Welcome To The New Air America

I live in Columbus, Ohio and we need some choice in radio. When will you return ?

Thank you, mod. Miss Crankypants is somewhat mollified. I attempted to get this weekend's show as an experiment (I had been able to listen live) but it would not download automatically as usual via my subscription to it... I had to go to the iTunes store. Do I need to resubscribe?

(I can take many things, but messing with my Bobby? That's serious business, my friend. Heh)

The Ring of Fire podcast is free. It was accidentally flagged as "premium" somehow over the weekend. It is free again. Please email here if you still have trouble getting this weekend's show: aarsupport@airamerica.com

I am very glad that you have a user friendly site. However I would really like to respond to other posters. Is that coming in the future?

OK, so now the only way to get the Ring of Fire podcasts is to pay $70 a year? Like a previous poster, most of my saved podcasts are also gone from iTunes. I think (hope) I have them backed up somewhere.

This sucks, guys. There should be some kind of discount rate for those of us who have been listening since minute one (you know when we registered here, at least). That would take some of the edge off having to pay to listen to our favorite shows when we can't listen live. It's bad enough ROF was dropped from the XM Radio lineup, and AAR is unlistenable on the radio in NYC because its paltry signal is overwhelmed by Radio Disney.

Sorry to be Miss Crankypants, but I'm not liking this one bit. If you improved the lineup--say to the level it used to be at (Air America Classics)--maybe you could get money from advertising instead of listeners. As it stands, you're asking people to pay for a product that's vastly inferior to when it was free. And not many of us have an extra 70 bucks lying around these days. If I did, I'd probably spend more of my time listening to "Classics" than anything else. Sad.

Ring of Fire and Jack Rice... great. Everything else, notsomuch. AAR used to be must-listen, day and night. Give me that again, instead of asking me to pony up 70 bucks in order to access the occasional podcast of one show.

@ 91.dbmason,
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We are sorry for the trouble, but we have just recently launched our new site that is in its BETA version so things may not appear where you may be looking. Can you be a bit more specific about what you've lost?

What podcasts are you specifically looking for?
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If you would like some more information, please feel free to contact our Customer Service Department:
aarsupport@airamerica.com
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What happened to my podcasts?

I had a couple of shows which I have podcasted down for a few years which have suddenly gone missing ... is that intentional?

@ 89. gt6
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I know the new site is frustrating in its differences and the many chat tools that are now lacking, but AA is working on making it a better site. Remember we are in the BETA version at the moment and need to work with you to help make this the site that we all want.

Although I send in my reports with recommendations daily, it can only help if you (and other posters) write in to Customer Service to let them know what you want in a chat community.

By working together in contacting management and in using the REPORT FLAG located next to the lower right of every post, you can help make changes come about. We need your help in formulating the community to be the one where you want to stay and post.
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Please send all of your suggestions to:
aarsupport@airamerica.com
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I miss the direct response format of the old site. There is no conversationallity to the posts. It is much harder to chart where a response to a particular post comes up.

I love the look, I hate the format. AAR becomes just like every other forum.

I have worked as a web designer for about 8 years now and I really like the new site.
It is a cleaner design.
I like being able to look at news that is important to the Air America audience.

I know a number of people were complaining about having to install Silverlight.
Flash is more ubiquitous. However, it was a quick easy install and has worked without any problems.

I rebooted Firefox and it's working great!

Test

@ 83. GRAHAM GREEN,
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A. Your suggested "troll alert badge" is already here. Take a look at the lower right of where your comment appears on the thread. You will see a FLAG with the words REPORT. Please use this tool freely as it is to be used for any or all posts that you believe to be troll worthy, insulting or are simply an issue that needs further inspection from the monitors.

