Progressive radio timeline
From dKosopedia
Diaries and stories tagged as |
This timeline collects events pertaining to the history of progressive talk radio. A major focus of the timeline is the adoption and abandonment of the progressive talk format by radio stations across the U.S. In some instances, events relating to conservative talk show hosts (e.g., Rush Limbaugh, Morton Downey, Jr.) are listed for comparison. Major sources for the timeline include Liberal Talk Radio, Wikipedia, and David Brock's The Republican Noise Machine: Right-Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy (2004).
Contents |
2010
February 2010
January 2010
2009
November 2009
- early November: Ed Schultz dropped from WTNT (570 AM) in Washington, DC in favor of local conservative Jeff Kuhner; had been added in February after WWRC lost its progressive talk
- November 3: KMPT (930 AM) in Missoula, MT switches from progressive to conservative talk
October 2009
- October 12: Air America relaunches its website
- mid-October: Thom Hartmann expands network; adds a commercial-content-free version of his shows and affiliates with Pacifica, broadcasts a TV show on Free Speech TV, and reestablishes relationship with Air America (website and Washington, DC station)
- October: Mark Riley returns to radio (WWRL, 1600 AM, New York)
September 2009
- September 28: Former Iowa state rep Ed Fallon and his wife Lynn will start broadcasting progressive talk in Des Moines
- September: Jon Elliott off the air in San Diego after five months
- September: Stephanie Miller off the air on KCMD, Portland, OR
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
- mid-May: Daily Kos blogger team publicizes former AAR host Jon Elliott's appeal for subscribers to begin a network, beginning with a 3-hour daily broadcast in San Diego
- May 18: Jon Elliott starts on XEPE-AM, San Diego, CA
- May 15: Jon Elliott leaves Air America Network
- May 4: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. progressive talk weekday programming begins on WWZN-AM (Boston area)
April 2009
- April 28: Santos Media, headed by local host Jeff Santos, has signed one-year lease with WWZN-AM (Boston area); weekday programming expanded from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Santos, Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz, Thom Hartmann)
- April 6: Montel Williams scheduled to join Air America lineup
- April 3: WINZ (940-AM, Miami) switches back to sports from progressive talk
March 2009
- March 5: Nova M network defunct and locked out of their KNUV office; Nova M's reincarnation as "On Second Thought" seems to be stillborn
2008
October 2008
August 2008
- August 1-3: Non-Stop Radio Symposium for progressive talk radio hosts and fans, Madison, WI
- August 1: WROC (950-AM, Rochester, NY) scheduled to lose progressive talk
July 2008
- July 14: Air America channel on XM Radio to revise lineup and be renamed "America Left"
- July 1: KMNY (1360-AM, Dallas, TX) scheduled to extend progressive talk from part-time to full-time
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
- March 28: KSAC (1240-AM, Sacramento) switches from progressive talk to gospel and changes call letters to KRJY
- March 22: Randi Rhodes uses vulgar language to describe Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro at an event in San Francisco; the incident later leads to her moving from Air America to the Nova M network
- March 13: House members take up resolution of disapproval regarding FCC's December loosening of cross-ownership restrictions
- March 5: Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) introduces resolution of disapproval regarding FCC's December loosening of cross-ownership restrictions
February 2008
- February 21: Charlie Kireker takes over from Stephen Green as chair of Air America board
- early February: KBAI (930-AM, Bellingham, WA) switches from oldies to progressive talk
January 2008
- January 30: David Goldstein is let go from KIRO (710-AM, Seattle); see also DK diary by "mcjoan"
- January 28: five-hour leased block of progressive talk (Jack Bishop, Mike Malloy, Phil Hendrie) to be aired on KMNY (1360-AM, Dallas, TX)
- January 15: Young Turks program leaves Air America Radio
- January 14: Andy Johnson, former Florida House member, converts WZNZ-AM (Jacksonville) from Christian programming to progressive talk, including his own program
- January 2: progressive talk to return to Missoula, MT on station 930-AM, recently sold by Clear Channel to Gap West
2007
December 2007
