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KTLK

KTLK

KTLK AM 1150 is a radio station serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Branding itself as Progressive Talk AM 1150, AM 1150 broadcasts a liberal talk radio format featuring selected portions of the Air America Radio lineup and programs from the Jones Radio Network. The lineup features popular liberal hosts Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo, and Randi Rhodes (Air America Radio shows), as well as Jones Radio Network hosts Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller. Stephanie Miller's show originates from Los Angeles, so there is close cooperation between Miller and KTLK. Notably absent from the KTLK schedule on the Air America lineup is Jerry Springer, as his show conflitcs with Stephanie Miller's show. The station preempts talk radio shows to broadcast Los Angeles Clippers basketball games.

History

On February 4, 2005, Clear Channel Communications conducted a far-reaching format swap of three radio stations in the area. The previous format on AM 1150, XTRA Sports, moved to AM 570, where it retains its call letters of KLAC but is referred to on air as simply XTRA Sports 570. AM 690 took on KLAC's previous format, a beautiful music station called The Fabulous 570 and redubbed The Fabulous 690. Prior to the KTLK calls, AM 1150 was KXTA, or XTRA Sports 1150, which broadcasted sports talk. Before that, it was Fox Sports 1150. Prior to that, it broadcasted contemporary hit music as KIIS.

External links


- [http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/5515/krkd.html History of AM 1150 in Los Angeles]
- [http://www.ktlk.com Official web site]
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TLK

Los Angeles

The City of Los Angeles (from Spanish; Los Ángeles, ) also known simply as L.A., is the second-largest city in the United States in terms of population, as well as one of the world's most important economic, cultural, and entertainment centers. It was incorporated as a city in California on April 4, 1850, when the city's population was only 1,610, and is the county seat of Los Angeles County. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 3,694,820, but a May 1, 2005 California Department of Finance estimate shows the city's population at 3,957,875, with the metropolitan area at 17,545,623. The city is also large by geographic standards since it sprawls over more than 465 square miles (1200 square kilometers), making it physically larger than New York City and Chicago. In addition, Los Angeles hosted two Olympic Games (in 1932 and 1984) and is home to world-renowned scientific and cultural institutions. The city is one of the biggest entry points for immigrants to the United States, making it one of the most culturally diverse places in the world. People are attracted to the city for its warm weather, its vibrant lifestyle, its unique energy, and the opportunity to realize the "American Dream."

History

The Los Angeles coastal area was occupied by the Tongva, Chumash, and even earlier Native American peoples for thousands of years. The Spanish arrived in 1542, when Juan Cabrillo visited the area. In 1769, the Spanish returned to California to stay. Father Juan Crespi described a "beautiful river", which the explorers named in Spanish "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula", English: "The Village of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the Porciuncula River". The Mission San Gabriel Arcángel was founded in 1771, thus establishing a permanent presence in the area and securing Spanish territory. territory On September 4, 1781, settlers from the San Gabriel Mission founded the town and named it after the river, but used a slighly shorter version. The official name was El Pueblo de la Reina de los Ángeles, "The Town of the Queen of the Angels", showing Franciscan affiliation. It remained a small mission and ranch town for decades. Mexican independence from Spain was achieved in the 1820s, but the greatest change took place in present-day Montebello after the Battle of Rio San Gabriel in 1847, which decided the fate of Los Angeles. Yankees gained control after they flooded into California during the Gold Rush and secured the subsequent admission of California into the United States. Los Angeles was incorporated as a city in 1850. Railroads arrived when the Southern Pacific completed its line to Los Angeles in 1876. Oil was discovered in 1892, and by 1923, Los Angeles was supplying one-quarter of the world's petroleum. Even more important to the city's growth was water. In 1913, William Mulholland completed the aqueduct that assured the city's growth and led to the annexation by the City of Los Angeles, starting in 1915, of dozens of neighboring communities without water supplies of their own. A somewhat fictionalized account of the Owens Valley Water War can be found in the motion picture Chinatown. In the 1920s the motion picture and aviation industries both flocked to Los Angeles and helped to further develop it. The city was the proud host of the 1932 Summer Olympics. World War II brought new growth and prosperity to the city, although many of its Japanese-American residents were transported to internment camps for the duration of the war. This period also saw the arrival of the German exiles, which included such notables as Thomas Mann, Bertolt Brecht and Lion Feuchtwanger. The postwar years saw an even greater boom as urban sprawl expanded into the San Fernando Valley. The Watts riots in 1965 reminded the country of the deep racial divisions that even the nation's youngest city faced. The XXIII Olympiad was successfully hosted in Los Angeles in 1984. The city was once again tested by the 1992 Los Angeles riots and the 1994 Northridge earthquake. A city-wide vote on San Fernando Valley and Hollywood secession was defeated in 2002.

Geography and climate

Geography

2002 According to the United States Census Bureau,the city has a total area of 1,290.6 km² (498.3 mi²). 1,214.9 km² (469.1 mi²) of it is land and 75.7 km² (29.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 5.86% water. The extreme north-south distance is 44 miles (71 km), the extreme east-west distance is 29 miles (47 km), and the length of the city boundary is 342 miles (550 km). The land area is the 9th largest in the Lower-48th of United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). The highest point in Los Angeles is Sister Elsie Peak (5,080 feet) at the far reaches of the northeastern San Fernando Valley, part of Mt. Lukens. The Los Angeles River is a short, largely seasonal river flowing through the city, with headwaters in San Fernando Valley. Its length is almost entirely lined in concrete. The Los Angeles area is remarkably rich in native plant species. With its beaches, dunes, wetlands, hills, mountains, and rivers, the area contains a number of important biological communities. The largest area is coastal sage scrub, which covers the hillsides in combustible chaparral. Native plants include: California poppy, matilija poppy, toyon, coast live oak, giant wild rye grass, and hundreds of others. Unfortunately, many native species are so rare as to be endangered, such as the Los Angeles sunflower. There are many exotic flowers and flowering trees that are blooming year-round, with subtle colors, including the jacaranda, hibiscus, phlox, bougainvillea, coral tree blossoms and bird of paradise. If there were no city here, flower-growing could still flourish as an industry, as it does in Lompoc. Wisteria has been known to grow to house-lot size, and in Descanso Gardens there are forests of camellia trees. Orchids require special attention in this Mediterranean climate.

Cityscape

Mediterranean climate Mediterranean climate The city is divided into many neighborhoods. Most of the neighborhood names come from farm towns that were annexed by the growing city, physical terrain features, major streets, or subdivision names coined by enterprising developers. These divisions have no legal status but are of significance to residents for cultural and financial reasons. Signs have been placed on major thoroughfares designating some of the communities, a practice going back decades. (The "neighborhood councils" of Los Angeles began in 1999 and often follow different borders).

