Air America, the liberal radio network that had a rocky takeoff last spring, has struck a deal to land in Washington.
...
WRC (1260) plans to drop its syndicated sports talk programming in favor of Franken and some of the rest of Air America's left-leaning lineup while adding other liberal commentators, say people familiar with the matter. This would give WRC's owner, Clear Channel Communications, a "blue state" station to balance its "red state" programs on WTNT (570), which includes conservative hosts Laura Ingraham, G. Gordon Liddy and Michael Savage.
Their inaugural broadcast in Washington will be January 20th, with Al Franken broadcasting from President Bush's second inauguration (pun intended — what can I say, I'm a horrible punster).
I've been curious about Air America since they first went on the air earlier this year (but not so curious that I've bothered to find and listen to their audio stream online). At some point, I'm sure I'll bring them up on my truck's radio to see what's going on over there. I probably won't be able to listen for long, though. I frequently find Rush Limbaugh unlistenable (is that a word?) because of the outlandish nonsense he sometimes spouts, and I expect that Air America will be able to make my blood boil, too.
But I think it's great that they're coming to Washington. Those who want to be able to listen to them should be able to do so, and I'm sure there are grunches of folks 'round these parts who are chomping at the bit for the opportunity.
One thing that I must point out though:
Neither station [WTNT and WRC] has been a powerhouse in the Arbitron ratings, with WTNT ranked 17th in the market last summer, with an average of 74,500 listeners. WRC, which has a weaker signal, was last at No. 40, averaging 29,800 listeners.
