The Randi rebound

(5/11/09) For and updated list of Rhodes' affiliates, click here.

Randi Rhodes will be back on the airwaves come May 11, two weeks from now, via Premiere Radio Networks. Her show will originate from the Washington, DC area, rather than her longtime home in West Palm Beach. And three Clear Channel-owned stations have announced plans to bring her back as well, including KTLK Los Angeles (live), KKGN San Francisco (4-7P PT) and KPOJ Portland (3-6P PT).

So, where else will she wind up?

You can add to that list, so far, CBS' KPTK Seattle (6-9P PT), and Clear Channel's KABQ Albuquerque (4-7P MT) and WXXM Madison (time TBA).

UPDATE: Via Casey Buck, Rhodes will be on XM165 live, replacing Glenn Beck.

And now we get into speculation. More possibilities include other Clear Channel-owned progressive talkers like KKZN Denver, KPTQ Spokane, WDTW Detroit and WPEK Asheville. Clear Channel has a habit of pushing product from their Premiere subsidiary onto its individual stations. In addition, Rhodes could even turn up on a few of their conservotalkers. There is still no word on her longtime radio home, WNJO West Palm Beach, which appears to be content with Sean Hannity in her old slot. They could, however, opt to carry her either live or delayed.

Some stations are currently carrying Rhodes' Nova M replacement, Nancy Skinner (though she now does it independently). Those include KXLJ Juneau, WWKB Buffalo and KTNF Minneapolis.
KGOE Eureka currently has two holes to fill in its daily lineup. That could be a possibility.

Rhodes does stand a chance of improving on her Nova M affiliate base. Being with a strong network such as Premiere would be very reassuring for potential affiliates, as there is far less danger of her (or her network) going AWOL this time around.

Bookmark this entry if you wish. I'll keep updating it over the next couple weeks.

The no-nonsense Thursday update

Because I couldn't come up with a cute theme.

About face at The Mic

Seems like only a few weeks ago that WXXM (92.1FM) in Madison was in panic mode, as they attempted to plop financial talker Dave Ramsey into the afternoon drive shift held by Thom Hartmann. After the outcry from many of the station's pissed-off listeners, they quickly retreated, and put Ramsey's show in morning drive delay. Then the station's program director, Brian Turaney was one of many nationwide who got caught up in ongoing Clear Channel downsizing moves.

Then the Arbitron Fall ratings book came out.

After picking their jaws off the floor following the sight of that nifty 4.7 overall share, station management obviously saw that they had a good thing going. Considering that the station actually tied with sister WMAD, the top country station in the market, they grew a brain and thought, 'hey, why fix what isn't broken, right?"

So, another lineup change will occur next Monday. And it looks like Bill Press is in, and it appears that Ramsey's out. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Buying Time

Sure, things are likely looking a bit murky over at Air America Media. There's been a lot of changes over the past year or so. They're also losing a couple big affiliates. And their best-known host Rachel Maddow has taken a lower profile there to suit her main TV gig. Their other top talent, Thom Hartmann is jumping ship to Dial Global next month. But the network that just won't die is still going.

And what better place to start than the sales team? After all, money makes the radio world go 'round. Air America is beefing up its sales team to work their radio, online and video platforms by hiring two new account executives and appointing Scott Elberg as chief revenue officer to oversee the division.

New hires include Lory George (director of digital sales) and Terry Howard (account manager). Angela Loftus will stay in her position as vice president of sponsorship sales while Joe Kenavan will also remain as the vice president and director of national and network sales.

In addition, a Washington, D.C. sales office will open later this year.

"With President Obama in office, progressive media is now the mainstream," said Elberg, who has served as Air America's chief operating officer since 2007.

"Air America Media's goal in 2009 is to focus on listeners, readers and viewers, which will include a Web site redesign, the launch of an online video offering, and several on-air initiatives," CEO Bennett Zier said in a statement.

Sirius XM suitor?

The recently formed Sirius XM has been a victim of the sluggish economy. And it looks like a bigger fish has the company in its sights.

Echostar, which owns Dish Networks, has been assuming quite a bit of Sirius XM debt that matures February 17. No word on why Echostar owner Charles Ergen is doing this, but some think Sirius' ground facilities and transmitters would be a nice fit.

Make it end already... Please!

As hinted at here the other day, the DTV transition date has been moved. Instead of the February 17 "hard" date for the end of analog television transmission, that magic date is now June 12.

Yesterday the House did an about-face and decided to postpone the change until June, as requested by many, including President Obama. And, as mentioned the other day, there is now funding for the $40 converter box voucher coupons, available to you procrastinators at this link.

But, that doesn't mean that your favorite station will still be broadcasting ghosting, static-filled analog pictures up until June. Station operators can still shut down their analog facilities at any time until that date, and there are estimates that as many as 300 may just do that. Some are being forced to, since they have already made arrangements to vacate the channel allocation or the broadcast tower facilities. And it may also come down to money. Shutting down sooner will be much easier on the bottom line, particularly in this cash-strapped economic environment.

I hope that this will be my final word on this subject until June (when I may just do a farewell salute to analog television). If you haven't already gotten your box (if you need one), then by all means do so. If you're too lazy to send away for the vouchers, then you can still pay full price at the big box retailer (as the clerks snicker at you for shelling out the extra $40). Just do it already, and join the rest of us in the 21st century.

Another one bites the dust

Times are tough in radio. In a few years, we could see nothing but sports talk on the AM dial and nothing but Ryan Seacrest on the FM. And they wonder why terrestrial broadcasting is dying.

The latest talk show casualty is Los Angeles talker Tom Leykis. He does an afternoon syndicated show for Westwood One, and while it was never huge, did have a significant presence during the FM shock talk craze a few years ago.

But now, with many of those FM talkers flipping to other formats (like sports), Leykis' raunchy guy talk has been heard in fewer and fewer markets. And now, Westwood One has finally thrown in the towel. Come March 6, Leykis' show will only be heard in his home LA market, where it isn't doing too badly.

Also gone are his other two syndicated weekend shows, a 'best-of' show and one devoted to cigar smoking.

That'll be the day (this thing gets posted)

With this catch-all entry, let us pause and remember the significance of this day, February 3, 2009. For today marks one of the most notable days in music history.

Fifty years ago, on February 3, 1959, a trio of young rockers on a midwestern ballroom tour, rocker Buddy Holly opted to get out of the dilapidated and freezing tour bus and charter a plane to take him and his band from Mason City, Iowa to their next gig in Moorhead, MN, hoping to arrive early enough to get some laundry done.

Tourmate Richie Valens flipped a coin with one of Holly's bandmates, Tommy Alsup, for his plane seat. Valens won. And another tourmate, J.P. (The Big Bopper) Richardson, suffering from the flu, begged Holly's other bandmate, Waylon Jennings, for his seat, to which Jennings obliged.

When Holly learned that Jennings wasn't going to fly, he said, "Well, I hope your ol' bus freezes up." Jennings responded, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes." No more ominous words were perhaps ever spoken. The plane wound up doing just that not too long after takeoff, killing all aboard.

Read more about The day the music died.

And here it is, the catch-all entry. Enjoy.

The day the music could die at EMI

This one is a bit off-topic in general, but is, however, music-related. And there are parallels between the entertainment industry and the media industry. Both have consolidated to the point that the biggest players hold an increasingly large chunk of the pie, and in some cases, some companies have fallen under the control of private equity firms with myopic slash-and-burn mentalities.

Most notable in the music industry is venerable British label EMI, which has a long and storied history. They're the ones that brought us Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Garth Brooks. Their Abbey Road Studios in London is perhaps the most famous and most innovative studio on the planet. And now, it looks like EMI's recording legacy could come to an end.

