Radio Silence: Air America Bankrupt -- I Blame Global Warming

The Hill offers an epitaph for the troubled radio network that could never get the ratings of, say, sonograms or airport radar.

Liberal radio network Air America has gone bankrupt and will cease live programming, the company told employees today.

"The very difficult economic environment has had a significant impact on Air America's business. This past year has seen a 'perfect storm' in the media industry generally," Charlie Kireker, chair of Air America Media, wrote in a letter to employees.

Air America was founded in 2004 as a liberal response to conservative dominance of the radio airwaves. In five years it has served as a platform for a number of liberal talkers that have moved on to prominence, including now-Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow.

Pointing to Franken and Madcow as "prominent" graduates of the Air America network is somewhat akin to claiming a thigh rash as a "prominent" anatomical feature.