Air America signs Lionel to take over Seder's slot

[LTR]

In a surprise move, talk show veteran Lionel has been tapped to take over Sam Seder's 9A-12P ET midday slot on Air America Radio, beginning May 14, according to radio industry news site All Access.

"Lionel will be an eclectic mixture of current events and off-the-wall topics infused with his special brand of humor," said Air America President Mark Green. "Because he's one of the biggest names in talk radio, Lionel will be a very important addition to our line-up and affiliate base."

"Air America is about one thing: radio. Not about ideology; but democracy. Radio that's an alternative to the usual, bumper sticker Rush wannabe. Radio that's listenable," said Lionel. "My goal is to garner and gather listeners. If you've got a radio, I'm your guy. Listeners want smart, funny, thoughtful, thinking, entertaining talk radio.With that in mind, my first show for Air America will be 'Great Polkas of the 20th Century.'"

http://ltradio.blogspot.com/2007/04/lionel-slides-into-seders-slot.html

[johncoby2]

1. Who is Lionel?

[MonkeyFunk]

4. Why...

he's one of the biggest names in radio!

I've never heard of him either. :shrug:

[thoughtanarchist]

11. Lionel is

a wishy-washy, vanilla flavored, centrist of a host. He is not very funny and not very well informed on issues and seems to rely far too much on "common wisdom".

He is totally unoffensive, bland, mild and nonthreatening.

Have I mentioned how much I miss Rachel Maddow?

[Beaverhausen]

17. You said it. He sucks. Another thing he does is diss Keith Olbermann

Oh god. He totally sucks. He is completely uninformed and rambles on and on making no sense.

What is AAR thinking?

[eleny]

38. I've only heard him call Olbermann a genius

:shrug:

[Beaverhausen]

52. Really? My boyfriend says he always calls Keith "angry"

I personally hadn't heard him talk about Keith but my boyfriend used to come home at night after hearing a little of his show saying "he dissed Keith again." Maybe he changed his mind about him recently?

The few times I did hear his show I just thought he was lame and couldn't carry a thought through a sentence.

[eleny]

61. Keith is angry

I don't see that characterization as dissing him. We're all angry and rightfully so. Butover and over again, I've heard Lionel call his show "brilliant".

I listen to Lionel on the net once in a while. He has some interesting programs on politics. He can't stomach the administration. On that we agree. But some of his lighter shows bore me.

I don't listen to any one braodcaster but switch around among the field - Malloy, Webb, Lionel, Basham. Depends on my mood. It's nice having the choice via the net.

[mountainvue]

57. He must be cheap. n/t

[undeterred]

70. The only Lionel I know is Lionel Ritchie

And if I want to hear him I'll look for a good R&B station.

[Hieronymus]

22. He's some idiot that our local station has on for hours every night.

How disappointing .. Seder is so much better.:mad:

[hlthe2b]

2. I'm devastated to lose Sam... Who is Lionel?

I have no clue....

[Maat]

13. I believe Sam is talking to NovaM.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x608353

[eleny]

63. That's great news!

I haven't joined NovaM since I can listen to Malloy live most nights. But if they get Sam I'd join immediately to listen when it's convenient.

[Maat]

68. I feel the same way (n/t)!

[Connie_Corleone]

3. Oh God. I cannot stand Lionel.

They used to have his show on at night in Cincinnati on the AAR affiliate which no longer exists.

I guess that's the end of listening to AAR on the internet for me.

[minkyboodle]

16. ditto

They ran him here in DC on the AAR affiliate and I thought he was awful.
Although we lost Seder awhile ago here :( I've got an hour of Maddow and
3 of Hartmann, I guess thats better than nothing.

[NightWatcher]

5. yea, more schlock to follow the Young Turks

If they are going for funny, I hate to break it to them. The "Turks" et all are not funny. Maron was funny.

RIP Air America.

I've never heard of Lionel, what am I missing?

[Edgewater_Joe]

27. See, I Like The Young Turks

I don't like that they replaced Maron, but I listened to them on Sirius and definitely prefer them to the milquetoast Bill Press or that vapid valley-girl schtick of Stephanie Miller.

So if Lionel turns into something Young Turk-esque AND they stay true to Seder (assuming Seder doesn't flip to Nova M and compete with both Miller and Lionel), I may be able to live with this.

