Malloy, Nova M take to the airwaves today

It's been two months since Air America Radio cancelled Mike Malloy's late night radio show. Tonight, he's back with a vengeance.

Nova M, Sheldon and Anita Drobny's upstart radio network, inserts the latest piece of their puzzle tonight with Malloy's comeback.

Malloy's return will be confined to one station at the start, Nova M's flagship station KPHX (1480AM) in Phoenix, where it will air from 7-10PM locally (9-Mid ET). The show will roll out in syndication in the next week or two, once technical limitations are resolved.

As with Air America Radio, his former employer, Malloy will still be doing the show from his from his studio in the Atlanta area.

"The Drobny's are good hearted people," Malloy said. "There are very few people in radio who I consider to be 'good hearted.' which I consider to be one of the highest compliments, and I consider Shelly Drobny to be one of them. He's very idealistic, decent man."

What is the future for Nova M?

Malloy replied, "I'd like to see NovaM expand. I'd like to see them bring on more liberal talent-- people who are really didicated to liberal causes... I'd like to see NovaM oick up affiliate stations in major markets throughout the country, who are run by individuals who understand that if you take Chicago, New York, Miami or Houston or LA or where ever, that half of the audience has left talk radio because of all the right wing bullshit... and that it is you-- the program director or sales manager of the radio station-- if you really want to get your audience back, then include liberal programming, because more than half this country (is responsive to the liberal message.)"

Malloy will initially be broadcast on Nova M's, KPHX. The network also controls KXDE (1380AM) in Little Rock AR, which will soon pick up the show. Radio stations in other markets, including San Diego, Madison, Ann Arbor and Portland have reportedly inquired about the show, and KPTK (1090) in Seattle has gone so far as to announce his pending arrival on that station in the coming weeks.

"We love Mike Malloy," said Sheldon Drobny, co-founder of the new NovaM Radio Network. "The response we've had from many of the liberal talk radio slash Air America stations has been tremendous. They want Mike Malloy back. So we're really thrilled that we've got one of the best liberal talk radio hosts, and we're going to build upon that and we're talking to others."

Unlike Air America, Nova M will not be a full-service 24/7 network. They will start with only a few shows, including Malloy, Mike Newcomb's local Phoenix morning show, Peter B. Collins' established self-syndicated show, and a new weekend offering by pollster John Zogby. They are also talking with other hosts from around the country.

Nova M's two current stations will continue to air a mix of local and syndicated programming, including shows from Air America.

Malloy has not been keeping a low profile since his departure from Air America. He has appeared on other radio shows, most recently that of Alex Jones (mp3 link), where Malloy put the blame of his firing on Air America CFO Bob Ennis, formerly of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., owner of the FOX network and FOX News. He also complained about Air America management, who he and his union representative at AFTRA sparred with over unpaid money. The negotiations resulted in a pending two year contract, only to be thrown out by Ennis soon after. Malloy also ripped into former CEO Danny Goldberg and his replacement, Jim Wiggett, who's previous managerial experience was in the cosmetics industry.

As for the present, Malloy will start out on KPHX, which will offer streaming capabilities available to listeners worldwide. His show will likely still be archived at White Rose Society, which currently contains archives going back to before his I.E. America days. It appears that Nova M may also archives some programming.