Climate

Mediterranean climate The city is situated in a Mediterranean climate or subtropical zone, experiencing mild, wet winters and warm to hot, dry summers. Onshore breezes keep the beach communities of Los Angeles and San Diego cooler in summer and warmer in winter than those further inland. Temperatures in the summer can get well over 90 °F (32 °C) and smog can become a problem. Average Summer day time highs are 85 °F (29 °C), with overnight lows of 66 °F (18 °C). Winter day time high temperatures get up to around 67 °F (19 °C, with overnight lows of 48 °F (8 °C) and rain is a possibility. Generally the weather is warm and dry in all seasons, with 325 days of sunshine a year. The median temperature in January is 58.3 °F (14.6 °C) and 74.3 °F (23.5 °C) in July. The highest temperature recorded within city borders was 116.0 °F (46.7 °C) at Canoga Park in 1985; the lowest temperature recorded was 18.0°F (−7.8 °C) in 1989, also at Canoga Park. The highest temperature ever recorded for Downtown Los Angeles was 112.0 °F (44.4 °C) on June 26 1990, and the lowest temperature ever recorded was 28.0 °F (−2.2 °C) on January 4 1949. Accumulating snowfall is a once in a lifetime event. There has been three recorded instances of snowfall in the city; two inches (5 cm) of snow fell in 1932 and the last snowfall occurred in 1949. Rain occurs mainly in the winter and spring months (February being the wettest month) with great variations in storm severity year by year. Los Angeles averages 13-16 inches (330 to 410 mm) of rain per year.

Pollution

1949Due to the city's geography as well as the population's heavy reliance on automobiles as a major form of transportation, the city suffers from severe air pollution in the form of smog. The Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley hold in the fumes from automobiles, diesel trucks, shipping, and locomotive engines, as well as manufacturing and other sources. In addition, the groundwater is increasingly threatened by MTBE from gas stations and perchlorate from rocket fuel. Some consider urban sprawl to be a result of the city's transportation system. Light pollution is also a problem.

Seismic activity

Like most areas of California, Los Angeles is subject to frequent earthquakes, due to the close proximity of the San Andreas Fault, as well as the smaller San Jacinto Fault and Banning Fault, in southern California. Most earthquakes are relatively minor, however, throughout history there are several major earthquakes. The most recent was the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which was centered in the northern San Fernando Valley. Coming less than two years after the L.A. riots, the Northridge earthquake was a severe emotional shock to Southern Californians, in addition to causing physical damage worth billions of dollars. Other major earthquakes include the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake and the 1971 Sylmar earthquake.

People and culture

Demographics

Sylmar earthquake

Census 2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,694,820 people, 1,275,412 households, and 798,407 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,041.3/km² (7,876.8/mi²). There were 1,337,706 housing units at an average density of 1,101.1/km² (2,851.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 46.93% White, 11.24% African American, 0.80% Native American, 15.89% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 25.70% from other races, and 5.18% from two or more races. 46.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race and 29.75% White, not of Latino/Hispanic origins. There were 1,275,412 households of which 33.5% had children under 18, 41.9% were married couples, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 28.5% of households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size 3.56. The age distribution was: 26.6% under 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males. The median income for a household was $36,687, and for a family was $39,942. Males had a median income of $31,880, females $30,197. The per capita income was $20,671. 22.1% of the population and 18.3% of families were below the poverty line. 30.3% of those under the age of 18 and 12.6% of those aged 65 or older were below the poverty line.

Other demographics

Of 2,182,114 native people, 1,485,576 were born in California, 663,746 were born in a different state of the United States of America, and 31,792 were born in a United States territory (Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, or Northern Marianas). Of 1,512,720 foreign born people, 100,252 were born in Europe, 376,767 were born in Asia, 20,730 were born in Africa, 4,104 were born in Oceania, 996,996 were born in Latin America, and 13,859 were born in Northern America. Of such foreign-born people, 569,771 entered between 1990 to March 2000. 509,841 are naturalized citizens and 1,002,879 are not citizens. The people of Los Angeles are known as Angelenos. L.A. can truly be described as a "world city" (Alpha World City) — that is, it has one of the largest and most diverse populations of any municipality anywhere. The Hispanic and Asian American populations are growing particularly quickly — the Asian American population is the second largest of any city in the U.S. Los Angeles hosts the largest populations of Armenians, Cambodians, Filipino, Guatemalans, Israelis, Koreans, Salvadorans, Thais, Mexicans, and Hungarians outside of their respective countries. Los Angeles is also home to the largest populations of Japanese and Persians (Iranians) living in the U.S., and has one of the largest Native American populations in the country. L.A. is home to people from more than 140 countries, who speak at least 224 different languages. Ethnic enclaves like Chinatown, Koreatown, Little India (Artesia), Little Armenia, Thai Town, Historic Filipinotown and Little Ethiopia give testimony to the polyglot character of Los Angeles.

Crime

The COMPSTAT unit of the Los Angeles Police Department tabulates Part I offenses (violent and property crimes) committed in the city. Los Angeles has been experiencing significant decline in Part I offenses since the mid 1990s hitting a record low in 2004. Criminality peaked in 1992 with 72,667 recorded acts of violence (1,096 homicides) and 245,129 recorded property crimes. In 2004, there were 31,245 recorded violent crimes of which 518 were homicides. The distribution of homicides in the city is uneven with nearly half of such crimes occurring in the four stations of the South Bureau of the LAPD encompassing South Los Angeles and the Harbor area. A further quarter occur in the areas covered by the Central Bureau which covers Downtown and its environs. Property crimes were three times more common than violent crimes; 90,374 were recorded in 2004. When compared to other large cities, Los Angeles fares relatively well with a total crime index lower than San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston. Many movies and songs about Los Angeles depict the notion that the city is home to a large number of gangsters and professional criminals. According to a May 2001 Drug Threat Assessment by the National Drug Intelligence Center [http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs0/668/overview.htm], Los Angeles County is home to 152,000 gang members organized into 1,350 gangs. In Los Angeles, car chases happen more often than in most other major cities (sometimes several per week). The city's complex freeway system allows for lengthier pursuits, which may take them throughout the city. Other common crimes include: car-to-car shootings (see road rage), drive-by shootings, thrill killings, hit-and-run accidents, and carjackings. Numerous instances of all these crimes are documented on the LAPD press release Web site [http://www.lapdonline.org/portal/generic.php?page=/press_releases/press_releases.php]. One interesting example is a report on ten freeway shootings within two months [http://www.nbc4.tv/news/4449599/detail.html]. Also, Los Angeles has been a popular setting for several crime-based video games, such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (which features Los Santos, a city largely based on the Los Angeles metropolitan area) and True Crime: Streets of LA (which takes place in a close replica of the Los Angeles area).

