Air America's Next Big Mistake?

It looks like Air America is about to lose one of their best on-air personalities, Marc Maron. There's been no official announcement, but on his show, Morning Sedition, Maron has repeatedly said he's probably on his way out. And yesterday he said it's unlikely he'll be part of the Morning Sedition air team (with radio veteran Mark Riley) after this month. And they're promoting their live remote at O'Neal's in the Upper West Side this Thursday as their "last live appearance."

Why would Maron leave? Or why would Air America let go of the funniest guy on their talent roster? Best guess-- deadlocked contract negotiations.

When Air America went on the air over a year and a half ago, a lot of us in radio were dismayed that a new talk network would go on the air with so many air personalities and writers who made their mark in television instead of radio. Not that media cross-pollination in general is such a bad idea, but just that when a start-up radio network was trying to do something SO new (a national liberal talk network) AND they were also attempting to reinvent the medium at the same time by leaning so heavily on TV talent instead of loading up the schedule with radio veterans.

The big exceptions were South Florida's leftist talk bulldog Randi Rhodes who's held down the late afternoon slot since the beginning, and then a few months later acerbic career talker Mike Malloy who was tacked onto the late night end of the schedule. Those programs were the only ones done in the traditional talk radio manner--  one host on the air brings up issues, vents, and takes calls. All the other shows were more experimental-- with multiple hosts, many guests, and only a few (if any) calls. And all these programs featured one or more hosts best known for their work in TV or film.

Air America's biggest experiments were their two morning shows, both featuring teams of three hosts-- "Morning Sedition" and "Unfiltered." Morning Sedition came into its own after one host left the show (more on that in a minute). But Unfiltered only survived the first year. Two of the hosts, Rachel Maddow and Public Enemy's Chuck D now have their own programs (Maddow's early early morning show which now runs from 5 to 6 a.m. is a tight and timely review of the news well worth a listen). But the third other co-host Lizz Winstead (who was also one of the key programming-creative figures at the dawn of the network) is gone. Best known as one of the creator's of TV's "The Daily Show," Winstead was the biggest architect of the "television-vision" for Air America. And now she's in the middle of a lawsuit to claim unpaid wages from the network. While I don't know the details as far as which side seems to be in the right, the filing of the suit revealed that they were paying Winstead a quarter million a year for her services. And you wonder why they're having money troubles...

Oh and speaking of television, Unfiltered was replaced by TV crapmaster Jerry Springer. It's easy to forget that Springer was a politician before he became the host of one of the most inane hours in television. His Air America talk show is a serious one featuring his heartfelt leftist views on political issues. However, it is BORING. It's traditional talk radio run by a host who has no understanding of the medium. It's so boring that I don't have anything more to say about it, except to hope it's not long for this world. It's a waste of valuable radio frequencies across the country. And let's hope they're not spending a lot of money to keep Springer's big name on the schedule.

If you're talking to someone unfamiliar with talk radio or leftist media and mention "Air America," they likely won't know what you're talking about. Then tell them it's that new talk network with Al Franken, and then they'll probably recall hearing something about it. Best known as a TV writer and comedian, Franken has become a political media superstar. He's just finished another lefty book sure to rise up the best-seller list, and seems to be headed toward a U.S. Senate run in 2008 in Minnesota.

His mid-day show has been the flagship show for the fledgling network since its inception. Teamed with public radio's Katherine Lanpher, Franken's program settled into a groove pretty quickly as a breezy political talk show with plenty of writers, researchers and politicians discussing the issues of the day. And of course, there's always heaping helpings of Franken style humor to be found in between the serious bits. However, despite his big name and notable accomplishments in the comedy realm, Franken's constant retelling of bad jokes and his just plain hokey sense of humor doesn't often make for cutting edge radio.

And what's worse, Lanpher has left the show and Franken seems to be floundering a bit without her there to keep the show on track and keep Franken's expansive ego in check. Franken now is using the technical and production staffers around him as comedy foils and it's a little painful to hear. That said, his appearance on Letterman the other night was quite funny and almost electric. It all made it painfully obvious that Franken's charisma doesn't translate well to radio or the long form medium of a three hour talk show. And how will he fare on the campaign trail? Or on the Senate floor? You gotta wonder.

