Sam Seder announced on his show today that his show is canceled effective this Friday. He said that AAR is "giving" him a three hour show on Sundays. I find this outrageous. Sam is in the top three hosts on AAR, imo, right up there with Thom Hartmann and Randi Rhodes [I also love Rachel Maddow and like David Bender alot].
Please write AAR at comments@airamericaradio.com and express your feelings on this abrupt and drastic move.
I'm posting this from work and am not really a diarist, so bear with me. Sam Seder's announcement is below the fold along with my letter to AAR.
Announcing my new Sunday Show
It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that this week will be the last week of the Sam Seder Show on Air America. As you know, Air America recently came out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the new management wants to go in a different direction with the 9-Noon (est) time slot. However, as much as I would like to spend more time with Alberto Gonzales’ family, he will be doing so shortly, freeing me up to do a Sunday afternoon show on Air America Radio. The show is tentatively known as Seder on Sundays and I am excited to get it started.
I am very proud of the three years I have broadcast on Air America Radio. I am particularly proud of the Sam Seder Show. We started the show as AAR was entering bankruptcy, when things around here were pretty hectic and insecure. The Sam Seder juggernaut, as no one but me called us, was able to maintain all of our affiliates that stayed with the progressive format through our bankruptcy. While it’s a bit early to judge, (our first full "book" is out in a couple of weeks) our ratings were looking pretty good and we dramatically increased AAR’s streaming numbers during this time slot. Most importantly, though, was the support and response we received from you, our audience. You'll never know just how helpful and motivating your comments, calls, emails and letters have been to me and my family and I greatly appreciate it.
I hope all of you will join me when I begin the Sunday show in the next month and a half or so. Of course, I’ll be maintaining this blog and continuing to promise to fix it. ( I mean it this time, I am serious!) I actually have some rather large plans for this site and its offerings but am not prepared to discuss them at the moment.
Anyway, over the next week I’ll be posting more about my plans, this site, Seder on Sundays and reflecting upon the last three years.
My email address is posted in the left hand column of this blog— drop me an email if you want to receive updates in the future. And tune in this week! I really don’t know how I am going to break this to Dewey.
My email to AAR:
I was greatly heartened when the Green family took over AAR. I figured in
was a great fit, business-savvy liberals running the station.
When I heard Sam Seder say his show was cancelled at the end of the week,
I was appalled and angered. He is one of your top 3 hosts and you do your
listeners and your company a really bone-headed disservice.
WTF are you thinking? Please reconsider or know that you will be losing
my patronage and that of thousands of other Sam Seder aficionados.
Please give me the courtesy of a response or rest assured you have lost
this once loyal avid listener forever.
Sincerely, [trashablanca]