Arts and entertainment

True Crime: Streets of LA Los Angeles is sometimes considered the entertainment capital of the world. It shares the title of the cultural capital of the United States with New York City. Its largest entertainment industry is film production, but it is an important center for music, art, and architecture as well. As a major global metropolis, Los Angeles has evolved a unique culture and that is well-portrayed in popular media and is sometimes idealized as highly desirable. However, this culture has also inspired criticism that it is not really a unique culture, although most believe the contrary. Residents of the city of Los Angeles are served by the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) and its branch locations. Residents of the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County and various cities within the county are served by the County of Los Angeles Public Library The LAPL is funded by voter-approved bond and tax levy packages. The Main Library is located in downtown Los Angeles and has been recognized as a National Historic Site.

Media

The major daily newspaper in the area is The Los Angeles Times. La Opinión is the city's major Spanish-language paper. There are also a wide variety of smaller regional newspapers, alternative weeklies and magazines, including the Los Angeles Newspaper Group's Daily News (which focuses coverage on the Valley), Village Voice Media's L.A. Weekly, L.A. City Beat, Los Angeles magazine, Los Angeles Business Journal, Los Angeles Daily Journal (legal industry paper), Variety (entertainment industry paper), and [http://www.downtownnews.com Los Angeles Downtown News]. In addition to the English and Spanish language papers, numerous local periodicals serve immigrant communities in their native languages (e.g. Korean, Persian and Japanese). Most of the above papers are center-left or left in their political stance with the clear exception of the Daily News, which is center-right. One example of this is that the L.A. Times often does high-quality investigative journalism on important inner-city issues like health care and crime, while the L.A. Daily News is usually content to run wire stories on those issues, if it covers them at all. The L.A. Daily News also focuses on business issues, education, and crime. It strongly supports lowering taxes. Many cities adjacent to Los Angeles also have their own daily newspapers whose coverage and availability overlaps into certain Los Angeles neighborhoods. Examples include the Daily Breeze (serving the South Bay), and The Long Beach Press-Telegram. The Los Angeles metro area is served by a wide variety of local television stations, and is the second largest designated market area (DMA) in the U.S. with 5,431,140 homes (4.956% of the U.S.). The major network television affiliates include KCBS 2 (CBS), KABC-TV 7 (ABC), KNBC 4 (NBC), KTTV 11 (FOX), KTLA 5 (WB), and KCOP 13 (UPN), and KPXN 30 (i). There are also four PBS stations in the area, including KVCR 24, KCET 28, KOCE 50, and KLCS 58. World TV operates on two channels, KNET 25 and KSFV-LP 27. There are also several Spanish-language television networks, including KMEX 34 (Univision), KFTR 46 (Telefutura), KVEA 52 (Telemundo), and KAZA 54 (Azteca America). KTBN 40 (Trinity Broadcasting Network), is a religious station in the area. Several independent television stations also operate in the area, including KCAL 9 (owned by CBS/Viacom), KSCI 18 (focuses primarily on Asian language programming), KWHY 22 (Spanish-language), KNLA-LP 27 (Spanish-language), KJLA 33 (variety), KPAL-LP 38, KXLA 44, KDOC 56 (classic programming and local sports), KJLA 57 (variety), and KRCA 62 (Asian language programming).

Religion

Los Angeles is home to adherents of many religions. Los Angeles has the second-largest Jewish community in the United States, rivaled only by New York City. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles leads the largest archdiocese in the country. Roger Cardinal Mahony oversaw construction of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, completed in 2002 at the north end of downtown. The Los Angeles Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is their second-largest temple and is located in West Los Angeles. The Azusa Street Revival (1906–1909) in Los Angeles was a key milestone in the history of the Pentecostal movement. Los Angeles can be called the birthplace of Christian Fundamentalism. From 1908 to 1959 the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (B.I.O.L.A. now Biola University) was located in downtown at the corner of Hope and Sixth streets, in front and to the west of the Los Angeles Central Library building. In 1913, B.I.O.L.A. published a set of books called The Fundamentals, which presented a defense of the traditional conservative interpretation of the Holy Bible. The term fundamentalism is derived from these books. In the 1920s, Aimee Semple McPherson established a thriving evangelical ministry, with her Angelus Temple in Echo Park open to both black and white church members. Billy Graham became a celebrity during a successful revival campaign in Los Angeles in 1949. Herbert W. Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God used to have its headquarters in nearby Pasadena, now in Glendale. Until his death in 2005, Dr. Gene Scott was based near downtown. The Metropolitan Community Church, a fellowship of Christian congregations a focus on outreach to gays and lesbians, was started in Los Angeles in 1968 by Troy Perry. Jack Chick, of "Chick Tracts", was born in Boyle Heights and lived in the area most of his life. Chick Tracts]] Because of Los Angeles's large multi-ethnic population there are numerous organizations in the area representing a wide variety of faiths, including Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Bahá'í, various Eastern Orthodox Churchs, Sufism and others. Immigrants from Asia for example, have formed a number of significant Buddhist congregations. Los Angeles has been a destination for Swamis and Gurus since as early as 1900, including Paramahansa Yogananda (1920). The Self-Realization Fellowship is headquartered in Hollywood and has a private park in Pacific Palisades. Los Angeles is the home to a number of Neopagans, as well as adherents of various other mystical religions. One wing of the Theosophist movement is centered in Los Angeles, and another is in neighboring Pasadena. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi founded the Transcendental Meditation movement in Los Angeles in the late 1950s. The Church of Scientology has a major presence in Hollywood, as does the Kabbalah Centre.

Sports

Club Sport League Venue Logo
Baseball Major League Baseball: National League Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium
Baseball Major League Baseball: American League Angel Stadium of Anaheim Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Los Angeles Lakers Basketball National Basketball Association: Western Conference Staples Center Staples Center
Los Angeles Clippers Basketball National Basketball Association: Western Conference Staples Center Staples Center
Los Angeles Sparks Basketball Women's National Basketball Association: Western Conference Staples Center Staples Center
Los Angeles Kings Ice Hockey National Hockey League: Western Conference Staples Center Staples Center
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Ice Hockey National Hockey League: Western Conference Arrowhead Pond Arrowhead Pond
C.D. Chivas USA Soccer Major League Soccer: Western Confernce Home Depot Center Home Depot Center
Los Angeles Galaxy Soccer Major League Soccer: Western Conference Home Depot Center Home Depot Center
Los Angeles Avengers Arena Football Arena Football League: American Conference Staples Center Staples Center
---- Los Angeles is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers , the Los Angeles Sparks, the Los Angeles Kings, the Club Deportivo Chivas USA and Los Angeles Galaxy, and the Los Angeles Avengers. Los Angeles has been without an NFL franchise since 1995 despite being the second-biggest television market in North America. Prior to 1995, the Rams (1946-1994) and the Raiders (1982-1994) of the NFL were in the Los Angeles market. Raiders Anaheim, about 25 miles (40 km) to the south-east of downtown, is home to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. At various times in history the Angels have been known as the Los Angeles Angels (1961-1965), the California Angels (1965-1997), and the Anaheim Angels (1997-2004); talks in 2004 suggested the team was considering returning to the original name, over loud protests from the Anaheim government. The name was officially changed to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in late December 2004 in order to link with the larger city while still complying with contractual obligations. Beach volleyball and windsurfing were both invented in the area (though predecessors of both were invented in some form by Duke Kahanamoku in Hawaii). Venice, also known as Dogtown, is credited with being the birthplace of skateboarding and the place where Rollerblading first became popular. Area beaches are popular with surfers, who have created their own subculture. Los Angeles has twice played host to the summer Olympic Games: in 1932 and in 1984. The Los Angeles area contains all kinds of topography, notably the hills and mountains rising around the metropolis (it's the only major city in the United States bisected by a mountain range); four mountain ranges extend into city boundaries. Thousands of miles of trails crisscross the city and neighboring areas, providing exercise and wilderness access on foot, bike, or horse. Across the county a great variety of outdoor activities are available, such as skiing, rock climbing, gold panning, hang gliding, and windsurfing. Numerous outdoor clubs serve these sports, including the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, which leads over 4,000 outings annually in the area.

