Left Of The Dial

Year: 2005

Grade: B

Country: USA

Director: Farrelly/O'Callaghan

Review

documentary which follows the launch of air america radio. it’s very reminiscent of startup.com because of the business side of the documentary which shows the air america radio station struggling with cash flow, investors, technical hiccups, etc. like end of the century this film doesn’t require that you like the subjects in order to enjoy the film. randi rhodes, one of the djs, is absolutely obnoxious and self-centered, yet i enjoyed the film because it shows everything that goes into launching a new radio station and part of that is dealing with different personalities. in rhodes air america has a true answer to rush limbaugh – she’s just as inflammatory, plays loose with the facts, exaggerates just as much (if not more) and comes off as just as self-absorbed. some love her for just this reason, but i think it’s unfortunate that you have to fight right wing, stupid, lying fat guys with the left wing female equivalent.

watching it i couldn’t help but think what a right winger might think of the whole enterprise. at times, it definitely felt like it was a left wing experiment gone horribly wrong…sort of like san francisco which is a left wing paradise, but has as many homeless people as almost any city in the country. in the end, though, the business plan comes together. air america seems to be doing fairly well nowadays (even though it requires them selling a bunch of erectile dysfunction commercials) and they’re getting an alternate point of view out there in (usually) just as an outrageous way as the right wing talk radio shows.