More Liberal Intolerance. Shutting Daily Kos Down.

A few days ago, Brian C. Anderson writing for the Los Angeles Times had a fantastic op-ed column titled "Why the Liberals Can't Keep Air America From Spiraling In" (registration required). In his article, Anderson points out one undeniable fact that deserves further exploring: "The liberal Air America Radio, just past its first birthday, has probably enjoyed more free publicity than any enterprise in recent history. But don't believe the hype: Air America's left-wing answer to conservative talk radio is failing...."

One reason for Air America's failure is their systematic exclusion of African American voices from the airwaves and alienation of a huge potential audience. (Right now 92% of Air America's weekday on air personalities are white liberals. Only one, Mark Riley, is Black. If you include weekend personalities, 90.5 % are white liberals, and only two -- Riley and Kyle Jason -- are Black.)

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Another reason for Air America’s failure is their inability to put forward a positive agenda or explain what liberals (falsely misnamed “progressives” by Air America) stand for. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear Air America was designed to give conservatives and Republicans ammunition to attack Democrats and make us look like fools. Just today, Democrat-hater Matt Drudge posted a story that the U.S. Secret Service is investigating Air America and Randi Rhodes for allegedly airing a skit on Monday evening that featured threats to kill President Bush (source)

Before I get too far ahead of myself, let's deal with a few facts.

AIR AMERICA RADIO IS FAILING

Some of you will undoubtedly want me to PROVE that Air America is failing. No problem. According to Anderson's column:

Wait a second, you say, didn't I read that Air America has expanded to more than 50 markets? That's true, but let's put things in perspective: Conservative pundit and former Reagan official William J. Bennett's morning talk show, launched at the same time as Air America, reaches nearly 124 markets, including 18 of the top 20, joining the growing ranks of successful right-of-center talk programs (Limbaugh is still the ratings leader, drawing more than 15 million listeners a week).
And look at Air America's ratings: They're pitifully weak, even in places where you would think they'd be strong. WLIB, its flagship in New York City, has sunk to 24th in the metro area Arbitron ratings — worse than the all-Caribbean format it replaced, notes the Radio Blogger. In the liberal meccas of San Francisco and Los Angeles, Air America is doing lousier still. (Note:You can also check out the Arbitron numbers here.)

Facts are hard for some folks to deal with, especially when they don't support their preconceived notions. For example, I wrote a diary a few days ago called "Another Black View On Air America: Clear Channel Lite" and quoted an article by Justin Felux who observed:

In New York, Air America's programming will be featured on WLIB-1190 AM, which is owned by the Inner City Broadcasting Corporation (ICBC). Prior to the partnership with Air America, WLIB had been serving New York's black community for decades. It was an outlet for black activists and featured unique "Afrocentric" programming. The CEO of the ICBC, Percy Sutton, tells his listeners that the new move "gives us an opportunity to impact on the world outside of our own community." Many in the black community disagree. According to black activist Elombe Brath, "We have people here already who know radio, who can do shows. And they want to come in with a program from other people trying to talk to black people in New York City? (WLIB) is just a station that has been stripped of what it's supposed to be! ... In reality what the station needs is to have some people who know the community and can speak to its needs."
In recent years WLIB has mostly featured Caribbean programming. Carl Tyndale, a listener for more than 17 years, was upset with the takeover: "Where are we going to find Caribbean music now? This station had so much information. They would broadcast cricket games and news from back home. Other stations don't do that. I don't think there is going to be many black issues with the new format, and there will be less Caribbean callers because people won't feel at home. That is where people tune in to get something from home." Tracey-McCallum, a Jamaican listener, was equally discouraged. "Their programming was quite good and offered quite a bit of Caribbean news; so that one source now is no longer available to us," she said.

In response, one angry Daily Kos reader latched on to Felux's mention of WLIB's broadcasting of cricket games and scores and decided to make a joke of it. In one particularly hostile comment, this loser claimed that WLIB's ratings were "through the floor" before being taken over by Air America and shouted that the radio station was taken over and the format changed because "the cricket doesn't rate!" But the facts show that WLIB was doing better broadcasting cricket games than they are broadcasting the likes of boring Al Franken, Jerry Springer, and Randi Rhodes. If WLIB's ratings were "through the floor" before Air America took over, they must be somewhere around Hell now.

WHY AIR AMERICA IS FAILING

Anderson suggests 4 reasons why Air America is failing: (1) liberals have a difficult time translating their ideas into talk radio language, (2) liberal shows aren't funny, (3) liberals don't need talk radio because they've already got the old "liberal" media, and (4) the potential audience for Air America is basically limited to white liberals.