Economy

The economy of Los Angeles is driven by agriculture, petroleum, entertainment (motion pictures, television, and recorded music), aerospace, international trade, and tourism. Los Angeles is also the largest manufacturing center in the United States. The contiguous ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach together compose the most significant port in North America and one of the most important ports in the world. They are vital to trade within the Pacific Rim. Los Angeles is the world center for the entertainment industry, including adult entertainment. Other significant industries include media production, finance, aerospace, telecommunications, law, tourism, health and medicine, and transportation. The city is home to three major Fortune 500 companies, including aerospace contractor Northrop Grumman, energy company Occidental Petroleum Corporation, and homebuilding company KB Home. Other companies headquartered in Los Angeles include Twentieth Century Fox, Herbalife, Univision, Metro Interactive, LLC, Premier America, CB Richard Ellis, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Guess, Inc., O'Melveny & Myers LLP, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, TOKYOPOP, The Jim Henson Company, Paramount Pictures, Robinsons-May, Sunkist, Fox Sports Net, Health Net, Inc., 21st Century Insurance, and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. The metropolitan area contains the headquarters of even more companies, many of whom wish to escape the city's high taxes. For example, Los Angeles charges a gross receipts tax based on a percentage of business revenue, while most neighboring cities charge only small flat fees. The companies below clearly benefit from their proximity to Los Angeles, while at the same time they also avoid the city's taxes (and other problems). Some of the major companies headquartered in cities adjacent to Los Angeles include Shakey's Pizza (Alhambra), Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (Beverly Hills), City National Bank (Beverly Hills), Hilton Hotels (Beverly Hills), DiC Entertainment (Burbank), The Walt Disney Company (Fortune 500 - Burbank), Warner Brothers (Burbank), Countrywide Financial Corporation (Fortune 500 - Calabasas), THQ (Calabasas), Belkin (Compton), National Public Radio West (Culver City), Sony Pictures Entertainment (parent of Columbia Pictures, located in Culver City), Computer Sciences Corporation (Fortune 500 - El Segundo), DirecTV (El Segundo), Mattel (Fortune 500 - El Segundo), Unocal (Fortune 500 - El Segundo), DreamWorks SKG (Glendale), Sea Launch (Long Beach), ICANN (Marina Del Rey), Cunard Line (Santa Clarita), Princess Cruises (Santa Clarita), Activision (Santa Monica), and RAND (Santa Monica). There are many other well-known companies with headquarters located in the County of Los Angeles or the greater Los Angeles area, but they are far beyond the City of Los Angeles (and the scope of this article). See Los Angeles County: Economy for a list of such companies in Los Angeles County.

Infrastructure

Government

Los Angeles County: Economy The city is governed by a mayor-council system. The current mayor is Antonio Villaraigosa. There are 15 city council districts. Other elected city officials include the city attorney, Rocky Delgadillo, and the city controller, Laura Chick. The city attorney prosecutes misdemeanors within the city limits. The district attorney, elected by the county voters, prosecutes misdemeanors in unincorporated areas and in 78 of the 88 cities in the county, as well as felonies throughout the county. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) polices the city of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department polices all unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County and some cities which have contracted for law enforcement services because they lack police departments of their own, including Calabasas, Temple City, West Hollywood, and Compton. The Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Public Library System and Los Angeles Unified School District are among the largest such organizations in the country. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power provides service to city residents and businesses. The city government has been perceived as inefficient and ineffective by residents of some areas, which led to an unsuccessful secession movement by the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood in 2002. The main problem seems to be that the city administration in Downtown gives priority to high-density neighborhoods like Mid-City and Downtown at the expense of its far-flung suburban neighborhoods. To make the government more responsive and to help encourage the cohesiveness of neighborhood communities, the city council has promoted the formation of neighborhood councils. These advisory councils were first proposed by city council member Joel Wachs in 1996 and were incorporated in the Charter Reform of 1999. The councils cover districts which are not necessarily identical to the traditional neighborhoods of Los Angeles, the borders of which often reflect those of cities that were annexed to Los Angeles. More than 90 neighborhood councils have been formed and all stakeholders in a district may vote for council members. Though the councils have little actual power, they are still official government bodies and so must abide by California's Brown Act that strictly governs the meetings of deliberative assemblies. These and other regulatory requirements have proven frustrating for activists unaccustomed to bureaucratic procedures. The first notable achievement of the neighborhood councils was their organized opposition in March 2004 to an 18% increase in water rates by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (a municipal monopoly), which led the city council to suspend the rate hike pending further study.

Legal system

Los Angeles Department of Water and PowerThe Los Angeles County Superior Court has jurisdiction over all cases arising under state law, while the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California hears all federal cases. Both are headquartered in a large cluster of government buildings in the city's Civic Center. Unlike the largest city in the United States, radio format which features discussion of topical issues. Most shows feature a regular host, who interviews a number of different guests Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting conversations with listeners who have placed telephone calls to speak with the program's host or guest. Listener contributions are usually screened by a show's producer(s) in order to maximize audience interest and, in the case of commercial talk radio, attract advertisers. Generally, the shows are organized into segments, each separated by a pause for advertisements. (In public or non-commercial radio, sometimes music is played in place of commercials to separate the program segments).