Which all gets me back to the subject at hand, Marc Maron. If you happened to see the excellent and insightful HBO documentary on the beginning of Air America, "Left of the Dial," you saw the good and bad of Mr. Maron at the dawn of his radio career. Previously Maron had been a stand-up comic (and author) best known for his appearances on cable and late night talk TV. Painfully neurotic and unsure of himself, Maron is seen in early scenes in the film as someone out of his element, having no idea how to navigate three hours of radio five days a week, as well as having to adjust to working pre-dawn hours every day. And in the beginning Morning Sedition show was a mess, with three separate personalities trying to find some kind of chemistry. Just to hear all three of them conduct an interview or take a call kinda hurt.

And it was plain to hear (and see in the documentary) that there wasn't a lot of love between Maron and one of this co-hosts, Sue Ellicott. A former BBC TV commentator (and frequent panelist on the NPR comedy show abortion known as "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me"), Ellicott didn't have much of a stomach for Maron's fast-paced acid humor. My favorite line in the whole movie occurs when the show is live and Ellicott tries to smooth out and "balance" something Maron had said in an interview-- and Maron fires back: "Who's side are you on British Lady?" Perhaps more than Randi Rhodes' first-day slap fight with Ralph Nader, that moment was a telling blow that Air America was going to be nothing like the limp-wristed and neutered political coverage of NPR. Thank god.

Since Ellicott has left the show, the partnership of Marc and Mark has gained fame and followers across the country. Each local remote appearance is packed with fans. They're a good team. Co-host Mark Riley's decades of  newsroom experience grounds Maron's scattershot rants, and his "everyman" quality makes him the perfect straight man for Maron's rabid wit. And then you have some solid wacky writers (including comedian-writer Kent Jones who adds his stable of characters and impersonations into the mix), and the end result is a dependable helping of news and chuckles in every show. It's a radio program that offers up-to-the minute information, historical context, and wild-ass funny bits. And any moment can yield an impromptu dose of Maron's off-the-cuff self-obsessed rambling about his life. Somehow, it's about as good as morning radio gets in this era of incompetent and malevolent governance. It would be a shame to lose it.

Unlike anyone else on Air America (including Franken), Maron slams the idiocy and evil of the Bush administration AND makes you laugh at the same time (which isn't easy). If you can imagine combining the indignant anger of Mike Malloy (without the froth) with the dark comedy of Bill Hicks and the over-the-top irreverence of Andy Breckman, you get an idea of Maron's talk radio persona. Air America has grown a real radio talent with Maron, and while nobody on the outside seems to know the exact details of why they may soon part, you'd have to hope that Air America wouldn't let loose one of their best on-air assets at this point in the game.

You don't have to look far on the internet to find the details of the money troubles Air America has had since the very beginning. And Maron had a fairly successful career before Morning Sedition, and one would think that the radio show has probably given that career a boost. He also has a long-distance marriage (to his wife in California) because he has to be in New York for his Air America duties. If he's holding out for a healthy sum, it's easy to understand why. Maron has become a valuable asset to the network, and must he know that. One can only imagine what they pay Franken, and it's assumed that he's probably only going to be around for so long anyway. Air America should invest in their future, if they want to have one.

If you're not familiar with Morning Sedition or Maron's radio efforts, have a listen to some MP3 bits from yesterday's show. It ain't the funniest one I've ever heard, but hey it's fresh.

Here's Maron discussing possibly leaving the show:

Maron Appreciates The Love- MP3
Maron's Cat Giveaway- MP3
O'Neal's Announcement- MP3
Danny Goldberg Email Plea-Belly Dancing Call- MP3

And here's some comedy bits from yesterday's program:

The INews 5000 WiFi Headline translator- MP3
The Monday Job Listing- MP3
Morning Remembrance with Mort Mortenson- MP3
Liberal Marching Orders-Halloween Tripping Story- MP3

And here's yesterday's show in full, without commercials.

Morning Sedition 10-31-05- MP3

And if you're not up early in the morning, or you can't hear Air America where you live, you can download Morning Sedition (without ads) every day right here, and even easier, you can podcast it with links from this page.

Maron is now saying that he may occasionally be part of Morning Sedition in some small way, and he occasionally hints that there's some small chance he'll remain as co-host. But it's important to remember, even if you love the host of any show or love the station that carries it, radio is really a cutthroat business. It's rare that a radio personality remains on the air when contract negotiations are failing. And you can hear in Maron's on-air discussions of the matter that he's being very careful about what he says, and what he doesn't say. If you piss off the boss and you're on your way out, you're likely to be off the air in as soon as they can drag you out of the studio. It happens all the time.

Ongoing online conversations regarding Marc Maron leaving Air America can be found on the Morning Sedition Blog, or the Morning Sedition Message Board. An online petition to keep Marc Maron on Morning Sedition can be found here, and the official email address to plea for Maron's survival at the network belongs to the Air America CEO, Danny Goldberg ([email protected]).