EMI has long been suffering, and even more so since the takeover by the Terra Firma private equity firm. Their deep-pocketed rivals have gotten much bigger, and EMI has seen an exodus of some of their biggest stars, including Brooks, Radiohead and Paul McCartney, who have all recently opted to go the indie label route. All of the combined factors have resulted in the recording division posting losses of £757 million ($1.08 billion) for the year ending March, 2008. Even after cleaning up some sloppy business practices and slashing 1500 jobs, the company is still hemmhoraging money.

Terra Firma may sell off EMI's recording division and keep its lucrative music publishing division. Could EMI land with yet another private equity group or get swallowed up by one of the other big industry fish, such as Sony, Time Warner or Universal Media Group? Or could we see a situation where some of the crown jewels, i.e. the lucrative Beatles catalog, get sold off separately, perhaps to the band members/estates themselves? Music fans will likely be watching this one closely.

And the prospect of a Big Three holding sway over most of the music industry could be a double-edged sword. With the ability of smaller independent labels and consortiums finding distribution and promotion to be quite simple compared to years past, and big artists such as Brooks, The Eagles and Nine Inch Nails releasing their new material sans-label online or through exclusive deals with retailers like Wal-Mart, do we really need major labels anymore?

Early in the Morning

Starting this week, you can hear Rachel Maddow in mornings at Air America, as she has given up her weeknight show on the radio network.

The New York Daily News says that Maddow will "provide content" for an hour-long morning program, largely built on her MSNBC show of the previous evening.

The problem, says Maddow, is that something had to give.

"I just couldn't keep doing both," she says. "It was a quality control issue - the quality of the program and my own quality of life. I need time to, say, eat and sleep, which I understand most people do every day. I wasn't. I needed not to be grabbing food off a cart at 2 in the morning."

Oh, Boy!

Two years after they almost killed it, and only a few weeks after management tried to shake it up by making some rather controversial changes, it appears that the listeners were right after all.

And with that, congratulations are in order for WXXM (92.1 The Mic) in Madison. In the most recent ratings book, they have jumped from a 2.2 share to a whopping FOUR POINT FREAKIN' SEVEN (!!!) in the overall numbers. That's a 4.7, folks, and marks a record for the biggest number for a purely progressive talk station in America.

Currently, they are tied for #6 overall in the market with country music sister WMAD.

And they say nobody listens. Feh!

Not Fade Away

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you know that television will undergo a major transformation in 2008. Gone will be the seven decade-old analog standard, to be replaced by ones and zeros.

As it currently stands, all of the nation's full-powered television stations will be required to turn off their analog transmission facilities and continue with their digital-only facilities on February 17. This may be extended to June 12 if Congress acts soon (and President Obama has signalled he will sign the bill once it leaves the House successfully). That means that, if you receive your television signals via rabbit ear antennas, you need to take note.

First, if you subscribe to cable, satellite or similar service, you're set. You're good to go. You may not even notice anything come February 17.

If you get your signals over-the-air, you may need to take note. Do you have a newer wide-screen LCD, plasma or other flat-panel set? Or a newer CRT (that big picture tube) unit that already receives digital signals? You're also set, but you may have to refer to your instruction manual to make sure you've already scanned the digital channels.

Now, if you have an older set (made more than three years ago or so) and it doesn't already receive digital signals, you may need one of those digital converter boxes. So far, they've been selling like crazy. So much that the government program that doles out $40 discount vouchers for the units has run out of money. That has been replenished, thanks to the recent stimulus bill that just got passed.

If you've been procrastinating and still haven't applied for your voucher yet, you can still do so, unless you just don't care about television anymore. Otherwise, you can still pay full-price for a converter box, if so desired. The boxes typically retail for $50-60, and can be found at most big-box retailers such as Best Buy, Radio Shack, Target and Wal-Mart.

Keep in mind that even though the analog shutoff may be postponed, individual stations, faced with the expense of keeping their old signals on for another four months, may opt to sign off analog come February 17. The FCC has been allowing stations to do this. Once the analog signal signs off for good, you'll need to be digitally compliant to still watch.

Now, let's say that you get your signals over-the-air. If you haven't already scanned for digital channels, then do so. Stations are still signing on their digital counterparts and even debuting subchannels. With the analog signals shut down, some stations may increase their digital power, allowing for a greater coverage area. And some may even change channel locations. It certainly would not a bad idea to occasionally rescan to update the tuner. And make sure you've got a decent antenna (often, a simple $20 one will suffice - a rooftop antenna is ideal).

But if you need a converter box, and don't already have one, what the hell are you waiting for?

The Clear Channel bloodbath

I was tempted to sit on this one for a few days, just to let the smoke clear. But to be quite honest, I really don't know if and when that will ever happen.

So, while the real world is caught up in the whirlwind of President Obama's inauguration, the radio world is reeling with news of massive layoffs by the industry's giant, Clear Channel. In essence, 1,850 positions, or about 9 percent of its staff, have been wiped out, effective immediately. These cuts are occurring at the outdoor advertising division and the company's stations nationwide, and have affected everyone, including management, salespeople, office staffers, part-timers and even full-time air talents.

The cuts began yesterday, and they keep coming in (industry bible Radio and Records is keeping a running update on their site). And where it all stops, no one knows.

Most of the paring down is due to the economy. As companies struggle, that leaves far less money to put toward advertising. And that lack of advertising revenue is hurting the media, especially newspapers, magazines and radio.

Of course, the cynical among us assume that the woeful state of broadcast revenue makes it quite convenient for radio station owners to cut staff down to a minimum to minimize expenses and maximize revenue. After all, does anyone expect radio stations to hire more on-air staffers once the economy rebounds? Considering that even music-oriented radio stations are filling afternoon and evening shifts with syndicated programming, that doesn't bode well for the local guy. The big corporations will see this as an opportunity to program stations from regional or even national offices. Look at all of this as a trend toward the national homogenization of radio.

Rumor has it that the Obama Administration's FCC will make the corporatization of the radio dial a heavy priority over the next few years. They would certainly like to expand access to the airwaves to more parties as opposed to the Bush/Clinton approach of letting a few big groups own virtually everything. This would certainly be a welcome development in the industry.

As for what layoffs concern stations covered by this blog, there are so far only a few. WXXM program director Brian Turany is one of those who have gotten the axe, which is a shame, since he has been a stalwart and sympathetic supporter of the station's progressive talk format.

And in San Diego, former progressive talk station KLSD, currently withering away with its sports talk format, has virtually eliminated its local presence on the airwaves. Four of its five on-air hosts are gone, with the remaining personality teaming up with the station's program director to host a four hour afternoon show. The rest of the schedule is straight off the FOX Sports national feed.

And for those curious, KLSD's sports format is still mostly a no-show in the local ratings, having fallen off the list with the departure of its old progressive talk format.

You say goodbye, and I say Hello

Always looking for a clever gimmick in which to report on rather mundane news offerings, I have dedicated the theme of this entry to the greatest band in rock history, The Beatles. And it also helps set up a personal, off-topic rant at the end of this.

So, to tie it all in, here's their 1967 hit, "Hello Goodbye":

Hello, Hello Air America adds a new correspondent and weekend host, as the network has tapped former Time magazine columnist and Wonkette.com co-founder Ana Marie Cox as its first Washington, D.C.-based national correspondent. She will also travel the country to profile people and stories illustrating life in America.

In this new capacity, she also will contribute content to airamerica.com and host a weekly radio program. Cox makes her Air America debut on Monday, January 19 to contribute to Air America’s Inauguration coverage.