B. All suggestions for the site are welcome as we are in BETA currently. You suggestion for 100 plus comments has been noted and sent to management along with many other suggestions to create a better and more cohesive community for all. If you have further suggestions or questions about the new site, please either post something here on the open threads OR send us an email to:
aarsupport@airamerica.com

C. We do not support SPAM or the selling of products, so it would be helpful for you to read our new Terms of Service which is located at the bottom of every page.
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Here is a shortcut to the referenced link:
http://airamerica.com/terms/
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D. Firefox:
What is your problem with posting in Firefox? I use it and have never had an issue with it as yet. Please, what is blocking you from posting? What is the wording or error messages that you see?
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PS - Could not post in Firefox...

The film that will put BUSH BEHIND BARS!!!

THE TORTURER starring Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura - Star Trek)

Nichelle on THE YOUNG TURKS last week (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZdUBis-FNk). 59 ratings of 5 stars. 1700 views.

* Any chance we could get some more interviews on various shows?

The film releases on DVD next Tues, OCT 20, 2009

Available at these fine places:

* “Shocking, Compelling… Intense...”, Thom Hartmann

* "You've got to see this film!", Mike Malloy

Available:

BEST BUY: http://bit.ly/TorturerBestBuy
TARGET: http://bit.ly/TorturerTarget
AMAZON: http://bit.ly/TorturerAmazon
BORDERS: http://bit.ly/TorturerBorders
BARNES & NOBLE: http://bit.ly/TorturerBarnesNoble
NETFLIX: http://bit.ly/TorturerNetflix
BLOCKBUSTER: http://bit.ly/TorturerBlockbuster

VISIT: http://thetorturer.com

PS - A pull down menu allowing as many as 100 comments per page would be great! Air America member since the launch! Another idea I just thought of is to have a "troll alert badge" that users could click on when they see a troll post? I LOVE the new site look!!!!!!!!

I vote we stop all the chit chat and go viral. Lets set a date and everybody meet either at the capital or the white house in their cars, buses, campers, on foot, what ever you have lets meet in the nation's capitol and force our gov to not just listen but act on our demands for a tax stimulus to each tax paying citizen of ten percent of the taxes they paid in the last ten to twenty years or what ever formula would allow each recipient to get six months worth of bills. Respond if you would participate and those that know how to start a viral lets get going.

@ 78. Socialism_Rules
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We ask that you refrain from calling others names, whether it is a public figure, one of our hosts or another commenter and ask that you please conduct yourself in a civil manner.

All posters are required to abide by the current Terms of Service (link is located at the bottom of every page) or your comments can and will be deleted.

Thank you so very much for your cooperation!
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Here is a shortcut to the referenced link:
http://airamerica.com/terms/
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@ 79. blogbob

Hey there old friend! Nice new digs, eh? It's still a bit hard to maneuver around in and it's not quite as easy finding friends in this new set up, but I'm sure I will learn more as time goes on.

...and not to worry, some of our most persistent trolls are here amongst us, spewing their same old rhetoric for which they will always be remembered.

The main issue here is that until AAR gets a REPLY feature back up (I have my fingers crossed on this one), it's very difficult to carry on any sort of cohesive conversations or debates. That is a very disappointing feature of the new site.

Well that said, I'm glad to see you here amongst the new wallpaper and furniture!

Interesting new look. No trolls? What fun is that? I'm sure FUB, PipeFitterGal, PollyTics, and Uff all enjoy matching wits with trolls and beating them with one hand tied behind their backs.

I agree with White house adviser anita dunn that Mao Tse Dung is the greatest philosopher of our time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYOfNB2igdk

Also, I found out that if You have a debate with a neocon, just say 'your'e a racist' You will win everytime.

@ Uffdaguy

Regarding trolls. I noticed the moderators are getting pretty good at removing the troll posts. The other day I had one or two respond to me with a bunch of garbage and I just ignored it. Sure enough the posts were gone in no time. A response would have just ended up cluttering the thread.

