air america

[Donna Halper]

At 04:14 PM 8/2/2005 -0400, Keating Willcox wrote:
>The discussion on Air America's popularity can be answered in a single 
>word....ratings. Conservative talk shows are everywhere because of 
>....ratings, plus the propensity of listeners to stay with a station 
>through a station break. Opera and NPR don't have very good....ratings. 
>That is why the government takes its money, that is your money, and spends 
>it on these programs, and now that Air America has become an opportunity 
>for Democrat in-kind fund raising, that sort of speaks to its poor ratings.

Umm, the "poor ratings" vary-- in Portland OR, Air America is in the top 
3.  And the ratings just came out in Boulder CO and Air America took the 
station from a .4 to a 2.5...  depends on what markets we are talking 
about.  Conservative talk shows did NOT have ratings when they first 
started, contrary to the revisionist history on the subject.  I have no axe 
to grind with either side-- I just want the facts to be accurate, and the 
fact is that when conservative talk first went on the air, it had no 
ratings and not a lot of advertisers.  But gradually, it built.  I don't 
know if progressive talk will do the same but moderate/liberal talker Ed 
Schultz just got his 99th affiliate, and people must be signing on for a 
reason, wouldn't you think?