“We’re thrilled to have Ana Marie’s unique voice join the Air America chorus,” said Bill Hess, senior vice president of programming for Air America. “Her curiosity about the issues facing Americans and how they deal with these issues on a daily basis promises to serve as the foundation for lively reports and commentaries from the capital and from the Main Streets of America”.

“Ana Marie’s presence on Air America is a significant step in the continued growth of Air America Media,” added Bennett Zier, Air America’s chief executive officer.

In addition to her work at Wonkette and Time, she served on the editorial staffs of Suck.com, Mother Jones and Radar. She is currently writing for The Daily Beast. Cox also published her first novel in 2006, “Dog Days.”

By the way, Air America, not surprisingly, is offering extensive coverage from next Tuesday's inauguration of President Obama (gee, sounds good saying that!). Thom Hartmann's show will air live from the Capitol with guests Cox and fellow Air America host Ron Reagan. Ira Mellman, former WTOP and WCBS reporter/anchor and Air America’s special correspondent, will also be contributing on-air and online live from Washington, D.C. on the Inaugural festivities.

Goodbye KHRO (1650AM), the former Air America outlet in El Paso, last week parted ways with its most notable remaining liberal talker, afternoon host Paul Strelzin.

On his last show, Strezlin said. "There are a lot of people out there that like radio, that like to talk and will do it for free. I can't at my age do it for free." Strelzin was the only paid on-air employee on the talk station.

As with much of the radio industry these days, crippled due to the economy and the lousy advertising market, it was due to budgetary reasons. Strelzin does have an open invitation to return to the station, provided he can enlist sponsors for his three hour show.

Hello, again Only days after WXXM in Madison (92.1 The Mic) replaced Thom Hartmann with Dave Ramsey, listener outcry has forced station management to reconsider. So, Hartmann is back and Ramsey has been moved to the vacant morning shift. And no, the station has no current plans to change formats.

Goodbye WLIB in New York loses its last link to its Air America days as morning guy Mark Riley departs. Prior to returning to WLIB, Riley hosted several shows for the network.

Hello, Goodbye President-elect Obama has reportedly tapped Julius Genachowski to succeed Republican Kevin Martin as head the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Genachowski, a onetime executive at IAC/InterActive and a former DC venture capitalist at LaunchBox Digital, served as Obama's chief technology adviser during the presidential campaign and also had a major role in fundraising. He has an FCC background as well, having served as chief counsel for former Chairman Reed Hundt during the Clinton administration.

Although the nomination has not been finalized, NAB President/CEO David Rehr issued a statement saying, "Julius Genachowski has a keen intellect, a passion for public service, and a deep understanding of the important role that free and local broadcasting plays in American life. NAB salutes President-elect Obama on this superb choice to lead the FCC."

Tech fans will also welcome Genachowski, as he is a strong advocate for net neutrality, as well as for universal broadband access, a high priority for Obama.

Incidentally, earlier today, the most recent head of the FCC, Kevin Martin, turned in his resignation from the commission altogether.

Goodbye, Goodbye? Times are tough in the media industry, mostly due to a serious decline in advertising revenue, and the print media is perhaps hurting the most. Case in point are two notable daily newspapers, currently on the selling block. Hearst is looking to unload the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and E.W. Scripps is seeking a buyer for Denver's Rocky Mountain News, Colorado's oldest newspaper. Hearst will close the paper if a suitor cannot be found and Scripps set a Friday deadline for a buyer to come forward, or it too will fold. Both Seattle and Denver have another daily paper.

Hello and Goodbye? to the DTV transition. If Genachowski is nominated and confirmed as FCC Chairman, the first big thing on his plate, in contrast to Martin's obsession with Janet Jackson's tits and allowing the corporate takeover of the radio dial, is the upcoming switch from analog to digital television, to commence less than five weeks from now, on February 17.

Or will it?

The current DTV voucher program, which allows viewers with older sets to order $40 coupons good toward purchase of a DTV converter box (average price $50-60), has also been in place for a year, and has been promoted heavily via the airwaves. Evidently, many have taken note, as demand for the coupons has outstripped the supply. As of last week, the DTV coupon program has run out of money, and no more has so far been earmarked for it, hence no more coupons being issued for outstanding requests. Because of this, the Obama transition team and Democratic lawmakers want to delay the February 17 date, in order to play catch-up. Another option proposed is to waive the expiration date on expired coupons still floating around.

The current FCC administration has warned that changing the date would prove to be chaotic and confusing. In addition, it could cause problems for local television stations that have already arranged for shutting down their analog facilities on that date (though stations could go ahead and switch on that date if they wanted, as quite a few already have).

So, why are there people who haven't upgraded? Yahoo! tech columnist Ben Patterson says it's either due to procrastination, denial or just plain "technical naiveté."

According to this New York Times story, about 6.8 percent of U.S. households aren't ready for the DTV transition — meaning that 93.2 percent are indeed ready to go.

Patterson is one of many arguing to keep the February 17 date. To be honest, so am I. After seeing many of these same cutoff dates come and go over the years, perhaps it's time to just get it over and done with. Plus, many television stations will be able to increase their power once they turn off adjacent analog facilities. Stations and networks can also go about the task of standardizing image layouts, perhaps doing away with the maddening 'letterbox-in-letterbox' look of many affiliates and the constant switch between standard definition and widescreen HDTV. And, most importantly, it will allow for the rollout of 4G, the next generation of Wi-Fi internet transmission.

Goodbye KQDS in Duluth, which actually got ratings with their former progressive talk format before dumping it for oldies a year ago, has switched once again. Goodbye oldies and say "heba hello" to sports, adding FOX Sports Radio and occasional feeds of Twin Cities sports powerhouse KFAN. KFAN syndicates their programming around the region.

Hello, uh... Help! Remember Michael Zwerling? His conservative talk station in Santa Cruz, KSCO (1080) has turned to begging for money – via PayPal – on the station website. They’re suggesting a monthly donation of $10.80 to “help us keep quality programming on the air.” Zwerling told Brad Kava of the San Francisco Examiner that operating his talk station without adequate money flow is “just a struggle. There’s a lot of things I want to do with that station, but I can’t do it unless we get some money coming in.” What about the traditional way? Zwerling says “I’d like to get it from advertisers, but that isn’t always there.”

Zwerling's complaints about lack of advertisers for his stations are nothing new. A couple years ago, he waged a notorious campaign directed at listeners of then-progressive talk KOMY, threatening to pull the programming if people didn't step up to either advertise or send money to keep the format on the air. Only thing is, his two stations never really had much of an advertising staff, often relying on local hosts themselves to sell time for their own shows.

Goodb... oh, good grief! And what would be more complete in an entry such as this than a Beatles/new media tie-in?

Austin Washington, who by day works for the Obama transition team and is also distantly related to George Washington, created a music video that became somewhat of a web sensation over the holidays. It shows a bunch of people in Santa Claus suits randomly hugging tourists and federal bureaucrats in D.C.

The song, he claims, came from a dream (a #9 Dream?) on, of all dates, December 8, the 28th anniversary of John Lennon's tragic death. In the dream, Lennon sang a song called "Need A Little Love." Whatever gets you through the night, I guess. Interesting thing is, it's not a song Lennon himself actually wrote or performed, let alone released.