Air America is not Clear Channel, and they undoubtedly have some hard financial choices to make, at least for a while. However, there's a couple of weak shows in their lineup that are just ripe to be plucked from the schedule and replaced with something else. But Morning Sedition isn't one of them. And while Riley is a real radio talent with more experience than almost anyone else on the air at the network, it's the manic magic of Marc Maron that keeps people listening every morning. Let's hope Air America figures that out before it's too late.

Comments

[Terrence Parker]

There's not a web site/page devoted to providing the information that will hopefully save the show, it's at www.savemorningsedition.com.

[Bill W]

I don't listen often, but in no universe is Randi Rhodes "leftist." She is a mainstream Clinton-smitten Dem (much like Franken).

[The Professor]

Sorry Bill, in plenty of universes Randi Rhodes is indeed a leftist. Wikipedia says that a leftist opposes right-wing politics and that most left-wingers reject any association with communism or anarchism. And just about every dictionary site I've looked at basically says that a leftist is someone who belongs to the political left. So does that mean that you think that everyone who isn't an extreme leftist should be called a moderate?

Sure she supports Democrats. While I could probably join you in a Dem bashing session, these are desperate times and it seems pretty smart to me to support political types who actually have a chance to get some of these Republican thieves and thugs out of office. If the Democrats can take control of the house there's a good chance that a much-needed impeachment can begin. I'm cheering for that, how about you?

And as far as some of the discussion here about NPR, I've run across a great quote from former NPR host Bob Edwards-- “In today’s media, we seem to bring on the liars in order to balance the truth.” When he says "we" he's talking about NPR, and that indeed is what they do every day.

And writing this has stirred up my anger at NPR anew and I'm tempted to write a post here about the sad demise of this once great news organization. But that would mean that I'd have to take the time to listen to NPR for a while to say anything substantial about them. And frankly, I don't have the stomach for that these days.

While I'm really sick of the right wing nuts calling NPR a flaming liberal outfit, which they are NOT, I speak here of NPR as a listener-- I mean FORMER listener. It all reminds me of my Senator Hillary. She's the biggest punching bag the right has, and every time I hear how liberal she is I want to scream THAT'S A FUCKING LIE! She's been a handmaiden to this war, and to just about anything else the Israeli lobby thinks is a swell idea. Mrs. Clinton is at best a nice moderate neocon. Screw her.

Okay, enough already. I hear rumors that Maron may not be history at Air America, but it is still very possible. Today in the Daily News they quoted some Air America "spokeswoman" who says they are still in contract negotiations.

As they say in broadcasting-- stay tuned.

[Webster Hubble Telescope]

Great post. I have a long tribute to AAR here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/11/2/31446/3553

I also give a shout to WFMU on how to do things right. At least that's what it looks like to me, being an internet listener and donater from Minnesota. Actually, for all I know, WFMU could also have all sorts of backstabbing and intrigue that I am not privy too.

Everybody has also got to take a look at the HBO documentary "The Left of the Dial". You can get it as a bit torrent.

[mark]

great site, great blog piece. i think bill oreilly and his fellow fascist talkers already charge to stream/download their shows--and they *don't* need the money. AAR should charge for podcasts--i'd gladly pay. please contact goldberg and tell him if you love maron like i do!

[stephanie ehrlich]

Great blog.

It's nice to hear others say what I've been thinking. Morning Sedition is the most political fun you can have while driving. I spend a lot of time in the car and listen to all the shows, so I know!

I was a devoted Unfiltered fan and once Springer came on the radio, I had to tune out. Not that I wouldn't enjoy having him at my Thanksgiving table (he sounds like a lovely man) but his show is BORING. Randi Rhodes is enjoyable, but her ranting agitates me. Sam and Janeane are not a good team--I actually prefer when Sam does the show himself. Al is overrated and his jokes are corny and old-farty. I wondered when the brought Springer on the radio and nixed the ridiculously smart Rachel Maddow if they were intentionally trying to court an older, potentially more moneyed, audience.

The big question is, why doesn't AAR understand chemistry, and when it exists why do they break it up? Lizz and Rachel were fabulous together (okay, a little too NPR-ish) and obviously Mark and Mark rock.
So why can't they get the money to keep the solid programs in tact? Is this a pathetic microcosm of the liberal situation in general? We've got better ideas (and we're funnier) than the neocons, but they can get the bucks together where we cannot. I hope I am wrong both for AAR's sake, and more important, for our sake as a country.