All of Anderson's theories deserve attention and maybe some of you reading this will choose to write diaries about them. All I'll say on points 1, 2, and 3 is that I agree with #2 and disagree with #1 and 3. Point #4 deserves greater attention.

According to Anderson's article...

• Fragmentation of the potential audience. Political consultant Dick Morris explains: "Large percentages of liberals are black and Hispanic, and they now have their own specialized entertainment radio outlets, which they aren't likely to leave for liberal talk radio." The potential audience for Air America or similar ventures is thus pretty small — white liberals, basically. And they've already got NPR.

Good old Dick Morris. Now there's an expert on Blacks and Hispanics! OK. Quit laughing and get serious. Dick Morris is just wrong. First, Blacks and Hispanics may have our own radio outlets but for the most part they aren't talk radio outlets, they are music stations. There is no national "black" equivalent to Air America or the conservative radio networks. So when Blacks or Hispanics want to listen to talk radio, their choices are limited to white conservative talk or white liberal talk. That is, unless they live in a city with local/regional "black" talk radio (i.e. WAOK-Atlanta, WVON-Chicago, WDBZ-Cincinnati, KCOH-Houston, WHAT-Philadelphia, WOL-Washington, DC). The point is: Blacks don't have our own specialized national "black" talk radio outlet. Our choices for national talk radio are limited to white conservative talk and white liberal talk.

The geniuses at Air America are too stubborn, lazy, or racist (you decide) to compete for Black and Hispanic listeners and would rather agree with Dick Morris that their potential audience is basically white liberals. This hasn't worked. But why should that convince Air America to try something different?

AIR AMERICA SHOULD DIVERSIFY THEIR ON-AIR STAFF

Between Monday - Friday, Air America has 14 on-air hosts or co-hosts. They are listed below.

Black

- Mark Riley - CO-host of "Morning Sedition".

Whites

- Rachel Maddow - Hosts "The Rachel Maddow Show". - Marc Maron - Co-hosts "Morning Sedition". - Jerry Springer - Hosts "Springer on The Radio". - Jene Galvin - Co-hosts "Springer on The Radio". - Stephanie Tyler - Co-hosts "Springer on The Radio". - Megan Hills - Co-hosts "Springer on The Radio". - Paul Mason - Co-hosts "Springer on The Radio". - Al Franken - Co-hosts "The Al Franken Show". - Katherine Lanpher- Co-hosts "The Al Franken Show". - Randi Rhodes - Hosts "The Randi Rhodes Show". - Janeane Garofalo - Co-hosts "The Majority Report". - Sam Seder - Co-hosts "The Majority Report". - Mike Malloy - Hosts "The Mike Malloy Show".

Total By Race

Black: 1 (7%) Whites: 13 (93%)

Some critics will say that the above list isn't fair because Air America has another Black, Kyle Jason, on air on the weekend. Alrighty. I've included Air America's weekend staff below.

Black

- Kyle Jason

Whites

- Robert F. Kennedy - Mike Papantino - Marty Kaplan - Laura Flanders - Betsy Rosenberg - Steve Earle

Total By Race

Blacks: 2 (9.5%) Whites: 19 (90.5%)

The defenders of white supremacy will suggest that since whites make up 90.5% of the U.S. population, they should also make up 90.5% of the hosts on Air America. But, waitaminute, whites don't make up 90.5% of the population, now do they? (source)

And whites certainly don't make up 90.5% of the Democratic Party, do they?. Whites are 90.5% of the liberals or progressives in America. So why has Air America chosen to make 90.5% of their talk show hosts white?

Air America has a great opportunity to gain Black listeners by diversifying their lineup and giving Black listeners more choices.

The second thing Dick Morris fails to acknowledge is that Blacks aren't loyal to Black radio. Anyone who has ever studied the effect of integration on Black radio knows that Blacks will leave their own "specialized entertainment radio outlets" for something new, if the new offering appeals to them. Liberals who claim to love Air America, or even the thought of a liberal radio network, should get over their desire to defend white supremacy and white privilege and get busy encouraging Air America to diversify the daily lineup, for their own good.

AIR AMERICA CAN FIND QUALIFIED AFRICAN AMERICAN TALK SHOW HOSTS

Black Democrats like me are used to hearing conservative Republicans make excuses for overlooking qualified African Americans. But lately, on the issue of inclusion and power sharing, conservative Republicans have been leaving white liberal Democrats in the dust.

It's not just positions like the Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, just look at nationally-syndicated Black talk show hosts and you'll find that most of them are conservatives (i.e. Larry Elder, Ken Hamblin (The Black Avenger"), Jesse Lee Peterson, and Armstrong Williams). Still, there are two nationally-syndicated liberal/moderate talk show hosts, American Urban Radio Network's Bev Smith and National Public Radio's Ed Gordon. While both of them would do a fantastic job at Air America Radio, the network hasn't done anything to recruit them.