I wonder how hatey likes the new board? He can't post here so we will never find out I guess... LOL

@ moderator_alpha

I like the larger number of comments per page. In the future maybe each user can decide the number per page with a pull down menu. But for now 15 seems like a good number.

Glad to hear there will be a forum section.

@moderator alpha

I like the 15 comments per page. It may cause problems for the trolls, as it goes beyond their alloted number of fingers, and will force them to remove a shoe.

In general, this is a great improvement from the previous version, and I think the sheer number of new or returning posters is the best proof of that.

Remember, we just launched. We will continue to tweak things. Please send suggestions to comment@airamerica.com

Don't just post suggestions here as they will almost certainly get lost in the shuffle.

Some updates:

1. 15 comments per page now. Thoughts?

2. A message board is coming in phase 2 of this site.

Ok, one more tiny nit to pick. It would be nice to see the most commented threads section on the home page, rather than having to go into an individual story and locate it from there.

Gee, whining is fun! I'm starting to feel like a repub! LOL

I wish there was a forum section where you could start your own threads.

It's hard to locate friends on the site now.

5 comments per page? Well, that sure makes for lots of fun when there are upwards of 100 comments. Especially when there is no option to jump to the last page of comments, and one is forced to click page by page. No reply button makes this even messier, trying to follow discussions when they start on page 13 and end on page 1. Where's the ability to track other users? This would be useful in comparing previous posts to identify retreads and sockpuppets.

Jut a couple quick thoughts that pop to mind.

All in all the site is certainly more pleasing to look at.

Less so when it comes to usability... which is all well and good...

... if you are trying to encourage people to read without participating.

And bring back the "Preview Comments"

the trouble is that the site is all dressed up with nowhere to go. Air America never had very good web content or writers other than megan carpentier, or much of it for that matter. so unless you are planning on hiring Lewis Lapham it comes off as a giant empty museum. a million different links going to the same 2-3 stories you could get in better quality at Huffington Post.

There were important reasons why we chose to work with Silverlight on the new site. But we certainly may at some point revisit or expand upon those choices.

I believe the issue was live streaming video--we wanted to make sure that was a tool at our disposal. I've been told by several sources that Silverlight was far more suited to that then flash. Can you tech folks comment?

After cooling off and thinking about this for a while something ate away at me. A new fancy site that is windows only but Linux users here is a raw link for you to self configure your media player instead of it being automatic.
To me its just like in the 50's and 60's the 'whites only' water fountains. Separate but equal.
I hope very soon this changes.
ld

Please change to flash

I am glad to have received the e-mail from Mark Green. I hope that there is a way for Air American Radio to either resolve its differences with WWRL or find a new home, in New York. I also hope that a good place can be found for Ron Kuby and Sam Seder.

J Hart great post.
Thank you
ld

RE: Silverlight, as a web developer I would never recommend Silverlight over Flash except for internal applications where you can control the end user's platform. It's not really about Windows versus Linux or MacOSX (although that plays a part). It's more about putting your development dollars into the platform that will allow you to reach the most users.

Flash has its own problems, but its penetration is far better at about 95% versus Silverlight's 30%. Here's one source of this information:
http://www.statowl.com/custom_ria_market_penetration.php

If those numbers are true, then 70% of your visitors will be asked to install Silverlight when they visit your site, versus just 5% if you had used Flash. Air America has popular content, so a lot of people will take the initiative to do the install, but others will be turned away. And yes, because of its progressive message, Air America's audience is going to skew more toward Linux and MacOSX than the general population (though your own analytics should tell you for sure).

Bottom line for me, it would have been a better use of development dollars to build the same content using Flash. A lot of developers prefer to build using all-Microsoft technology, but in this case you're exchanging development effort for user base, and I think the wrong decision was made. Just my opinion, but I've been doing this for a long time.

Really refreshing post!! I like it very much. Amazing post!!