Austin was inspired, though. With his acoustic guitar and laptop, he recorded a demo of the song. A few days later, Austin encountered the bizarre scene of 150 anarchic Santa Clauses forcibly hugging tourists and federal bureaucrats outside the White House, obviously giving peace a chance. He recorded all this with his cell phone. Hence, a music video was born, with the unwieldy title "Best Christmas Video EVER! Pole Dancing Elves, John Lennon, Santa Claus" became a YouTube sensation, being posted there after it had already crashed the servers of original home PopMusic.com. On YouTube, it allegedly became the most popular Christmas video in history. The whole thing was a unique way of showing that, all in all, all we need is love.

But the video was living on borrowed time. Enter the Grinch, in the form of Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. Ono, wielding her ticket to ride as executor of Lennon's estate, spoiled the party and, faster than you can say 'everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey,' complained to YouTube. She said, she said that the song and video were copyright violations. Essentially, she has copyright control over stuff you imagine Lennon singing, so keep your thoughts to yourselves.

YouTube, oddly maintaining that the song is owned by the Lennon estate, pulled the video off their site on the twelfth day of Christmas, January 5. Nevermind that the song had never been released by Lennon, never even showed up on bootlegs, and for all we know, was probably never even written or conceived by Lennon (aside from Washington's dream), let alone trademarked. Perhaps the copyright complaint is due to the use of Lennon's name in the title, and YouTube is a bit confused by the whole thing.

Well, well, well. How do you sleep, indeed, Dear Yoko!

It's ironic that Ono would get pissy about something like this. This almost sounds like something John and Yoko would have done in the late 60s and throughout the early 70s, if they could be bothered to actually get out of bed. Ironic in that Ono has always felt a sense of pride in fans celebrating the peaceful message of Lennon's legacy. And over time, she has also gone out of her way to soften her public image, which needed a great deal of work.

And there's already a bunch of copyrighted Lennon and Beatles material already on the site (evidenced by the official music video at the top of this entry). Why pick on a guy who was obviously inspired by Lennon's memory to record something unique and original that helped forward his primary message of peace and love, perhaps inspiring many to come together? It's power to the people in real-life form. Yoko's actions just look petty, and one wonders whether instant karma's gonna get her. She obviously should have known better.

Most peculiar, mama.

Uh... Hello? And while we're on the topic of the Fab Four, how about a nagging recent question heard by countless Beatles fans? Sure, this is totally off-topic for this blog, but one issue close to my own heart, as a die-hard Beatles fan, so please indulge me for this rant. So, here's the question: When are we going to actually hear decent sounding CDs from the greatest band in rock history?

The current lineup of 13 original albums available in the marketplace, plus the two Past Masters catch-all collections, are the same ones that were originally released in 1987 and 1988. And we all know how much CD mastering quality has improved since then. Contemporaries such as the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and the Beach Boys have released remastered and better sounding CDs over the years to keep up with technology and present their music in the best quality possible. All four former Beatles have issued remasters of their solo works in recent years. But from the band itself, all we have is flat, cruddy sounding 80s-era drink coasters with lame booklets and liner notes (aside from Sgt. Pepper). Two albums, A Hard Day's Night and Beatles For Sale are still available only in mono (due to an uncorrected misunderstanding between EMI and producer George Martin), even though songs from these two albums, which have great stereo mixes, have since been reissued in that form on various compilations (to be fair, their first two albums, Please Please Me and With The Beatles do sound better in mono).

How lousy-sounding are the original CDs? Bootleggers have made better-sounding discs by copying original high-quality vinyl records (without scratches) to their PCs using state-of-the-art store-bought equipment. Meanwhile, there's a lot of money sitting on the table, waiting to be acquired from the many fans who are more than willing buy their CDs all over again. Hello?

Sure, there are recent collections of old material that sound pretty good, like 1 (all the #1 hits), the extensive Anthology series (which features rare outtakes), Yellow Submarine Songtrack (which also features radical and stunning remixes of much of their material from the original four-track session tapes), Love (an even more radical remix/mashup) and Let It Be... Naked (an entirely stripped-down mix and reconfiguration of the 1970 original). There's also The Capitol Albums box sets, in their original American configurations (in both mono and stereo), that feature remastered early songs from the Capitol vaults, and was reluctantly approved by Apple Corps. The audio quality between these and the old 1987 CDs is like night and day. And Capitol used second-generation masters! The Capitol set, however, does give us a hint of what to expect. Maybe.

The present shoddy state of the official Beatles catalog irritates many of their fans. Especially since a 40th anniversary release of The White Album was teased last year, then pulled. Instead, to celebrate the album's release, the Beatles' web site offers commemorative clothing and, the most ridiculous of all, a $395 commemorative fountain pen. Ugh!

So what's the hold-up? The remasters are ready to go. The Beatles' label, EMI, commissioned the project two years ago, and the output currently sits in the vault of Abbey Road Studios. But EMI, due to a 1989 legal agreement with Apple Corps., which represents the Beatles partnership, cannot release anything Beatles-related without the approval of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison (the latter two representing the estates of their late husbands). And, according to McCartney, it's the fault of unspecified and 'unacceptable' demands from EMI, whom they have long been at odds with. The band does want the remasters released, even enlisting Jeff Jones, who previously oversaw Sony's recent reissue program, to become Apple Corps. CEO in 2007.

Likely, some of the reissue question revolves around digital downloads. The band is chomping at the bit to release the music online, via iTunes and possibly other services like Rhapsody. These talks have stalled too. This doesn't matter much to die-hard fans who already own the CDs and will likely buy the reissued ones in sonically superior physical form. But, like the 1 compilation and other recent issues, digital availability opens their music to a new generation of potential (and younger) fans. All of the individual band members and/or their estates issue their solo works in download form, with McCartney (who owns all of his solo masters) and Starr being the most aggressive. In recent interviews, McCartney has been very vocal about "EMI's neanderthal approach to the internet." McCartney himself issued his latest album, the experimental Electronic Arguments, in digital form in a variety of different file formats, including the lossless, open-source and DRM-free FLAC.

Thus, a reissue of the remastered catalog will likely coincide with digital availability of the music. Why release the old stuff online only to change it soon after, right? It appears to be the 'chicken and egg' approach.

But back to the CDs. The remasters promise some really cool stuff, as can be evidenced from listening to the recent compilations. If all you've heard is the current batch of 22 year-old CDs, then the new and improved stuff will be mind-blowing. There's even a chance of hearing some of it in 5.1 surround sound, as Abbey Road's mixing staff has created many of these kinds of mixes for various DVD projects, reissued films and even the Cirque du Soliel Love project. And the next project in the Beatles pipeline, a special edition of the Rock Band video game, also features a 5.1 mix. Furthermore, many fans have been quite vocal in their demands for cleaner, updated mixes and even the availability of the original mono versions (the mono mix of Sgt. Pepper, for example, sounds radically different).

But until then, the selection of high-quality recordings of Beatles music is still quite thin. And it's a win-win for all, which makes this even more baffling. And what better time than now? EMI is hurting bad. Some doubt whether they'll even make it through the year, and in recent years, they've lost some of their highest profile artists, including Garth Brooks, Radiohead and McCartney himself, who opted to go the indie label route. If EMI gets swallowed up by an even bigger corporation, then the rights to the Beatles recordings go as well, and I'm sure, as much as they seem to detest EMI, they'd rather stick with the devil they know. The Beatles also have a legacy to uphold, and given the timeless appeal of their music, a need to preserve it for future generations. Retail sales for recorded music would get a serious kick in the pants. And the somewhat-slumping download market would no doubt benefit from the music's availability online.

And quite frankly, I would love to hear something like Abbey Road in surround sound, if not at least a version of Rubber Soul with a decent stereo mix. Oh, and while you're all at it, how about those DVD versions of the "Let It Be" movie and the Shea Stadium concert? I won't hold my breath.