[Ruthie]

The problem with both Morning Sedition and Unfiltered is/was that very few Air America affiliates are/were picking up the shows or, in the case of MS, are playing it in the middle of the night (3 to 6 am in the Pacific time zone).

Danny Goldberg has no control over which shows the affiliates run and if a station with a weak signal is the only one in a a market willing to pick up AAR shows, that's not Goldberg's fault. AAR owns NO stations (it leases the time on one station, WLIB).

[Bill W]

I agree utterly on Sen Hillary, Prof. Her husband was also a not-so-nice moderate neocon, and Randi Rhodes thinks he's the very model of what a Dem should be -- I've heard her say so. (And if the modern Democratic party somehow attained control of Congress, I don't remotely believe they'd impeach the Dubya... hell, most of them will likely vote for Scalito, no matter what he says at the hearings.)

[Alrdouglas]

Great blog. Thanks for all the info. I am devestated at the prospect of losing MS. I am a dedicated podcaster of the show and even download shows when I return from vacation so I don't miss anything. Maron and Riley are the BEST together, keeping the energy up and getting the info out to the listeners. I can't imagine the show without Maron on a long term basis. The only possible saving point for Air America would be that Rachel's show (the second best show on AAR) could be longer.

[richard]

Excellent review of AAR history and lineup. You did neglect Majority Report, but I can understand it. Janeane and Sam are both fine people, but they just _suck_ at radio. Like really awful. The television vision failed. Franken becomes unlistenable after a few months, even if you can stomach his center-right politics. Springer is, I'm sorry to say, pathetic. I'm sorry because he's a smart, sensitive guy underneath the TV trash persona.

You didn't say enough about Rachel Maddow. She has the greatest future in both radio and TV. I can't possibly praise enough her intellect, sense of humor and basic decency -- all of which shine through every moment. Thanks for mentioning Kent Jones, by far the funniest thing on AAR.

One show you completely forgot is Thom Hartmann. I guess, and hope, that he is the Franken replacement. When Al leaves on his personal crusade to kick Norm Coleman's ass, AAR will need someone for that slot. Hartmann is far from perfect. At his best he's not as funny as SNL at its worst. And that's bad. But he is probably the best left-of-center "radio debater" in the business. No, not probably, for sure. He hypes himself as being there to help you in the "water cooler wars", and he fulfills that promise. He almost never uses usual radio host tricks to best a hostile caller. He simply smashes them with information and logic. In a perfect world there would be some way to get Hartmann and Maddow together for the flagship noon show. But I can't even imagine how that would work. The chemistry's impossible, but the heavy brainpower would be stunning. Just dreaming, forget it.

And on the actual subject, face it, Marc's outta there. Goldberg came from music management, right? And guys like that have really big, really nasty egos. All of them. As soon as it became a public conflict between Marc, no small ego himslef, and Goldberg, Marc was gone. Too bad. I'll miss downloading it along with Rachel every day. (And I hope they find a place for Riley. That's the one guy on AAR I actually could have a beer with.)

[Vanessa]

I can't understand the appeal of Morning Sedition. I've been a steadfast fan of Air America since its inception, but that show drives me crazy. It IS cluttered, and for someone who has little affection for sound bites, it's very annoying. I don't care for Marc Maron and his slightly-more-elevated-than-fratboy rhetoric.

I loved Unfiltered, and agree that Rachel Maddow is one of the stations' top talents. I am very sad that her show is in the wee morning hours. Jerry Springer's show IS boring, and attempts to make it interesting with sensational topics is flat-out irritating. I no longer tune into Air America before noon. My theory with Springer is that they are trying to attract a "Middle American" demographic-a complete miss with a New York audience.

I also am afraid it's getting stale. Air America needs some new talent-Thom Hartmann, more Rachel Maddow, more Laura Flanders, a cohost to help Franken-and to lose Marc Maron and Jerry Springer. I really think that a celebrity infusion had its good points, but that it would benefit from radio veterans being featured more predominantly.

I'm sure Marc is a good person (not so sure about Springer, who debases poor people daily on his tv show) but I just don't think he's funny. I've received feedback from most people I've discussed this with that supports my views.

[Air Ambulance]

It would be a loss if it were so. Air America will lose of course if that happens.

[M Glade]

some of my friendsand I have given up listening to your station since j springer had mysteriously disappeared with no comment and replaced by some terrible show?? Being a liberal and one who has listened to the springer show religiously finding entertaining and informative, on myu way to work. you have made a big mistake.