For the Love of Air America

The people have spoken!

THOUSANDS of people protested the impending death of Air America on Madison radio.

Their voices were heard.

A Festivus miracle occurred.

Air America will not die on January 1, 2007.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Clear Channel Radio has reversed an earlier decision after a backlash in Madison, saying it will keep its Air America affiliate on the air instead of switching the progressive talk format to sports on Jan. 1.

Citing the overwhelming negative reaction to the planned change, the nation's No. 1 operator of radio stations said it would keep The Mic 92.1 FM on the air as a progressive talk station.

The planned change to Fox Sports Radio, announced three days after the Nov. 7 election, sparked outrage in Madison. Clear Channel said the station, WXXM-FM, had struggled to attract advertisers despite high ratings and a sports format would be more profitable.

But thousands of people protested the end of their favorite station through e-mails, phone calls and a signed petition delivered this week. A rally last week drew 500 people, and politicians including Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, denounced the decision.

Wow.

Apparently, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin are diehard Air America fans.

Cieslewicz and Baldwin show more commitment to controlling Madison radio than Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore show to controlling their city's crime problem.

Only in Madison, city of protests, would there be 500 libs on hand to rally for a failed radio station.

..."We are overwhelmed by the recent outpouring of support for our progressive talk format from the public, some of our community leaders and some dedicated local advertisers," said Jeff Tyler, Clear Channel's market manager in Madison. "We deeply appreciate the local business leaders who are pledging their advertising support - they are playing an enormous role in helping to keep progressive talk on the air in our community."

Tyler planned to announce the decision on the airwaves this morning. He said Clear Channel had to end an agreement with Fox Sports Radio to make the deal possible.

"Progressive" appears in this AP article five times.

It's so funny that libs are afraid to admit that they're libs.

The announcement came just as the opponents of the change appeared to give up, staging a mock funeral procession from the Capitol to Clear Channel's local offices on Wednesday to mourn the death of the station.

Valerie Walasek, a 28-year-old listener who organized the protests, said she had shifted her focus to other options, such as trying to buy a new station. She was shocked by the company's last-minute change of heart.

"It's evidence that as people stand up and demand what they want and demand they are going to take back the airwaves, somebody will listen," she said.

What a nut!

A mock funeral procession for Air America?

How weird!

I know that listening to Air America has all the life and excitement of a funeral procession. Was Walasek trying to recreate the Air America listening experience in her planned protest?

The fact that Air America will stay on the air in Madison isn't indicative of the people taking "back the airwaves."

The people already have control of the airwaves.

MILLIONS and MILLIONS choose to listen to conservative talk.

The country overwhelmingly has rejected lib radio.

Madison is completely out of the mainstream.