WHAT ABOUT OPRAH?

Less than a month ago, Air America Radio decided to pull the plug on their "Unfiltered" show, which featured an African American co-host Chuck D. Air America replaced the show with Jerry Springer.

Whatever you think about Jerry, the man is rich! And he is isn't hosting the show for lack of anything to do, the man is busy hosting the "Jerry Springer Show" on TV.

If Springer is willing to do radio, and Martha Stewart is willing to do a radio show for Sirius Satellite Radio (source), why wouldn't Oprah Winfrey want to expand her Harpo media business from television, movies, and magazines to radio? My guess is that she just might be. But Air America has to reach out to her.

And even if Oprah isn't interested, Air America would be wise to reach out to some other people of color and diversify the daily lineup. If they don't listen to reason, it's only a matter of time before Air [white] America will fail, leaving liberals to complain that we weren't given a fair chance, when the truth is we had a great opportunity and blew it.

I seem to recall Daily Kos tore Donna Brazille a new one...

Excellent post

That's good advice for Air America. Good thing you were censored by them - I'd hate to see them do something smart for once.

Yes,because she uttered the blasphemous words "We lost the election" rather than the DU mantra "We was robbed"

Really? He ripped her about what? White libs I know can't stand people who won't say everything they do is fantastic.

Can I point out the obvious fact that you cannot (reliably) tell someone's race or color by listening to them on the radio?

Unless they tell you every three minutes.

I can hear the libs and lefts sputtering....but but but, we own the black vote, don't we?

Let's be real. Yes, you can tell a person's race by hearing their voice on the radio. Not always, but much of the time. And not only by the tone of their voice, but by the topics they chose and the guests they book.

Even for a white liberal, to shut the website down over a comment you disagree with seems a bit drastic to me.

Poor old Brian C. Anderson ~ all he knows is whining and complaining ~ limosine liberals don't care about people of color, they only care about keeping them on the plantation and voting for the lunatic left. *sigh*

Sorry ~ limousine.

What's going on with Moulitsos personally? Doesn't he run Daily Kos?

Man I have been banned from KOS for several months now. Good to see some more of us.

Very interesting. Air America's on-air personalities are 7 percent minorities. Another type of liberal closed shop are newspapers. About 20 years ago, the publishers' association adopted a goal of 25 percent minority representation in news rooms by 2000. They didn't come close to reaching that goal so they pushed the target back to 2025.
But they'll criticize any and every one else for lack of diversity.
I wonder what the minority representation is on the big liberal foundations, Ford, Pew, etc.?

Herein lies the reason many liberals are becoming conservative...

And therein lies the biggest problem with the liberal agenda. We conservatives don't listen to Rush, Hannity, etc because they are white, nor do we listen to Elder, Hamblin, etc just to include black hosts. We listen to them because they are entertaining and because they include the news and opinions that are absent from the liberal mainstream media.

But in the PC liberal world, they have to have black hosts just to meet some kind of quota. Yet another reason why they will fail. Personally, I have to agree with Boortz. Err America needs to succeed, otherwise the "tolerant, free-speech loving" liberals will stop at nothing to bring back the Fairness Doctrine. The definately misnamed Fairness Doctrine which will end up censoring conservative speech or destroying talk radio altogether.

Good post. That Arbitron link is worthwhile by itself -- I see that the SF station (KQKE) which has been running it for maybe a year is just ahead of the all-Mexican station and a little further ahead of the AM simulcast of one of the FM oldies stations.

A few quibbles with the article itself (not with the poster): Geez, let it go with the Diversity Uber Alles already. A percieved shortage of mandated classes in the Err America stable is not the problem. The general format is. And the format of pretty much any show and any host is more or less these four points: Bush is a criminal, Bush is a dope, Bush is a liar, and people who aren't commies and socialists are dummies.

It's really cough-up-your-coffee unbelievable that their "ideas" are so hard to, what, use as the basis of speeches and/or conversations?

Yep. He runs Daily Kos. He's the same guy who last week wrote that Time Magazine should be boycotted by liberals because they had systematically shut out liberal voices. WTF?!? He actually said this!!! Of course, he had nothing to substantiate his claim, but when have facts meant anything to white libs? Contrast that with my opinion on Air America, based on documented facts and it's clear to see Moulitsos is ok with activism that he agrees with against liberal institutions but not ok with activism that he doesn't agree with.

Listen to what I'm saying, not what you want to hear. I'm NOT saying they should have Black hosts to meet a quota, I'm saying they are failing because they don't have the most qualified spokespeople on the air, and some of those people are Black. Do you get it now?

Of course, if you don't want to see Air America succeed, then you should be happy about the lineup.