Apu Grape Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Finally, after dealing with the strangulation certain radio conglomerates hold over the Buffalo/Niagara Falls airwaves, specifically ENTERCOM (ECHO, ECHO!) and its retarded stepchild WBEN 930 AM, former WGR and WBEN newsman Ray Marks is set to start what is going to be the first locally owned commercial progressive radio station in the nation. No longer will astute listeners have to put up with the embarrasment that is Buerele and his terrorists under every bed, his endless local tax harangues, and his love of baby ducks. We will have the alternative not to listen to Sandy Beach and his irritatiing laugh and we will definitely never have to listen to a certain syndicated pill-popping uber right wing extremist if we just want to tune in during the afternoon drive to get the weather. WHLD is going with a nice balance of excellent local programming with broadcasts of Civil Liberties radio and the Newsroom which have already been airing for over a year, as well as the Air America gang (Springer, Franken, Rhodes) and the stalwart standby Democracy Now with Amy Goodman, the only real news program on national radio today. Liberal talk radio to hit local scene By STEPHEN T. WATSON News Staff Reporter 2/3/2006 Liberal talk is coming to Buffalo radio in 10 days, and it's bringing along Al Franken. A group of investors and radio veterans is launching a new radio station billed as the progressive alternative to the conservative talkers who dominate local airwaves. Niagara Independent Media takes over the operation of WHLD-AM 1270 at 6 a.m. Feb. 13 and plans to offer a mix of Buffalo-based talk and news as well as national programming. "We're excited and anxious to get going. Finally, another voice in local talk radio," said Ray Marks, a former news director at WBEN-AM and WGR-AM. Marks is a partner in this venture and will serve as station general manager and on-air host. The investors say this station will be the first locally owned, commercial radio station in the country to offer talk from a liberal point of view. There are other such stations that are not supported by commercial advertising. "We're not going to be a fringe-left station. We're going to be a station that I think reflects the values of Western New York," said Brian Brown-Cashdollar, Niagara Independent Media's president and a former official with the Western New York Council on Occupational Safety and Health. The station will operate out of WHLD's studio at Delaware Avenue and Chippewa Street for about six weeks before moving into a new, 3,500-square-foot studio under construction at the Tri-Main Center on Main Street. Niagara Independent Media has entered into a license management agreement with Citadel Broadcasting Company to operate WHLD. The new WHLD plans to hire 15 employees by the end of its first year, and the entire operation represents an investment of $600,000, said Brown-Cashdollar. The station will broadcast around the clock, hosting local call-in shows, a fledgling news operation and programs from the liberal Air America Radio Network and Pacifica Radio. Franken, the former "Saturday Night Live" writer and author, has a show on Air America. Brown-Cashdollar and his fellow investors say the station will fill a void in local talk radio, which is dominated by WBEN-AM 930, an Entercom station whose hosts have a solid conservative bent. The investors in Niagara Independent Media include Michael I. Niman, a Buffalo State College assistant professor and frequent contributor to Artvoice magazine, and Richard Lipsitz Sr., a labor attorney. Marks and Alex Blair, who has been executive director of the labor-backed radio program "Prospering in America," will be among the first local hosts on the station. WHLD will be hiring other on-air talent whose identities Marks was not ready to reveal Thursday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PastaJoe Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Is Ed Schultz on in Buffalo? He's a progressive that provides a moderate political viewpoint. And he allows dissenting callers to talk, unlike many of the conservative shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowLinesandArmadillos Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Is Ed Schultz on in Buffalo? He's a progressive that provides a moderate political viewpoint. And he allows dissenting callers to talk, unlike many of the conservative shows. 595787[/snapback] Some, but they have to talk intelligently, often a real problem for right wingers, they too often want to name call, like on Rush, too bad, he doesn't allow it. Lately, the righties have struggled with it and he has had to cut them off. Darn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 WHLD is going with a nice balance of excellent local programming with broadcasts of Civil Liberties radio and the Newsroom which have already been airing for over a year, as well as the Air America gang (Springer, Franken, Rhodes) and the stalwart standby Democracy Now with Amy Goodman, the only real news program on national radio today. Nice satire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Tax writeoff for the investors. They'll drop to the bottom of the ratings. Here in the SF area, the Mecca for the loony left, Err America is ranked 24th. That's lower than several religious stations. "Democracy now" which I think is based in Bezerkley, has a show on the public access channel here. It has a hippie lookig middle aged woman droning on in a monotone basically saying bush Bad , Commies and enemies of teh US good. Apu Grape sounds like Bravin who had a chubby for Err America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 WHLD is going with a nice balance of excellent local programming with broadcasts of Civil Liberties radio and the Newsroom which have already been airing for over a year, as well as the Air America gang (Springer, Franken, Rhodes) and the stalwart standby Democracy Now with Amy Goodman, the only real news program on national radio today. