Air America Radio, a progressive talk radio network,
announced today it will hit the airwaves on March 31st.
"Air America Radio is launching in the top U.S.
markets with leading talent that will provide compelling and
entertaining programming on the radio, on satellite
feeds, and on the web," said Mark Walsh, Chief Executive
Officer of Air America Radio. “We aim to build
an important new media franchise that delivers results.”
The network’s on-air personalities represent today’s
top political and popular satirists, commentators and activists.
Comedian, and best selling author Al Franken,
who was recently taken to court when Bill O’Reilly and Fox News were
seeking an injunction to halt distribution of
"Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the
Right,"
and is known for fact-based, drug-free satire,
will host a weekday show on the network called “The O’Franken Factor.”
“I’m so happy that Air America Radio will be on
in three battleground states, New York, Illinois and California….no wait
…those aren’t battleground states. What the hell
are we doing?” said Franken.
Air America Radio has signed actress and comedienne
Janeane Garofalo, hip hop icon Chuck D, radio personality Randi Rhodes,
and political humorist Sam Seder to join Franken
at the network. Environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., “The Daily
Show”
co-creator Lizz Winstead, and business-of-the-media
analyst on the public radio program “Marketplace” Martin Kaplan will also
join the network.
The network has unveiled its current weekday and weekend line-up:
Monday-Friday
Uprising: 6:00-9:00am
This is a fast paced morning show that will entertain
and engage audiences with wit and political satire.
It will feature the latest news, offering up
to-the-minute interviews with newsmakers, analysis and strong opinions.
Host: Marc Maron
Co-host: Sue Ellicott
Co-host: Mark Riley
Unfiltered: 9:00am- 12:00pm
Air America’s midmorning program is a showcase
for conversation about the political and cultural state of the union.
Unfiltered introduces listeners to fresh new
voices not available in mainstream media today.
Co-host: Lizz Winstead
Co-host: Chuck D
Co-host: Laura Flanders
The O’ Franken Factor: 12:00-3:00pm
Relentless, pure satire, delivered by the leading
political humorist of this generation. With his partner, longtime radio
host Katherine
Lanpher, this will be three hours of fearless
barbs, sketches, and interviews with newsmakers and characters who have
lived, up until
now, only in Al’s fertile imagination. He’s no
policy wonk, but this best-selling author and veteran of Saturday Night
Live, is devoting
his energy to fighting back against rightwing
propaganda with hard evidence and facts.
Host: Al Franken
Co-host: Katherine Lanpher
Producer: Billy Kimball
The Randi Rhodes Show: 3:00-7:00pm
Randi Rhodes has spent the last 20 years burning
up the airwaves in southern Florida with her pointed and provocative brand
of talk radio. Combining live interview, call-in
and commentary, Randi engages her audience with a passionate presentation.
Host: Randi Rhodes
So What Else Is News? : 7:00-8:00pm
Based in Los Angeles, this is a one-hour program
showcasing the intersection of politics, media and popular culture. This
program
will feature analysis and reports from the presidential
campaign, as well as a daily reporters’ roundtable on how the news of the
day
is affected and reflected by the media. Marty
will also cover the spinning of the news with a regular segment called
“The Corrections.”
This is also the place to hear the political
voice of Hollywood, with celebrity guest interviews from the entertainment
industries.
Host: Marty Kaplan
The Majority Report: 8:00pm-11:00pm
This program will introduce new, younger voices
and opinions, with live guests from the world of politics, the arts and
entertainment.
Host: Janeane Garofalo
Co-host: Sam Seder
Saturday and Sunday
Air America Radio’s weekend line-up will offer
more original programming, like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Mike Papatanio’s
“Champions of Justice,” a program that brings
a fresh and entertaining perspective to talk radio from the top legal and
social issues
focused minds in the country. Additional programming
will include Best-of Air America Radio and Best-of-O’Franken Factor as
well
as other original programming to be announced
soon.
“Air America Radio will be available immediately
in top markets across the country, and our distribution channels will continue
to expand
in the coming months via affiliation agreements
with partner stations across the land,” said Air America Radio President
Jon Sinton. Air
America Radio will debut its programming on radio
stations WLIB (AM 1190am) in New York, WNTD (AM 950) in Chicago and KBLA
(AM 1580) in Los Angeles and a station in San
Francisco to be named before launch.
Air America Radio’s partnership with WLIB owner,
Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, is a complementary agreement that
builds on
the goals of each organization – to bring new
energy and new immediacy to messages, issues and audiences that deserve
a place in today’s
media marketplace.
“We are excited about the diverse and important
voices Air America Radio is bringing to the airwaves, both on our own WLIB
signal and
others,” said Pierre Sutton, Chairman of ICBC.
“This strategic partnership allows both companies to combine our resources
and deliver
relevant messages to a broad and diverse audience.
Our talented Mark Riley joins new and exciting co-hosts throughout the
broadcast day
in multiple major markets to open the airwaves
to opinions and entertaining commentary that Americans can hear nowhere
else.”
Live streaming of Air America Radio shows, along
with show archives, will be available on www.airamericaradio.com. Air America
Radio
is in negotiations with satellite television
and satellite radio providers. These national services will allow potential
listeners to tune in anywhere
in the country. The details of these partnerships
will be unveiled soon.
“Our success to date proves what we have known
all along: a progressive radio network can be entertaining and engaging
while also being
a successful business venture. We have made a
lot of progress…and more is to come. We expect to deliver valuable listeners
to our
advertising partners,” said Evan Cohen, New York-based
investor and Chairman of the board of Air America Radio.