Thursday, March 11, 2004
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
I offer my congratulations and sincere welcome to the liberal talk radio network, AirAmerica. I wish you the best in your capitalistic venture. Oops...sorry to use the 'c-word' so soon, but you're going to have a number of problems. For review, see below...and again...good luck.
1. The hosts.
AIR AMERICA RADIO unveiled the lineup for its new liberal talk radio network WEDNESDAY morning, with MARK WALSH and AL FRANKEN announcing that comedian MARC MARON will do mornings ("UPRISING") with co-hosts SUE ELLICOTT and MARK RILEY, "DAILY SHOW" co-creator LIZZ WINSTEAD with PUBLIC ENEMY founder CHUCK D and LAURA FLANDERS ("UNFILTERED") 9a-Noon ET, FRANKEN and KATHERINE LANPHER ("THE O'FRANKEN FACTOR") Noon-3p ET, former WJNO-A/WEST PALM BEACH afternoon host RANDI RHODES 3-7p ET, Prof. MARTY KAPLAN's "SO WHAT ELSE IS NEWS?" media roundtable 7-8p ET, and JANEANE GAROFALO with SAM SEDER ("THE MAJORITY REPORT") 8-11p. The network will launch MARCH 31, and talk programming will be delayed 3 hours for the West Coast.
Only one of the listed hosts have any experience whatsoever in commercial radio. That's a bad sign. I've always said that those who are going to be successful in commercial radio must work their way up the ladder like anyone else. No matter how much you don't want to believe it, working many hats - small gigs - and generating an understanding of some of the particulars of radio are going to be your best bets in becoming a success. I'd need all my fingers and toes to list the number of people on TV and Radio who have been given a blessing by some network or syndicator somewhere...and granted the moniker "talk show host" and left without leaving any evidence they were there. You cannot achieve success in radio if your original claim to fame is in something completely unrelated. Name recognition will only get you so far. Just ask Kato Kaelin.
2. The hosts, part II.
"The top talent in the country is coming together to ensure Central Air provides the most compelling and entertaining programming on radio," said Central Air President Jon Sinton.
Notice he doesn't say, "radio programming"...just programming on radio. Out of those named (Chuck D, Al Franken, Janeane Garafalo, Marc Macon, etc) are all primarily a different kind of entertainer. Specifically, Chuck D (Public Enemy) is a "musician" (I only put it in quotes because I don't consider rap to be music)...how long will he last when and if he gets another offer to record music again? Al Franken, is his first love radio? I don't think so. Janeane Garafalo will last just long enough until she gets an offer to star in "The Truth about Cats and Dogs, Part II"...she'll split for the next 10-million dollar movie offer. Marc Macon is a comedian...you want to bet that he'd exit the radio gig the minute he gets a deal from HBO or a network sitcom? Katherine Lanpher is another one - she's from radio world...PUBLIC RADIO which is a whole different ball-game. She's out of there when she realizes her duties will be to her advertisers as well as audience.
3. The premise.
"Our success to date proves what we have known all along: a progressive radio network can be entertaining and engaging while also being a successful business venture," said Mark Walsh, Chief Executive Officer of Progress Media, Inc. and the Central Air radio network.
The premise is to make money (I know, it's to beat Bush, but we'll get to that later)...and a lot of it. That's going to be very hard for so-called "progressives" to quantify in their minds. Liberals are people who feel guilty when they make a lot of money...and having to maintain relationships with the very people who they're criticizing (corporate sponsorships?) will be a necessary evil in their minds. I'd be interested to know whether or not they're going to be 'progressively' charging their sponsors...the more the sponsors earn the more they charge? A commercial rate based on how much money a sponsor earns company-wide?
4. Longevity.
FRANKEN, speaking "somewhere between BATON ROUGE and NEW ORLEANS on cell phone," referred to rival BILL O'REILLY and urged "BILL, we want you to sue us. We're going to be baiting him... we'd like him to come on to the 'zero spin zone.'" FRANKEN asserted that "we're going to put it to BUSH, BUSH is going down in NOVEMBER...
Al Franken says he's going to beat Bush. Then what?
5. Listeners.
Programming chief JON SINTON said that the network is looking to "break the mold" and will use less listener interaction than other talk radio
Ooops. If you don't give listeners a stake in the programming...they're not going to have any need to have a stake in your programming. I understand the reasoning behind this based on what I've believed about liberals for a very long time - they can't take the heat. Their views and belief system is not based on any logic or factual basis at all...it's all emotionalism and purposeful lying. The minute they get caught in an obvious factual and logical wrong - they resort to name calling and insults. The reason they want to 'break the mold' is because they have to...listeners will spot a phoney in a minute. Corrections in a news analysis piece are hidden on page 6B...corrections on radio are on the radio for all to hear...instantly, not the next day.
Again, From the website: "Our success to date proves what we have known all along: a progressive radio network can be entertaining and engaging while also being a successful business venture"
In a strange way, you better hope not. You'll realize how much success is punished in this country...and you'll become what you fight. Wait a minute...that's not a bad idea...
