Road To Air America: Breaking The Right Wing Stranglehold On Our Nation's Airwaves (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"(The Drobnys) want to do something good for our country by working to restore a sense of balance..." -- Bill Clinton, Chicago magazine, December 2003

Product Description

At last, from the man who built it, comes the first-hand account of the rocky road that led us to our nation’s first liberal talk-radio network.

After years of listening to monologues from right wing radio ideologues, Sheldon Drobny had enough. He decided the public airwaves needed balance, and that the way to get that balance was by starting his own full time, liberal radio network--what would become Air America Radio.

In Road to Air America, Drobny tells the story of the obstacles he and his wife Anita faced as they tried to make their concept for a progressive radio network a reality. Their journey took them through a world of politics, money, and media as they were helped by some of America's most powerful political figures. Determined to get his liberal radio network on the air, Drobny sold his concept to a team of radio executives only to have it fall back in his lap, nearly undone, five months later.

Today, after a high profile and bumpy launch, Air America is growing and going strong, on the air in 31 markets nationwide. Road to Air America is a story of determination and creativity, and it gives a first hand account of what it takes to get a progressive voice heard in a time when the conservative right dominates the radio airwaves. Drobny, a Chicago-based venture capitalist, philanthropist, and political activist, also has plenty to say about the destructive self-interest of today's corporate-owned media, and how it inspired his concept for a more balanced public discourse.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 141 pages
• Publisher: Select Books (NY) (October 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590790650
• ISBN-13: 978-1590790656
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,641,684 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing, and a bit disturbing, November 6, 2004

By	International Diva - See all my reviews

I long suspected it, but my suspicions were confirmed that the "liberal media" in America was vanishing after reading this book. A handful of major corporations with strong ties to Republican conservatives now owns the bulk of radio and TV stations, as well as strings of newspapers. Trying to overcome this stranglehold of corporate-owned media is a major part of the Air America story. It's an inspiring story about how one person -- admittedly one with a lot of financial means and people in high places -- can change a landscape if he or she doesn't give up. I listen to Air America from time to time, and while it's clearly a fledling network that's still got a ways to go, it's a refreshing change from the other right-wing AM stations who repeat the same misinformations all over the place. By the way, if you're interested in this title, you should really check out "Outfoxed," a documentary about Fox News and Rupert Murdoch. I watched it after finishing this book, and it echoes what is said in this book.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars interesting tale of Air America Radio's beginning, January 4, 2005

By	audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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I would give this book 3 stars for writing quality and 3.5 stars for content, but I was extremely interested in the story, so I'm rounding it up to 4 stars anyway. The author and his wife are venture capitalists who were convinced that corporate-owned media were unwilling to cover stories such as Prescott Bush's (W's grandfather) collaboration with the Nazis, and they were inspired to respond to the stranglehold of right-wing radio after Al Gore's "defeat" in the 2000 fiasco.

The story of the beginning of Air America Radio is quite compelling, though the book suffers from repetitiveness and a lack of detail. This is definitely the story from Drobny's point-of-view, and it lacks interesting information that he was either not privy to or chose not to share. For instance, I was interested to know how and why the station started, but when it came to learning about how they found and negotiated with on-air talent, we get only a little information about Al Franken and nothing about anybody else! Also, there was a bit of a fiasco with early financial dealing, but we get only sketchy details from Drobny.

As for content, while Mr. Drobny seems like a very nice fellow and an angel for the left, the book was unintentionally revealing regarding some of his weaknesses. On several occasions, we learn, the Drobnys were asked to give interviews to various networks about the new station, but they declined to do so, fearing that the story would get negative spin!! No wonder they had troube getting initial investors, when they were perpetually declining free publicity! Drobny spends a lot of time lamenting the difficulty in finding finanial backers, but it never seems to have occurred to him to have the station be a non-profit organization funded by contributors. I think a lot of people, myself included, would have donated generously to have a liberal radio station. Later, the management spent a fair amount of money having a PR firm decide on a name -- why not ask potential listeners to try their hand?

Despite the flaws of the people who started the station and the weaknesses of the book, I fully support AAR and bless the Drobnys for getting it on the air. It's a terrific radio alternative, and it has kept me sane through the mire that is politics today.

Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Drobny!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Decent Book on My Favorite Radio Network, March 16, 2006

By	gamefan (Corpus Christi) - See all my reviews

This is a fairly dry and factual account of the forming of air america. It's interesting because it was written by one of the founders of Air America. I would have given it five stars, however the text is slightly dry. I would reccomend this book to Air America fans, or folks who are merely curious as to how it all started.