Hopefully, all parties involved can resolve their issues and make 2009 a banner year for The Beatles.

Mayhem at The Mic?

Listeners in Madison, WI are a bit perplexed by several radical changes at local progressive talker WXXM (92.1FM), a.k.a. "The Mic."

In a major move that has irritated the station's die-hard fans, the same ones that persuaded station management two years ago to keep the progressive talk format, WXXM has dropped Thom Hartmann from the 2-5P shift and replaced him with financial advisor Dave Ramsey. Hartmann's show will continue on the station in overnights.

In addition, morning host Lee Rayburn announced on Friday afternoon via his Facebook page that he has left the station. WXXM's official response is that it is to "pursue interests outside of radio."

A local listener support group, Friends of Progressive Talk, is holding a meeting tonight at a local restaurant to rally around Hartmann's show. Local Clear Channel operations manager Mike Ferris, who brought the progressive talk format to WXXM (92.1) more than four years ago, will speak about the decision behind the changes at the station.

From an email newsletter:

At the upcoming meeting Tuesday, January 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Dardanelles Restaurant, Clear Channel Operations Manager Mike Ferris, who brought the progressive talk format to WXXM, The MIC 92.1 over four years ago, will speak on his decision for the format switch Mon-Fri, from 2 to 5 p.m. The Fox News media regular Dan Ramsey is now broadcast in the slot in which progressive talk show host Thom Hartmann, had been delay broadcast. Hartmann, an author of over 20 books, is known for his considerable knowledge on the United States Constitution, history and politics. Mike Ferris will talk about the issues, his decision and his intention to keep progressive talk on The MIC. The group will then have a discussion on the program changes and plans of action. The event is sponsored by Friends of Progressive Talk and The Dardanelles Restaurant.

Ferris is the one who made the decision to add Ramsey's show. In an email response to a lsitener, he stated:

...I spoke with Thom last week, he understood and respected my decision. I believe Dave's show offers expert advice and counsel on subjects that affect everyone, our personal finances.

The addition of the Dave Ramsey show makes the MIC 92.1 a more complete and well-rounded program lineup. Indeed, this has been the goal of this station over the past four years, to provide exceptional programming not available anywhere else on the FM dial, and one that offers more than just political talk.

There has been no further word thus far about any other changes pending at the station. A replay of Ron Kuby's Air America show is replaying in the morning slot, and permanent lineup changes will debut next week.

Here's more from The Capitol Times.

Friday this n' that

A couple small items to fill y'all in on...

First up, as Ron Kuby prepares to begin his career as Air America Radio's new afternoon host, it appears he'll have one less station carrying him. WXXM (92.1FM) in Madison has opted to pick up a delay of Thom Hartmann's show to fill the 2-5P CT slot.

So far, Kuby's new program will be on WWRL in New York and WVKO in Columbus. His predecessor, Randi Rhodes, who jumped to rival Nova M Radio in April to continue her show, has held on to most of her affiliates in the time slot.

Speaking of Rhodes, she is one of the first confirmed additions for Dallas' new progressive talker, KMNY, which expands the format to full-time on July 1.

And speaking of WVKO, they need money. About $50 grand. Running an independent radio station in a big market like Columbus is hard work, especially when doing battle with the Citadels and Clear Channels of the world. They have a donation link on their site. More importantly, they need sales professionals. They do have some good clients, and also make some money carrying local sports broadcasts. But they need salespeople, and past experience with progressive talk stations such as KOMY in Santa Cruz and KSAC in Sacramento proves that stations don't make money if they don't even bother to hire account executives to bring in new advertisers. The management staff of WVKO, who actually seem to have their act together, should be commended for making the effort to do something about this obvious dilemma, rather than just expect advertisers to hunt them down, which is what killed weaker small operations in the past.

So, if you live in the Columbus area (or are relocating there), have sales experience (radio preferred, but not a deal breaker) and love progressive talk, then contact them here.

Finally (unless something else happens today), the kind folks at Air America have forwarded this link. It's from Aaron Barnhart at the Kansas City Star, and it's a recorded interview with Rachel Maddow. In the clip, Rachel addresses Aaron’s question of whether, in her opinion, Barack Obama would help increase the presence of left wing talk radio, if elected President. You can find the clip here.

Middle-of-the-month soundbytes

In this edition, we look into The Young Turks' life after Air America, the apparent demise of a pioneering online liberal talk outlet, and, will the next big progressive talk star be... Morgan Fairchild? Read on.

1. The continuing evolution of the Turks

Today marked the last day of The Young Turks' show on Air America Radio. Last month, head Turk Cenk Uygur announced that the show and network had decided to part ways. Uygur and company planned to take their act online, via their own multimedia site, as well as in projects for the Brave New Films website, a venture backed by documentary filmmaker Robert Greenwald ("Outfoxed").

The new show, which will air from 3-5P ET (12-2P PT), will stream from The Turks' website, will include only 12 minutes of advertising per hour, as opposed to the radio standard of 22 minutes, and will include a four-hour free-wheeling 'rolling post-game' show, which in essence sounds like a rather informal online video chat. The new time slot will obviously be easier for Uygur and company, given that their West Coast location forced them do their Air America show live from 3-6A PT. One would guess that this will allow them to have a somewhat normal sleep schedule.

As for what Air America will replace them with in morning drive, the most recent word is that they will not even bother to syndicate another morning show. Will the webstream be silent? Will it be a replay of a day-old show from another host? Will they go outside and merely slot in a local morning show from one of their affiliates (such as Richard Bey on WWRL in New York, Nicole Sandler on WINZ in Miami or Lee Rayburn from WXXM in Madison)? Or will they go in-house? Obviously, giving fan favorite Sam Seder the slot would mollify die-hard fans. There's also new weekend host Charles Binder. Not much is known about Binder or his proposed new show, except that he's a prominent New York lawyer with an as-of-yet unknown timeslot. Whatever Air America plans to do with their vacant morning shift, they'd better do it quickly. Many of the stations that formerly carried The Turks have replaced them with Jones Radio Networks' Bill Press, who picks up new affiliates this week, with XM Radio and stations in Seattle, Detroit and other markets being added.

UPDATE: Rayburn's show will be relayed via Air America from Madison for the next few weeks as a fill-in.

2. KTLK looking for a host

Following last month's departure of Marc (Mr. K) Germain, Clear Channel's KTLK (1150AM) in Los Angeles is still looking for a replacement. They've already had weekenders Johnny Wendell and Mario Solis-Marich holding down the shift, but it appears they're looking for a long-term local solution. This week brings us an odd pairing - former Boston Globe columnist Thomas Oliphant and Morgan Fairchild. Yes, THAT Morgan Fairchild. Only in L.A...

You can hear the show today and tomorrow on KTLK from 3-7P PT (6-10P ET).

3. Non-religiously speaking

First came "Freethought Radio," a small weekend show on WXXM in Madison, WI that found its way onto Air America's national slate. Now comes a similar show from the nearby Twin Cities. A group called Minnesota Atheists has signed a six month contract with local station KTNF (950AM) to do a show on Sunday mornings from 9-10A (CT). The format of "Atheists Talk" sounds rather similar to "Freethought Radio," with an array of interviews and special guests, news reports, round-table discussions and call-ins.

"We want a seat at the discussion table," said program founder August Berkshire. "This is our way of doing it."

Berkshire said the nonpartisan show will try to dispel myths about atheists - no, they're not a bunch of grumps trying to outlaw religion - and warn people about what concerns them: a supposed erosion of the separation of church and state, and the government's discrimination against nonbelievers.

Hot topics will include anti-gay-marriage laws, restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research and creationism in schools.

