Air America Radio, a radio network that was launched in 2004 as a liberal alternative to Rush Limbaugh and other conservative commentators, on Thursday shut down abruptly due to financial woes.

The network once boasted hosts such as Al Franken and Rachel Maddow, but struggled from the outset, including multiple management shake-ups, a bankruptcy in 2006 and sale for $4.25 million the following year.

Air America ceased airing new programs Thursday afternoon and said it will soon file to be liquidated under Chapter 7 bankruptcy. It began broadcasting reruns of programs and would end those as well Monday night.

"The very difficult economic environment has had a significant impact on Air America's business. This past year has seen a 'perfect storm' in the media industry generally," the company said in a statement on its Web site.

The New York-based network said its "painstaking search for new investors" came close to succeeding even this week, "but ultimately fell short."

Carey Curelop, operations director for KPTK-AM 1090, an affiliate station in Seattle, said Air America's launch prompted the station to switch from classic country to a progressive talk format in 2005 in the middle of the George W. Bush presidency.

Although the station's programming was once filled entirely by Air America shows, it weaned itself off nearly completely as the company's financial troubles became public. It will only need to replace "The Ron Reagan Show" from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and a midnight show called "Clout," but other left-leaning shows are now available from syndicators, he said.

"There was a needed outlet for the left on the air," Curelop said. "We're totally indebted to Air America for launching the network and allowing us to get our feet on the ground."

New York real estate magnate Stephen Green and his brother, politician Mark Green, bought the company out of bankruptcy in March 2007. Messages left for them were not immediately returned.

Air America said 10 consecutive quarters of declining ad revenue and the difficulty of making money on the Internet contributed to its troubles.

The network had some 100 radio outlets nationwide.

Franken, a Democrat, hosted his own show from 2004 to 2007 before leaving to campaign for a U.S. senate seat in Minnesota, which he won last year after a recount battle decided by the state Supreme Court.

Maddow went on to host her own TV show on MSNBC.

http://www.channel3000.com/news/22306717/detail.html

Seems people were so obsesed with wanting to get rid of conservative radio and what was being said on it they forgot to listen to liberal radio.

I did not even know it existed.

Maybe they should have been more "shocking" and disgusting like Limbaugh to make sure people were aware of them.

Oh they were a far left as you can get.
You could say the Limbaugh's of the left.
I just find it interesting that conservative radio does as well as it does and liberal radio doesn't do as well.

AM radio...who cares, but "the network once boasted hosts such as Al Franken and Rachel Maddow"...cool!

Liberalism is a mental disorder anyway. Just more nuts off the air.

Conservatives are no different, we need more of them off the air

That's why they failed.

Well and Franken and Maddow haven't ever done anything for me. That might have been part of the problem too.

There are better hosts.

Conservatives are the only ones trying to keep this country together.

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I LISTENED TO IT BEFORE . It was like being at a Jewish Klan meeting every thing was white this and white that . on most of the shows . THEY DIDN'T even inter lace any truth in it . In fact they were the ones that made me look up there history . I'm very informed about there history . and to tell you the turth it surprised me .

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They were making good money at first but some church bought the radio station and threw them off . just another form of censorship from the self righteous ........

What a joke that people actually believe that....lol

At least they realize that this country belongs to the people not the government.

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I would change this just a little .AT least they realize that this country belongs to them and not to illegals or the government ..

Yes.

Actually they believe the country should be homogenized to be just like them and all others don't belong.

Usually closely resembles racism or prejudice or bigotry. That is what is wrong with that party of folks.

They are just as bad as any extreme liberal is, maybe worse, I don't know.

As for the government statement, the only issue they really have with the government is that the government stops them from perpetrating their hatred on everyone they want to.

Excuses they use to perpetrate their hatred involve taxes usually.

I will stop here since that is not what the OP was about.

"yawn"

As the figurehead leader of a parody church on the Internet once said:

"You'll pay to know what you REALLY think."

That's why conservative talk radio is successful and why a liberal show never will be.


-Kerry O.

I still like NPR,, seems the most balanced to me anyhow.

More people should tune in to NPR.

That's all I listen to.