Missoula’s Progressive Talk Radio Goes Off the Air

New West Politics ^ | Feb 28, 2006 | Dana Green

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Just last summer, a Missoula radio station launched the town’s first progressive talk radio program, throwing down the gauntlet to the conservative radio hosts already dominating the airwaves.

Now operators of KNS, 105.9 on the dial, plan to drop the progressive talk radio format this week, citing weak advertising sales. Update: Air America went off the air Tuesday afternoon.

The talk radio station featured local news and commentary, but the heart of the programming was Air America Radio, a national network featuring well known, left-leaning talk show hosts and comedians such as Al Franken, Rachel Maddow, and Janeane Garofalo.

Dave Cowan is general manager for the local company, Mt. Sentinel Broadcasting, which runs the three stations: The Trail 103.3, adult contemporary 104.5, and KNS. He said Salt Lake City-based Simmons Media, which took over Mt. Sentinel operations just last month, made the final decision to change formats last week.

“I would have liked to try for a couple more months,” Cowan said. “But if it were my money it was losing, I don’t know if I could do it.”

Getting people to listen wasn’t the problem – liberal talk radio was a huge hit in Missoula from the beginning.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Every time one Air America show is aired on a new station, the left treats it like a great victory for mankind. When an AA station goes off the air, complete silence. These articles are rare when that happens, and not easy to find.

I love this article, playing up the station's great "success" right up until the time they folded. Do these "people" even live in the same reality as we do?

[Paleo Conservative]

Obviously this indicates the need to reinstate the "fairness doctrine".

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Obviously this indicates the need to reinstate the "fairness doctrine".

I wouldn't mind, if it was retroactive. If figure the MSM owes us several hundred thousand hours unopposed just to catch up.

[jazusamo]

Gee, we had tons of listeners but no one wanted to buy advertising. Sheesh...Advertisers go where the listeners are.

[Darkwolf377]

Like they said in It's A Wondeful Life (I think)...

"Everytime a liberal talk show dies, an angel laughs it's butt off!"

[bybybill]

ditto

[jazusamo]

I think someone was doing some wishful thinking.

[Anti-Bubba182]

It says Rush is on two channels maybe that divides the ratings. I wouldn't take Missoula as a conservative bastion with a college there.

[bybybill]

As a guy that has bought a ton of radio across the country, no radio salesperson would back off a hot show. If Franken really was winning and they had the ratings,advertisers would have been lining up.

[davidlee]

it said Rush was on two stations so i figure it would beat each station carrying Rush head to head, but Rush would have a much larger overall share of the audience.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

Good news in nuclear-free Missoula.

[jazusamo]

You got a point about the college, but I don't think they're near as liberal up there. I don't know the student base but I'd think they'd be drawing mostly from those states.

[Tzimisce]

Why go to Air America when CNN is more readily available in most areas?

[Troublemaker]

I wouldn't take Missoula as a conservative bastion with a college there.

That's an understatement.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

snip- In fact, Cowan had a business suggestion for the folks over at Clear Channel – pick up the Air America radio program for one of the stations with weaker ratings.

“Clear Channel or Fisher should pick up the format and put it on one of their AM stations,” he said.

Clear Channel put AA programming on a couple of dozen under-preforming stations over a year ago. AA gave it to them for free. I have seen CC cut out the deadwood as I've been expecting but they sure haven't repeated the experiment on any more stations since the initial ones switched to AA.

[nutmeg]

Just last summer, a Missoula radio station launched the town’s first progressive talk radio program, throwing down the gauntlet to the conservative radio hosts already dominating the airwaves.

Now operators of KNS, 105.9 on the dial, plan to drop the progressive talk radio format this week, citing weak advertising sales. Update: Air America went off the air Tuesday afternoon.

Another one bites the dust ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.

[Just Lori]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1587351/posts

Read this!

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

From what I hear at trade shows where advertisers meet radio and TV salespeople, most run the other way when they see AA reps coming.

[Bullish]

Do these "people" even live in the same reality as we do?

No, they make up their own "reality". We live in the real one.