Sam Seder, Majority Report, Janeane Garofalo

SAVE MY SHOW!

AAR's Seder Makes Desperate Pitch





As an increasingly chaotic atmosphere sets in behind the scenes at troubled liberal talk radio network Air America, at least one host is taking matters into his own hands. For Sam Seder, it's an eleventh- hour attempt to save his own neck.

Will it work?

So far, Seder, of the Majority Report show heard weeknights on the network, has survived the departure of former co-host Janeane Garofalo, but that may not be the case for long.

In addition to making on- air pleas to keep his show, Seder and a website affiliated with the program have kicked off an email campaign that asks fans to write supportive letters to Air America's management.

One problem: with nearly all of Air America's on- site executive team now missing in action, it's hard to determine exactly who would read any pro- Seder emails. Instead, they're far more likely to fall into a cyber- black hole.

He's also enlisted high profile help, including Democrat Party wonder boy Kos. In the subsequent DailyKos reader discussion, liberals dissect Air America's programming, including this analysis from poster "Splicer":

The Majority Report notwithstanding, I think the network as a whole has struggled mightily to find a coherent voice since they first signed on the air. I thought it was a mistake to emphasize so much comedy; the programs often seem more like people auditioning for their next gig than something meant for the long haul.

Here in NYC, we currently have Rachel Maddow in the morning who I think is fine the way she is but is saddled with this character Kent Jones who is apparently doing a lot of the "comedy" writing, delivering the news in a way that screams, "Hey, Jon Stewart, I want to work on the Daily Show". Uh, no, Kent, they have talent.

Is Jerry Springer still on the air there? That program was a mistake and smells of some genius executive making hiring decisions based upon what a consultant tells him.

I've liked Al Franken from the beginning but think that he was better with Katherine than solo. She seemed to always bring things back to the topic rather than let them veer off into tangentland.

Randi Rhodes can be entertaining but it always seems like I'm listening to the same show over and over again. Same sorts of callers and the recorded bits always in the same place coming out of a top of the hour break. Ugh, formats.

Now, as to the Majority Report. I like Sam and like the way that he mixes the sarcastic humor with the vitriol. Janeane always grated on my nerves because, in a weird way, her personality reminded me of Rosie O'Donnell - always having to not only have the last word but the definitive word on everything. I always got the feeling that the odd terminology she would use was because she happened to be reading a book on the subject that week which, of course, made her an expert.

Meanwhile, the company seems to have a hard time keeping its own website updated, as it still lists both Garofalo and Seder as program co-hosts.


While the Radio Equalizer has a hard time faulting anybody for trying to hang on to his job, this energy may be better spent trying to cut a deal somewhere else.

For Air America's hosts, it's a tough decision: either hang on until the ship sinks, or jump off now and quickly look for a new home.

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