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LEFT OF THE DIAL chronicles the trials and tribulations involved in starting up - and sustaining - a nationwide radio network during a highly charged election year.
Joining the Air America team in New York just 12 days prior to the launch, filmmakers Patrick Farrelly and Kate O'Callaghan follow an eclectic group of people through the launch period and beyond, as they create a slate of shows while facing mismanagement and financial chaos that bring the fledgling network to the brink of collapse.
Offering an intimate look at rehearsals with the celebrated public faces of Air America - including author-comedian Al Franken, outspoken radio veteran Randi Rhodes, and comedian-actress Janeane Garofalo - LEFT OF THE DIAL reveals the nervous expectations of investors who staked their careers on the network. Among them are Evan Cohen, Air America's chairman, and David Goodfriend, who becomes Air America's general counsel. Cautiously optimistic, Cohen observes, "If we succeed, we'll succeed fabulously, but if we fail, at least we'll fail spectacularly."
LEFT OF THE DIAL chronicles the birth of signature shows such as "The O'Franken Factor" (later renamed "The Al Franken Show"), "The Randi Rhodes Show," "The Majority Report," hosted by Garofalo and Sam Seder, and "Morning Sedition," hosted by Marc Maron. There are bumps along the way. Maron worries about having enough material to get through the week, while Garofalo and Seders jokingly ponder the best way to receive the news if they get fired.
In the days before launch, the energy picks up amidst a whirlwind of photo shoots, CNN sound bites, the creation of marketing/PR materials, and delivery of the hot-off-the-presses New York Times Magazine featuring Al Franken on the cover - a publicity coup and implicit endorsement.
On March 31, 2004, Air America launches at noon (ET), with Al Franken proclaiming, "Today is both an ending and a beginning: an end to the right-wing dominance of talk radio, [and] a beginning of a battle for truth, a battle for justice, a battle indeed for America itself ... not to be grandiose." Among his first-day guests is Michael Moore.
Later, on Randi Rhodes' inaugural show, she gets into an on-air shouting match with Ralph Nader, who hangs up on her. The radio veteran revels immediately in her newfound broadcast home and her caustic, funny style seem a perfect fit for America's newest radio network. Everyone agrees Day One was an unqualified success, and expectations soar.
However, the next two weeks are marred by a series of glitches. Offering its first live coverage of a media event - Condoleeza Rice's appearance before the 9/11 Commission - Air America is on commercial break when her testimony begins. Far worse is a Drudge Report feature about Air America allegedly bouncing checks to its LA and Chicago carrier. Air America gets dropped in those cities, consequently losing a major portion of its national audience. The network goes to court to win back the airwaves, and though the court initially orders the Chicago station back on the air, it soon becomes clear that checks did bounce.
With Air America facing severe financial problems, and the conservative media reporting every minute of its travails, Cohen abruptly disappears, leaving Goodfriend and the network's executive producer, Carl Ginsburg, in the lurch. Silent investor Doug Kreeger steps up to take a more active role in the venture, navigating the staff through a crisis when employees temporarily lose their health benefits. Eventually, Cohen signs over his interest in Air America, and Goodfriend resigns, feeling betrayed by his good friend.
Ironically, as the media exploits this latest fiasco, the on-air hosts find their groove. Rhodes is thrilled to get her own cover story in the Washington Post Magazine and a billboard in Times Square. Maron has worked through his anxieties, as have Garofalo and Seder. The New York ratings are unexpectedly high - Franken beats Rush Limbaugh, and Rhodes outpaces right-wing rival Sean Hannity. Encouraged, management is able to attract additional investors long enough to keep the venture afloat through November.
In December 2004, a new round of investors brings Air America a measure of financial stability. With 40 affiliates and counting, the voices of the left are now being heard, loud and clear, from coast to coast.
LEFT OF THE DIAL was directed and produced by Patrick Farrelly and Kate O'Callaghan. For HBO: supervising producer, Jacqueline Glover; senior producer, Lisa Heller; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.
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