Air America Radio

Programming overview

Like most talk radio outlets, Air America Radio's programming includes news, talk, comedy, interviews, guest editorials, and listeners' telephone calls. In various markets, there are traffic and weather reports throughout the broadcast day. The talk portions feature some extended host monologues in the classic talk radio format. Live and pre-recorded comedy routines, featuring various comedians, are also aired.

Related Topics:
Talk radio - Programming - Comedy - Editorial - Market - Monologue - Comedy routines - Comedian

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News, editorials and public affairs

Air America News and public affairs shows offer headline and short feature news reports, and, in some markets, traffic and weather reports as well. The news is a general purpose offering from standard wire service sources such as AP and UPI, however, the broadcast network puts some accent on labor news unlike other radio networks which tend to focus more on Wall Street reports and daily financial news.

Related Topics:
Public affairs - News - AP - UPI - Labor - Wall Street - Financial

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The public affairs shows tend to closely follow the news of the day with monologues and reflections offered by the hosts. Listener calls are worked into these sections along with guest interviews. Air America Radio has a definite political orientation, and many broadcasts could be described as advocacy journalism or editorial and opinion pieces, but, in keeping with many of the principles of journalism ethics and standards, the hosts distinguish their own opinions from the factual reporting. Hosts offer frequent citations to news reports, studies and government documents to provide background information and sources for the views they express.

Related Topics:
Public affairs - News - Advocacy journalism - Journalism ethics and standards

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In general, the hosts, guests and viewpoints of Air America represent the left and center wings of the Democratic Party, or the Green Party. Opponents of Air America claim that anarchist, communist, and socialist political theories and thinking are not only discussed, but are espoused. Supporters say this is untrue.

Related Topics:
Left - Democratic Party - Green Party - Anarchist - Communist - Socialist

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Samples of regular guests heard on Air America Radio:

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• Katrina vanden Heuvel of The Nation
• Duncan Black (of Atrios, a.k.a. Eschaton)
• Markos Moulitsas Zúniga of Daily Kos
• Christy Harvey and David Sirota of the Center for American Progress public interest group
• Joe Conason - Journalist with Salon.com online magazine.
• Chalmers Johnson
• David Brock and other representatives of Media Matters for America, Brock's media watchdog organization

In addition, there are Mother Jones minutes and commentary by Jim Hightower and others.

Related Topics:
Mother Jones - Jim Hightower

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Comedy on Air America

:See main articles at Al Franken, Mike Malloy, Randi Rhodes, Jerry Springer, Janeane Garofalo, Sam Seder.

Related Topics:
Al Franken - Mike Malloy - Randi Rhodes - Jerry Springer - Janeane Garofalo - Sam Seder

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Each host on Air America has his or her own comedic style. For example, on The Al Franken Show, guests are introduced with parody theme songs, based on popular songs. Springer on the Radio and The Randi Rhodes Show have parodies and satires of commercials, humorous songs, longer skits, and sound effects such as buzzers and bells.

Related Topics:
The Al Franken Show - Parody - Springer on the Radio - The Randi Rhodes Show - Sound effects

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Sam Seder of The Majority Report occasionally records skits and prank phone calls for broadcast during the show. For example, Seder called the press department of a senator who claimed to have proof that Catholic leaders in Massachusetts were sinful due to an abundance of sinful women in the city's vicinity. Seder called the senator's press department asking if they had actual phone numbers of women of ill repute, so he could do further research personally. His co-host Janeane Garofalo focuses her humor mainly on current events. However, sometimes she does not go for a punch line on her assumption that some actions by right-wingers are so outrageous that they are intrinsically funny.

Related Topics:
Sam Seder - The Majority Report - Prank phone calls - Senator - Catholic - Massachusetts - Sinful - Janeane Garofalo - Punch line - Right-wingers

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Listener participation

Listeners' calls are taken on most of the programs through a toll-free number, but are especially featured on Springer on the Radio, The Randi Rhodes Show, The Laura Flanders Show, The Mike Malloy Show, and Ring of Fire with Bobby Kennedy. The listener calls are sometimes confined to a particular topic or feature, such as being a contestant on "Wait Wait, Don't Lie to Me" on The Al Franken Show or on Morning Seditions "Liberal Confessional." At other times listeners direct the flow of the conversation.

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The Majority Report only occasionally uses phone calls from listeners, and predominantly only when Sam Seder hosts the program. Janeane Garofalo is frequently scheduled off on Wednesdays, and on these programs Seder utilizes phone calls from listeners regularly. On Fridays, when Seder has the day off for religious reasons, Garofalo predominantly talks for the entire program with guest interviews occurring only occasionally. On these shows, the listener participation is very limited.

Related Topics:
Sam Seder - Janeane Garofalo - Religious reasons

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Weekday programs

Air America produces seventeen hours of weekday programming, including news summaries at the top of each hour.

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• The Rachel Maddow Show with Rachel Maddow (one hour: 5–6 am ET), as of April 14, 2005.
• Morning Sedition with Marc Maron and Mark Riley (three hours: 6–9 am ET)
• Springer on the Radio with Jerry Springer (three hours: 9 am–12 pm ET), since April 1, 2005.
• The Al Franken Show (initially known as The O'Franken Factor) with Al Franken and Katherine Lanpher (three hours: 12–3 pm ET)
• The Thom Hartmann Radio Program with Thom Hartmann (three hours: 12PM-3PM EST) as of September 8, 2005
• The Randi Rhodes Show with Randi Rhodes (four hours: 3–7 pm ET)
• The Majority Report with Janeane Garofalo and Sam Seder (three hours: 7–10 pm ET)
• The Mike Malloy Show with Mike Malloy (three hours: 10 pm–1 am ET), since August 2, 2004.

Weekend programs (varies)

For those stations for which Air America has full control, weekends feature repeats and highlights from their weekday shows, combined with new original programming and some syndicated shows produced independently.

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New network programming for weekends includes:

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• The Laura Flanders Show with Laura Flanders (three hours)
• Ring of Fire with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mike Papantonio (two hours) 5–7 pm ET Saturday
• EcoTalk with Betsy Rosenberg (one hour)
• So What Else Is News? with Marty Kaplan (two hours)
• Mother Jones Radio with Angie Coiro (one hour)
• The Kyle Jason Show with Kyle Jason (two hours)
• The Revolution Starts Now with Steve Earle (one hour)
• Politically Direct with David Bender (one hour)
• On The Real with Chuck D and Gia'na Garel (two hours)
• Liberal Arts with Katherine Lanpher (one hour)

Complementary programming

Stations broadcasting Air America programming often augment or replace parts of the network's lineup with other programming, typically with a progressive or liberal political perspective.

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Some examples include:

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• The Stephanie Miller Show with Stephanie Miller (three hours: 9AM-12PM EST) (distributed by the Jones Radio Network)
• The Ed Schultz Show with Ed Schultz (three hours: 3PM-6PM EST) (distributed by the Jones Radio Network)
• The Lionel Show with Michael LeBron (three hours: 10PM-1AM EST) (distributed by the WOR network)
• The Phil Hendrie Show with Phil Hendrie (three hours: 10PM-1AM EST / 7-10PM EST tape delay) (distributed by the Premiere Radio Networks)