Occasional special segments will cover atheist history, science and book reviews, and there will be short interviews with local atheists.

It won't be a rant-fest, Berkshire said.

"We're not trying to convert people," he said. "We're trying to engage them in a discussion. We want people to realize atheists are their neighbors, family, nice people, and that they should get to know us."

The group has an initial six-month contract with KTNF. They'll have to sell their own advertising, and have already sold half of their ad spots.

4. RadioPower.org signs off for good

A departure that completely slipped by the nose of LTR is that of webcaster RadioPower.org, a progressive talk radio pioneer which apparently shut down last month after five years of operations. Currently, the former four stream service is down to one, airing ambient techno music. Which means, the formerly popular progressive talk channel is no more.

Since 2002, long before Air America and progressive talk became big, owner Shelby LaPre gave a spotlight to progressive talkers, in addition to music webstreams featuring techno, punk and ambient music. LaPre claimed last year that listener donations helped the service to operate for 5 years, reaching on average between 2.5 and 3 million listeners per month with their various music and talk radio streams. RadioPower was also one of the first streaming services listed on iTunes.

Originally, the talk channel merely relayed the feed of the old I.E. America network, which carried shows from the likes of Mike Malloy, Thom Hartmann, Peter Werbe and others. When I.E. America folded in early 2004, LaPre continued on without them, and even served as the primary streamer for Hartmann's show before he was picked up by Air America.

Defections were common over the years. Old shows were replaced with obscure local and online shows of the time, such as The Young Turks and Guy James. Most recently, after merely piggy-backing other streams, they aired a slate of mostly original shows from the likes of Tony Trupiano, Kacey Sherrod ("KC Live!) and Henry Raines ("American AM').

But it's hard to compete as a small player in a world with many options. Air America's the most widely-known name. Nova M Radio has Mike Malloy and a wide variety of weekly shows from various up-and-comers. And Head-On Radio Network has aggressively built a rather impressive online-only operation. Not to mention, as opposed to 4-5 years ago, progressive talk can now be found on many AM stations in many markets. Many of these stations stream their signals. All of this meant that RadioPower became an afterthought.

This is not the first time RadioPower has been in danger of going kaput. Last year, LaPre claimed that the high costs of running an online service would lead to its demise. In addition, bigger names like Malloy, Hartmann and The Turks had since moved on, and competition was obviously stripping RadioPower of listeners and supporters. Still, RadioPower was a voice when a voice was difficult to find, and one can only reflect on the importance of RadioPower to the history of modern progressive talk.

The word of the day is 'Godless'

Didn't think I'd start off Year Four of LTR getting theological on all of you. But I have done crazier things here. So here goes.

Mark Green, president of Air America Radio, is either a marketing and publicity genius, or is just plain nuts.

Either description could be applied to the network's recent decision to add a show to their weekend lineup, Freethought Radio. It's referred to as "the first nationally broadcast radio show from the secular point of view." The weekly one hour show, which premiered on the network last weekend and airs on Saturdays from 1-2PM, is hosted by Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-presidents of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The objective of the show is to offer programming for nonreligious listeners, and to "counter the religious right domination of our public airwaves." Segments of the show include "Theocracy Alert," Dan's "Pagan Pulpit," "Freethinkers Almanac," and music and interviews with authors and activists.

Yes, this is a show by and for atheists, agnostics and nontheists.

"We think it's a good show," Barker said. "There's a gap, there's a place for it. With all this religious broadcasting, there's nothing specific for atheists and agnostics."

Nothing has been disclosed publicly about how exactly Freethought Radio came to the network. It started as a little weekly show on WXXM in Madison, WI, an Air America affiliate.They self-syndicated to a few non-commercial stations. What likely happened next, like with Politically Direct, Go Vegan, EcoTalk and other minor Air America shows, is that FFRF found sponsors and funding for the show, so the network cleared it.

Now, my questioning of Mr. Green's motives are not based on anything dealing with religion. Far from it. I'm a believer in the Almighty, but I often find myself jaded by what passes for organized religion these days, which seems to be more about pointing fingers, lining pockets and exerting personal power. So, along comes this new show, Freethought Radio, and Air America's embrace of it is a move that will be subject either to mountains of publicity, praise for gutsiness, or loads of criticism about "dem Godless libruls."

I learned to ignore those holier-than-thou so-called fundamentalist conservatives long ago. Many of these people wield religion as a cold blunt weapon of hate and tyranny. The religious right movement seems all too often to be a breeding ground for hypocrites - sexually frustrated, homophobic, violent racists and control freaks who are really set not too far apart from other devoutly religious types, such as the ones who would hijack jet airliners and fly them into skyscrapers.

Air America should be ready for heaping piles of scorn from the rabid right. After all, the "War on Christmas" won't begin for another month or so. Time for them to get warmed up.

And boy, are the wingnuts up in arms. Bloggers are already drooling over this, as if there's some kind of connection that proves in their eyes that liberals are all 'Godless.' And just the other day, the big GOP propaganda juggernaut that is FOX 'News' Channel, has gotten in on the act. On America's Newsroom, co-anchor Bill Hemmer teased a segment about Air America's recent programming move by asking, "Is this the new war on religion?" And further proving that the people at FOX Nuisance are really out of touch with the times, the on-air graphic is of Al Franken, with the on-screen text reading: "War on God?" Keep in mind that it's been about eight months since Franken ended his Air America show.

Hemmer picked it up in the next hour, teasing the same segment by asserting: "Also, do you think religion is a sickness? If you think so, the radio guys at Air America have ... got one heck of a show for you. Straight ahead: on the air and godless." Again, the on-screen image was of Franken and the words "Godless Programming." Wonder how much Franken's Senate challenger Norm Coleman paid for that?

In the next hour, religion correspondent Lauren Green, who has actually worked in television in Franken's home town of Minneapolis, noted that Franken is "not actually -- not really working for Air America anymore." Okay, so someone there got it right. The on-screen crawl: "Godless Radio: Air America Radio Launches New Show on Atheism." Gee, talk about subtlety!

Not surprisingly, FOX Views milked the whole Freethought Radio story like a golden calf. Jon Scott on FOX News Live even interviewed Mark Green about it, while the on-screen text read, "Shocking Show." They also brought back their religion correspondent, who spouted some unproven and massively spun statistics about how many atheist college professors there are teaching your children. In addition, Scott was quick to add that he won't be listening to the show. Like we care.

FOX Noise and their ilk love to attack anything that smacks of liberalism, and that includes Air America. However, the show is not an Air America creation. Actually, it's been airing on WXXM in Madison, WI since April 2006. Yes, its those Godless heathens at Clear Channel Communications who started it. Those same heathens who own Premiere Radio Networks, the company that syndicates Rush Limbaugh's show. So, in FOX Noise's view of the world, does that mean Rush Limbaugh's handlers are engaged in a 'War on God?' Guilt by association seems to work for them, right?

I find it highly ironic that FOX News would even 'go there' in regard to morality. After all, this is a 'news' channel that comes from a media empire created on a mountain of some of the most lurid, sleazy and violent content ever foisted on the mainstream masses. Rupert Murdoch boosted circulation over the last four decades by putting pictures of topless women in his newspapers. When they entered television by creating a 'fourth network,' FOX had to do something to get their foot in the door. Hence, their inaugural Sunday night slate on April 5, 1987 included the extremely raunchy Married...with Children. Another early show was called Women In Prison. The Parents Television Council has often criticized FOX for the content of their shows. They still air the outrageously raunchy Family Guy, which seriously stretches the boundaries of FCC standards for what's suitable for early prime time viewing. And it's a cartoon!