History

Talk radio has existed since at least the mid-1950s. New York's John Nebel was among the first to explore the medium. Two radio stations—KMOX, 1120 AM in St. Louis, Missouri, and KABC, 790 AM in Los Angeles—adopted an all-talk show format in 1960, and both claim to be the first to have done so. KABC station manager Ben Hoberman and KMOX station manager Robert Hyland independently developed the all-talk format. In the 1970s and early 1980s, as many listeners abandoned AM music formats for the high fidelity sound of the FM radio dial, the Talk Radio format began to catch on in more large cities. Former music stations such as WLW (Cincinnati, Ohio), WHAS (Louisville, Kentucky), WHAM (Rochester, New York), WLS (Chicago, Illinois), KFI (Los Angeles, California), WRKO (Boston, Massachusetts) and WABC (New York, New York) made the switch to all-talk as their ratings slumped due to listener migration to the FM band. Talk radio is not limited to the AM band. "Non-commercial" usually referred to as "public radio", which is located in a reserved spectrum of the FM band, also broadcasts talk programs. Commercial all-talk stations can be found on the FM band in Los Angeles, Boston and other cities. The commercial FM talk stations often feature hosts such as Tom Leykis and Howard Stern whose audiences are comprised of more men than women. These shows often rely less on political discussion and analysis than their AM counterparts, and often employ the use of pranks and staged phone calls for entertainment purposes. In the United Kingdom, the leading talk radio station nationwide is talkSPORT, formerly called Talk Radio and launching in 1995 on the AM band. The leading local talk station is LBC in London (Britain's first commercial radio station in 1973), specialising in news talk and topical debate on FM. Both are commercial stations though the BBC do offer ad-free rival services that tend to be slightly less popular and put fewer calls to air. Nationally, the BBC operate Radio 5-Live on AM with a format similar to that of TalkSport. They also operate numerous regional services around the UK on the FM band, with BBC London being their flagship local talk radio station, and a direct rival to LBC.

U.S. politically-oriented talk radio

The United States saw dramatic growth in the popularity of talk radio during the 1990s. The repeal of the FCC "fairness doctrine" in 1987-which had required that stations provide free air time for responses to any controversial opinions that were broadcast-provided an opportunity for a kind of flatly partisan (and often intentionally inflammatory) programming that had not previously existed. (There had been some precursors for this, such as the Los Angeles-area controversialist Joe Pyne, who would attack callers on his program in the early 1960s – one of his famous insults was "gargle with razor blades!" – as well as the similar Bob Grant in New York City.) The most successful pioneer in the 1990s talk radio movement was the politically conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh's success demonstrated that there was a market for passionately delivered conservative (and in most cases, partisan Republican) commentary on contemporary events, and many nationally-syndicated hosts have followed Limbaugh's lead in recent years, including Ben Ferguson, Lars Larson, Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy, Laura Ingraham, Michael Savage, Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Larry Elder, Michael Reagan, Ken Hamblin, and The Weekend Warriors. The Salem Radio Network syndicates a group of religiously-oriented Republican activists, including evangelical Christian Hugh Hewitt and Jewish conservatives Dennis Prager and Michael Medved. Libertarians such as Neal Boortz have also achieved some success. Many of these hosts also publish books, appear on television, and give public lectures (Limbaugh, again, was a pioneer of this model of multi-media punditry). Politically liberal talk radio aimed at a national audience has also emerged, although its ultimate success in becoming competing with conservative talk radio for dominance remains in question. Air America Radio, a network featuring The Al Franken Show that was founded in 2004 as a "progressive alternative" to right-wing talk, is a prominent example of liberal talk on commercial radio, and there are syndicated liberal talk programs of recent vintage as well, such as The Ed Schultz Show. In some markets, local liberal hosts have existed for years, such as Bernie Ward in San Francisco, Alan Colmes in New York, and Mr. KABC in Los Angeles. A few earlier syndicated programs were hosted by prominent Democrats who were not experienced broadcasters, such as Jim Hightower, Jerry Brown, Mario Cuomo and Alan Dershowitz; these met with limited success, and Air America has been faced with various legal and financial problems. Left-wing opinion radio has long existed on the Pacifica network, though only available in a small number of cities, and in formats that more often act as a volunteer-run community forum than as a platform for charismatic hosts who would be likely to attract a large audience. Some conservatives argue that the long-format news programming on National Public Radio serves as a platform for liberal commentary on radio, although the network denies any partisan agenda, and FAIR recently identified NPR's disproportionate reliance on Republican sources [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1180].

Talk radio in Canada

In contrast to talk radio stations in the United States where syndicated programs tend to make up a significant part of most schedules, privately-owned Canadian talk radio stations tend to be predominantly local in programming and focus. There is no Canadian content requirement for talk radio, or "spoken word", programming. The only nationally-syndicated, politically-oriented weekday talk radio show in Canada is Adler On Line, hosted by Charles Adler and heard on eleven stations across the country. Peter Warren's Warren on the Weekend is heard Saturdays and Sundays. Both programs are distributed by the Corus Radio Network and, coincidentally, both hosts had hosted different morning call-in programs in the same time slot on Winnipeg, Manitoba's CJOB 680 before they became nationally syndicated (Adler's show still originates from CJOB and retained its original title, while Warren is now based in Victoria, British Columbia.) Prior to Adler On Line, Corus had syndicated Rutherford, hosted by Dave Rutherford and originating from its Calgary station, QR77. Rutherford is no longer syndicated nationally but continues to air in Calgary and London. Other Canadian talk radio programs which have been syndicated to different markets include:
- Canada's Business Report
- The George Stroumboulopoulos Show airs on Sunday nights on stations in Toronto and Montreal.
- The Home Discovery Show, a call-in home renovation program hosted by Shell Busey.
- Home Focus, a weekend program about home renovations hosted by Ren Molnar. It is the most widely distributed talk radio program in Canada.
- Love and Romance, a relationship advice program hosted by Sue McGarvie.
- Prime Time Sports, a sports talk program hosted by Bob McCown. A three-hour program originating from The Fan 590, usually only the third hour is broadcast nationally.
- The 'X' Zone, a nightly show about paranormal topics hosted by Rob McConnell. It is also syndicated throughout the United States. The two largest talk radio networks in Canada are the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's English language CBC Radio One and French language Première Chaîne. These stations typically produce their own local morning and afternoon programs and regional noon hour programs to go along with the network programming that is aired during the rest of the day. Both networks are commercial-free. Privately-owned talk radio syndication networks in Canada are generally formed for the purposes of sharing programs across a group of stations with common ownership, although some are formed to distribute their one or two talk radio programs to a number of stations regardless of ownership. The largest of these is the Corus Radio Network. Others include the CHUM Radio Network and the Standard Radio Network. Syndicated programs from the United States which air on Canadian radio stations include:
- Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, arguably the most widely distributed U.S.-based program in Canada
- The Dr. Joy Browne Show
- Dr. Laura
- GameTime React with J.T. the Brick
- The Jim Rome Show
- The Phil Hendrie Show on CKTB St. Catharines

Talkback radio in Australia

In Australia, talk radio is known as talkback radio. The most popular station broadcasting talkback radio is historically Sydney's 2UE, whose right-wing hosts, particularly John Laws, are widely syndicated across the continent, though it has in recent years been eclipsed by Sydney's 2GB after the defection of 2UE most popular talkback host, Alan Jones.

