A cautionary tail: air america

After a recent auction of the intellectual and real assets of Air America, which went silent early this year, veteran radio suit and Air America founding president, Jon Sinton and others are writing about the rise and fall of the progressive network.

We were interested in his remarks about radio’s meta problemos.

It’s easy to dismiss as failures people who take big public risks and try to do things differently. Most of the criticism typically comes from people who honor the status quo at the expense of their own future. “That’s the way things are done in radio,” isn’t just a sad commentary on the state of an industry, it is a death sentence.

He writes that progressive talk “leap-frogged” over radio onto the Internet and cable television.

“Unfortunately, due perhaps to the parochial nature of the radio industry, progressive talk is a better business on television and online with Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Rachel Maddow, The Huffington Post and The Daily Kos. (We'd add Ed Schultz to that list, and hell, Al Franken made it to one of the most coveted platforms on earth: the US Senate).

That it jumped to those platforms shows “a larger lack of imagination, innovation, and sense of history within the ranks of radio’s leadership.”

We must ask ourselves why as an industry radio waited so long to engage a robust multi-platform strategy. We must ask why the best and brightest are not drawn to radio, but choose to ply their art online. It is true that new media always steal the content of the legacy medium they supersede. Books supplanted oral storytelling. Hollywood supplanted vaudeville. Television supplanted radio. But in each instance, the legacy medium reinvented itself. Radio, for instance, started playing records only when television stole its dramas and comedies. Unfortunately, that was one of radio’s last innovative moves as a medium.

The last innovative move, of course, was Rush Limbaugh, an AM Top 40 jock who used AM Top 40 sensibilities and edgy production to make (his own) politics into AM radio entertainment for his own Boomer demographic. He saved AM's bacon after FM took the music way, but 20 years of Limbaugh and 10,000 clones has run its course and his mighty audiences are now weighing Medicare plans and the Great Abyss. But that's not the only problem, says Sinton.

Restricted competition and high gross profit margins robbed the industry of its creative hunger, and over the decades it became staid and predictable. That was fine until the law of supply and demand kicked in. Government-enforced scarcity of radio signals held down the supply of content, and allowed stations to sell ads at high prices.

(We must note here before you go blaming the gubmint for everything: the piggish radio industry lobbied, pressured and bought off the regulators to create and enforce those scarcities of signals. O those free market forces...).

Then came the Internet, which, famously, destroys scarcity. Content exploded. Suddenly there were commercial-free music competitors at every turn of the browser. The conservatism—and, frankly, downright cheapness of the powers-that-be allowed them to bury their heads in the sand as the industry stagnated and the online world grew bold, omnipresent, and powerful.

We couldn't have said it better, though we've been stabbing at it for lo, these many...

A footnote to the dearly departed Air America was reader Jerry DeMink’s response to a Radio-Info.com Tom Taylor column about the auction:

“Yes, Air America did fail. So its detractors won the battle. But who won the war? And why the animus against Air America, anyway? Is this a business or an ideology? Talk radio is a business. Any good host or exec will tell you that they are in the audience acquisition, retention and expansion business, to maximize the value of their spots. How does attracting listeners with a political perspective opposite of the majority of stations hurt the industry? Sure, Air America came on the scene with a lot of hype, bluster and attitude. They got noticed. The talk establishment, though, was almost universally negative. Why? To protect existing franchises, stations, hosts and business models? Obama won the election (like it or not). Why shouldn’t radio go after his voters? Why not go after an under-served audience? There are more visible liberal talk hosts now than ever before. Air America may be a memory, but its legacy lives on.”

Comments

[Andrew]

Seems like they want to blame everyone but themselves. They blame the "industry" for this, that and the other thing, but the industry didn't fail, Air America did.

[TomF]

This whole thing is a little disingenuous. It's ridiculous to say the left's "best and brightest are not drawn to radio, but choose to ply their art online." They were drawn to radio and radio rejected them.

The puzzle of why the right dominates talk radio probably has a lot to do with age and income levels, who spends a lot of daytime working hours in their vehicles or in workplaces where radios are on, etc. These may be demos that are naturally more conservative. Tough nut to crack for progressives. But it's typically unattractive for lefties to conclude, as Stinson does, that Air America failed because they were too smart for everybody else.

What about market sense, attractive and entertaining and welcoming personalities, and production values? As a down-the-middle moderate I disagree with most of what Rush and Hannity have to say, but have to admit they deliver well-produced, entertaining radio. I agreed with much of what Air America had to say, during the Bush era anyway, but (with the exception of Ron Reagan) found the airproduct excruciating: ponderous, sneering, self-congratulatory.

[sparky]

Go back and read the whole article Andrew.

Thanks for this Bla'M. All the arguments for local radio aside, we don't need a specific radio station to punch in to listen to progressive radio. The Right can continue to pretend that if there are no radio signals, there is no message. I am happy to let them continue to think so.

[Duffman]

As I've said a multitude of times and many moons ago, it's all about ENTERTAINMENT folks, as TomF partially implies (i.e. Rush, Hannity, O'Reily...etc., et al and on a local level Dori Monson.) Dori has a way of enticing the public in provocative ways and he GETS THEIR ATTENTION. Whether it be in a positive or negative way matters little as long as he gets folks listening and/or talking about him.
The biggest fear is to be ignored and to a large extent A/A programming and hosts were ignored...therefor NOT talked about or focused on...ergo their demise.
As long as hosts can be enticing and entertaining no matter their modus operandi (i.e. provocative like Monson or pragmatic like Dave Ross) they have a lifeline.
This is not rocket science folks, it's plain and simple entertainment; some have it, some don't. A Limbaugh could start over and build a large following by espousing liberal progressive ideology if he did it with equal passion and persuasive entertainment quality. One need not be liked to be listened to [just ask our resident Dori-hater :)]

[John]

Andrew,

You can hardly consider Air America a failure. While the company iteself is gone many of the shows in it's lineup and it's talent are still working in radio and other media.