[Ioo]

75. Turks are like listening to Nails on Chalkboards.

I really tried to give the young Turks a chance, I found their show to nothing more than to guys droning on and on and doing their best to make sure that the lady involved in the show says nothing on air. When they do an interview with a guest I get annoyed as hell because the host tells you who and why they are talking to that particular person so many times it is distracting.

"We are speaking to Bob Smith, author of 'pickles picked speckles', so Bob how are you today?"
Bob: "fine, thank you for asking"
Turks: "that's great Bob, Bob Smith author of 'pickles pickled speckles', tells about your book?"
Bob: "well it's a book about pickles pickled speckles and how they affect you..."
turks: "Wow Bob I was unclear that pickles pickled speckles had any effect on people, were talking to Bob Smith author of 'pickles pickled speckles' "

[Ganja Ninja]

30. They always seem to dump their best and keep their worst.

It's as if they're trying to fail.

[tnlefty]

41. Polkas apparently, but he's gonna catch you up into the 20th

century!

I'm still reeling from Sam's confirmation announcement this morning and I'm in no mood for a polka primer.

[thereismore]

6. "smart, funny, thoughtful, thinking, entertaining" ? I mistrust him already. nt

[peacetalksforall]

7. Who's Lionel?

I don't know that I want entertaining.
I want informative.
CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX bring us entertaining news, scandals, propaganda.

I don't want entertaining except in tidbits of humor that revolves around politics and analysis - OF PEOPLE LIKE SAM SEDER.

Where are we headed? Apprehensive, here.

[Connie_Corleone]

9. He talks about politics, BUT he also spends too much time on

entertainment stories. One time he spent most of his show talking about some beauty contest. He's the type who would do half his show on who is Anna Nicole's baby's daddy.

[peacetalksforall]

24. Why do what corporate-military-right wing does - they cover

Anna type things more than satisfactorily.

This does not feel good at all.

Thanks for replying and educating me.

[Edgewater_Joe]

I'll Do My Own Education

I've seen this guy's name on enough liberal/progressive blogs to assume he's a liberal and give him a listen. I've done it to pretty much every other host, and the guy had better realize he's got some angry listeners that he'll have to appease, so he can give me a chance to become a fan.

At least until Nova M signs Seder to compete with him. ;-)

[peacetalksforall]

44. More education needed - what is required to get Nova-M?

Is it costly?

Too bad we have to work so hard to hear good people.

[Edgewater_Joe]

48. Nova M Can Be Streamed - and Sirius Has Malloy Right Now

Not hard to hear.

But I do plan to give Lionel a bit of a listen. If he's good, it's not necessarily his fault he bumped Seder. If I don't like him I'll have plenty of time to hate more on AAR and plan to.

[MalloyLiberal]

73. You really should listen to Stephanie Miller

She continually pokes right wingers in the eye with a sharp stick.

[MalloyLiberal]

74. If they picked up Harrison, they'd have a chance. Lionel sucks

[Wiley50]

59. novamradio.com aaphx.com

First is company website
Second is url of stream

I moved over there when Malloy did
The also run Hartmann and Randy live

They run Steph even though she sucks
though nowhere near as baD AS lIONEL

[peacetalksforall]

72. Thanks. I'll check it out. I think I'll be streaming. I'm conflicted.

I've pushed Air America in the past - but - I just can't bear any more centrist stuff.

The situation in our country is desperate. For me - centrist is Republican lite, only worse because it's wasted words and actions.

My head tells me that these people have to get their million+ out of the purchase and make a profit, but I may be pushed out. I can hear centrist anytime on right wing programs - the only people they seem to invitge are centrist, unless there is something very specific and a centrist can't represent or speak for the person.

[will_in_chicago]

79. I run hot and cold on Lionel

I have mixed feelings about Lionel. He can be very good in tearing apart the Bush administration with logic and facts. However, he has spent a bit too much time for my takes on the Anna Nicole Smith story and some other topics that do not interest me. While he can be insightful and make good points, he can sometimes be a abrasive and very hostile to his callers. I don't know if he can attract many new clearances and listeners to one of the most problematic slots on AAR's schedule.

There are a few good discussions elsewhere on this topic as well in addition to ltr's blog. http://www.airamericaplace.com/boards/index.php?showtopic=21365"> Here's Who's Replacing Sam Seder...LIONEL...WTF?! and http://unfilterednewsnetwork.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=16099">LIONEL to replace Sam Seder.

