Air America, the liberal radio network, declared bankruptcy today. They referred to a “perfect storm” in the media today as part of the cause.
But Fox News, the news station at the other end of the ideological spectrum from Air America, seems to be strong as ever.
This is the second time Air America declared bankruptcy. It led me to wonder if running a for-profit radio station that proselytizes progressive policies is a doomed venture. It’s like the term Communist China; just not quite right. Air America espoused the benefits of government involvement but had none. Unlike NPR, Pacifica or American Public Media, Air America was trying to beat the capitalists at their own game while espousing the evils of capitalism. That just seems like a bad plan—wouldn’t you want to reject the capitalist model if you were trying to engender a more equitable distribution of wealth?
Making money off of conservative politics makes sense—you’re doing exactly what the ideology espouses. Maybe Air America would have had better luck had they stuck to their guns off air as well as on air. The common good, supported by corporations, which could easily become the targets should their business be perceived unethical, seems a shaky foundation.
I’m sad to see another media outlet go down. I wonder if Air America would be in favor of government bailout for itself. How would that affect their journalistic responsibility? If you consider yourself a liberal or conservative news network, do you have journalistic standards anyway? It would be interventionist government, which is what they supported for the five years they were on air.
It’s not that I really ever thought about it before; it’s mostly just food for thought. Wild media world today. Glad I still have my little niche in it.
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ErikEisele.com 
Eric,That thought is insane, particularly for those of us who believe the strength of the America we know is derived mainly from our embrace of capitalism and the notion that anyone who works hard can achieve success. Air America died because it espouses the same far left beliefs of the Obama Administration. Namely, big government taking over our lives, big taxes and essentially the creation of a "nanny-State" where the government knows best how we should run our lives. Those of us hard working Americans who've achieved success through hard work want to vomit when the far left wing of our government tries to destroy the America we love and intrude upon our lives even further. The America we love is an America where hard work & dedication have always led to success. That is the essence of our strength and the freedoms that we enjoy are there only because the far left has not yet been able to completely take over our lives.Can you imagine the Obama Administration bailing out a liberal, left wing media outlet that essentially believes socialism is a good thing? Talk about a scandal. Come to think of it, I'd love to see the government be so brash and do something that stupid. Then the last nail in Obama's coffin would be secured and we'd know for sure that in 3 years he'd be gone out of office, where he belongs. He is far too left for most Americans. He only won because America was angry with the incumbent party. It was the “perfect storm” for Obama but people are quickly starting to wise up and are realizing they don’t like his socialist policies that likely will bankrupt America if not stopped.Left wing liberalism is as dangerous for America as the far right. America has always been and will continue to be a centrist nation (perhaps even shaded a bit to the right). That is why Obama and the far left controlling Congress won't last for very long. Save this post and refer back to it at the mid term elections and let me know what you think.Thanks for letting me vent. By the way, I just started watching Fox and they definitely speak to me in a way that the far left liberal media never could. I'm glad a friend told me to start watching that Network. I know a lot of others (particularly people who've worked hard to achieve their success) who are starting to tune in to them as well, and they are also enjoying the message.
Good riddance Air American! That communist crap has no place in this great country of ours.
I'm not a fan of either left-leaning or right-leaning media outlets, particularly when they purport to be a news station, but I'm disappointed to see any media outlet disappear. Whether you agree with Fox News or Air America, there is value in getting more viewpoints out there. No one is well-served by unilateral media.The fact that all speech is protected, from "communist crap" to radical conservativism to hate speech, is exactly what makes this country great. Anyone can air any view, even if they don't agree with you or me. I don't celebrate the failure of any of them.Thanks for commenting.
Eric,Pretty much every media outlet is left leaning except for Fox. It is amazing that Republicans win any seats in Washington when you consider how unfairly the are treated in the media. The great thing about this country is that people are smart enough (at least so far) to look past the left leaning bias of the media to make up their own minds. I for one am glad to see Air America go. And, I know I'm not the only one. There are plenty of other left leaning media outlets remaining so I wouldn't lose any sleep if I were you. The left is still firmly in control of the message even though fewer people are buying the kool-aid they are selling.
Noam Chomsky would argue your point about a liberal bias in reporting. Everyone on every side complains the media is against them, left or right—it's a tired refrain. The same maxim goes for the mainstream media that I've used on this blog: as long as everyone gets mad at you some of the time, you're probably in about the right place.
Erik,It may be a tired refrain but a liberal bias to the left actually means unfair reporting and the influencing of the electorate. It is a scary thought to me. I've always said that the true power in this country belongs to the media. Their spin can influence public opinion and can ultimately have a serious impact on elections. Propaganda can and will lead to the erosion of American Liberty if the left is allowed to get away with it. Fox is finally fighting back with the truth and Obama and his left wing socialist buddies don't like it one bit because it hurts their ability to cram their socialist agenda down our collective throats. Our founding fathers are rolling around in their graves as they watch our liberties go down the toilet, and Obama’s hand is on the toilet handle. Swoooosh………Can you hear our freedoms going down the drain?