Air America Radio shuts down, is anyone suprised?

I have to confess when I read the headline from the NY Times online this evening I was taken aback. Not that Air America Talk Radio was shutting down, but that it still was operating. Somehow I figured the prior bankruptcy filing had ended the network, but apparently it has been struggling along with 100 affiliated stations carrying their content.

I don't bring this up to be cynical or critical of the concept. Just as I believed growing  up in Boston in the 1970s and 1980s that there was a place on radio in that city for conservative talk that challenged the absolute lock on news held by the overwhelmingly liberal media, I similarly believed that progressive or liberal talk radio deserved a shot in the market place over the last decade in which most talk shows are overwhelmingly conservative.

However, just because they deserve a shot doesn't mean that they would succeed with the over top liberalism and mediocre impersonation of what theyperceived conservative talk to be. The times I listened to Air America for the short period it was broadcast here in Phoenix, it was dull, predictable,formulaic and essentially unlistenable. It played to a very small, very narrow audience of super liberals and leftists and the fact is America is a center/right nation. Just as excessively conservative shows that have no sense of humor and take themselves too seriously typically fail, the same was and is true of liberal talk radio.

My point in bringing this up is that as traditional radio continues to suffer from a steady drain of advertisers and audience, the expensive hosts and shows are  shutting down, scaling back and being let go. However, online offerings that are economical, on demand and targeted to specific audiences are thriving. Of course I think my company, The Legal  Broadcast Network, is a perfect example of what is thriving and succeeding, but there are countless other demonstrations of how the online broadcast world is booming while "regular radio" collapses. Take a look at how popular Adam Corolla's online broadcast is every day, compared to the shut down of his successful show on CBS radio when his numbers didn't meet Howard Stern's numbers who immediately preceded him on CBS morning radio syndications. You also have guys like Bill Simmons, The Sports Guy, from ESPN who continues to expand his online radio broadcast and building off his solid career as a writer,  with his the online audience growing every week to listen to his unique take on sports. Adam Corolla

The lesson is that the real innovation and talent isn't occurring under the tent of the insanely expensive traditional radio format, it is occurring online and to a lesser degree on satellite as a result of the democratization of broadcasting. The monopoly that existed for years where you were forced to listen to boring talk radio, lousy top 40 and inane sports talk are over. People have choices now that never existed before, so offerings like Air America and other similarly dull concepts finally have to prove their value in a highly competitive marketplace where people can seek out the talent and topics that actually interest them. I will be very interested to see which if any of the Air America hosts or shows move to online and find success there were a smaller but more focused audience might attract sufficient sponsors.

So, if you are interested in becoming a commentator and taking a shot at broadcasting yourself, you just need to contact our studios and we will be happy to show you how to get started. It isn't easy but it is incredibly rewarding and I encourage you to look into it and get started. It is cheaper then you might imagine, but as Air America shows, you better bring something that people actually want to listen to or it will be a long, quiet, slow slide to obscurity.