[bunkerbuster1]

81. I'm the same way.

I don't want to dump on him--I think Lionel has some intellectual integrity, tends to be fact-based, makes reasonable arguments, although I find him way too libertarian for my tastes.

Also in his favor--he is an experienced radio guy, with an audience that will follow him to his new slot, so that's a net positive for AAR, I guess.

But anyone expecting a fiery liberal like Seder is going to be very disappointed.

[rurallib]

8. Reminds me of that Brock for Broglio trade the Cubs made

Jeezuz talk about trading down

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_(radio_talk_show_host)
Looks like AAR is shooting for the middle. Schultz in for Hartmann next?

[devilgrrl]

15. Shooting for the middle? Looks like I'm turning off Air America.

Buh-bye

[BuyingThyme]

10. Lionel runs a great show, but he's not a liberal or progressive.

That's what he says, anyways.

This is AAR running away from a progressive format without running to a Puke format -- that is, unless Lionel changes his format.

Up next: Look for a 3-hour gossip show disguised as a current events show.

[rainy]

Sounds like a Springer type.

[npincus]

19. Ah, shit. Just what I thought.

Good-bye, AAR.

[BuyingThyme]

58. No, he's not really a sensationalist. He's a

critical thinker and (as I recall) a lawyer.

His shows are entertaining because he likes to take calls and doesn't hesitate to attack the callers in a humorous way. Smart guy, generally.

In reality, he's a progressive by virture of the fact that he really does tend to think critically.

[no_hypocrisy]

12. Does that mean that Lionel will be on twice a day in NYC: at 9 a.m.

on Air American and then 9 p.m. on WOR?

[PoiBoy]

14. Too bad we're losing Sam...

I liked his show... funny and informative...

[devilgrrl]

18. My "Dear John" letter to AAR...

I am writing to inform you of my utter disapproval of recent changes to Air America's programming and that I will no longer listen to your network. Sadly, I'm not an advertiser because if I was, I'd pull everything. I truely resent Air America's shift toward the center - Ed Schultz sucks, the Young Turks sucks and Lionel sucks. However, I bet the righties are digging it!

Good riddance!

[Garbo 2004]

29. Ed Schultz is not an AAR network host. He's syndicated and is on many AAR affiliates

and now on XM AAR's channel but he is definitely not with AAR.

[devilgrrl]

34. That fact that he's carried on AAR affiliates is disturbing in itself...

he still an asshole and he still sucks.

[Edgewater_Joe]

39. Just Another Example of Dimwitted AAR Management

They sign an exclusive deal with XM and then allow an opponent's star on "their" network -- and, if Nova M's note is any indication, will do the same to the other competitor's network.

What dopes.

[Garbo 2004]

49. That's a local station's programming decision, not AAR's. n/t

[krispos42]

53. Ed's okay

I like that he'll talk with people as long as it takes to get a point across. I love Thom, but he too often will let important points made by callers go unfulfilled because of a break.

Ed's not particulary insightful, not like Randi or Thom, but he counter-balances the right with his popular show. He's ranked #9, with 2.5 million listners. That's something I'd rather not give up to Limp-bough. Call him the 'gateway' host to thinking outside of the rightie box. He's where I started. :-)

I think he goes on head-to-head against Limp-bough, right?

[Edgewater_Joe]

32. Be Mad At AAR, But Be Correct About It

Schultzzzzzzz... is NOT part of AAR, he's part of the DNC/DLC-subsidized Jones syndicate that also produces Bill Pressszzzzz... and Stephanie "OhmahGAWD!" Miller.

And I'll say it again: I miss Maron but always liked the Turks. Different strokes.

[rurallib]

40. Stephanie is great. (n/t)

[Edgewater_Joe]

50. Couldn't Disagree With You More

Too much gushing and WAAAY too many sound effects for me.

[krispos42]

56. It's good for a morning show

If it was on at night, I'd like it less. But in the bright light of day, it's pretty entertaining and informative. If you swapped Malloy's and Stephanie's time slot, it just wouldn't work out at all for either of them.

Like Kathy says, "End your day screaming... with Mike Malloy!" :-)

[eleny]

64. Does Maron have a show that streams on the net?

We used to get him live in the wee hours. It was wild waking up his brilliant dream sequences.

