According to Young’s opinion piece at Philly.com, Air America and most other liberal talkers have copied the pedantic, almost authoritarian style of conservative talk radio — a style that doesn’t appeal to the liberal audience.  As Young writes:

“[T]he crux of liberal talk’s inability to match up to right-wing talk isn’t the business plan or the lack of a Limbaugh. It’s a failure to understand its audience… Before Limbaugh, talk radio was about wanting to know what you think. Today, it’s telling you what you should think. The liberal audience doesn’t work that way; reaching a consensus on the left is like herding cats.

Wouldn’t it make sense to go to your strength, not try to mimic your opponent’s? The left needs to pay attention to the success of Comedy Central’s one-two punch of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. They don’t necessarily reach the numbers of Limbaugh, Beck, or Sean Hannity, but they have cornered the market on political satire, and there’s no denying their influence.”

Of course, comedy isn’t the only way to reach a liberal audience.  Young fails to mention the one radio network that enjoys great success with a style that owes nothing to Rush, Glenn or Sean.  It’s called National Public Radio.

Air America downplayed politics in announcing Lionel’s return, saying he will explore the issues of the day, engage in topical conversations, and interview high-profile guests.  Let’s hope that’s true.  Very few people want to be harangued first thing in the morning, and Lionel does some of his best work when he’s talking about non-political stuff — what talk programmers call “lifestyle” topics.  In fact, Lionel is responsible for one of my three favorite hours of talk radio — a Friday night segment in which he solicited calls from “bad girls.”  The calls he got were riveting, including one from a woman who admitted that she got her thrills by flashing men, Sharon Stone-style, on the New York subway.

My other favorite hours? 

1. Former WBT-AM/Charlotte talker Jerry Klein’s “Who do you hate, and what do you call them?”  Prompted by an anti-semetic voice mail he received, Klein decided to let listeners share their prejudices, so long as they were willing to reveal their favorite epithet for their lest-favorite group.  Surprisingly, it took several calls before the N-word surfaced.  As I recall, the first caller hated rich people because of a horrible snub she and her mom received several years before when their car broke down outside a country club.

2. Michael Graham’s WMAL-AM/Washington hour about “manscaping,” especially “down there.”  This one got started after the sartorially-challenged Graham learned that his metrosexual producer was a big believer in keeping his hedges trimmed.  Graham’s disbelief in the face of the steady stream of calls from other manscapers (and their women) made for hysterical radio.  It culminated beautifully when Graham asked the final caller if her husband kept it high and tight.  “Not yet,” the she responded, “But he’s starting tonight!  I’m on the way to the drug store to by him a bikini trimmer.”

Huh.  The three hours of talk radio I remember the best over the past 12 years had nothing to do with politics.  Wonder if there might be a lesson there…