an :Internet Memo" from AAR

I got this this morning:

Air America Radio announced last week a change in its morning line-up. Beginning Monday, Jan. 2, the new morning format, “Air America Mornings,” will broadcast weekdays from 5-9am EST. The announcement was made today by CEO Danny Goldberg.

“Air America Mornings” will feature a strong mix of news and entertainment as well as offer a variety of high-profile guests from politics, media, and entertainment.

Veteran radio talk show host and current co-host of “Morning Sedition,” Mark Riley, will lead off “Air America Mornings” with “The Mark Riley Show” from 5-7am EST. Leaning on his long-term expertise as a New York City metro host, Riley will highlight the top news stories of the day and will also interview various guests.

Rachel Maddow will take her highly-rated and acclaimed show, “The Rachel Maddow Show,” to the 7-9am EST slot. In addition to continuing to give listeners fast-paced news and witty soundbites, Maddow will also engage in an ensemble of diverse at-large correspondents. Maddow has previously guest-hosted the highly successful “The Al Franken Show,” heard weekly 12-3pm EST and will do so again the week of December 12. Maddow continues her night job as contributor to MSNBC’s “The Situation with Tucker Carlson.”

Comedian and co-host of “Morning Sedition,” Marc Maron, is returning to Los Angeles and is currently in negotiations with Air America Radio to host his own syndicated show.

Screw that. Morning Sedition is the best show these guys have on. Smart funny and take no prisoners. This is just another step to neuter the morning shows into something PBS-like.

Goldberg is an idiot.

...a slot that is the most competitive in radio (with the various "morning zoos"). MS has the right mix of both comedy and topical progressive talk. As much as I love both Rachel Maddow and Mark Riley, I doubt that turning AAR mornings into an NPR-esque, dry format will increase ratings.

I agree, Goldberg is an idiot...:dunce:

The only good thing about this is the possibility that Marc Maron's new show can replace Jerry Springer's :)
or
BIG EDDIE USED-to-BE-Republican SCHULTZ' syndicated slot.
any timeslot is fine.

Now your just teasing me (re:Springer replaced by Maron).

and they are making another mistake. The first one was getting rid of Unfiltered. I've been listening to Morning Sedition since day, get up every morning at 3:00am Pacific to stream it.

Looks like I will start sleeping in till noon until Randi comes on.

Unfiltered was great and Springer is pedantic and spineless.

Now MS is being removed for something more boring.

I guess the Liberal tweed demo is being underserved.

I need something more than "Hey the right wingers have shrill, screaming talk show hosts so we deserve one too!" so therefore Randi does nothing for me. Springer makes me fall asleep and is far too milkquetoast. I'm not usually listening to the radio when Janene and Sam are on. I used to listen to Morning Sedition and Unfiltered and enjoy the banter and reparte interspersed with humor, bits, and politics. But now they are effectively having gotten rid of both shows. No thanks Air America.

I find almost all morning shows on the radio to be very rude, granted Morning Sedition isn't the worst, rude, crude bathroom humor show but it is not to my taste. I listen to Bill Press since AAR abandoned me at Sirius. I do miss Garofalo.

The Young Turks. I stream Randi at work and Malloy at home. I miss the convenience of AAR on my Sirius equipment, but never listened to Morning Sedition anyway.

bathroom jokes aren't to my taste

I wish she could get on AAR. :) But I think she has a contract with Sirius Left. She's my favorite in the mornings. I do like Jerry but he does get a bit boring. My town's progessive network has a great lineup: Local shows in the mornings till 9am, than Stephanie Miller, Al Franken, Rhandi Rhodes, Majority Report and Mike Malloy so they have all of my favorites. It's the perfect line up. And we also have Bill Press on the weekend mornings.

They should replace him with Stephanie Miller.

I like Stephanie and her gang.

Oh how I would love that!! Than AAR Place could archive her show(s) and I could get the podcast(s) again! Miller's show is my favorite. Oh and there's another guy I like too named Lionel. But I'd rather have Stephanie and I think she and her crew would be perfect for the AAR team lineup.

They are castrating the programing. Smoothing off all the edges. Dulling the Liberal senses. Appealing to no one that thinks the Left is pedantic, preachy and spineless.

I can listen to PBS for that...

