2, 2004, the day after launching the network, CEO Mark Walsh departed the offices for good. He had been having a number of disagreements with Evan Cohen about the direction of the company, and in particular about the complete lack of financial transparency in Cohen's business dealings and fundraising efforts. Walsh was a resident of Washington, D.C., and told Cohen that he could not be part of an enterprise run in such an opaque and disruptive fashion. Walsh never returned to the offices while Cohen was chairman, and resigned from the company several weeks later.

Two weeks after the on-air debut of Air America Radio, programming was withdrawn in two key markets due to contract disputes. Multicultural Radio owned two stations contracted to carry Air America programming, in Chicago and Santa Monica, California. Air America alleged that Multicultural Radio had sold time on its Los Angeles station to both Air America and another party, and said that that was why it stopped payment on checks due to Multicultural while Air America investigated. Multicultural Radio argued that Air America had bounced a check and claimed it was owed in excess of US$1 million. Air America Radio filed a complaint in New York Supreme Court, charging breach of contract and was briefly granted an injunction to restore the network on WNTD in Chicago. On April 20, 2004, the network announced the dispute had been settled, and Air America's last day of broadcast on WNTD was April 30, 2004. The New York Supreme Court ultimately concluded that the injunction was improvidently entered and that Air America Radio's court action was without merit, dismissing Air America's complaint and awarding over US$250,000 in damages and attorneys' fees to Multicultural. According to a subsequent lawsuit filed by Multicultural, Air America Radio never paid the sums ordered by the court.

Four weeks after Air America's debut, its executive vice president for programming, Dave Logan, left the network. One week after those departures, its chairman and vice chairman, Evan Cohen and his investment partner Rex Sorensen, were forced out by the remaining investors. In a tense late night meeting, which included Franken, Saade, the Drobnys, Mark Walsh and other investors, the company found out that it had virtually no assets. It asked David Goodfriend to operate the company while a reorganization was planned and new funds were raised. Subsequently, the company had a number of acting CEO's, including outside investor Doug Kreeger and Jon Sinton for a short period.

The tumultuous early days of the network were chronicled in a fly-on-the-wall HBO documentary, Left of the Dial.

As part of a reorganization, the Progress Media board of directors bought the assets of that company, creating a new company, Piquant LLC; at around the same time, the company decided to stop trying to buy radio stations and lease air time, and to allow affiliates to carry programming outside of the network's offerings.

On February 28, 2005, a new CEO, Danny Goldberg, was named, and in April 2005, Gary Krantz was named president of the network. Ginsburg and Sinton were named co-COOs with Ginsburg in charge of operations and Sinton running programming and affiliate relations.

In December 2005, over Sinton's objections, CEO Danny Goldberg broke up the network's morning drive-time show Morning Sedition, and let comedian and co-host Marc Maron's contract lapse. While the increased overhead for the show's heavily produced format may have been a factor in the show's demise, Maron claimed that Goldberg did not "get" or agree with the comedy on the show. Maron exacerbated the conflict by calling attention to his situation during the show for several weeks, prompting a petition drive that garnered over 5,000 signatures. This was to no avail, as Maron announced on November 28 that his last show would be December 16, 2005. Maron was offered an evening show, which ran briefly on affiliate KTLK in Los Angeles, but Air America never followed through with promised national syndication and the show was cancelled in July 2006. Goldberg announced his resignation on April 6, 2006, after a little more than a year on the job. Maron guest hosted a few times in 2007, and later co-hosted a webcast program for Air America called "Breakroom Live".

Janeane Garofalo's last day as co-host of The Majority Report was on July 14, 2006. Several reasons for her departure were cited (including her outside acting responsibilities). The show ended a few months later.

By the late summer of 2006 Sinton and Ginsburg's influence was marginalized (both would leave in short order).

On August 30, 2006, nighttime host Mike Malloy was fired from the network. Malloy had hosted a nighttime show from the inception of the network. The show was vitriolic in its criticism of the right–wing. Comments included referring to the Bushes as the "Bush crime family"; right–wingers commonly were referred to as "rat bastards" and "pigs". In the two weeks before the firing, Malloy had announced an impending multi-year deal for him to stay with Air America (and to return on the air in New York City). The firing was explained as for financial reasons. Rumours persist that Malloy's criticism of Israel during its bombardment of Lebanon in the summer of 2006 may have played a role. News of his termination was conveyed via a short statement on the homepage of Malloy's website, posted by his wife/producer Kathy Bay Malloy. His final show was on August 29, 2006, filling in for Randi Rhodes. No mention of his firing was made during the broadcast. Malloy's firing drew criticism from Air America on-air talent, including Rhodes and Sam Seder. It also began a large online campaign, including a petition that had over 17,000 signatures as of October 2006. At the end of October, Malloy resumed his show on a newly created progressive radio network, Nova M Radio.

