I miss my favorite radio show

December 20, 2007

At first it was Lynn Winstead, Chuck D and Rachel Maddow. And then Air America shook its lineup up, eased Winstead and Chuck D out of the door, and gave Maddow the morning slot. A few months later, they shook things up again and gave her the drive home. The schedule changes didn’t make any difference to me because I was podcasting the show anyway, listening to it on a time delay. For a very long time Rachel Maddow has been part of my commute. And I’ve been paying Air America money every month to listen to her without commercials and without having to actually turn on a radio.

Last week Air America Radio decided that they could do without Maddow cohort, former Daily Show writer and four-time Iditerod champion Kent Jones. Kent Jones had been working with Maddow throughout their stint on Air America radio, and as far as I was concerned he was an integral part of the show. His comedy and personality offset Maddow’s earnestness. But there was a “business decision.” There is no Kent Jones now, and the show just isn’t anywhere near what it once was.

Maddow’s show is still informative. She is very smart, and she is still concerned about very important issues — like our failing national infrastructure — that most news outlets (or blogs) ignore. But Kent Jones was the comic relief that made the show fun and funny. It’s not fun and funny any more.

Air America has not, as near as I can tell, responded in any way to Kent Jones’ fans. They certainly didn’t respond to me when I wrote and complained — politely. I will miss the Rachel Maddow Show but I think I will be canceling my Air America Premium subscription. There just isn’t anything worth the money any more. And I think the management at Air America resents their (erstwhile) fans. We don’t like to listen to what they think we should like.

Posted in Entertainment, Grumbles