Variety of formats

Other topics of discussion in talk radio include:
- Ethics and Morality from Dr. Joy and Dr. Laura,
- Relationships, as on shows such as Loveline and The Satellite Sisters
- Mental health from David Viscott
- Computers from Leo Laporte and Kim Komando,
- Consumer advocacy e.g. Clark Howard,
- Automobiles, as on Car Talk,
- Personal finance from Bob Brinker and Dave Ramsey, and
- Movies from Mike Mayo and Max Weiss. Other hosts specialize in talk radio comedy such as Phil Hendrie. George Noory and Art Bell take turns hosting the late-night talk radio show Coast to Coast AM, which deals with a variety of paranormal topics. Jeff Rense, who hosts an Internet radio show, also features paranormal matters, conspiracy theories, and some politics. Radio show hosts such as Alex Jones focus on exposing Government corruption. Some shock jocks such as Opie and Anthony, Ron and Fez, Howard Stern, Don Imus, and Tom Leykis, are also considered talk radio hosts. Sports talk radio can be found locally and nationally (with the networks ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and Sporting News Network). Sports talk stations like WFAN in New York City and WEEI in Boston have done well in the ratings (aided by baseball and football game broadcasts).

See also


- List of talk radio personalities
- Radio network
  - List of United States radio networks
- Talk show

External links


- [http://www.talkradioforums.com/ Talk Radio Forums] - discussion board for talk radio shows.
- [http://www.talkers.com/ Talkers Magazine] - features news and seasonal ratings.
- [http://talkradiofan.blogspot.com/ Talk Radio Fan] - talk radio blog.
- [http://www.talkjunkie.com/ TalkJunkie] - talk radio host links. Category:Radio formats

Air America Radio

network and program syndication sevice with a liberal point of view.]] Air America Radio is a full-service radio network and program syndication service in the United States, started on March 31, 2004. It features a liberal, left-wing, progressive point of view and specializes in presentations and monologues by liberal personalities, guest interviews, calls by listeners, and news reports. Some of the personalities who host shows on Air America Radio include Al Franken, Robert Kennedy, Jr., Mike Papantonio, Laura Flanders, Rachel Maddow, Janeane Garofalo, Mike Malloy, Marc Maron, Randi Rhodes, Thom Hartmann,and Jerry Springer. The network's flagship station is New York City's WLIB-AM and, as of December 2005, 84 radio stations in the US, as well as XM Satellite Radio offer some or all of the programs produced and distributed by Air America Radio [http://www.airamericaradio.com/stations]. As is the case with other full-service radio networks like ESPN Radio[http://espnradio.espn.go.com/espnradio/map] and NPR[http://www.npr.org/stations/], many affiliates carry other programming as well. Any station that carries any of the network's programming is considered to be an affiliate, which is standard practice in the radio industry. For example, WTAM in Cleveland is listed by Air America as one of their affiliates, but they broadcast the Rush Limbaugh radio program, a show on the opposite end of the political spectrum. Air America Radio also makes use of audio streaming on the World Wide Web, reaching a national and international audience.

Programming overview

Like most talk radio outlets, Air America Radio's programming includes news, talk, comedy, interviews, guest editorials, and listeners' telephone calls. In various markets, there are traffic and weather reports throughout the broadcast day. The talk portions feature some extended host monologues in the classic talk radio format. Live and pre-recorded comedy routines, featuring various comedians, are also aired.

News, editorials and public affairs

Air America News and public affairs shows offer headline and short feature news reports, and, in some markets, traffic and weather reports as well. News reports are distributed at the top of each hour.The news is a general purpose offering from standard wire service sources such as AP and UPI, however, the broadcast network puts some accent on labor news unlike other radio networks which tend to focus more on Wall Street reports and daily financial news. Many affiliates choose to use other news services or run their own newscasts during the six minute "news hole" at the top of the hour. The public affairs shows tend to closely follow the news of the day with monologues and reflections offered by the hosts. Listener calls are worked into these sections along with guest interviews. Air America Radio has a definite political orientation, and many broadcasts could be described as advocacy journalism or editorial and opinion pieces, but, in keeping with many of the principles of journalism ethics and standards, the hosts distinguish their own opinions from the factual reporting. Hosts offer frequent citations to news reports, studies and government documents to provide background information and sources for the views they express. In general, the hosts, guests and viewpoints of Air America represent the left and center wings of the Democratic Party, or, in the case of Mike Malloy, the Green Party. The rivalry between Air America and its critics, notably right wing competitors such as Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly, is intense, with both sides making frequent attacks against the other.

Samples of regular guests heard on Air America Radio:


- Katrina vanden Heuvel of The Nation
- Duncan Black (of Atrios, a.k.a. Eschaton)
- Markos Moulitsas Zúniga of Daily Kos
- [http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=3739 Christy Harvey] and David Sirota of the Center for American Progress public interest group
- Joe Conason - Journalist with Salon.com online magazine.
- Chalmers Johnson
- David Brock and other representatives of Media Matters for America, Brock's media watchdog organization
- Cindy Sheehan, noted anti-war activist In addition, there are Mother Jones minutes and commentary by Jim Hightower and others.

Comedy on Air America

:See main articles at Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo, Mike Malloy, Marc Maron, Randi Rhodes, Sam Seder, Jerry Springer. Each host on Air America has his or her own comedic style. For example, on The Al Franken Show, guests are introduced with parody theme songs, based on popular songs. Springer on the Radio and The Randi Rhodes Show have parodies and satires of commercials, humorous songs, longer skits, and sound effects such as buzzers and bells. Sam Seder of The Majority Report occasionally records skits and prank phone calls for broadcast during the show. For example, Seder called the press department of a senator who claimed to have proof that Catholic leaders in Massachusetts were sinful due to an abundance of sinful women in the city's vicinity. Seder called the senator's press department asking if they had actual phone numbers of women of ill repute, so he could do further research personally. His co-host Janeane Garofalo focuses her humor mainly on current events.

Listener participation

Listeners' calls are taken on most of the programs through a toll-free number, but are especially featured on Springer on the Radio, The Randi Rhodes Show, The Laura Flanders Show, The Mike Malloy Show, and Ring of Fire with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The listener calls are sometimes confined to a particular topic or feature, such as being a contestant on "Wait Wait, Don't Lie to Me" on The Al Franken Show or on Morning Seditions "Liberal Confessional." At other times listeners direct the flow of the conversation. The Majority Report only occasionally uses phone calls from listeners, and predominantly only when Sam Seder hosts the program. Janeane Garofalo is frequently scheduled off on Wednesdays, and on these programs Seder utilizes phone calls from listeners regularly. On Fridays, when Seder has the day off for religious reasons, Garofalo predominantly talks for the entire program with guest interviews occurring only occasionally. On these shows, the listener participation is very limited.

