Air America Radio goes live today at noon in four markets. For those of you that haven’t heard of it, it appears that Air America Radio is trying to position itself as a left-of-center alternative to right-leaning programming like Rush Limbaugh, or as they put it, “a smart voice with a sense of humor.” The centerpiece of their lineup is Al Franken, who I think will be absolutely great. I recently read a very interesting New York Times article about him, but unfortunately, it’s now archived and seems to be unavailable without a subscription, and Google doesn’t cache articles from the New York Times. It’s well worth a read if you can find it…
Besides Al Franken, there are several other interesting personalities on their roster:
Saturday Night Live alum Al Franken joined the network early in 2004 and brings “team Franken” with him, (several of whom collaborated with Franken on his best selling book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them). Franken showcases his very original and witty political satire on Air America Radio. Other hosts include Janeane Garofolo (The Larry Sanders Show), Randi Rhodes, whose top-rated program in south Florida gained a reputation for no-nonsense talk radio that consistently beat Rush Limbaugh in ratings, and Lizz Winstead, The Daily Show co-creator long recognized for her social satire and political acumen. Rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy also contributes to the daily line up.
I’ll have to see if I can listen to their RealPlayer feed, as there is no local affiliate carrying them yet. Sounds like it could be informative as well as pretty fun…