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Dear Lord you people are idiots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 lefty talk radio COULD be a huge hit if it punchy and dared people to listen (like limbaugh who gets some big ratings from people who hate him). the thing is its roots are in public broadcast radio which is boring and keeps people away in droves. i don't think any of those people mentioned above will hold an audience very well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichFan Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Air America in Buffalo ... whoopty freakin doo. I've tried listening just for entertainment, but it is so pathetic that I can't even manage to crack a laugh at it. There's a reason it is in extreme debt. WNY is about to find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VABills Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 lefty talk radio COULD be a huge hit if it punchy and dared people to listen (like limbaugh who gets some big ratings from people who hate him).the thing is its roots are in public broadcast radio which is boring and keeps people away in droves. i don't think any of those people mentioned above will hold an audience very well 597246[/snapback] Lefty radio could work except for 2 small little details 1) all lefties in the media sound like outcasts from the oxygen tv station 2) the lefties have no clue what the !@#$ they are talking about 99% of the time Other then that it might work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevbeau Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 I tried to give it Air America programming a listen on Sirius Left, but it's awful. Rhodes is the best of the bunch, but most of the programs border on childish whining. Almost as funny as Hannity telling every lickbag that calls him up that they "are a great American." About the only host I can stomach is Boortz and he even has his off days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 I tried to give it Air America programming a listen on Sirius Left, but it's awful. Rhodes is the best of the bunch, but most of the programs border on childish whining. Almost as funny as Hannity telling every lickbag that calls him up that they "are a great American." About the only host I can stomach is Boortz and he even has his off days. 597887[/snapback] Is he still doing that? I haven't heard him in about a year and even back then only a few times for a segment or two when going to lunch. That stuff got old pretty quick. Hard to believe it's still going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevbeau Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Is he still doing that? I haven't heard him in about a year and even back then only a few times for a segment or two when going to lunch. That stuff got old pretty quick. Hard to believe it's still going on. 597967[/snapback] Yeah, it must make people's day to hear him say that. I listen in if I can't find anything on Sirius or sports talk. If i work late I can listen to Savage on the way home... ...at least there's a numbing entertainement value to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 Yeah, it must make people's day to hear him say that. I listen in if I can't find anything on Sirius or sports talk. If i work late I can listen to Savage on the way home... ...at least there's a numbing entertainement value to him. 598016[/snapback] Savage is fantastic---just for the sheer Morton Downey Jr. value of his show. Man, I used to love that TV show... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like A Mofo Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 How about this? They all suck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 We get Air-America here in Cincy. It's really a whiny, sorry show. That's regrettable. The liberal bent is not my cut of tea, but that show fails miserably. I wish it would have had better folks on it...I like to hear different viewpoints, and was hopeful that when it started, it would do so and be a thought-provoking forum. A bias towards liberal ideal would be expected and not objectionable. Nothing wrong with that. But it is pretty much a non-stop harangue, with like-minded guests, often rich celebrities scratching a chalkboard with their fingernails. Opinions outside of their self-proclaimed open-mindness are greeted with derision fron the get-go. Snotty comments are the order of the day. Hypocritical. I know that many dislike Limbaugh - and yes, he has a considerable ego. He does harangue, but dosn't have guests as a sounding board. No nodding sycophants. But he has the courage of convictions, is consistent in his viewpoints, and is a very intelligent individual with a strong persona. To wring hands and accuse the man of destroying America is childish. Do not discount his success - he strikes a chord with many people and gets a message across. To those who dislike him, and feel you have a better view, then come up with equal articulation and persuasiveness. Attacking the messenger of a particular viewpoint with shrill screeching instead of offering a cogent alternative view is not especially convincing. To me, Air America is very disappointing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 To me, Air America is very disappointing. 598671[/snapback] To me, the fact that they have made a conscious choice to aim even lower than Limbaugh and his ilk in their messaging speaks volumes about the complete absence of any rational message coming from the American left wing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Political talk radio stinks, and brainwashes people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRC Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Political talk radio stinks, and brainwashes people 599573[/snapback] Political talk radio does not brainwash people. People who are unable or unwilling to do their own research and want information spoon-fed to them are the problem. If you just blindly believe anything that you are told (beit from talk radio, newspapers, magazines, commentators, etc), then you (I am not saying you personally, just saying people in general) are the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Political talk radio does not brainwash people. People who are unable or unwilling to do their own research and want information spoon-fed to them are the problem. If you just blindly believe anything that you are told (beit from talk radio, newspapers, magazines, commentators, etc), then you (I am not saying you personally, just saying people in general) are the problem. 599579[/snapback] But the talk radio guy said that talk radio brainwashes people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crap Throwing Monkey Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Political talk radio does not brainwash people. People who are unable or unwilling to do their own research and want information spoon-fed to them are the problem. If you just blindly believe anything that you are told (beit from talk radio, newspapers, magazines, commentators, etc), then you (I am not saying you personally, just saying people in general) are the problem. 599579[/snapback] I heard a guy on the radio say the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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