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Tuesday, June 17, 2008

What on earth makes them think anyone would be interested in this?
Posted by Jill | 9:03 AM
I'm pretty much finished with Air America at this point. I've written to cancel my premium subscription after four years, I no longer listen, and I sure as hell don't download podcasts. When they gave the 3-6 slot to Ron Kuby instead of either Sam Seder or Marc Maron, and pretty much told Seder that he can stay on and edit the web site for the health insurance, I decided it was time to say sayonara.

Oh, there's Rachel Maddow, of course, but the presence of Maddow in David Gregory's chair last night on Race to the White House pretty much told us how things are going to shake out in the post-Russert era at the National Broadcasting Company -- so I would guess her days with Air America are numbered too. After all, how can you keep them down on the farm after they've seen 30 Rock?

Today, Air America, the network that once gave us Morning Sedition, The Majority Report, and yes, even The O'Franken Factor, is now the home for a bunch of old local New York guys and a syndicated outlet for Thom Hartmann.

So given the dessicated skeleton that is Air America, what makes Mark Green think anyone is going to want to go on an Air America cruise? I've been looking at cruises myself lately, and in fact Mr. Brilliant and I were planning to take one to Canada and New England in early fall, were it not for our realization that 1200 bucks a head, what with fuel charges, taxes and all, before you even have a drink or do anything, was a shitload of money to spend to have one of your ports be Boston, which is a four-hour drive.

A number of years ago, Salon did a cruise that featured the likes of Ann Richards, Joe Wilson, and Joe Conason -- which for my money sounded a lot more appealing than Lionel, David Bender, and Mark Green. Yes, Rachel Maddow and Thom Hartmann are scheduled, but if Rachel gets the 6 PM anchor spot on MSNBC, somehow I don't think she's going to be interested in spending a week on a cruise ship with the little old people from Canarsie who followed Lionel over to Air America from WOR, only to find that he isn't even carried in New York.

But here's what shows just how clueless Mark Green is about Air America: one of the "guest speakers" (the other being Ron Reagan) is none other than Mr. 0-for-8 himself, Bob Shrum.

Now, I hang around in progressive circles, and I don't know anyone who would be jumping up and down at the prospect of paying $1472 for an inside cabin to rub elbows with Bob Shrum and Mark Green when you can take the same damn cruise on the same ship a week earlier and get a suite through cruise.com for $1254. I understand that these theme cruises are always more expensive, but it's one thing to spend a bunch of money for the Blues Cruise, where at least you'll be on ship with the likes of Etta James, Taj Mahal, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, and John Hammond. It's quite another to spend a bunch of money to listen to Bob Shrum regale you with his exciting tales of managing his way into eight losing presidential campaigns.

It is just this kind of tin ear that Mark Green has shown in his entire tenure of running Air America. In fact, there hasn't been a soul other than perhaps Jon Sinton and Doug Kreeger and whoever booked the original talent, who HAS had a clue. Somehow I suspect that during a recession, they're going to have trouble attracting people to this little soiree.

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Anonymous Anonymous said...
It does sound awful. Shrum, enraging dinner chat, too much liquor? People fall over board all the time. WenG
6/17/08, 11:50 AM  
Blogger Batocchio said...
Jeez. In liberal circles, Shrum is despised, and rightly so (not as a person, but as an advisor). He's been one of the leading culprits of the Republican-lite approach.
6/17/08, 12:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
You can't challenge Mark Green on these things--he'll claim there are numbers out there that back him up but the reality is, the whole Air America experiment is one of the worst disasters in the history of radio. Despite the clamor to hear more Seder, we get less Seder. Where was the clamor to hear Lionel? Kuby?

They didn't build a business model that would work at any level.
6/17/08, 2:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
There is a reason that the only elected office Mark Green has ever won was NYC public advocate. Air America is his new toy and he is wrecking it. Kuby is the wrong person to fill that slot. I couldn't bear him on Curtis and Kuby! Rachel Maddow is good but she is hitting the bigtime at MSNBC and is a far different commentator on tv than on the radio. How do you spell co-opt?
6/17/08, 4:19 PM  
Blogger Melina said...
The last cruise, I believe that Rachel got on at a port and off at a port. I wouldnt expect to be cruising the whole time with her. the only bright spot in this voyage of the damned is the possiblity of pushing asshole Green overboard...to which a resounding round of applause from the power centers of NYC would rise...
Green can buy toys for himself, but he cant buy respect...and he couldn't even buy more than one very expensive elected office.
I wish these Krieger people had panned out...but their decision to allow Green to still have a programming voice is a network killer.
AAR is over...finito. Its sad but, life goes on.
Maybe Obama will do a little work on the fairness doctrine when he is elected...
speaking of that, they could have at least gotten a funny sidekick for Kuby...he is so NOT interesting or funny...its painful!...hell, I could even stand Curtis at this point...I'm just not even trying to listen anymore. I made it through half of 2 days and I hung it up.
Its NOva M and Sirius more me...and podcasts...Diggnation, TWIT, Leo Laporte's lineup...This is Hell!...There is great free content out there...check it out!
And save your cruising money for gas. This recession is gonna be a long one!
6/17/08, 9:11 PM  
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