Air America... Not So Hot

I noted Brian Anderson's book South Park Conservatives last week, and here he's got an article in the L.A. Times about the sad state of my favorite liberal radio network, Hot Air America...

Wait a second, you say, didn't I read that Air America has expanded to more than 50 markets? That's true, but let's put things in perspective: Conservative pundit and former Reagan official William J. Bennett's morning talk show, launched at the same time as Air America, reaches nearly 124 markets, including 18 of the top 20, joining the growing ranks of successful right-of-center talk programs (Limbaugh is still the ratings leader, drawing more than 15 million listeners a week).

And look at Air America's ratings: They're pitifully weak, even in places where you would think they'd be strong. WLIB, its flagship in New York City, has sunk to 24th in the metro area Arbitron ratings — worse than the all-Caribbean format it replaced, notes the Radio Blogger. In the liberal meccas of San Francisco and Los Angeles, Air America is doing lousier still.

Anderson lays out some good reasons why talk radio works for conservatives more often than liberals. I'm really looking forward to reading his book, a lot more than anyone I know looks forward to Al Franken's show.