Thom Hartmann to Replace Al Franken on rescued Air America Radio

Photo by Rob Kall

He's done really well. He's been one of the anchors of our station as a whole. WE have a couple of good progressive voices on the air. And in some instances being number one, even beating Rush Limbaugh. THey (listeners) love how scholarly he is and they feel like they're going to college and enjoy his ability to draw on the history of the country pulling in the founding fathers

He's so well read and informed. He Not only keeps them up to date but also keeps them feeling like they are learning something.

Now, Thom is going to just explode on the scene. I think this is his day. To bring that in with Air America's 75 - 80 stations, he's going to shine.

I always felt, once I started to listen to Thom, he just seems incredibly sharp. He's not a screamer... he's the new face of progressive radio... you learn something. He's not the professor you pound the nodoz to stay awake. He's a guy you want to learn from, at a time when there is so much BS... it's nice to have a refreshing, calm but vibrant voice coming out of the radio that just makes sense.

I love talk radio. I don't want to be on TV. I don't want to run for public office. I don't want to be a movie star. I write books and I do talk radio and that's enough for me.

I think I have some of the smartest listeners in the world and I appreciate every one of them and I'm really grateful that over the nearly four years I've been doing this show I've been able to develop a good and symbiotic relationship with progressive websites like OpEdNEws.

I'm one of the few progressive hosts who regularly debates conservatives. I do it because it hilights for my listeners the real issues-- the deeper issues beneath the sound bytes-- and helps model for them how to win the "water cooler wars'

While I don't share the conservative world view, I understand it and respect some of the people who hold it from a position of integrity and belief. THat allows me to help my listeners understand the real differences between conservatives and liberals and solidify their take on why the liberal founders of this nation, like Jefferson, Madison and Washington, were so adamant that America be a liberal nation rather than a conservative aristocracy, oligarchy or theocracy.

"There's a similar list for Rush Limbaugh-- companies that don't want to get tied up in politics.

The fact of the matter is my advertisers, from Purina to Sacred Grounds COffee to the Organic Wine COmpany get great results, which is why I refer to my program as listener supported radio. It's supported by my listeners supporting my sponsors.