Thursday afternoon, FishbowlLA got an anonymous tip, claiming that Rhodes is wasting no time rebounding from her split with Air America:
Not sure if you care about this at all but here some info on the Rhodes situation...
She's going to be signing a deal with Nova M Radio in the next few hours for about the same money Air America was paying her. She will broadcast Monday afternoon on all Clear Channel affiliates and several other stations. The folks at Air America don't miss her one bit, in fact she's widely hated among everyone who has actually met her. She has moved from New York City to West Palm Beach, FL and she will broadcast from the WJNO studios.
If you have any need to use that or pass it along, go right ahead. Please withhold my name and info.
And now it's official. Nova M Radio is reporting on their site that former Air America Radio afternoon host Randi Rhodes has signed with the upstart network, and will resume her show next Monday. Airtime will remain the same, 3-6P ET.Nova M CEO John Manzo says, “I just can’t stop smiling - Randi is simply the biggest and the best. Randi Rhodes and Mike Malloy under one roof – talk about TALENT!”
Randi Rhodes adds, “With Manzo at helm of Nova M, I am truly going to work for the best of the best. He is radio elite…and I am too (laughs)
On board so far to carry the show are Clear Channel affiliates such as the previously announced KKGN in San Francisco, WINZ in Miami, KTLK in Los Angeles, KPOJ in Portland, KKZN in Denver and others. The Nova M deal also adds the network's KPHX in Phoenix back into the fold. CBS-owned KPTK in Seattle will also carry her show. More will be re-added.
Rhodes also appeared on "Larry King Live" Thursday night. And Rhodes' website no longer redirects to Air America, but now temporarily to Nova M Radio.
Meanwhile, Huffington Post reports that Air America will embark on the post-Randi era next Monday, with celebrity fill-ins. First up is actor/comedian Richard Belzer, holding down the slot next week. Belzer is perhaps best known for his role on the TV series "Law & Order:SVU," where he plays Det. John Munch. Other future fill-ins may include Rosie O'Donnell, Fran Drescher and Phil Donahue. In addition, Rhodes has been scrubbed from the schedule on Air America's site, with a vague "New Show Soon" graphic in the lineup.
Eureka, CA 
12 comments:
Another clue: Nova M's website says to look for a *new* website on Mon Apr 14.
And I was just going to mention that...
Thanks! :)
Nova M Radio's website just announced that Randi Rhodes is joining the network! Also got an article about the announcement up on my blog:
http://equal-radio.blogspot.com/2008/04/randi-rhodes-joins-nova-m-radio.html
I'm telling ya, this is great news for Nova M Radio!
Good god - Air America doesn't have much left. No 6-9am Eastern show, Lionel is insignificant against Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann is great but no competition for Ed Schultz, and now nothing in the 3-6pm Eastern slot...Ms. Maddow can't work 6am-9pm to save the day!!!
I was gone most of the evening and have just now gotten around to a few updates.
The official news broke right after I left (hey, I can't hang around waiting all day!). So here ya go.
Also added some more station info and more about AAR's fill-in hosts. Belzer is cool, though I thought they were shying away from stand-up comedians with raunchy stage acts - Belzer puts Randi to shame and then some. I actually wouldn't mind checking out his radio stint (he's great on "L&O:SVU"). But Rosie O'Donnell? Fran Drescher? YIIIIIIIKES!!! Are they trying to get people not to listen? That sounds like what they use at GITMO to extract confessions out of terror suspects! Isn't that against the Geneva Convention?
Just when I thought AAR couldn't screw things up more than they already have, they come back and completely surprise me. Unbelievable!
Good coverage. The regular media really managed to garble this story.
It's official: Air America has become irrelevant. Question is: What will WWRL do? If they stay with Randi, AA is down to one show in New York.
The only unanswered question is was this about Hillary or about money (not having to pay Randi's salary)?
I like Detective Munch from HLOTS more than SVU but I don't see him as a talk show host. Maybe if they paired him again with Ned Beatty (Detective Bolander, "Big Man").
Phil Donahue bounced around several small Midwestern stations before doing talk radio (then talk TV) in Dayton. He was very good before he hit the big time. I'd love to see him doing talk radio again but I wonder if he still has got game.
Please: Anybody but Rosie.
And, once again, Sam Seder gets boned.
Seder will end up at Nova M himself - and they'll probably bring Marc Maron back. Watch.
"Seder will end up at Nova M himself - and they'll probably bring Marc Maron back. Watch."
From your mouth to Sheldon Drobny's ear.
I doubt Marc Maron will ever go back to work for AAR. He's no longer one of their fans. Had anyone been listening to the Mike Malloy show last week you would have been hearing Marc. He interviewed Randi after she got bumped from Larry King's show. It seems the reason she was "censored" from AAR was due to a "marketing" ploy. The new owner wanted to see just "how valuable she was to AAR". Well, after a huge protest they realized that she was but refused to put her back on until she renegotiated her contract. Seems they wanted the right to fire her for any reason any time they wanted. She refused and they refused to let her go back on until she did. She said she didn't have the time nor the money to fight this so she quit. All I can say is good for her. This makes the fourth owner for AAR and they just seem to be going out of their way to destroy it as best they can. Gee, no surprize considering they are conservatives with an agenda. Mike spoke about his dealings with AAR when the fired him. Apparently they still owe him $100,000 in back wages but since they hid behind the bankruptcy they aren't in any hurry to compensate him for those back wages. Maron isn't too pleased with the way he was treated by AAR either. Like he said and I'm sure thousands of listeners out there who ever heard his "Morning Sedition" show will vouch that it was one of the best and most brilliant morning talk radio shows ever. Well, they didn't like him so they canned his ass. Another brilliant move by AAR. At least there are other stations out there carrying the progressive talk so if AAR does go down in flames we shall still have our voice out there for the truth to be heard. Thank the Universe for the internet and satellite radio. I hope Nova M would have the good sense to hire Marc Maron and let him put his Sedition show back on.
Oh, I wish they brought back Marc Maron and the 'Morning Sedition'. I recall one morning driving to work on the Interstate and he had a Lawton Smalls segment. I started laughing so hard I had to pull off. Now that was great 'morning drive-time' progressive radio!
I agree - sedition was great, and Lawton Smalls was hysterical.
I say "Good riddance" to Rhodes. She has become just about as unlistable as Shultz, Press and Miller. She adds very little to the conversation in terms of actual insight or knowledge. Come on Nova M, give Maron a show - the guy has depth, humanity and funny. He expands the boundaries of progressive talk to more than just politics. I love Malloy, Hartmann, and Seder but I can only handle so much straight political stuff before I burn out.
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