- December 18: FCC votes to relax restriction prohibiting a newspaper from owning a television or radio station in the largest markets
- December 3: WVKO-AM (Columbus, OH) flips to progressive talk
- December: listener-supported RadioPower.org stops streaming progressive talk radio after almost six years; see also Liberal Talk Radio article
November 2007
- November 12: KLSD in San Diego is flipped to sports
- November 9: FCC hearing in Seattle; was announced on November 2
- November 8: Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Trent Lott (R-MI) introduce S. 2332-110, the Media Ownership Act of 2007
October 2007
- October 18: KOKE-AM in Austin is switched to Latino music
- October 12: second rally to save progressive talk on progressive talk on KLSD-AM in San Diego; planned to be a "New Orleans style rally"
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
- June 30: Ron Harrist (AP) on enmity between Sen. Trent Lott (R-MI) and conservative talk radio hosts
- June 28: FCC hearing on localism in Portland, ME
- June 27: NPR on enmity between Sen. Trent Lott (R-MI) and conservative talk radio hosts
- June 1: WLVP-AM (Portland, ME) flips from progressive talk to sports
May 2007
- May 2: mostly progressive talk from WWKK (750-AM, Petoskey, MI) migrates to combined conservative/progressive talk station WJML (1110-AM, Petoskey, MI), simulcasting with WLDR (1210-AM, Traverse City, MI)
- May 2: combined conservative/progressive talk station WURP (1550-AM, Pittsburgh, PA) flipping to business format
April 2007
- April 30: Fresno, CA progressive talk group holds first meeting
- April 30: Stephanie Miller begins hosting TV show on MSNBC in what had been Don Imus's slot
- April 26: Boston progressive radio group hosts event featuring Sheldon and Anita Drobny, Joe Trippi, John Zogby
- April 25: Air America Radio announces major lineup changes
- April 15: WURP (1550-AM, Pittsburgh, PA) drops Air America Radio programming for business radio
- April 11, 12: Don Imus is fired from his radio and television shows
- April 11, 14, 15: MoveOn.org "Iraq Town Hall" event
- April 10: Northeast Ohio progressive talk listserv launched
- April 2: Fresno, CA progressive talk listserv launched
- April 2: KFPT (790-AM, Fresno, CA) changes format to sports
- April: KCAA (1050-AM, San Bernardino, CA) drops Air America Radio affiliation
- April: KCCT (1150-AM, Corpus Christi, TX) drops Air America programming
- April: KHRO (1650-AM, El Paso, TX) switches from Air America Radio to oldies
March 2007
- March 30: WARF (1350-AM, Akron, OH) changes format to sports
- March 14: KDXE (1380-AM, Little Rock, AR) changes format to sports
- March 7: FCC hearing in Columbus, OH: "Future of Media Town Meetings"
- March 6: Green Family Media purchases Air America Radio
- March 5: WTWK (1070-AM, Burlington, VT/Plattsburgh, NY) switches to women's talk format ("EVE 1070")
- March: KXNS (105.9-FM, Missoula, MT) switches to "Jack FM"
February 2007
- February 26: KCTC (1320-AM, Sacramento, CA) changes format to sports (ESPN)
- February 14: KAOI (1110-AM, Kihei (Maui), HI) ceases Air America Radio programming entirely (Al Franken Show had been the only remnant)
- February 14: WMLB (1690-AM, Atlanta, GA) ceases Air America Radio programming entirely (Al Franken Show had been the only remnant)
- February 14: Al Franken to leave Air America Radio in order to run for U.S. Senate seat for Minnesota; slot will be taken by Thom Hartmann
- February 13: Eric Klinenberg, author of "Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America's Media", interviewed on NPR
- February 12: Connecticut progressive talk listserv launched
- February 5: Duluth progressive talk listserv launched
- February 4: WAVZ (1300-AM, New Haven, CT) changes format to sports
- February 1: KQDS (1490-AM, Duluth, MN) drops progressive talk
January 2007
- January 29: Air America Radio announces tentative agreement to be bought by Stephen L. Green
- January 28: KPHX (1480-AM, Phoenix, AZ) goes on air as flagship station for Nova M network
- January 27: "Media ownership rules: Economists: FCC withheld research" by John Dunbar in The Santa Fe New Mexican; study that found that local ownership resulted in more local news coverage was suppressed by FCC; copy of study surfaced three years later
- January 10: KIST (1340-AM, Santa Barbara, CA) station sold
- January 9: rally held in support of keeping progressive talk on WPTG (1230-AM, Columbus, OH) on announced day of format change
- January 8: WPTG (1230-AM, Columbus, OH) flips format from progressive to conservative, a day ahead of schedule