Gloria Wise controversy

Further information: Air America-Gloria Wise loan controversy

In July 2005, the Bronx News reported that the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club of Co-op City, a non-profit organization providing services for children and seniors in the Bronx, loaned US$480,000 (equivalent to $749,000 in 2023) to Progress Media, then owner of Air America Radio. It later turned out that there had been four separate transfers from Gloria Wise between October 2, 2003, and March 14, 2004, totalling US$875,000 (equivalent to $1,411,000 in 2023), and that no interest was to be paid on these loans.

Since then, the city has suspended further funding of the agency, and Boys and Girls Clubs of America has revoked the group's right to use their name, likeness or logo. At the time the funds were to have been transferred, Evan Cohen, the founder and first chairman of Air America and the former chairman of the now-defunct Progress Media, was also director of development for Gloria Wise.

In response to this report, Air America Radio's owners at the time, Piquant LLC, issued a press release stating Piquant had "no obligation to Progress Media's business activities", and Piquant, as previously agreed, would "fully compensate" the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club. While Gloria Wise remains under investigation, Air America has since repaid the loan. On May 28, 2008, Cohen was arrested at Guam International Airport on a warrant from the State of Hawaii. He was indicted in Hawaii for money laundering and stealing over US$60,000 (equivalent to $85,000 in 2023) from a Honolulu-based landscaping company.

Air America, The Playbook

Air America, the Playbook, a 300 plus page collection of essays, transcripts, and interviews by mostly Air America personalities was published shortly before the 2006 Congressional elections. It was on The New York Times Best Seller list for October 8, 2006.

Reorganizational bankruptcy and sale to Green Family Media

A week later, on October 13, 2006, Air America filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11, at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Air America continued broadcasting while the finances were worked out with the creditors. The company had US$4,331,265.30 in assets and US$20,266,056.23 in liabilities. Al Franken alone was owed US$360,749.98 and Rob Glaser, founder of RealNetworks, was owed the most at US$9.8 million. The filing had over 25 pages of creditors and showed that the company lost US$9.1 million in 2004, US$19.6 million in 2005 and an additional US$13.1 million by mid-October in 2006.

On January 29, 2007, Air America "signed a letter of intent to sell its business to SLG Radio LLC, an entity controlled by Stephen L. Green, the founder and chairman of SL Green Realty Corp, a company that controls 27 million ft (2.5 million m) of real estate with a market capitalization of US$12 billion". Air America CEO Scott Elberg said of Air America's sale, "We are extremely pleased to have reached this agreement with Mr. Green, which will solidify Air America's future." The sale was completed on March 6, 2007, to Green Family Media, a new company created by Stephen Green and his brother Mark Green.

Franken moves on to the U.S. Senate

Al Franken, host of Air America Radio's former flagship program, The Al Franken Show.

During the bankruptcy, key on-air personality Al Franken decided that he was going to give up his show of three years in order to run for U.S. Senate. He made his official announcement during the last show. Thom Hartmann replaced him in March 2007. Franken won a close and highly contested election to become the 60th Senator in the Democratic Caucus for the 111th United States Congress.

Air America 2.0

After the sale, major changes were quickly put into place. Stephen Green became the network's chairman, and Mark Green became president of Air America, with a hands-on role. Former chief executive Scott Elberg remained as chief operating officer. Mark Green announced on Thursday, April 25, 2007, that Westwood One would take over the handling of Air America's ad sales from Jones Radio Networks. In addition, a new lineup was unveiled for the radio network. The top four weekday shows were kept, but extensive changes were made to the rest of the lineup. Green also announced a redesign for the network's website, in addition to a new logo.

On March 14, 2007, the new owners of Air America announced the hiring of longtime radio veteran David Bernstein to be the new vice president of programming. Prior to joining Air America, he was best known as the program director at New York radio station WOR from 1995 to 2002. In an interview with the New York Daily News, Bernstein explained his vision of Air America's future as "I don't see our purpose as 'answering' conservative radio or Rush Limbaugh. There's no clear majority in this country today. We want to talk to everyone and help everyone make the right choice." On November 15, 2007, industry news site Radio Online reported that Bernstein was exiting Air America.

