As readers can tell by my use of the past tense, I can no longer listen to three hours of the most entertaining, progressive radio. The new CEO of Air America thought it best to replace Unfiltered with three hours of -- drum roll please – Jerry Springer. Yes, the same Jerry Springer who’s ads for re-runs of his TV show run side-by-side with ads for “Girls Gone Wild”.

Air America relegated Rachel Maddow to a show between 5 AM to 6 AM. Down from three hours to one hour, during prime REM sleep for most people. Lizz Winstead has left the network. Chuck D may be getting a show on the weekend. But Air America listeners will get fifteen hours a week of Jerry Springer. In fact, progressives can listen to men – mostly white men – for the majority of the time on this “progressive” station -- save for the respite of the Randi Rhodes show and the Majority Report which is co-hosted by Jeanne Garofalo. But be prepared to hear Garofalo chastised about proper etiquette by her co-host Sam Seder.

My question to Air America is what sort of demographic are you trying to reach with this type of programming? Air America is taking their women listeners for granted. Women vote for the Democrats in greater numbers than their male counter parts. Does Air America really want to reach the Democrat’s base by appealing to women with another white-male voice?

Do I need to say that one thing progressive women share with conservative women is that we like to be taken seriously? Do I need to remind these men that progressive women aren’t going to be taking their political talking points from someone who has television ads hawking “Jerry Springer Uncensored” which entails two hours of bare breasts?

Neo-cons took over three branches of government by energizing their base of supporters. Air America doesn’t appear to want to energize the Democrat’s base of support. Rather, the big boys at Air America want to give us more of the same old male, make that white male, voices. Air America must think that Springer -- I mean c’mon Springer?!?!? – is going to inspire women to volunteer for get-out-the-vote drives, run for schoolboards, city councils, or even just tell their friends and family members about the news they heard from Jerry “sensationalist” Springer.

I guess Air America hopes that Springer will bring in more advertising dollars from other white guys. I guess Air America’s advertisers don’t want to tap into the purchasing power of women.

Ok Air America, you’re on the radio dial in many large markets now. You’ve got you’re big towers and massive transmitters. You’ve shown me that you’re taking your toys and keeping it in the boy’s tree forte. Yes, you’re big boys now. You can take you’re big boy toys and play with yourselves as you’ve shown me that you have no balls. I’ll go back to finding women’s and African American voices on Pacifica radio, Internet streams, and the print media.