Weekday programs

Air America produces seventeen hours of weekday programming, including news summaries at the top of each hour. As of January 2006, Air America Mornings will debut which will see the following changes to the Air America Radio lineup:
- The Mark Riley Show with Mark Riley (two hours: 5AM-7AM)
- The Rachel Maddow Show with Rachel Maddow will move from its current time-slot to 7AM-9AM. Marc Maron is in talks with Air America Radio to produce a show of his own in Los Angeles to debut in 2006.
- The Rachel Maddow Show with Rachel Maddow (one hour: 5–6 am ET), as of April 14, 2005.
- Morning Sedition with Marc Maron and Mark Riley (three hours: 6–9 am ET)
- Springer on the Radio with Jerry Springer (three hours: 9 am–12 pm ET), since April 1, 2005.
- The Al Franken Show (initially known as The O'Franken Factor) with Al Franken (three hours: 12–3 pm ET)
- The Randi Rhodes Show with Randi Rhodes (four hours: 3–7 pm ET)
- The Majority Report with Janeane Garofalo and Sam Seder (three hours: 7–10 pm ET)
- The Mike Malloy Show with Mike Malloy (three hours: 10 pm–1 am ET), since August 2, 2004.

Weekend programs (varies)

For those stations for which Air America has full control, weekends feature repeats and highlights from their weekday shows, combined with new original programming and some syndicated shows produced independently. New network programming for weekends includes:
- The Laura Flanders Show with Laura Flanders (three hours)
- Ring of Fire with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mike Papantonio (two hours) 5–7 pm ET Saturday
- EcoTalk with Betsy Rosenberg (one hour)
- So What Else Is News? with Marty Kaplan (two hours)
- Mother Jones Radio with Angie Coiro (one hour)
- The Kyle Jason Show with Kyle Jason (two hours)
- The Revolution Starts Now with Steve Earle (one hour)
- Politically Direct with David Bender (one hour)
- On The Real with Chuck D and Gia'na Garel (two hours)
- Liberal Arts with Katherine Lanpher (one hour)

Syndication

On September 8, 2005 Air America Radio announced that the Network has formed Air America Syndication, a separate division designed to offer additional programming and services to both Progressive Talk and other talk/music formats.
- The Thom Hartmann Radio Program with Thom Hartmann (three hours: 12PM-3PM EST) as of September 11, 2005

Competing Progressive Talk Programming

Stations broadcasting Air America programming often augment or replace parts of the network's lineup with other programming, typically with a progressive or liberal political perspective. Some examples include:
- The Bill Press Show with Bill Press and Christy Harvey (three hours: 6AM-9AM EST) (distributed by the Jones Radio Network)
- The Stephanie Miller Show with Stephanie Miller (three hours: 9AM-12PM EST) (distributed by the Jones Radio Network)
- The Ed Schultz Show with Ed Schultz (three hours: 3PM-6PM EST) (distributed by the Jones Radio Network)
- The Lionel Show with Michael LeBron (three hours: 10PM-1AM EST) (distributed by the WOR network)
- The Phil Hendrie Show with Phil Hendrie (three hours: 10PM-1AM EST / 7-10PM EST tape delay) (distributed by the Premiere Radio Networks)

Business plan overview

Air America is a relatively new entrant into the mature format of news talk radio, known in the radio industry as "talkers". The network was known as Central Air during its development phase.

Historical context

In formulating its programming decisions and business plan, Air America took into account the history of media and politics. Since the 1964 presidential election, opponents of the New Deal coalition had been building think tanks and media to formulate or contribute to a Republican alternative to what they saw as the liberal mass media. Groups with right-wing politics moved to harness the emerging alternative media formats, particularly talk radio, and for many years, the airwaves were dominated by Rush Limbaugh and others espousing various right-wing political views. Writers, including British journalists Jonathan Freedland, John Micklethwait, and Adrian Wooldridge, have credited this Republican alternative with shifting the tone of American public debate. By creating an electoral environment where Republican candidates are more able to succeed, Democratic candidates are forced further to the right in order to be "electable". Micklethwait and Wooldridge wrote about this in The Right Nation, and David Brock wrote about it in The Republican Noise Machine. Conservative dominance of talk radio may have played an important role in winning a shift in the balance of the United States House of Representatives in the 1994 midterm elections, though other factors such as the Contract with America also may have played significant roles. That analysis also credits the media with hampering Clinton's second term by keeping alive stories of scandal in the White House, and contributing to the victory of George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential election. The growing realization that liberal groups were becoming ineffective in terms of getting their viewpoint across in the media was the reason the concept of creating a liberal talk radio network emerged as a serious idea.

Early start-up difficulties

Air America was the initial idea of Sheldon Drobny and Anita Drobny, who wanted to start a progressive radio talk network to compete with conservative talk radio. Air America was started as part of Progress Media, which said it had amassed $30 million in venture capital prior to its debut, a claim which later turned out to be untrue (only $6 million was initially collected). Two individuals from Guam, Rex Sorensen and Evan Montvel Cohen, were involved in raising the capital but denied any wrongdoing. [http://www.kuam.com/news/10010.aspx] Cohen had an unusual background for someone in his position within a progressive radio network since he was a Republican political operative in Guam and former chief of staff for Republican Governor Tommy Tanaka. [http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0404270148apr27,1,4508151,print.story?coll=chi-business-hed&ctrack=3&cset=true] Cohen dismissed concerns by saying he was a committed "progressive" and that Republicans in Guam "are left of Paul Wellstone." Two weeks after its debut, Air America Radio was pulled off the air by the owner of two stations that the network had licensed in Chicago and Santa Monica, California. This was due to a contract dispute between Air America and the stations' owner, Multicultural Radio Broadcasting. Air America alleges Multicultural Radio may have sold time on their Los Angeles station to them and another party, and stopped payment on checks to them while they investigated. Multicultural Radio alleges that Air America bounced a check and owes $1 million. Air America Radio filed a complaint in New York Supreme Court, charging breach of contract and was granted an injunction to restore the network on WNTD-AM in Chicago. On April 20, the network announced the dispute had been settled, and Air America's last day of broadcast on WNTD was April 30. The New York Supreme Court ultimately concluded that the injunction was improvidently entered and that Air America Radio's court action was without merit, dismissing Air America's complaint and awarding over $250,000 in damages and attorneys' fees to Multicultural. [http://michellemalkin.com/archives/mrbidefault.pdf] According to a subsequent lawsuit filed by Multicultural, Air America Radio never paid the sums ordered by the court. [http://hyperion.hmdnsgroup.com/~malkin/archives/files/mrbi052405.pdf] Four weeks after Air America's debut, the CEO, Mark Walsh, and Dave Logan, its executive vice president for programming, left the network. One week after those departures, the chairman and vice chairman, Evan Cohen and his investment partner Rex Sorensen, also left. Some attributed Cohen's departure to investor unhappiness with how he handled the dispute with Multicultural Radio Broadcasting. Columnist Michael Goodwin of the New York Daily News quoted a marketing communications manager from General Motors, declaring "GM will not advertise on any Air America affiliates." However, GM OnStar commercials have been appearing on the Internet stream since the fall of 2004. As part of a reorganization, investors in Progress Media bought the assets of that company, creating its current owner, Piquant LLC. An important change which accompanied the reorganization was a decision to stop trying to buy radio stations and lease air time, or insist that stations carry all of the network's programming. On February 28, 2005, a new CEO, Danny Goldberg, was named. Goldberg set a goal of getting the network in 90% of the country as soon as possible. Expansions early in his tenure included Austin and Dallas, Texas in March 2005, and a return to Chicago in May 2005. At a media conference in July 2005, Goldberg stated that Air America Radio would be on 75 stations as of August, and that Air America News would be relaunched in September as a much more expansive operation to "provide news for our stations and beyond." A documentary on the network's rocky start and ultimate resurgence, Left of the Dial, premiered March 31, 2005 on HBO. In April 2005, the studio of an AAR affiliate in Warren, Ohio, WANR-AM, was briefly occupied by a group that changed the locks and began broadcasting Christian programming until the police forced them to leave. [http://www.ominous-valve.com/blog/2005/04/air-america-under-further-righty.html] A few weeks later, the group seeking to switch the station's format to Christian programming was able to purchase the station, and the Air America programming was discontinued. [http://www.therandirhodesshow.com/randirhodes/messageboards/index.php?showtopic=51116&pid=427706&st=0&#entry427706] On July 28th 2005, Sinohe Terrero, AAR's VP of Finance, issued a memo to employees advising that payroll direct deposits would be delayed by one working day and not post on Friday July 29th as expected. The memo stated "We have been advised by ADP that Direct Deposit will probably not post until Monday. [August 1st]"