- January 4: Cincinnati, OH progressive radio listserv launched
- January: announcement made that KXXT (1010-AM, Phoenix, AZ) would switch to Christian programming after January 31
2006
December 2006
- December 30: first meeting of Air America for Nashville
- December 27: first meeting of Save Boston Progressive Talk
- December 26: Columbus, OH progressive radio listserv launched
- December 21: Boston, MA progressive radio listserv launched
- December 21: WKOX (1200-AM, Framingham, MA) and simulcast station WXKS (1430-AM, Chelsea, MA) switched from progressive talk to Rumba (Latino music) by Clear Channel
- December 21: WTPG (1230-AM, Columbus, OH) loses progressive talk format
- December 21: WXXM (92.1-FM, Madison, WI) local group wins its fight to keep progressive talk
- December 11: WSAI (1360-AM, Cincinnati, OH) loses progressive talk format
- December 5: WKBF (1270-AM, Quad Cities, IA/IL) switches to Christmas music, never to return to progressive talk
- December: KTXX (103.1-FM, San Antonio, TX) switches to Spanish-language programming
- December: WHLD (Buffalo/Niagara Falls, NY) changes format to gospel, but continues to air "Democracy Now"
November 2006
- November 8: WSMB (1350-AM, New Orleans, LA) loses progressive talk format
- November: in Huntington, WV, WCMI takes over progressive talk from WRVC
October 2006
- October 30: Nova M network founded by Sheldon and Anita Drobny
- October 13: Air America Radio files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
- October 1: KXEB (910-AM, Dallas, TX) switches to Catholic radio as part of Guadalupe Radio Network (based in Midland, TX)
September 2006
- September 18: Air America Radio revises its lineup
- September 1: WWRL takes over from WLIB as the new Air America Radio flagship station
August 2006
- August 30: Mike Malloy fired by Air America Radio
- August: progressive radio in Burlington, VT switches from WVAA (24-hour signal) to WTWK (weaker daytime-only signal)
- August: WDOD (1310-AM, Chattanooga, TN) switches from Air America Radio to hits of the 1950s to 1970s
July 2006
- July 14: Janeane Garofalo's last day as co-host with Sam Seder of "The Majority Report"
June 2006
- June 23: president Gary Krantz announces that he'll be leaving Air America after a little more than a year
- June 11: WMLB (1690-AM, Atlanta, GA) Air America syndicated programming terminated except for Al Franken Show
April 2006
- April 6: CEO Danny Goldberg announces that he'll be leaving Air America after a little more than a year
March 2006
- late March: Nova M Radio signs local marketing agreement with KPHX (1480-AM, Phoenix, AZ)
2005
- September 8: Air America Radio founds Air America Syndication
- September 6: KQDS (1490-AM, Duluth, MN/Superior, WI) goes to Air America Radio
- September/October: WDOD (1310-AM, Chattanooga, TN) switches to Air America Radio
- September: WHJJ (920-AM, Providence, RI) drops Air America Radio
- September: WHAT (1340-AM, Philadelphia, PA) drops Air America Radio
- August: KTHO (590-AM, Lake Tahoe, NV) drops Air America Radio and returns to local programming
- July 12: WYNK (1380-AM, Baton Rouge, later WPYR) goes live with Air America Radio, as the result of a petition drive that gathered 1500 signatures
- July: Bronx News reports that Evan Cohen, previous chairman of Air America Radio, had loaned money to Air America Radio from the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club, of which he was then director of development; current owners of Air America Radio denounced the deal and paid back the money
- April: Gary Krantz named president of Air America Radio
- March 31: HBO airs documentary about Air America Radio: "Left of the Dial"
- March 21: KXEB (910-AM, Dallas, TX) goes to Air America Radio
- January: WCKY (1530-AM, Cincinnati, OH) goes to Air America Radio (later becomes WSAI, 1360-AM)
2004
October 2004
- October 12: Liberal Talk Radio blog publishes first post
- October 4: WKOX and WXKS (Greater Boston area) begin simulcasting progressive talk
- October: WHJJ (920-AM, Providence, RI) picks up several Air America Radio shows
September 2004
- September 7: The Stephanie Miller Show launches
July 2004
- July 13: WINZ drops sports for progressive talk, including Air America and Ed Schultz
May 2004
- May 5: current owners of Air America Radio in default of contract; Sheldon and Anita Drobny reorganize the company
April 2004
- April: WTND (Chicago) drops Air America Radio; WCPT (also Chicago) picks it up
