[DouseAuthott]

Air America gets grounded: Progressive talk radio network going Chapter 7

By Richard Huff
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Thursday, January 21st 2010, 8:05 PM


Matthews/AP
ormer Air America radio host Al Franken, who is now a U.S. Senator, was one of the personalities that helped launch the fledgling talk network.


Progressive radio network Air America is going belly up.

The network that has been home to Al Franken and Montel Williams said in a statement on its Web site Thursday that it will halt live broadcasting immediately.

"The very difficult economic environment has had a significant impact on Air America's business," Air America Media chairman Charlie Kireker said in the statement.
"In this climate, our painstaking search for new investors has come close several times right up into this week, but ultimately fell short of success."
He said the company will soon file under Chapter 7 of the bankruptcy code "to carry out an orderly winding down of the business."

Kireker was quick to praise the short-lived radio network, which aimed to do for liberals what Fox News had done for conservatives.
"Through some 100 radio outlets nationwide, Air America helped build a new sense of purpose and determination among American progressives," the statement declared.

"With this revival, the progressive movement made major gains in the 2006 mid-term elections and, more recently, in the election of President Barack Obama and a strongly Democratic Congress."
The chairman closed the statement by declaring its run over, but impact will continue.

"We are proud that Air America's mission lives on through the words and actions of so many former radio hosts who are active today in progressive causes and media nationwide," Kireker said.
Air America will offer stations reruns through 9 p.m. Monday, when its service will end.
The network is heard locally on WWRL (1600 AM).

[Ladbarbastirm]

At least they did launch Rachael Maddow, but for the most part it was positively high-school.

[Peapeuddedbaw]

^true. Randi Rhodes was also pretty good a while back but then they got rid of her. The other hosts I liked also left gradually. They ran themselves into the ground. The last times I tried to listen I couldn't do it without going through some kind of registration BS. Total mistake. You have to make it easy for people to listen, not difficult.

[Bondjrno]

At first, I thought it was an airline.

I was about to say; "Dag, I never heard of that airline before!".