He used to get mail from listeners complaining that he wasn't serious enough. His response was that he refused to play the roll of "anger puppet". I miss him so much.

[devilgrrl]

66. I know someone who's a friend of Maron's...

I asked him to ask Maron when he'll be back on the air. I'll let you know if I hear anything.

[eleny]

67. Thanks, I sure would appreciate the news

I thought he planned to move to California where his wife works. And that he had some contract in the works with a local radio station. But that was right after he left AAR.

[immoderate]

36. FYI -- Schultz is not AAR, he's Jones Network like Stephanie Miller.

Some AAR affailiates substitute Jones shows for AAR. My local AM station runs NovaM programming in the evening (Mike Malloy) so it can work both ways.

Lionel is not the worst, but Sam is one of the best! This is indeed another stupid move by AAR, like dumping Malloy and Maron.

--IMM

[City Lights]

20. Never heard of him.

:shrug:

[devilgrrl]

21. L.A.'s stuck with some centrist piece of shit called Marc Germain...

he sucks ass too!

:nuke:

[Beaverhausen]

26. I miss Harrison!

I loved him.

[FogerRox]

23. I thought Lionel made model trains

[quiet.american]

25. My first instinct is to say, WTF, but I'll try to keep an open mind.

Makes me think this is just more of AAR's obsession with committing suicide, though.

[PFunk]

28. (sigh) Thank goodness for Head On Radio and Nova M (minus the Lotis idiot)...

There is no reason for me to listen to AAR now since I can pick up Ring of Fire and Lara Flanders on other channels.

Yeah they are becomming DLC radio (no matter what Mark says otherwise). At least Sam is now free to chase other opertunities.

RIP AAR

[smokey nj]

35. What's up with that Loftus dude? Heard the last half hour of his

show a few times waiting for Malloy's show to start, and I was shocked to hear neo-con talking points. I'm glad they bumped him from that time slot and I hope they bump him from NovaM for good.

[in_cog_ni_to]

31. You - have - got - to - be - kidding - me??? LIONEL? OMG. That's it.

I'm finished with AAR.

[devilgrrl]

37. Make that two of us.

I'm done.

[no_hypocrisy]

33. Introducing Lionel via his website:

http://www.lionelonline.com

[libnnc]

42. Lionel talks politics?

Really? I've only heard him "digress" for hours and hours and hours...

I don't have the patience to listen to him.

Some people think Randi is bad with not getting to the point?

Oh boy, they ain't heard nothing yet. This guy is like fingernails on a frigging chalk board.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

43. The Chicago AAR outlet runs him on weekends. He seems to talk about porn a lot.

How he makes THAT sound boring, I can't understand. :P

[Edgewater_Joe]

One Tiny Note On AAR's Behalf

I will say this about this move: they seem to have hired a guy that may have some following in New York City, which I'm guessing is one of the reasons the Greens made this move.

I'm not saying I'm happy about it, I'm just saying on an intellectual level I understand it.

[krispos42]

60. Then they should have a station in NYC

I heard AAR's 'flagship' station is more of a dinghy.

I likes Sam's show. I like him about as much as I like Randi, almost as much as I like Malloy or Hartmann. This "Lionel" person I'm not ethusiastic about.

Not that it really affects me. AA Minnesota plays Stephanie Miller at 8am, not Sam. They used to replay Sam at midnight, until Malloy came back to the airwaves.

[smokey nj]

62. WWRL has an awful signal.

[clbuck]

45. My question is: who's going to host at 9 AM for the next month?

Think about it, Sam's last weekday show is this Friday, and Lionel doesn't start for another month. Is Air America going to have dead air for 3 hours? Or are they going to have a random fill-in host until May 14th?

[laststeamtrain]

46. I like Lionel. I don't think it's a bad move at all. Here's his Wiki link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_(radio_talk_show_host)

Maybe it's his law background that enables him to make good arguments but that he does.

Not a screamer or ranter, thank goodness.

I've heard him do shows on 9/11 that were skeptical of the official story.

Some of the comments in this thread don't quite seem reality-based. I didn't know who Sam Seder was until I heard him. Wasn't that impressed. He had his moments though.

Give Lionel a chance. He's pretty good. I think he'll attract a healthy sized audience. That's what they like in radio, you know?

There's room for lots of voices & POVs.

Lionel tears into the Bushbots. He just doesn't scream it.