Ratings

Air America affiliates have gotten off to a strong start in some markets, and have performed poorly in others. In Arbitron's Summer 2005 ratings book, the most recent available as of November 2005, Air America stations showed significant percentage gains in a number of large markets, including Chicago, Seattle, and Phoenix, though ratings in most markets continued to lag well behind those of older, more established talk stations. The cumulative listening audience of Air America affiliate stations showed an increase from 1.3 million persons age 12 and up in fall 2004 to 3.1 million in spring 2005, much of which was due to listeners gained when the network added new stations around the country during that time. [http://www.airamericaradio.com/node/657] as of November 2005In New York City, Air America's flagship station WLIB won a 1.3-percent overall (ages 12+) share of the market audience in the spring of 2004, the network's first full quarter of operation. WLIB's rating rose to 1.4 percent in the summer of 2004 before falling as low as 1.0 in spring 2005. Currently WLIB is 24th in the New York market with a 1.2 rating. [http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRRatings/DetailsPage.aspx?MID=184&RY=2005&RQ=3&MP=0&OTHER=2&MN=New%20York&MS=NY&MR=1&12P=15283100&UP=10/17/2005%2012:00:00%20AM&SU=CM&BPER=17.5&HPER=19.1&OPER=&NSD=11/14/2005%2012:00:00%20AM&CE=0] WLIB's The Al Franken Show is consistently beaten in its time slot by established popular conservative host Rush Limbaugh on WABC, the flagship station of the ABC Radio Network, although Franken's program typically beats that of WOR talker Bill O'Reilly, whose long-running feud with Franken provides frequent material for both hosts, in the crucial 25-54 demographic. Critics of Air America often deride the network's ratings on WLIB, which typically fail to outperform the Caribbean music format the station programmed before 2004; Arbitron's inability to "detect a measurable listenership" in Washington, DC [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/19/AR2005101902345.html]; and the fact that low ratings on Philadelphia station WHAT prompted the station's management to drop the network in September 2005. Defenders point to Air America stations' performance nationwide, which has trended generally upward, and in markets including Los Angeles (where listenership on station KTLK has tripled since the beginning of the year) and Portland, Oregon (where station KPOJ ranks second among AM stations and fifth overall). A daily podcast of The Al Franken Show has consistently appeared in the list of the most popular podcasts downloaded each day from Apple Computer's iTunes website since being introduced in the spring of 2005. For more ratings information, see the listings at [http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRRatings/ Radio and Records,] and search by call letter within the specific markets. Alternatively, go directly to the Arbitron website for this data: [http://www1.arbitron.com/tlr/public/market.do?method=getAllMarket]

Support from Clear Channel

Clear Channel tested the format at KPOJ-AM in Portland, Oregon, the first station to join Air America as an affiliate broadcasting Air America shows combined with other programming. As a result, the station increased its ages 12 and up market share by nearly an order of magnitude. KPOJ's spring 2004 Arbitron ratings grew from a 0.4 to a 3.7. The success in Portland led Clear Channel to switch more of its stations to the format, so that as of September 2004 over a third of Air America's affiliates are owned by Clear Channel. This includes stations in swing states such as Florida (West Palm Beach and Miami (12th largest radio market)), Colorado, Ohio, and New Mexico, as well as major markets such as San Diego (17th largest) and Boston (9th largest). Ratings in Boston (WXKS 1430 and WKOX 1200) have shown a lack of success. In the summer of 2005, the stations got 0.4 and 0.2 respectively, while conservative talk stations like WRKO got 3.9. Infinity Broadcasting is also testing Air America on its stations. On October 22, 2004, Infinity announced that it was switching one of its country stations in Seattle (1090 AM) to Air America. The senior vice president of Infinity Radio Seattle said of the switch, "We believe this is distinctive programming. There are those in the radio business who believe that shows with a liberal perspective won't get an audience. Air America in recent months has shattered that myth."[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2002069848_airamerica22.html]

Community relations


- Al Franken has taken his talents overseas for the USO carrying in the long tradition of U.S. entertainers of all backgrounds going to entertain military personnel overseas. Franken has done so in a non-partisan manner.
- The Al Franken Show has gone on several road trips giving new audiences an opportunity to meet the hosts in person.
- On the air, one show will have promotional spots in the other show.
- Each program on Air America also has its own website in the blog format. These various blogs provide a text and graphics link between hosts and the audience. The blogs foster a feeling of community. In addition to these, several of the hosts have independent name blogs. see: External links
- In addition to commercial sponsors, Air America also devotes time to public service announcements or PSAs. Some of the groups AAR has included are Operation Truth, the U.S. Government office of National Drug Control Policy, ONDCP, the Center for American Progress, and the Willie Nelson endorsed group NORML.

Promotion

Air America Radio's early promotions humorously describe the network as further to the left than a number of well-known right-wing groups, such as the NRA and the John Birch Society, as well as the fictional and apolitical character Betty Crocker. Current campaigns (as of 2005) include outdoor advertising in New York City. Billboards and transit shelters feature pictures of Rhodes, Springer, and other hosts with the slogan, "The only talk radio left."

Archives

Air America Place is the official