A left wing radio network makes a difficult, but important, business decision, and DU responds with selfish, spoiled, ignorant comments like "Fuck you Goldberg" and "Goldberg is an idiot".

Democrats are supposed to be caring, positive, and thoughtful individuals. How many posts or threads have been any of these lately?

It's just democrats acting like republicans.

I never liked Moran anyway, but I take no glee in his ouster. I was more pissed when Maddow was moved.

:) :) :)

I saw where this thread was going from looking at the title.

Yep...a year and a half ago, there was no AAR and people here were griping and moping that there was nothing to listen to. The "word" was that no one would listen to "librul" radio and people here were glad to hear anything that didn't sound like Rushbo or Insannity.

Now, it's whatcha done for me lately. This host is too this or that host said that...lots of bitching...all about the personalities, rarely about the politics or the information.

I enjoy popping on AAR no matter what they're doing...they've really come a long way in a short period of time and continue to grow. From what I could see, the Maron situation was unfortunate, but having worked in radio myself, shit happens. You move along...and this will give another new voice a chance to be heard.

My only bitch...and this is more with the owners of the stations than the network itself...is to see more local progressive talk shows pop on. In Chicago, we have NO local programming on the AAR affiliate...a great place for local progressives to rally around and a great "bullpen" for future progressive radio talent.

I see Morning Sedition as a gateway leftist program. Many morning radio listeners might be attracted by some of the crude (but hilarious) humor and then be exposed to other ideas. The rest of the programs are preaching to the choir in the obvious ways.

doesn't mean they are right and it sure doesn't mean that I have to agree with them. Or do we have to agree with everything they do because they are a left wing radio station? Sorry, I don't buy into the idea that we have to be so desparate as to let decisions we disagree with pass without comment or action simply because we have to be grateful that there is a left wing radio station out there.

business decision wrong?

be able to explain why you think it's a stupid decision; and it better be more than 'I think Morning Sedition is the best on AAR', because their are ratings, and many AAR listeners, that would disagree with you.

Just that I disagree with it. And it's my opinion. Removing all of the shows on AAR with any degree of humor or levity in them (Unfiltered, Morning Sedition) is going to turn the station into just one big humorless rant fest a la Springer and/or Randi. If I'm in the minority and they flourish and thrive then good for them and more power to them. It will just be without me as a listener. I'm sure they'll get over it.

"Danny Goldberg's new book is a stirring, brilliant, last-chance plea to Democrats that if they are unwilling to do their job-be a voice for working people, young people, women, the elderly, the poor and people of color, (in other words, for the MAJORITY of the country)-then their days as a party are numbered. Years from now, if the Democrats have long faded from American memory, anthropologists and historians will ask, ‘Didn't any of them read this book by Danny Goldberg?'"-Michael Moore

"Danny Goldberg has written with pinpoint accuracy an important memoir filled with fascinating insights. His searing insights should be required reading for anyone concerned with the state of democratic politics in this country."-Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

"If Lester Bangs and Maureen Dowd had a love child, he'd have written this book."-Arianna Huffington

"Danny Goldberg's memoir contains the powerful reflections of the most progressive activist in the recording industry. His candor, vision and sense of humor is infectious."-Cornel West

When did American government become the enemy of American pop culture? Music insider and progressive activist Danny Goldberg has spent decades tuning in to the rhythms and voices that speak straight to the hearts and desires of America's youth. In that time, one fact has become increasingly clear: our venerable political leaders are tone deaf. In this startling, provocative book, Goldberg shows how today's professional public servants have managed to achieve nothing less than the indefensible, wholesale alienation of an entire generation.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0971920680/qid=1133985790/sr=8-2/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-4763989-5681634?n=507846&s=books&v=glance

Here's more:

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0826-01.htm

Here are his political contributions:

http://www.newsmeat.com/media_political_donations/Danny_Goldberg.php

But even longer than Goldberg's been perfecting his famed nose for hits, he has sharpened his political instincts, which started as a set of values instilled by his progressive-minded parents while they reared him and his brother and sister in Westchester County, N.Y. He was active in the antiwar movement in the 1960s and 1970s and co-produced the "No Nukes" concert and documentary. In more recent years, Goldberg's political passions have revolved mostly around civil liberties issues: He chaired the American Civil Liberties Foundation of Southern California for eight years. Since then he has been most visible going toe-to-toe with such lightning rods as William Bennett, Lynne Cheney, Tipper Gore and Joe Lieberman as they encouraged the entertainment industry to clean up its act. That was Goldberg on television two years ago, testifying at congressional hearings, discussing Eminem and "Erin Brockovich" with interlocutors including Sens. John McCain and Sam Brownback.

