Air America Radio - Stupidity Personified

It came as a shock when I tuned in earlier this week and had to listen to Thom Hartmann hosting the Randi Rhodes show instead of the announced Mike Malloy.

I was a bit confused at this unannounced change. But soon I found out that Air America Radio had not renewed the contract of Mike Malloy, the Number ONE Talk Show Host in the US.

Various theories have emerged as to why the Board of Air America did not renew this Contract. Sheldon Dronby, who was one of the founders of Air America expressed his total opposition at the action of the Board. Sheldon had this piece on The Huffington Post:

Mike Malloy and Andy Rooney

I am a good friend of Mike Malloy and when I started Air America Radio, I wanted him, Randi Rhodes, and Al Franken. I thought that would be a good start. And I got them. When I got a call from Mike Malloy yesterday I was shocked that the AAR board had not offered him a contract.

He is the lowest paid of all the regular hosts on AAR and they put him in an awful time slot, 10pm-1am ET. As I stated before, I am a minority owner of AAR and I am not on the board of directors. I do run 2 AAR affiliates in Phoenix and Little Rock. However, the AAR board does not seem to want my advice. It is a shame because I could really help. I have lots of experience in business and I understand good talk radio.

AAR is the most branded name in talk radio primarily because the MSM gave them all that free publicity and the right wing talk show hosts always bring up AAR. While I was involved in AAR operations, I recognized that the free publicity we got was wonderful. I also know that you do not have to like your talent and in fact most radio hosts are a bit egocentric and at times difficult to deal with. Howard Stern is the best example of that. Does anyone really like Stern? But, he does create controversy and get lots of listeners. Isn't that what talk radio is about? And Mike Malloy is extremely controversial, but he is knowledgeable and lots of people enjoy his show.

I suspect Malloy's termination was more about personality than performance. It certainly was not about money. My suggestion to those who love Mike Malloy is to do what the audience of 60 Minutes did when they terminated Andy Rooney several years ago. Email or write them about your feelings and we may still have a chance to get him back. I have already vigorously registered my complaint directly to the board and I understand that Sam Sedar also did on the air yesterday. Go to the AAR web site at http://www.airamericaradio.com and let them know how you feel. Register on line free and click "About Us" on the right side of the top and "Contact us" will appear. I talked to Mike Malloy and he would be open to coming back if too much time does not pass.

The reason mainly cited was "financial".

This is absolute rubbish as Mike has been one of the least paid Talk Show Hosts on Air America.

The following email/letter thst I sent to the Board of Air America implies the reasons:

To The Board of Air America,

I was shocked to hear about the fact that you have not renewed Mike Malloy's contract with Air America.

Mike is the top talk show host in the US, head and shoulders above any of the other talk show hosts on your station.

I am sure I know that jealousy and the Jewish Lobby (as they converge rather well in Air America) is the motive for not having his contract renewed. I also think I know it is someone who is hardly a Talk Show Host but guffaws through his programme laughing at his own jokes that is primarily responsible for this decision.

There is no other host who has such a solid following around the world. Go any day when Mike Malloy was on the air and the Manadatory Malloy Thread on Democratic Underground and you would have known what his audience thought of Mike.

Yes, every single day Mike was on air.

If you are so intent on killing Air America, just as Joe Liebermann is keen on killing the Democrat Party - well you have moved closer to your objective. Well done.

I am not an American, I am mnot an European, I am neither black nor white, I am not Muslim or Jewish (it is obvious the role played by the Jewish Lobby in making this decision). Mike was probably the only link for me, and thousands of listeners around the world, in having faith that America may come back into the fold of respectable nations.

That you want to follow the Bush Agenda, well woe betide your country when you remove the single most powerful and truthful voice that was on Air America.

Jacob Matthan
Oulu, Finland

It is my contention that the apologist for the Republicans who has his show on Air America, Al Franken, who is a comedian, wanted Mike off the air. Al Franken cannot stand in the shadow of Mike as far as hosting a Talk Show Host. Al Franken has kept pumping his own trumpet, his own books, his own jokes at which no one laughs but himself, with totally unprofessional guffaws, has been so jealous of Mike, that once Mike started exposing the hypocrisy of the Jewish Lobby in the US, that Al Franken got to work to remove him from the Air America line-up.

And the Board of Air America caved in to the Jewish Lobby showing that they are totally compliant with the Joe Liebermann lobby which is intent on destroying the progressive section of the Democrat Party in US politics.

I have not updated the Talk Show Ratings Blog for several weeks as there has been no competition to the top 5 shows, and the rest remain mediocre. It is my contention that Al Franken does not even merit a rating as he can hardly be described as a Talk Show Host.

Many have ascribed the reason that Mike Malloy had said on the Alex Jones Show that he had bought a gun and would use it to defend DEMOCRACY in the US.

Mike was asked by the Atlanta Police to get himself a gun, many many years ago, in case the right wingers attacked him for his progressive views that he expresses on the air. He has talked about is several times over the years - so this just a lame excuse which is all bunk!

Look no further than Al Freanken to see who was responsible for the elimination of Mike from Air America.