# Opinions on ultra left wing radio aka Air America
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [May 2, 2004, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190 "2004-05-02T21:31:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/21 "2004-05-03T19:59:09Z")
Al Franken is a far better writer than he is a speaker.
As a writer, he is the author of [one of the funniest books I’ve ever read](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00007EIBN/qid=1083613244/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/102-7076448-7670538), as well as [an extremely well researched one](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0525947647/qid=1083613244/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-7076448-7670538) that scooped Richard Clarke and John Dean on their own books by nearly a year, but has received nothing but derisive mocking from the media.
In person, and on the air, Franken is a mumbling, rambling incoherent mess who is typically very frustrating to listen to because he seldom completes a thought before interrupting himself. His mind works so much faster than his mouth he can’t complete an idea before a new one pushes its way forward to his speech cortex. He needs lessons on how to mentally queue ideas while he finishes expressing the thought currently in mid sentance.
As for the rest, I couldn’t listen to Unfiltered for long… three hosts all talking at once about nothing but namedropping, their own relatives, and everything but issues. Gee… kinda like the rest of the media. Except without the breast flashing and mindless violence (and the resulting counter-moralizing).
Morning Sedition seemed too, well, staged. Too much like the Daily Show or Weekend Update, except the content isn’t satire. I want to listen to a news program that doesn’t take pride in its spin, TYVM, and AA is as bad as FNN. I want no spin, preferably.
Anyway – I’ve stopped listening to Air America since discovering that tuning to 1580 AM in Los Angeles is a “what language are they broadcasting in today” game with apparently random outcomes.
I prefer predictability in my broadcast schedules, so I listen to NPR for my dose of reality even if NPR’s Day to Day has a noticeable slant to the right compared to other NPR news.
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### Author:  [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/22 "2004-05-03T20:16:51Z")
> [@bughunter](#):
>
> Anyway – I’ve stopped listening to Air America since discovering that tuning to 1580 AM in Los Angeles is a “what language are they broadcasting in today” game with apparently random outcomes.
Depending on where you are in SoCal, you _might_ be able to pick up a crackling feed of _The O’Franken Factor_ and _The Randi Rhodes Show_ on 1050AM. The reception in Brea and northern Anaheim is passable, at least if you’re desperate enough for a hit. 😉
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/23 "2004-05-03T20:26:02Z")
> [@Saltire](#):
>
> I hope Air America gathers more affiliates over time. They have probably 5% or less of the coverage that Rush and the like have.
On the banner of their web page they say “15 more stations coming in May”.
[http://www.airamericaradio.com](http://www.airamericaradio.com)
Looks like a good sign.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/24 "2004-05-03T20:55:21Z")
Another person asking “This is ‘ultra left wing?!?!?’” checking in. Ummm, no. For the most part it’s “cranky centrist or just a a step or two to the left of center.” Mr kanicbird is apparently rather sheltered.
“Morning Sedition” could be more interesting–more Sue Ellicott and less of the guys who aren’t as knowledgable as she. Franken gets great guests but could be less awkward on the air. OTOH, Randi Rhodes can carry my children. She is smart, funny, outspoken, wise, and fun. I never heard the evening people before the Chicago affiliate turned back to polkas because I live 90 degrees from the direction they broadcast at night.
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### Author:  [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/25 "2004-05-03T21:02:46Z")
> [@choie](#):
>
> The biggest downside for me is – WHERE IS MIKE MALLOY??? Malloy is the best damn liberal radio host – whip-smart, absolutely hilarious, frothing with righteous anger, knowledgable about pop culture, and incredibly friendly/respectful to his callers.
Hear, hear. I used to listen to him all the time on Sirius Left… now the closest thing they have is Ed Schultz, who just seems like an arrogant jerk.
I find the [Young Turks](http://www.youngturk.com) more entertaining than Mike Malloy ever was, though. It’s a shame that Air America chose not to pick them up.
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### Author:  [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/26 "2004-05-03T22:05:29Z")
Add Bob Law, Linda Evers (ex-wife of Curtis Sliwa), Lynn Samuels, and James Carville, then you have krunk left-wing radio. Right now, this is just like that Saturday Night Live sketch ‘Providence Radio’.
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### Author:  [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/27 "2004-05-03T22:39:00Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Another person asking “This is ‘ultra left wing?!?!?’” checking in. Ummm, no. For the most part it’s “cranky centrist or just a a step or two to the left of center.” Mr kanicbird is apparently rather sheltered.
Well some people call Bill O’Reilly ‘ultra right wing’, so I guess if he’s on that end, then AA would be on the other pole. But yes, both deliniations are silly.
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### Author:  [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/28 "2004-05-04T06:29:52Z")
Thanks for the recommendation of the Young Turks, **Mr2001** – I’ve never heard them before. I’ll definitely give them a try, although I can’t imagine prefering them to Mikey. (I admit my bias; Mike looks and talks a lot like my Pop, whom I miss terribly since he died last year, and this similarity makes me rather an ardent fan of Mike’s show.)
BTW, you can catch Mike early on Tuesday mornings on CNN with … ugh … Neal Boortz … at some ungodly hour like 5AM or 6AM. And you can always [sign the petition expressing support for AAR to hire him.](http://www.petitiononline.com/xc1968u/petition.html) We need all the fiery, knowledgable on-air personalities we can get!
I also agree with you about Ed Schultz. Honestly, I get a weird “wolf in sheep’s clothing” vibe from him … as if his conversion from conservative to born again sorta-lefty isn’t quite solid. (FWIW, Randi says that he’s an ass in real life.)