In the process of establishing a fourth network, FOX encouraged their affiliates to start up local newscasts. To attract viewers, the affiliates upped the ante in delivering heavy coverage of murders, fires and other various violent stories, combined with other lurid stories. Hotels in Miami refused to pipe in the local FOX affiliate, as Channel 7's heavy-handed coverage of violent local stories was bad for tourism. The network's news fare, or what loosely passed for it at the time, was heavy with coverage of dangerous criminals, police busts, animal attacks and dangerous car chases.

But I often gave FOX a pass on that stuff. After all, News Corp.'s media properties never claimed to be fundie propaganda. It was all just trash designed to rake in as much money as possible from the lowest common denominator. The 'news' channel is no exception - it's marketed toward lowbrow viewers who are gullible targets for advertisers. They're more entertainment than news. And at least they usually didn't try to bring The Almighty's name into it. Until now.

I do find it laughable that any News Corp. property would call anyone "Godless." But maybe they only hire church-going Page Three girls to pose for their newspapers.

What's even more ironic is how most conservatives and Republicans casually throw His name around. If one is to believe 'The Seven Deadly Sins,' an early part of Christian teaching, then this creates a real paradox for these guys. For example:

Lust - Limbaugh got busted coming back from a trip to the Dominican Republic, a well-known hotspot for underage prostitution, with a bottle of Viagara. This was illegal, since the pills were not prescribed in his name - a big no-no. Bill O'Reilly got slapped with a harassment suit for telling one of his employees what he'd like to do to her with flaky bread, a surreal scene that sounds like it came straight out of Last Tango In Paris. How about disgraced evangelist Ted Haggard's meth-fueled romp with male prostitutes? Holier-than-thou Idaho Senator Larry Craig's bathroom cruising? This list runs the danger of getting way too long.

Gluttony - Limbaugh. 'Nuff said. Ironically, it likely took a gluttonous addiction to Oxycontin (popping more pills than most people could possibly handle) to help him lose all that bulk.

Greed - Murdoch. 'Nuff said. Okay, that's too easy. How about Pat Robertson's dealings with corrupt dictators like Liberia's Charles Taylor and Zaire's Mobutu Seko, which resulted in bogus 'humanitarian' missions which were merely cover for extracting diamonds and gold out of Africa? Robertson also used a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, called Operation Blessing, for these purposes, then used his influence in the Republican Party to encourage the U.S. government to 'look the other way.' Also spent half a million dollars in church money to invest in a race horse named Mr. Pat.

Sloth - Sloth is basically laziness. And that could best describe the staff of FOX News, who often seem way too lazy to actually report the truth. Or the people who tag guys like disgraced Republican Congressman Mark Foley as a 'Democrat.'

Wrath - Oh, where do I start here? You'll hear lots of right-wing pundits and media goons casually throwing around phrases like "traitor," "helping the terrorists" and "un-American." You'll even hear some demand that someone blow up The New York Times building, like Ann Coulter did. I could go on and on, but isn't it ironic that these so-called God-fearing types so openly advocate the murder of thousands in Iraq? Can't you just feel the hate?

Envy - Could be construed as an intent to commit malice, or harm against another party. Kinda like the smearing of 12-year-old Graeme Frost over the S-CHIP health program. After Democrats chose Frost to deliver the party response to President Bush's weekly radio address, FOX Noise, Michelle Malkin, the National Review and the usual gang of idiots all went after Frost with guns-a-blazin' in an ill-fated smear campaign that came back and kicked them right in the asses. 'Swift-boating' a child? Now THAT'S "Godless!"

Pride - "The most powerful name in news." "Talent on loan from God." "The no-spin zone." Gee, talk about massive egos!

So, at least Air America is being honest. Much more than those fundie nuts who claim to be God's mouthpieces. It appears that Freethought Radio is designed to be a dialogue of sorts, to talk about how religion impacts everyone's lives. Nothing wrong with that. That's stuff that should be talked about. The show sounds like it would be a good fit with another Air America offering, State Of Belief, hosted by Rev. Welton Gaddy, which discusses religion and faith from a progressive perspective. Air America also aired a program called The Time is Now, hosted by Rev. James Forbes, which ended its run this past July. Doesn't sound all that 'Godless' to me.

Truth be told, my mindset on religion and its role in government (or vice-versa) is a very libertarian one - our government shouldn't be meddling in religion and religion shouldn't be meddling in our government. People should be free to believe how they want, if indeed they choose to believe or not believe. And in many ways, I do respect the atheist mindset. At various times, I went searching for biblical citations to bolster arguments, usually against hypocritical tyrants like Pat Robertson. Or I was just looking for deeper meaning from that Really Big Book. Turns out the best and most informative stuff came from - yes, you guessed it - atheist websites! Interestingly, I found that they seem to know more about The Bible than the fundie types that like to throw them at people! Ironic, isn't it? So why is that? Perhaps they see The Bible for what it is - a work started thousands of years ago, and mostly written by scholars and monks, distanced quite a bit from the outside world, who had a very conservative outlook on society. In turn, the things that they transcribed often reflected the way they saw things. Yes, The Bible was the ultimate spin job. After all, those scholars were only human.

Now, before you condemn me to that fiery place run by the guy with the horns, let me just add that I do consider myself to be spiritual. I do believe in a higher power. But that higher power most certainly isn't a bunch of guys holed up in a room writing what they think God is all about and demanding people obey. It's not about those idiots on the 700 Club. I believe it all comes, first and foremost, from within. I don't feel I need someone else to tell me how to believe. I think we all know the answer within.

Besides, most of these pseudo-Bible bangin' conservative types likely aren't all that into faith. Does anyone actually think people like Fats Lowbrow Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter attend Sunday services? Let's be real here. I doubt Limbaugh even leaves his house, unless it's to go golfing or score pills behind Denny's.

Listening to Freethought Radio likely won't doom one to eternal damnation. Believe it or not, it may even be enlightening and informative. At least more enlightening than the one-sided demagoguery that passes for religious broadcasting these days.

Rayburn back on The Mic

Closing the book on a long drawn-out drama, Lee Rayburn is finally back on "The Mic."

As in 92.1 The Mic, WXXM in Madison, WI.

The good news was announced Saturday night at a local Stephanie Miller appearance at the Barrymore Theatre. And Rayburn's return also marks a return of a local presence for the station, which ditched his old show last November when management pondered a switch to sports. Since then, Rayburn has been building up a national profile as a frequent fill-in on Air America Radio.

Well, as we all know, the station's hardcore fans did a good job of rallying behind the station and recruiting more sponsors, thus saving it from extinction. And ratings have continued to be strong. Granted, the station has been somewhat of an afterthought since the format switch debacle. Management has been a bit snippy about there not being enough sponsors. No local shows had been added to the weekday lineup. And they devote five hours every Friday and Saturday night playing Mexican music. But it appears that now, they have finally realized they own a station broadcasting at 92.1FM.

In addition to Rayburn's return, The Mic is doing some more roster shuffling. They're adding Mike Malloy's show on delay, from 11P-2A. And they're also giving a four-hour live clearance to "The Air Americans," the new show set to debut Monday night. Gone in this transition is Jon Elliott and Thom Hartmann, who previously aired on delay from 11P-2A.

Rayburn will air on the station from 6-8A, replacing the last two hours of The Young Turks, who continue at WXXM from 5-6A.

Lee Rayburn? Whodat?

Dane101 and I have at least one thing in common. Namely we both took curious notice when old articles about a former Madison talk radio host started getting a heavy number of hits, and most of them from Google with search terms such as "Lee Rayburn" and "Air America."