@ pipefittergal,
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I'm afraid that for the time being, we will not be able to utilize any HTML tags. Remember we are still in Beta, so things may change down the line.
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In the meantime, we ask for your help and input; please write to us at:
aarsupport@airamerica.com
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You don't even have to enter the stream address in iTunes--it is already listed in the iTunes radio area. See these instructions for what to click in iTunes:

http://cdn2.airamerica.com/web/images/itunes-radio.jpg

Mr docsax
You might want to try opening http://cast.voxcdn.net:8000/live in itunes. I would bet under file theres a open location option. This stream addy is very cross platform.
have a great day
ld

I now got it to start in Firefox, but still spinning in Safari. But seems when I try to restart it again if I quit, have trouble again on my Mac. MacBook Pro 10.6.1

@ wrenchboy and moderator alpha

The track feature is there. Sort of.

Click on your account name in the upper right. That opens the account page. There are three tabs at the top: account, ondemand plus subscriptions and comment history.

Comment history is the feature that wrenchboy is talking about but it's broken.

1. It starts with the oldest comment in the database on page one. Latest comment first would be better.

2. Go to the last page. You will see the comments from today. But go back and there are many missing between today and about 9/9/09. For me anyway. Maybe they aren't missing for others?

Bob I sent you an email. Can't get the stream to work on my Mac. Snow Leopard, latest Silverlight plugin. Neither browser, Firefox or Safari. Had a similar problem last time AAR changed their website.
Flash is a better choice, Sliverlight is not an industry standard.

@moderator Alpha

The earlier version of this site had a function called "track" that allowed a member to see the latest comments that had been posted in a thread said person had written in/for.

Also, I really liked the ability to reply to a specific comment.

the loss of these features, and the limit of 5 comments per page in reverse chronological order has me wondering if AAR is trying to discourage ongoing dialogue.

@wrenchboy

I'm not familiar with that feature. Please send any and all suggestions to aarsupport@airamerica.com

I will continue to push for new features and improvements.

any ideas on how I can find the comment history? That little feature that let me know what other people were saying about folks' comments?

Wow it works on my Blackberry too :)
Also Linux Mint 7 users can just c/p the addy in to the firefox address bar and hit enter ... way cool

On my Blackberry i did
1) open the browser 2) hit the app button and select 'goto' and type in http://cast.voxcdn.net:8000/live in the address bar ... don't forget to remove the 'www' and hit the trackball once and the media player will open then it will buffer for about 60 seconds then you have Air America anywhere :) Sweet
ld

Thank you!!
http://cast.voxcdn.net:8000/live works great with mplayer. I would like to see a Linux users click here and have a java pop up that says
Linux users please use this address with your media player mplayer is a example
http://cast.voxcdn.net:8000/live

Thanks and sorry i freaked out. After what microsoft has been doing lately like paying under the table to best buy sales people to lie about Linux to sell windows 7. I could post pages of examples so i expected the worse and i was wrong.
Thanks
ld

Will we still be able to use italics, block quote, bold, etc...or has that been discontinued?

@ldconfig,

The basic Air America stream is just a simple MP3 stream. Any free media player should be able to open it. Here's the address:

http://cast.voxcdn.net:8000/live

A Moderator has removed this comment due to a Terms of Service violation.

The crapware is windows. About healthcare Air America is preaching choice while taking away my only choice to listen to Air America because i am a Linux user. Where i live there are no stations that carry it over the air ... I guess Nashville has cooties lol.
I just want to listen to ED and the others during the day and i refuse to be forced to pay the microsoft tax to do it. I have a secure home network and i am not going to invite spyware adware bots worms etc etc into it.
I want it back the way it was when it was one mouse click to listen to Air America.
I really feel i have been thrown under the bus in favor of pimping mickeymousesoft junk software. I am homebound and Air America is like a close friend thats always there for me.
I am truly sorry to everyone but the bozo/s that thought this up ... right now i just want be alone in a room with them for what they took from me ... yes its personal.
ld