I offer my congratulations and sincere welcome to the liberal talk radio network, AirAmerica. I wish you the best in your capitalistic venture. Oops...sorry to use the 'c-word' so soon, but you're going to have a number of problems. For review, see below...and again...good luck.
1. The hosts.
AIR AMERICA RADIO unveiled the lineup for its new liberal talk radio network WEDNESDAY morning, with MARK WALSH and AL FRANKEN announcing that comedian MARC MARON will do mornings ("UPRISING") with co-hosts SUE ELLICOTT and MARK RILEY, "DAILY SHOW" co-creator LIZZ WINSTEAD with PUBLIC ENEMY founder CHUCK D and LAURA FLANDERS ("UNFILTERED") 9a-Noon ET, FRANKEN and KATHERINE LANPHER ("THE O'FRANKEN FACTOR") Noon-3p ET, former WJNO-A/WEST PALM BEACH afternoon host RANDI RHODES 3-7p ET, Prof. MARTY KAPLAN's "SO WHAT ELSE IS NEWS?" media roundtable 7-8p ET, and JANEANE GAROFALO with SAM SEDER ("THE MAJORITY REPORT") 8-11p. The network will launch MARCH 31, and talk programming will be delayed 3 hours for the West Coast.
Only one of the listed hosts have any experience whatsoever in commercial radio. That's a bad sign. I've always said that those who are going to be successful in commercial radio must work their way up the ladder like anyone else. No matter how much you don't want to believe it, working many hats - small gigs - and generating an understanding of some of the particulars of radio are going to be your best bets in becoming a success. I'd need all my fingers and toes to list the number of people on TV and Radio who have been given a blessing by some network or syndicator somewhere...and granted the moniker "talk show host" and left without leaving any evidence they were there. You cannot achieve success in radio if your original claim to fame is in something completely unrelated. Name recognition will only get you so far. Just ask Kato Kaelin.
2. The hosts, part II.
"The top talent in the country is coming together to ensure Central Air provides the most compelling and entertaining programming on radio," said Central Air President Jon Sinton.
Notice he doesn't say, "radio programming"...just programming on radio. Out of those named (Chuck D, Al Franken, Janeane Garafalo, Marc Macon, etc) are all primarily a different kind of entertainer. Specifically, Chuck D (Public Enemy) is a "musician" (I only put it in quotes because I don't consider rap to be music)...how long will he last when and if he gets another offer to record music again? Al Franken, is his first love radio? I don't think so. Janeane Garafalo will last just long enough until she gets an offer to star in "The Truth about Cats and Dogs, Part II"...she'll split for the next 10-million dollar movie offer. Marc Macon is a comedian...you want to bet that he'd exit the radio gig the minute he gets a deal from HBO or a network sitcom? Katherine Lanpher is another one - she's from radio world...PUBLIC RADIO which is a whole different ball-game. She's out of there when she realizes her duties will be to her advertisers as well as audience.
3. The premise.
"Our success to date proves what we have known all along: a progressive radio network can be entertaining and engaging while also being a successful business venture," said Mark Walsh, Chief Executive Officer of Progress Media, Inc. and the Central Air radio network.
The premise is to make money (I know, it's to beat Bush, but we'll get to that later)...and a lot of it. That's going to be very hard for so-called "progressives" to quantify in their minds. Liberals are people who feel guilty when they make a lot of money...and having to maintain relationships with the very people who they're criticizing (corporate sponsorships?) will be a necessary evil in their minds. I'd be interested to know whether or not they're going to be 'progressively' charging their sponsors...the more the sponsors earn the more they charge? A commercial rate based on how much money a sponsor earns company-wide?
4. Longevity.
FRANKEN, speaking "somewhere between BATON ROUGE and NEW ORLEANS on cell phone," referred to rival BILL O'REILLY and urged "BILL, we want you to sue us. We're going to be baiting him... we'd like him to come on to the 'zero spin zone.'" FRANKEN asserted that "we're going to put it to BUSH, BUSH is going down in NOVEMBER...
Al Franken says he's going to beat Bush. Then what?
5. Listeners.
Programming chief JON SINTON said that the network is looking to "break the mold" and will use less listener interaction than other talk radio
Ooops. If you don't give listeners a stake in the programming...they're not going to have any need to have a stake in your programming. I understand the reasoning behind this based on what I've believed about liberals for a very long time - they can't take the heat. Their views and belief system is not based on any logic or factual basis at all...it's all emotionalism and purposeful lying. The minute they get caught in an obvious factual and logical wrong - they resort to name calling and insults. The reason they want to 'break the mold' is because they have to...listeners will spot a phoney in a minute. Corrections in a news analysis piece are hidden on page 6B...corrections on radio are on the radio for all to hear...instantly, not the next day.
Again, From the website: "Our success to date proves what we have known all along: a progressive radio network can be entertaining and engaging while also being a successful business venture"
In a strange way, you better hope not. You'll realize how much success is punished in this country...and you'll become what you fight. Wait a minute...that's not a bad idea...
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