Err America Forces Randi Rhodes Out

So at first, it looked like Air America Radio suspended Randi Rhodes because it "does not condone such abusive, ad hominem language by [their] hosts,” after Rhodes called Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro "fucking whores" during a comedy routine in a San Francisco nightclub.
After two weeks off the air, it was announced "that Rhodes terminated her contract Wednesday after she refused to apologize on air for her remarks."

“We sought an apology, because of what she had said…like Imus, like David Shuster,” [President of Air America Media, Mark] Green said. “She refused and instead last night informed us she was terminating her contract with Air America, which she has the option to do.”

He said she was not forced out — “She exercised her option.”

After an interview on Larry King however, we found out the truth. Rhodes said that Air America had gotten new owners and that "this thing is really about them wanting to change my contract." According to Rhodes, when the new owners discovered "they didn't have the right to fire [her]" they used parts of her stand-up routine as a means to get her to leave Air America. Watch the interview video here.

It didn't take long for Rhodes to find employment.

The Nova M Radio Network is thrilled to announce the addition of “The Randi Rhodes Show” to its nationally syndicated talent offerings beginning this Monday, April 14, 2008.

So now Randi Rhodes and Mike Malloy are working for the same network. Good for Nova M. Their vision of progressive talk radio is everything Air America should have been.

I've been leery about the extensive programming changes (not for the better) that have happened over these last few months on Err America's supposed flagship station in New York and was wearing my tinfoil hat when expressing to others that I thought it was a conspiracy to sink the radio station before the general election.... now I'm not so sure I'm wrong.

And who will cover the time slot left vacant by Rhodes at AAR? Thom Hartmann? Sam Seder?

Richard Belzer will fill Randi Rhodes' 3pm-6pm time slot on Air America all next week...

The epilogue remains to be written.