Well, there's a reason for that, since former WXXM Madison morning host Lee Rayburn has been guest-hosting Sam Seder's former show since last week, and will continue to do so until new permanent host Lionel takes over in mid-May.

Rayburn's tenure on WXXM (92.1 The Mic) ended last fall when the station announced a pending flip to a sports talk format. The outcry from angry listeners was massive, as they rallied to save the decently-rated station and even did something that local Clear Channel account executives evidently couldn't - they rounded up a ton of new sponsors. In the end, station management backpedaled and The Mic survived.

The station is still around, but management has yet to return most of the displaced local programming, they're still not overly confident in the format, and they even block off Friday and Saturday nights for music and programming aimed at a Mexican audience. Plus, while the station has attracted quite a few new clients in previous months, partly due to efforts from the station's supporters, management is still underwhelmed, as they want more big, national clients to buy airtime as opposed to local businesses. Let's just say that The Mic's format is on a tight leash.

But Lee Rayburn is still around. In recent months, he launched Willy Street Media and has been doing fill-in shifts for various Air America hosts, particularly Rachel Maddow and Sam Seder. And for the month leading up to the start of Lionel's show, he will be a full-fledged host on Air America Radio. WOIC in Columbia, SC even carries "Best of Lee Rayburn" on Saturdays. The network even gave him voice imaging for his show, and his own show banner on the website, which, in typical Air America fashion, is a link to a show web page that doesn't exist.

Rayburn probably won't get his own weekday show on the network following this guesting gig, but he'll likely be kept in a stable of frequent guest hosts, a list that also includes Stacy Taylor of KLSD San Diego, former KTLK L.A. host Cary Harrison and most likely Seder himself.

You can hear Rayburn weekday mornings from 9A-noon ET.

This n' that

As Sam Seder does his last weekday show for Air America Radio today (and I gotta say, he's sounding pretty good), there are a few other things non-Imus happening in the world of progressive talk radio. Here's a whole hodgepodge of some of the other stuff going on:

First, after a two and a half year partnership, Jones MediaAmerica and Air America are parting ways, according to AllAccess. MediaAmerica will no longer represent Air America's ad sales effective May 31. Gary Schonfeld, president of JMA said, "We wish the new ownership of Air America the best of luck, and we will continue to provide AAR quality sales representation until that date." No word on who's decision it was to end the partnership. Air America contracted with JMA to handle their advertising inventory sales in October 2004.

Hey, remember that MoveOn.org candidate forum on the Iraq War that was carried on Air America a few days past? Well, they did a straw poll of MoveOn's members and Barack Obama was the big winner on the issue of getting us outta there, with nearly 28% of the almost 43,000 votes cast. John Edwards was the runner-up with almost 25%. Dennis Kucinich and Bill Richardson were third and fourth. But what about Hillary? She wound up in fifth place. Speaking of these people, am I the only one who's noticed how hard the right-wing media is propping up Obama and Hillary as the DNC's candidates? Like they want to scare the racists and misogynists among us that fear either a black man or a woman moving into the White House? As indifferent as I am to either of them (particularly Clinton, but that's another story for another time), I almost hope one of them wins just to piss off the FOX 'News' lemmings. I'd most certainly vote for that (disclosure: I currently have no candidate preference, ask me in a year). Anyways, MoveOn has a few more of these forums coming up later this year, including one on energy and the environment and another one on health care.

Wonkette is reporting that RadioNation host Laura Flanders has a new book just out, called Blue Grit, which examines progressive grassroots movements in America and asks who really owns the Democratic party, "the people in the suites or the people in the streets." You can check it out at Amazon or other booksellers. Also check the right-hand column for other related books.

The devoted listeners of WXXM (92.1 The Mic) in Madison held a premiere party for a new documentary this week, Born Again Free Speech: Victory of The Mic 92.1 FM. The film shows the organizing process, the people who did it and how the campaign to save the station from the chopping block succeeded. If you'd like to obtain a copy of the video, you can contact Luciano Matheron and Barbara Vedder at Brazen Video Productions at (608-249-8428) or via email (remove the "(nospam)" before you send it). Also, Ed Schultz did his show from Madison yesterday. You can hear highlights and interviews here.

And back to Seder, who as of this writing is doing his final weekday show (for now) on Air America. Mark Maron and other old friends will even make appearances. Last night, Seder was on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, commenting on the whole Imus thing. Haven't sifted through to find an exact video link yet but you can prowl around on the Countdown page to find it. As for the four weeks leading up to Lionel's debut in the time slot on May 14, Air America will be featuring guest hosts. Seder on Sunday (working title) will debut within the next few weeks. Keep checking back here or check Seder's blog for more information.

The post-Franken shuffle, Part 2

Though yesterday was the last day of "The Al Franken Show," his individual affiliates are still adjusting their on-air rosters as they carry on toward the future.

Last week, a few stations announced their intentions as to what they would carry. Today, there's a few more.

Two stations that will not be a part of the future of liberal talk include KCTC in Sacramento, which has officially announced their pending flip to sports effective February 26. As reported earlier, KFPT in Fresno will be sold, and will likely be flipped to sports once the sale is approved in early Spring. In the interim, they will likely fill their schedule with whatever Air America Radio is offering in the time slot, which starting Monday will be Thom Hartmann.

In Rochester, WROC moves Ed Schultz and Randi Rhodes into live afternoon slots, followed by a simulcast of WROC-TV's evening news (WROC-TV is seperately owned), followed by Rachel Maddow until 8PM. The station adds Democracy Now from 8-9PM, followed by two hours of Lionel and a simulcast of WROC-TV's late news. Lionel gets a replay for the late-night hours.

Air America gains a new affiliate as WWKB in Buffalo gives Rhodes a live clearance for her afternoon show, following Schultz. Miller's morning show gets an evening replay. The station's schedule is still in a state of flux, as they seem to have four hours of airtime (currently devoted to replays) to fill. Look for more additions (hopefully) soon. Local (or at least somewhat local) talker Leslie Marshall is no longer there, due to budget cuts, and is currently exploring other opportunities.

At KPOJ in Portland, Sam Seder fans will be elated to find out that his show is added from 9AM-noon (which will likely piss off Ed Schultz, who is still on a delay from noon-3PM). Not only that, but Seder also gets a weeknight replay, from 6-9PM. This move sounds very temporary, and they're promising more changes to come. The station has been rumored to be working on a deal to pick up Mike Malloy's show, possibly for the evening timeslot.

WCHL in Chapel Hill, NC moves Schultz live to the 12-3PM shift, followed by Randi Rhodes live.

Hartmann will get a few new affiliates, as he is added to San Diego's KLSD, Denver's KKZN, Los Angeles' KTLK and WNYY in Ithaca, NY live effective today. He'll also be on Washington, DC's WWRC. KABQ in Albuquerque, and Miami's WINZ on delay, following Ed Schultz. WPEK in Asheville, NC will also add Hartmann, starting next week.

WXXM in Madison is going live with much of their new schedule. Schultz gets a live clearance, followed by Rhodes and Maddow live. Hartmann is added for nights.

Quite a few stations have not announced what they are doing, either over the air or on their websites. Actually, it looks like some stations have forgotten they even have websites, as they are horribly outdated. Unless Jerry Springer is still doing a radio show and we just don't know about it.

Finally, Armed Forces Radio will replace Franken's show with that of even more inoffensive Alan Colmes. They also air Schultz' show, or at least an hour of it (as they tend to do with most talk programming). Which begs the question - why does AFN carry talk shows in the first place? Quite frankly, if I were currently serving in the military overseas, I'd rather listen to music. But I guess that's just me.