Richard Belzer To Fill In During Randi Rhodes' Air America Time Slot

Richard Belzer will fill Randi Rhodes' 3pm-6pm time slot on Air America all next week, the Huffington Post has learned. Belzer is perhaps best known for his role on "Law & Order," where he plays Det. John Munch, but he is also a stand-up comedian as well as a Huffington Post blogger.

Developing...

Previously: Randi Rhodes Quits Air America Rather Than Apologize For Clinton "F*cking Whore" Remark: "There's Relief And Joy" At The Station

Comments

[CyberKat]

This is interesting. Air America's "Flag Ship" (Titanic anyone?) WWRL in NYC has been slowly replacing Air America programming with it's own choices. For today from 3-6, they have listed - Sam Seder Progressive PM. Until today, it was listed as The Randi Rhodes show with Sam Seder filling in.

Perhaps Sam has been given his own show on WWRL. That would make me very happy. I rather like the RL morning show with Coz Carson. Except for Rachel - who I rarely get to hear other than podcast - I can completely divorce myself from Air America? Radio. I've already emailed them to find out about canceling my Premium membership.

So if you're in NYC, check out Sam Seder Progressive PM

[shinybear]

I live in the NYC area too- their bandwidth is so narrow everyone I know had to stream it anyway back when we used to listen to it.

It is impossible to tune in.

[TheyAllSuck]

Me too. And its not a matter of "narrow" bandwidth. Its a matter of sucky frequency, in a sucky tower location, that is utterly underpowered. Their old station had much better reception. It boggles my mind that a gospel programmer can pay more money to broadcast than a supposed national network.

[Raymondf]

Going from aweful to terrible, thats a great move.

[xargaw]

I really like Sam Sedar and he would be a good permanent host, but Belzer is smart and quick, so let's give him a chance. It sounds like this is a temporary gig anyway.

[TheyAllSuck]

I love Sedar, but you have to be realistic; he's not exactly a ratings getter in the most lucrative time-slot in the market. What probably could have happened is Maddow could have been moved into that slot, and he shift over into Maddow's regular time slot. But not giving him a daily gig is definitely sending a message.

[puddytat]

AAR keeps on digging their own grave with every move they make. I think they're nearing China by now. Their "new" website that continually crashes is a joke. Pushing Randi out the door is like poking their eyes out. Getting rid of Malloy and Maron was just the start of the landslide over there. They lost Franken for a Senate run and brought in loser Lionel when they demoted Seder.
If they're getting paid to destroy themselves and lose all their listeners, they need a raise. Heckofajob AAR.
Anyone they use to replace Randi will lose audience. AAR loses .... again.

[Marlyn]

It is all part of the plot to demonstrate that liberal radio doesn't work.

[Raymondf]

It doesn't and never will.

[Raymondf]

I'm glad I don't have access to it after all I've read about it. they will out of business in a year, but maybe George Soros, move-on.org. or Daily Kos will bail them out.

[Penetang]

What the heck is wrong with AAR?!

Sam Seder, I think it is time for you to find another home that appreciates you. You deserve better then this. AAR clearly doesn't know understand or care about its audience.

[FrankBlackFrancis]

What the hell is happening? You'd think the idiots at AirAmerica would rmember how disastorous it was hiring actors and comedians instead of radio personalities. So they force the person with the most radio experience out the door and fill in with a washed up and largely irrelevant comedian/actor? I hope my local progressive station fills the slot with someone else and drops the handful of AA programs they have left. My God.

[indianadem]

I like Richard Belzer...h­e's always good on Real Time. Give him a chance, haters! Geesh!

[Marlyn]

Real Time with Bill Maher = RIGHT WING MEDIA

[indianadem]

??? What is that supposed to mean? Real Time is right wing? What planet are you from?
Or as my kids would ask "Is today opposite day?"

[Lunare]

AAR needs to give Sam Seder a daily show. I'm scared that after Belzer is done, they'll hire yet another faux progressive, perhaps Ed Schultz.

[Marlyn]

Sam Seder is excellent. But that is not what Air America Radio is looking for.
Air America used to be the only nationwide radio with any kind of a liberal voice.
Now, under the new ownership of Mark Green, liberal voices are being removed and Air America Radio will become just one more right wing radio station.

Conservatives win again. Fascism rules.

[YellowDogInRedCounty]

I keep hearing negative things about Ed Schultz (including from Randi herself). I never hear WHY they say negative things about him, though. I kinda like Ed but would love to hear what the problem is with him.

I think it's terrific to have a progressive who is also a sports fan and even though I personally am against hunting, if we can bring some of them into our fold it would only improve our numbers.

[clevelandchick]

Their problem with Ed is that he criticizes Hillary Clinton. He's criticized Obama too, but Hillary has gotten on the wrong side of a lot of liberals, especially when she said that McCain would be a better choice than Obama.

AAR is getting rid of all of their hosts that criticize Hillary or even dare report the negative things her campaign is doing. The owner Mark Green is an avowed and active Clinton supporter. Before too long Seder and Ed will be off AAR. They'll get Clintonites like Bill Press to fill the spots.

[TheyAllSuck]

No, the problem with Ed is that some of his peers think he's an idiot, who ends up being a foil and strawman to right-wing radio, ala Alan Colmes.
Goto youtube.com and google Mike Malloy. He left a video quite clearly demonstrating why he finds Ed to be a slimy jerk.

[peskyliberal]

Nice move. Screw over Sam Seder.

Greene, you cant suck more.

[Skyhawk]

Let's give Belzer a fair chance.

[theBishop]

This is Bullshit.

Sam Seder has done a great job filling in for Randi Rhodes and his Sunday show is only thing I make an effort to listen to on AAR.

They never should've fired him in the first place, and now they snub him at the perfect opportunity to promote him.

Fuck Air America.

[AurigaRa]

no qualms with his politics but his filling in for Randi doesn't excite me.
Wish they just bring Sammy in.

[DannyGuam]

Holy Crap!

How effin clueless are the suits at AAR? They have one of the best progressive radio host around in Sam Seder and they let this out while he is on the air and don't even tell him. Dicks.

Anyone who listens to Sam knows how good he is at doing interesting radio that is keyed in to the blogs and what is happening with this stuff that matters to the kind of audience that you would think AAR would want to attract and keep.

This is really dumb.

[realrick]

And so, AAR's unilateral suicide pact continues.

Rather than install a true radio talk show host, they go the Hollywood route again, having Belzer follow on the heels of Garafalo. By contrast, the GOP loved using Hollywood personalities like the late Charlton Heston as figureheads for organizations like the NRA but, they never would have dreamed of sticking one of them in front of a mike for 3 hours because they knew that the talent would simply not transfer. They would wind up with a bigger sleeping audience than a narcolepsy clinic.

In the meantime, syndicated hosts Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller will continue to eat AAR's lunch. I suggested in an earlier post that they needed to elevate Cenk Uyger to this slot. But, instead of a radio pro, we get this neophyte instead. Good luck with that!

Nice going, Green. I have just one question for you: Are you really invested in seeing this network succeed or is this just one huge tax write-off between you and the IRS? Because right now, this Rhodes fiasco is totally FUBAR!

[editorjuno]

Belzer is a fine comic and a very good actor, but his blogging and other offhanded utterances indicate he's wandered a bit into what might be termed tinfoil-hat conspiracy theory territory -- not sure that'll work all that well on the radio, but we'll have to tune in to see what he does with the opportunity. One very bad aspect of this is that apparently HuffPo was informed about it before any of the remaining AAR talent was notified -- imo yet another sign of the very high-handed, insensitive, and unprofessional management approach of AAR's honchos.