Air America arrives in Arkansas

Air America radio will begin broadcasting in Central Arkansas on Monday with appearances by former president Bill Clinton and retired general Wesley Clark.

The national network broadcast will be carried by Little Rock-based KXDE 1380am, which Nova M Radio recently acquired through LMA with an option to purchase.

"We're about giving people another voice to hear," said Nova M's president and CEO Anita Drobny in a telephone interview today. "We want people to digest, compare, discuss, and have an open forum."

Nova M is buying stations around the nation to carry the Air America feed, and the move into Arkansas is part of its "quest to be as spread out as possible," according to Drobny.

Air America, which started in March 2004 broadcasting in only three U.S. cities, bills itself as a liberal alternative to conservative talk radio, which dominates national airwaves. The Arkansas station will be close to the 100th Air America affiliate nationwide, and Drobny calls the network's expansion "the biggest rollout of a network since CNN."

Its Arkansas debut on Monday will feature Clinton and Clark as guests on both the Al Franken Show (which airs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and the Randi Rhodes Show (2 p.m. to 5 p.m.).