I guess we'll see or hear how it works out.

[Edgewater_Joe]

54. "Retarded Algonquin Round Table?"

Okay, I like that.

He gets a couple of weeks from me -- so long as Seder actually IS still around.

[Wiley50]

47. BAD MOVE Green's gonna bury AAR

Lionel sucks. As fake a liberal as Big Eddie Shultz
In fact, even more so

They've just LOST over half of their audience

POLKAS?

[B Calm]

51. I hope Nova M picks up Sam. AAR is almost dead!

[eleny]

55. Lionel won't appeal as much to the early daytime listener

He has some interesting shows featuring his legal opinions of current events. But I see his schtick geared to night listeners.

I'd rather listen to Sam on a regular basis if I had the choice.

[Blue-Jay]

65. A few noteable Lionels:

Say you. Say me.


Choo Choo!


My personal favorite Lionel:



(In other words, I've never heard of this particular Lionel, and why does he only have one name? Is he like Cher?)

[pstokely]

69. Contact Sam Seder's advertisers

They'll probably dump Randi next

[blues90]

71. AAR has been dying a slow death

Ever since they fired Malloy . Then they changed the time slots , what a POS station this has turned into . Evem the affiliate here in L.A. 1150 am sucks to the extreme and has for some time . This is the only liberal radio station we have here and it used to air AAR shows through the night .

The turks are just crap and Miller with all the sound effects may attract the youth but it is not for me .

Hell , I can't even keep track of all the changes lately , no one can seem to make better liberal radio and I wonder why .

[Pale Blue Dot]

76. I hope AAR survives. I really do.

But they can do it without me. I'll be cancelling my XM radio, and letting them know why.

[Wiley50]

77. Lionel has his finger on his pulse

problem is

He checks his pulse inside his rectum

[Cleita]

78. I hope Nova Radio picks up Sam like they did Mike Malloy.

His fans will stream him until some radio affiliates pick him up like they are picking up Mike Malloy these days.

[will_in_chicago]

80. Nova M announcement on April 15th

There is supposed to be a major announcement at the KPHX first year birthday party on April 15th in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mike Malloy has hinted that someone big is signing a contract with Nova M.

I think we will see more competition from Nova M and other companies. My local station, WCPT AM 850, only carries two AAR programs during its weekday broadcast hours -- Randi Rhodes and Thom Hartmann.

[SpunkMonkey]

82. I'm stunned, absolutely stunned by this.

I have to come out of lurking to vent on this.

Sundays?! The time slot between jack and sh*t, normally reserved for infomercials and call-in shows about pet care and retirement plans. Nobody listens on Sundays. Evenings were great for Sam Seder's show. Mornings sucked, but at least it was possible to hear the show (although not being on the air in San Francisco has required a tedious series of downloads and transfers to my MP3 player every day, listening only hours after the show is over; no Sammy Cam or call-in participation). But Sundays, once a week! Between church and family time, that just means I'll miss it completely.

I have always been optimistic and hopeful about Air America Radio. I was listening excitedly on the first day, and almost every day since. I've had my gripes before, and have politely submitted praise and criticisms as constructively as possible. I have gone out of my way to support businesses that advertise on AAR whenever possible, and made sure people I know were aware of the local station. But more than anything, I always had hope and belief that it would grow past the awkward stage it's been struggling with and be the successful enterprise we all know it can be.

But I'm done with it now. The shark has been jumped. I can peel off the bumper stickers. I can summon no more polite optimism. I have no more hope for AAR. I OFFICIALLY NO LONGER CARE if Air America Radio lives or dies. I almost *want* AAR to die out so I and so many others can have some closure. They *could* save this network, but obviously they are either purposely strangling it in the bath tub or the program directors are completely bug-f*ck clueless about what they have. And we listeners and supporters (as well as those working to create content) are the are the ones who pay the price.

I'll listen out the week, then wash my hands of it for good. I can't take the frustration, watching another avoidable slow-motion train wreck and rooting for common sense to kick in. AAR is now officially dead to me. I almost wish I could get back my contributions.

To Rachael, Thom and Randi (the last hosts with spines and personalities) I hope you have your resumes in order. Try to jump ship before it's completely sunk.

And to everyone involved in the production of the Sam Seder Show, thank you for all your time and work to make it possible. Good luck!

(end rant)