WHJJ/Providence phasing out AAR

Not surprising. Ratings dipped (as they did for competition) in the past year or so. WHJJ caught a lot of flack for replacing much of their local programming with syndicated fare. Now they're going back to that.

...WHJJ decided to go with a syndicated lineup from liberal talk network Air America. Ratings immediately dropped, falling 16 percent from the fall of 2003 to the fall of 2004.

Bill George, program director for WHJJ, said the Air America experiment is essentially over.

"We tried to do something big and different," he said. "Needless to say, we were not pleased with the results . . . we are now committed to live and local talk."

WHJJ is still broadcasting The Al Franken Show, Air America's showcase, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., but George said changes in that time slot will be announced within a few weeks.