**capacitor** , you might also like Sam Greenfield, a smart, funny New York liberal host (he’s up in Westchester now, I think) who was temporarily displaced when Disney bought WEVD here in NYC. He’s now up in Yonkers at a station very much like WLIB\* used to be, targeted to Caribbean- and African-American listeners. You can [catch his show online](http://www.wwrl1600.com/mainframe.html) from 4 - 7PM, unfortunately the same time as Randi.
- WLIB is AAR’s flagship station.
I sure am rooting for AAR to succeed! Considering it’s only a month old, I think it’s off to a rollicking good start – warts, growing pains and all.
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### Author:  [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/29 "2004-05-04T12:21:50Z")
[hijack]
I posted an earlier thread to ask the following question and didn’t get good answers, so will try here, too: Does anyone know how AirAmerica is doing, in terms of share within its markets and total listeners, including online?
I haven’t found an easy way to get at that info yet…
thank you!
[/hijack]
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### Author:  [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/30 "2004-05-04T16:40:33Z")
Air America Radio is a welcome change from the lies and smear campaigns of Limbaugh, O’Reilly, and Hannity. The Air America Radio folks take time every day to expose the lies of the attack right. You can listen from the website, as I do, or if you have XM or Sirius, you can listen anywhere. They’ll be on Dish network soon.
Al Franken’s show is called the O’Franken Factor as a thumb-bite to the pompous Bill O’Reilly. Fans are not dittoheads, they’re The Air Rational Guard. I joined the Air Rational Guard, and my Commander-in-Chief is Al Franken.
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/31 "2004-05-04T17:39:25Z")
> [@](#):
>
> The biggest problem is that The O’Franken Factor is on at the same time as The Thom Hartmann Show over at [RadioPower.org](http://RadioPower.org). It’s often hard to decide between them: they’re equally entertaining to me,
I forgot about T. Hartmann’s show, I wish he would get on AA as internet radio isa bit of a PITA for me.
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/32 "2004-05-04T17:52:43Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#):
>
> Well some people call Bill O’Reilly ‘ultra right wing’, so I guess if he’s on that end, then AA would be on the other pole. But yes, both deliniations are silly.
Yeah, O’Reilly is really more of an opportunistic liar than a bona fide ultra right winger.
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### Author:  [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/33 "2004-05-04T20:38:20Z")
> [@bughunter](#):
>
> I listen to NPR for my dose of reality even if NPR’s Day to Day has a noticeable slant to the right compared to other NPR news.
That would mean that “Day to Day” is slanted all the way over to middle-of-the-road centrist, then. 😉
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### Author:  [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2004, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/34 "2004-05-04T23:19:05Z")
> [@kanicbird](#):
>
> I forgot about T. Hartmann’s show, I wish he would get on AA as internet radio isa bit of a PITA for me.
Thom Hartmann is also on Sirius satellite radio.
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### Author:  [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/35 "2004-05-05T00:29:34Z")
> [@choie](#):
>
> We need all the fiery, knowledgable on-air personalities we can get!
Y’see, I think this is _exactly_ wrong.
Look at how Limbaugh does it. He doesn’t scream or shout or pound his fist on the mike stand. He calmly attempts to make his point in a semi-funny and somewhat supercilious way. And it’s damned effective.
You want this thing to work you’ll get someone who’s politics are 180 degrees from Limbaughs but knows how to ape his style.
You don’t need pundits who can entertain…you need entertainers who can be pundits.
And Franken, sadly, isn’t that. I listened to him a bit again today and ugh. Good writer (no doubt about that)…poor entertainer.
And if I **never** hear ‘Mastication Theater’ again I’ll be perfectly happy. And if I **do** hear it again I’m crossing the line and voting for Bush so he can pass a law making Franken illegal.
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### Author:  [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/36 "2004-05-05T02:45:31Z")
Here in Chicago, we recently lost the station that carried Air America. Does anyone know when and on what frequency we will be able to hear AAR in the future? 😕
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2004, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/37 "2004-05-05T11:30:38Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Here in Chicago, we recently lost the station that carried Air America. Does anyone know when and on what frequency we will be able to hear AAR in the future?
It’s available on the internet. Along with current and future stations. But IIRC there was a billing issue at one of the AA stations where AA was accused of non-payment and was shut down, this was suppose to be temperary.
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### Author:  [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2004, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/38 "2004-05-05T15:06:00Z")
Let me clear up a few things. There’s a complete station list on the website.
[www.airamericaradio.com](http://www.airamericaradio.com)
If you look for on a search engine, you might go astray. “air america” may get you a lot of paintball sites. “Air\*\*-\*\*America” (with a hyphen) may produce info about the Viet-era CIA “airline,” and the scandals thereof. “AAR” also refers to a handful of “American Association of…” sites. So, spell out all three words, Air America Radio.
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### Author:  [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2004, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/39 "2004-05-05T16:38:15Z")
I’ve never heard the station, and don’t think I’m likely to anytime soon (unless Atlanta has an affiliate I don’t know about), but I wanted to weigh in and say that “The O’Franken Factor” is a terrible, terrible title for Franken’s show.
One should have one’s own identity. Tell me who you **are** , not who you’re not.
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-ultra-left-wing-radio-aka-air-america/243190/40 "2004-05-05T17:45:52Z")
> [@Fiver](#):
>
> “The O’Franken Factor” is a terrible, terrible title for Franken’s show.
>
> One should have one’s own identity. Tell me who you **are** , not who you’re not.
I completely agree. It’s an absolutely awful title.
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