I want to thank all of you who took the time to contact us at Air America about the Sam Seder Show. It shows you care and are part of our extended Air America family, even if we can’t agree on every lineup judgment.

I, too, think Sam is terrific and was eager to keep him on air. After we discussed various possibilities, I’m very happy that we agreed on a new show that’s really unlike anything else on radio (or television). The three hour program, as I wrote in my posted “Message” earlier week, will focus on “networks and netroots” — that is, a review of the Sunday political talkfests with mostly bloggers as commentators.

Please know that, consistent with my 35 year history as a dedicated progressive advocate and author, I’m devoted to keeping Air America as the leader in progressive talk and to taking it from the red to the black. Both.

I believe when we’re done with all our plans for the new Air America 2.0 — in terms on overall lineup, new platforms, better marketing, important collaborations (like our partnership with MoveOn this week broadcasting the “Virtual Town Hall on Iraq”) — you’ll be as optimistic as I am that Air America will both survive and thrive after a roller coaster past year.

Mark Green
President
Air America

A big part of this doesn’t jive with his previous statement. It appears he has pulled a 180 when it comes to whether AAR is ideological or not. At first he said that Air America was “about radio, not ideology.” This, as you can imagine, caught the ire of many of the fans. But in this statement he’s saying that AAR will continue to be “progressive.” I’m not sure how that can be possible when you move from an outspoken liberal to someone who refuses to call themselves one.

I’ve been reading a lot of commentary about this decision, and my previous instincts were correct: This move is to attract new listeners. And those listeners aren’t hardcore lefties like me. They’re people who would rather talk about Imus or Anna Nicole or Britney Spears than the horrible things our government is doing. Liberal Talk Radio calls it “mass appeal,” but I call it “the lowest common denominator.”

It’s idiotic decisions like this that lead me to believe the advertising driven model isn’t long for this world. Great shows like Marc Maron and Mike Malloy and now Sam Seder aren’t the kind of things that are going to draw millions of listeners, at least not in the US. People here hate thinking, and smart humor with substance is never going to get the same ratings as football-in-the-groin humor. Maybe if we get our education system in shape, we’ll

But the problem is that there is a market for shows like Sam’s that can’t be served by traditional broadcast media. If you need to keep a 12,000 watt transmitter lit up in every market, you’ll never make a profit. That’s where things like podcasts and blogs come in. The cost of entry and of running a podcast is extremely low. For the price of a good mic and a bit of software, I could have a show that’s just as good as Sam’s. With Skype or TalkShoe I’d even be able to take callers, so Dewey wouldn’t be left out in the cold. Heck, we might even get Doug from Staten Island back on the air!

But Sam did more than that. He was no small part in Ned Lamont’s primary victory in Connecticut, and indeed the 2006 Democratic as a whole. He brought the energy of the netroots to the airwaves, and helped to get the word out about candidates like Jim Webb who wouldn’t have stood a chance without a broad base of hardcore Democratic support. Sam had prominent folks on the air, as well as movie stars and recording artists. Sam also surrounded himself with great people. The banter between himself and the folks in the booth was often the best part of the show. And let’s not forget Janeane, who, apart from her spot-on (Senator) Katherine Harris impression, helped give Sam the experience that made him the juggernaut he is today.

Air America’s new management has decided to replace Sam with some guy who named himself Lionel. From what I’ve read, this guy is a lot less partisan, and somehow thinks that the government brought down the World Trade Center. And the short clips from his website make him sound like a munchkin.

The management at AAR claimed that their programming isn’t about ideology, but about radio. That’s the biggest bunch of bull I’ve ever heard. Air America was founded to counteract right wing radio. It is ideological radio! That Mark Green, the new big cheese at AAR, thinks it’s about radio just shows how he’s going to run it into the ground. In fact, Robert Kennedy Jr. said on air that he doesn’t know what the hell is wrong with Mark Green. If that counts for anything, I think this Lionel guy isn’t long for this world.

The only reason that AAR could possibly have for this decision is that they’re pursuing ad revenue. A lily-livered punk like Lionel is going to attract the vast middle-of-the-road more than Sam, and that’s a fact. And most of those folks won’t get their AAR fix from the Internet, but from broadcasts, where their ratings are actually counted.

So this is yet another case of the lowest common denominator destroying true greatness. Air America is trying to “mainstream” their programming so that the folks who can’t be bothered to hold an opinion aren’t scared off. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; thirteen-year-old girls and their SUV driving scaredy-cat mothers are destroying America.

Here’s to hoping that Sam gets on Nova M, who would get my $100/year subscription in a heartbeat if he signed on for a weekday show, or starts his own podcast. In a few weeks he’ll be doing a weekly Sunday show, which will probably be a free podcast, but I think that with all his new spare time and netroots connections it won’t be long before he starts his own podcast.