After being suspended by Air America management for derogatory remarks toward Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton while off the air, Randi Rhodes quit the network on April 9, 2008, citing a contract dispute. She was one of Air America's more popular hosts, with a listener base of 1.5 million unique listeners per week built up over 4 years. Rhodes moved to Nova M Radio the next week, and was syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks after Nova M went bankrupt.

Maddow hosting KPTK's "Changing the Media, Changing America" event in Seattle (June 2006)

Meanwhile, longtime host Rachel Maddow was finding her way into television. As a guest host and as a panelist, she appeared on MSNBC. She started her own show on the network in September 2008, in prime time after Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews. Her radio show became more of a replay of her television show, and ultimately her radio program became a one-hour show in the mornings.

Maddow didn't want to completely depart from radio. She commented "My relationship with the radio audience is valuable and important. I also believe in what Air America is doing."

Thom Hartmann moved his show to the Dial Global radio network on March 1, 2009. Hartmann had been the flagship program on AAR for a year. Montel Williams hosted the new flagship program in Lionel's previous spot, and Lionel moved his show to the 12 p.m.–3 p.m. ET slot.

Sale and closure

Stephen Green sold Air America Radio in 2009 to Charles Kireker. Mark Green continued as president.

On January 21, 2010, Air America announced that it would immediately cease programming and file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, giving the following explanation on their website:

The very difficult economic environment has had a significant impact on Air America's business. This past year has seen a "perfect storm" in the media industry generally. National and local advertising revenues have fallen drastically, causing many media companies nationwide to fold or seek bankruptcy protection. From large to small, recent bankruptcies like Citadel Broadcasting and closures like that of the industry's long-time trade publication Radio & Records have signaled that these are very difficult and rapidly changing times.

Others involved with Air America or progressive talk radio cite other reasons as the cause of the network's demise. Thom Hartmann left Air America due in part to his dissatisfaction with the network's merry-go-round management. "We've been far more successful since we left," Mr. Hartmann said in an interview after the closure. Several other former employees have made similar complaints, specifically that the management of Air America lacked the necessary broadcasting business expertise.

Progressive commentator Alan Colmes cited problems with the network's constituent stations:

Because conservatives were so entrenched on heritage stations, the progressives on Air America were relegated to smaller, less powerful, under-performing signals that could not compete with their more established counterparts; certainly not without lots of promotion and time to develop, both of which were denied in most cases.

At some point after the network's closure in 2010, Newsweb Corporation (the owner of Chicago's WCPT AM band radio station) gained ownership of the network's name.

Ratings

In Arbitron's Spring 2008 ratings book, stations carrying a majority AAR programming and in markets reporting every quarter averaged a 1.3 share. The highest rated Air America affiliates were KPOJ in Portland, Oregon (3.7 share), WXXM in Madison, Wisconsin (3.5), and KABQ in Albuquerque, New Mexico (2.6). The lowest rated affiliates were WDTW and WLBY in Detroit, Michigan (unmeasurable), WOIC in Columbia, South Carolina (0.4), WTKG in Grand Rapids, Michigan (0.5), and flagship station WWRL in New York City (0.5).

WXXM in Madison had announced in November 2006 that it would switch to all sports programming by the end of the year. Following backlash from the station's listeners and syndicated hosts, Clear Channel in Madison later backtracked, deciding to leave the progressive talk format on the station.

Affiliates

Main article: List of Air America Radio affiliates

As of October 2008, Air America programming was carried on 66 terrestrial broadcast stations, an increase of 10 percent over the previous six months. Thirty-two of these stations broadcast a majority AAR programming. During the first 4½ years of the network's existence, Air America has lost 63 affiliates to other programming or formats. Air America counts any station that carries any of their programming as an affiliate, similar to radio networks such as ESPN Radio. Stations owned by Clear Channel Communications had been early backers of the network, and the company used the network as programming for some of its smaller AM stations. However, in the past few years, the network has been moving instead toward replacing Air America on those stations with Fox Sports Radio (a Clear Channel product), as WCKY Cincinnati, KLSD San Diego and WINZ Miami were all once Air America affiliates but are now affiliated with Fox Sports. (There have been a few notable exceptions that have remained with Air America, such as WXXM in Madison, Wisconsin, which kept Air America after listener protests, and KKGN in San Francisco, where the Fox Sports affiliation is held by another station and there are fewer programming options due to significant competition).

SiriusXM Satellite Radio channel "Sirius XM Progress" currently broadcasts programs from two former Air Americans: Mike Malloy and Thom Hartmann.

See also

References

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