When Air America became bankrupt the local affilliates picked up the same shows in the same time slots syndicated by other companies. Here on our local AM 1090 KPTK we have the same lineup as before. Had you not read the bankruptsy, you whould not have been aware of the change.

While the company is dead, it's shows live on, and progressive talk is viable and gives great return on ad dollars.

[PeakLimiter]

Ax long as radio, talk radio in particular go on about their business as if everyone will keep on listening a even after they die, radio will keep shrinking. AAR died for plenty of reasons, business reasons, but not for lack of market potential. It serves the left in the big picture that radio keep clinging to this dying market, but it is, as Michael and John Sinton point out, killing the industry.

[Andrew]

Even though I lean progressive, even I somehow feel that conservative windbags are more fun to listen to than liberal windbags. I can't really put my finger on it, but even a half rate conservative made (makes?) for better listening than Randi Rhodes.

Perhaps it's because I agree with the liberal talkers, and that I don't want to hear my own thoughts shouted loudly over the radio, while conservative crazies offer an amusing "WTF?!!" factor. The gross ignorance of conservatives can be like "shock talk" in its own right.

[Tommy008]

GOOGLE The Michael Savage Show listenlive and you will be directed to WGSO New Orleans where you can listen to the previous day's Savage from 8 am to 11 am pst. there are other stations you can stream him either live or on other delay time frames,found by googling. Online radio station streaming- the Mormon Suits Defeater.

[Erictheeditor]

1. Air America managers were not good business people but what they started lives on.
2. Great hosts like Rachel Madow and Al Franken left, whereas successful conservative hosts don't seem to leave radio
3. I find many progressive hosts very entertaining (Stepahnie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Ed Schultz) but there is not enough of them. Add Al Franken and Rachel Madow to those three and you have a pretty good schedule.
4. The above may not be entertaining in the sense of making outrageous comments meant to be entertaining but treated like gospel by loony tunes listeners.
5. Why can't a great progressive host be on multiple platforms?

[KS]

Randi Rhodes - using scare tactics without substantive proof - just emoting. Besides not caring what the US Constitution saying, she is spreading more leftwingnut propaganda. That is another reason why AA didn't cut the mustard.

"And this is exactly why the conservatives keep harping on spending, spending, spending as the problem: because they know spending, spending, spending is the solution, and they don't want this solved! They don't want this solved because they hate government! They hate teachers. They hate police officers. They hate first responders. They hate firemen. They hate EMT workers. They want it all to be privatized! That's when you gonna get the haves having police protection and excellent schools and the have-nots having no police protection and no schools! And therein is the dreamworld for them. This is nirvana for them !"

Proof please ?

[sparky]

Duffman said " The biggest fear is to be ignored"...

Duf, there is your tombstone epitaph.

[Puget Sound]

.

ks,
randi doesn't need proof. she has 'hot talk' that stirs the base. if you ever heard her claim that blackwater was behind the fires in southern california you can only ask, 'wtf--adults listen to that crap?'

[Duffman]

Excuse me sparky...but was I the topic. If you don't agree with my comment(s) please feel free to ignore...why feed the troll.

[Tommy008]

Peewee Monson made himself look mean and small today begrudging the Ethiopian community their funeral at Key Arena for the 5 fire victims, since he was told the city is paying for renting the arena for a day at the request of the Mayor. This fire event is really showing the caliber of people Monson has for listeners- obviously a reflection on Dori, and the kind of person he is. On Monday Monson was discussing the fire and a man called in questioning why Dori was spending so much time on the fire when the people who died "aren't even from this country." He went on to say they were most likely illegal aliens. Today as Monson showed his meanspiritedness over the Key Arena issue, a woman called in claiming that the "Muslim"(the word Muslim said with great contempt) funeral ceremony would cost 300,000 dollars ( an obviously bogus, joke figure) and that "all the Ethiopians are laughing at us" . A second, male caller chimed in on the hateful chorus with his statement that he didn't want to pay for a funeral forpeople that died because they didn't know how to read and follow a safety warning (the fire was started by a mattress making prolonged contact with a hot light bulb in a closet). This is kind of a variation of Dori's "they made poor life choices" speech, a big hit with his nasty, gamey collection of listeners , or "Dori's Dipshits", as I call them

[tigsnort]

Hay guys KS wants proof that the right wants to privatize everything.

[chucks]

Gasp!!!!!! Tommy008, Is it true that you don't like Dori?
If you stalk an ex-girl friend like you stalk Dori, you may be a dangerous individual.
You seem to dislike Dori as much as I (and most Americans) dislike Keith Olbermann. The difference is we just do not tune in to his program. You really ought to consider another station while Munson is on.

[KS]

Hay guys KS wants proof that the right wants to privatize everything.

Posted by: tigsnort | June 17, 2010 at 10:04 PM

NIce try - I want proof about the truth of what Randi said - Crickets continue to chirp. The truth is that some things are better quality and certainly less costly if they are privatized. You have a problem with that ? Yep, still waiting for proof, but all I'll end up getting is your leftist propaganda pap.

[Puget Sound]

Yep, still waiting for proof, but all I'll end up getting is your leftist propaganda pap.

Posted by: KS | June 17, 2010 at 10:41 PM

...if you get an answer at all. the usual suspects don't do the factual response so well.

[http://www.amerisleep.com]

Seems like they want to blame everyone but themselves. They blame the "industry" for this, that and the other thing, but the industry didn't fail, Air America did.