Air America going off the air, into bankruptcy

It turns out if there's a market for liberal talk radio, it isn't yet ready for prime time. Air America has taken down its usual website and posted notice that it's signing off on Jan. 25. From 3 p.m. PST today until then, stations will be provided with "encore programming." From the Washington Post story:

Air America, the talk-radio network that helped boost the careers of liberals Al Franken and Rachel Maddow, said Thursday it was going out of business....

Air America launched in March 2004 and styled itself as a liberal alternative to conservative talk radio hosts such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage. Although at one point its programming was heard on as many as 100 stations nationwide, it ran into financial trouble early. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 2006 and was sold to new investors for $4.25 million in early 2007.

Among its program hosts were Franken, who went on to win election to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, and Maddow, who became the host of a prime-time program on MSNBC. The company also hired Ron Reagan Jr., rapper Chuck D and musician Steve Earle to host shows.

Locally, KTLK (AM 1150) is still figuring out what it means for them, says L.A. Radio