- mid-April: Air America Radio temporarily off the air in LA due to financial difficulties
March 2004
- March 31: Air America Radio goes on air (24-hour format) on WLIB-AM (NY), WTND-AM (Chicago), KBLA-AM (Los Angeles), KCAA-AM (Riverside/San Bernardino, CA), KPOJ-AM (Portland, OR)
February 2004
- February 27: UAW's I.E. America Radio Network goes off the air
January 2004
- January 6: Al Franken signs deal with Air America Radio; March 31 "drop dead" date stipulated
- January: Ed Schultz Show launches
2003
- October 17: AnShell Media becomes Air America Radio and is transferred to Progress Media; as a condition of the deal Drobnys relinquish ties
- August 11: Thom Hartmann writes Turn Your Radio On: The Unions' Answer to Right-Wing Static on Common Dreams
- February 17: Jim Rutenberg, NYT, writes article "Liberal Radio is Planned by Rich Group of Democrats"
- Nancy Skinner, Thom Hartmann, and Peter B. Collins begin hosting their own shoes on the i.e. America Radio Network
2002
- December 3: Thom Hartmann article "Talking Back to Talk Radio: Fairness, Democracy, and Profits" published by CommonDreams.org (later used by Sheldon Drobny to convince Al Franken to join the progressive talk radio network)
- November: Sheldon and Anita Drobny's company, AnShell Media, write preliminary business plan
- July: Sheldon and Anita Drobny solicit help from Al Gore and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) with suggestion to develop a progressive talk radio network
- January: RadioPower.org begins streaming progressive talk radio; see also Liberal Talk Radio article
- Sirius Left satellite channel begins broadcasting, based largely on i.e. America Radio Network programming
- i.e. America Radio Network moves to Detroit and adds more liberal talk shows
2001
2000
- October: Peter Werbe and Mike Malloy join the i.e. America Radio Network
- United Auto Workers' network is renamed "i.e. America Radio Network" (for "information" and "entertainment")
1999
1998
1997
1996
- Chuck Harder and co-host Pat Choate join the United Auto Workers to start a new for-profit radio network, the United Broadcasting Network; within three months, Harder will be forced off the air and the UAW will become the sole owners; in 2000, network will be renamed "i.e. America Radio Network"
- February 8: Clinton signs Telecommunications Act of 1996 into law
- February: Pacifica Radio launches Democracy Now!
Early 1990's
- 1994: group of freshman representatives in Congress calling themselves the "Dittohead Caucus" declare Rush Limbaugh an honorary member of Congress
- 1993: October 10: Rush Limbaugh admits to listeners his addiction to prescription painkillers and states that he will enter inpatient treatment for 30 days
- 1993: WEFT (90.1-FM, Champaign, IL) goes to 24-hour format
- 1993: Rush Limbaugh publishes See, I Told You So
- 1992: Rush Limbaugh publishes The Way Things Ought to Be
- early to mid-90s: Chuck Harder's The People's Radio Network is on the air
1980's
- 1989: December: Chuck Harder's liberal Sun Radio Network bought by Kayla Satellite Network (half-owned by conservative Liberty Lobby)
- 1988: Rush Limbaugh moves to WABC-FM in New York, which will remain his flagship station to the present day; his show is nationally syndicated
- 1987: Chuck Harder starts the Sun Radio Network in order to syndicate "For The People"
- 1987: FCC repeals Fairness Doctrine; Rush Limbaugh becomes one of the first to take advantage of this development
- 1984: Rush Limbaugh returns to radio as a talk show host at KFBK in Sacramento, California, where he replaces Morton Downey, Jr.
- 1984: June 18: Alan Berg, liberal radio show host, is shot to death; members of neo-Nazi group, The Order, are eventually convicted of conspiracy for the murder
- 1981: February 23: Alan Berg debuts at Denver station KOA
- 1981: WEFT (90.1-FM, Champaign, IL) goes on air
- 1981: KPFT/Houston becomes the first public radio station to broadcast special programs in 11 different languages, serving the multi-ethnic Texas Gulf Coast communities
1970's
- 1979: Florida's first community radio station, WMNF (88.5-FM, Tampa, FL), goes on air
- 1977: WPFW/Washington DC goes on the air, after winning a six-year competitive process for the last available frequency in the nation's capital
- 1972: Pacifica Radio establishes Pacifica Radio Archive and Pacifica Program Service established in Los Angeles
- 1970: KPFT in Houston goes on the air and is bombed off twice during its first year by Ku Klux Klan attacks on its transmitter tower