But more than a C-SPAN star, Goldberg over the years has become a prominent éminence grise in Democratic circles, serving as an ad hoc adviser to candidates and putting politicians together with celebrities -- and, perhaps more important, celebrities' money -- to create the invaluable synergy in which the pol gets some glamour and the star gets intellectual bona fides. But Goldberg, a Berkeley dropout, brought value added to the transaction. "He was a great help to me and a real friend and ambassador in the entertainment world," says former senator Gary Hart from his law office in Denver. "I always found him to be a very interesting mix of a seasoned entertainment executive and someone who understood and thought a lot about public policy and government. He has a great mind. He's just a fountain of ideas."

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0826-01.htm

(I love what he says about Lieberman here):

Goldberg also excoriates the two candidates, whom he met frequently on the campaign trail, for alienating young people by demonizing the video games, rap music and movies they love. His strongest language is reserved for current presidential candidate Lieberman. "Not only is he one of the most conservative Democrats with a national profile," Goldberg writes, "but his self-righteousness about religion and venom toward popular culture would make him a serious threat to a free and intellectually diverse American society if he were to gain more power." (Through a spokesman, Lieberman said that he hasn't read Goldberg's book but doesn't "feel it necessary to respond to the political analysis of a record producer. Suffice it to say he should not give up his day job.")

Edited to add: I'm sure he was a leader in progressive causes all those years just so he could take over AAR and cancel Morning Sedition.

Believe me, after what AAR went through with Evan Cohen, they're VERY CAREFUL who gets into the organization.

BTW, I was just kidding! :spank:

I just knew you'd show up on this thread, dawgs...:eyes:

He doesn't find Maron funny.

Neither do I.

I could, had I the energy, argue that the irrational "love" for Maron and his comedic efforts by some is a bit frightening, but alas I must be up early in the morn, so I refrain.

Two sides of the coin and all that.

Sir, or maam, you speak truth. When AAR first came on the air, people in here were ecstatic. Now all a lot of them want to do is just bitch. Like someone once said, "You can't please all of the people all of the time". Goldberg made a choice and if people don't like it, then they don't have to listen. At least AAR is trying, which is more than any other major progressive network out there is doing. And imo, "Morning Sedition" kinda sucks anyway. Too NYC oriented. It is a national network.

well democrats (and I speak as a non-democrat, but as a leftist independent) are people and people can be petty and crude and when betrayed.

difficult, but important, business decision? Cowardice and gutless pettiness sounds to me.

w

Take the most creative and entertaining show off the air and leave the utter disaster that is Springer on.

I am happy for Rachel Maddow, she deserves lots of success

This doesn't help me, though; I live on the West Coast, and 4 AM is too early for me.

I'll still have to download her file.

I'm o.k. with Springer, but find myself listening to Stacey Taylor on KLSD in the mornings here near San Diego.

I love listening to Randi and the Majority Report on XM.

I would really like Thom Hartmann to be on XM - they broadcast him on Sundays, but that is not enough.

And, of course, I love Mike Malloy.

I never listened to "Morning Sedition" much, only when I was driving to work that early; however trying to get up to listen to Rachel at 5am was impossible. I loved her on "Unfiltered."
I'm really happy that she's getting more of a "drive time" show.
Now if AAR could just get rid of Jerry, things would be much better. I also think Al has gotten pretty boring without Katherine.
I'm sorry for all you guys that are so upset about Moran leaving, but I'm really happy for Rachel. (Now if they could just give her her own show on MSNBC-maybe replace boring Tucker) that would be even better, IMO.

And just changed the format a little bit. :( I do like the new plan but wish they kept the two Mark's. I really hope they get a show for Maron.
I love Maddow's show. :)

He said he would be back on in Colmes' time slot and Colmes was going to a different channel. That is suppose to happen in January also. I wonder why that isn't on the memo? :(