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SiriusXM Progress is located at channel 127 on
Sirius XM Radio Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...
and carries a
progressive talk radio Progressive talk radio is a talk radio format devoted to expressing left-leaning, liberal or progressive viewpoints of news and issues as opposed to conservative talk radio. In the United States, the format has included syndicated and independe ...
format. The channel is programmed by Don Wicklin.


America Left (2004–2005)

Channel 167 originally started out as America Left, a channel dedicated to progressive talk radio to complement the reformatted XM 166,
America Right SiriusXM Patriot is a conservative talk radio channel on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 125 and XM Satellite Radio channel 12 The channel features exclusive hosts such as Cam & Company froNRANews(until June 2018), David Webb, and Andrew Wilkow. It ...
. It launched on March 31, 2004, and the lineup included hosts like
Ed Schultz Edward Andrew Schultz (January 27, 1954 – July 5, 2018) was an American television and radio host, political commentator, news anchor and sports broadcaster. He was the host of '' The Ed Show'', a weekday news talk program on MSNBC fro ...
,
Randi Rhodes Randi is both a given name, and a nickname in the English language, popular in North America and Norway. It is primarily a feminine name, although there is recorded usage of the name by men. It may have originated as a pet form of '' Miranda'' o ...
,
Al Franken Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedian, politician, media personality, and author who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. He gained fame as a writer and performer on the television comed ...
,
Marty Kaplan Martin Kaplan (born August 21, 1950) is an American professor. He teaches at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism and is the founding director of the Norman Lear Center for the study of the impact of entertainment on society ...
,
Janeane Garofalo Janeane Marie Garofalo ( ; born September 28, 1964) is an American comedian, actress, and former co-host on the now-defunct Air America Radio's ''The Majority Report''. Garofalo began her career as a stand-up comedian and became a cast member on ...
,
Alan Colmes Alan Samuel Colmes (September 24, 1950 – February 23, 2017) was an American radio and television host, liberal political commentator for the Fox News Channel, and blogger. He was the host of ''The Alan Colmes Show'', a nationally syndica ...
,
Lizz Winstead Lizz Winstead (born August 5, 1961) is an American comedian, radio and television personality, and blogger. A native of Minnesota, Winstead is the co-creator of ''The Daily Show'' along with Madeleine Smithberg, and served as head writer. Ear ...
and
Chuck D. Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D helped cre ...
At the time, both
Sirius Sirius is the list of brightest stars, brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek language, Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinisation ...
and XM had centrist/progressive talk channels featuring talent from
Air America Radio Air America (formerly Air America Radio and Air America Media) was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk radio. It was on the air from March 2004 to January 2010. The network was founded as a left wing alternative to counter ...
. The lineup was constant for over a year. One complaint often voiced was that two afternoon drive hosts,
Ed Schultz Edward Andrew Schultz (January 27, 1954 – July 5, 2018) was an American television and radio host, political commentator, news anchor and sports broadcaster. He was the host of '' The Ed Show'', a weekday news talk program on MSNBC fro ...
and
Randi Rhodes Randi is both a given name, and a nickname in the English language, popular in North America and Norway. It is primarily a feminine name, although there is recorded usage of the name by men. It may have originated as a pet form of '' Miranda'' o ...
, each had an hour of their shows cut off to keep both shows on and live. On April 11, 2005, XM and Air America announced that XM would become the exclusive satellite radio provider of the network, excluding Air America Syndication, beginning in May 2005. This forced Sirius to rid itself of all Air America Radio network programming. XM167's lineup didn't make any immediate lineup changes, but it did rebrand itself using the Air America name. Non-AAR hosts
Ed Schultz Edward Andrew Schultz (January 27, 1954 – July 5, 2018) was an American television and radio host, political commentator, news anchor and sports broadcaster. He was the host of '' The Ed Show'', a weekday news talk program on MSNBC fro ...
and
Alan Colmes Alan Samuel Colmes (September 24, 1950 – February 23, 2017) was an American radio and television host, liberal political commentator for the Fox News Channel, and blogger. He was the host of ''The Alan Colmes Show'', a nationally syndica ...
remained on the channel.


Air America Radio (2005–2008)

America Left took on its new name, Air America Radio, to boast the fact that XM was the exclusive provider. No lineup changes were made until September 2005, when
Ed Schultz Edward Andrew Schultz (January 27, 1954 – July 5, 2018) was an American television and radio host, political commentator, news anchor and sports broadcaster. He was the host of '' The Ed Show'', a weekday news talk program on MSNBC fro ...
was moved over to Clear Channel's advice talker, Ask! on 165. This allowed Randi Rhodes to broadcast her entire show every afternoon. At the end of the year,
Alan Colmes Alan Samuel Colmes (September 24, 1950 – February 23, 2017) was an American radio and television host, liberal political commentator for the Fox News Channel, and blogger. He was the host of ''The Alan Colmes Show'', a nationally syndica ...
also made the move to the new Fox News Talk, a channel owned and operated by
Fox News Radio Fox News Radio is an American radio network owned by Fox News. It is syndicated to over 500 AM and FM radio stations across the United States. It also supplies programming for three channels on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. History In 2003, ...
. For the first time, Air America Radio on XM was now 100% Air America content on weekdays. A Best of
Stephanie Miller Stephanie Catherine Miller (born September 29, 1961) is an American political commentator, comedian, and host of '' The Stephanie Miller Show'', a Progressive talk radio program produced in Los Angeles, California, by WYD Media Management and s ...
segment was carried on Sunday mornings. There were lineup changes occurring across the Air America Network that were reflected onto XM 167, such as
Mike Malloy Michael Dennis Malloy (born July 1, 1942) is a progressive American radio broadcaster based in Atlanta. Previously his show has been carried by WSB (AM) Atlanta, WLS (AM) Chicago, the I.E. America Radio Network, the Air America Radio network, ...
and
Janeane Garofalo Janeane Marie Garofalo ( ; born September 28, 1964) is an American comedian, actress, and former co-host on the now-defunct Air America Radio's ''The Majority Report''. Garofalo began her career as a stand-up comedian and became a cast member on ...
's departures, the end of
Morning Sedition ''Morning Sedition'' was a three-hour radio program that premiered April 1, 2004 and ran until December 16, 2005, in the United States. It was hosted by comedian Marc Maron and New York radio veteran Mark Riley. Prior to June 2004, the show was a ...
, and the hiring of
The Young Turks ''The Young Turks'' (TYT) is an American progressive news commentary show on YouTube that additionally appears on selected television channels. TYT serves as the flagship program of the TYT Network, a multi-channel network of associated web s ...
. Some questioned the financial state of the network and whether or not XM was wise in paying for the exclusive rights to satellite broadcasting. More information on Air America's company state can be found in its article, including the company's bankruptcy and sale.


Old faces return

In 2007, XM announced that Ed Schultz, who was airing on
Extreme XM Extreme Talk was a talk radio channel available on iHeartRadio. Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., Extreme Talk featured terrestrial radio show simulcasts and tape delay broadcasts from across the United States. The station lineup included: syndicate ...
on delay and truncated to two separate hours, was going to be returning to XM 167 to fill the timeslot being vacated by
Al Franken Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedian, politician, media personality, and author who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. He gained fame as a writer and performer on the television comed ...
. This allowed Schultz to return to the full three hours in a live timeslot. Some were not happy about this move as it prevented
Thom Hartmann Thomas Carl Hartmann (born May 7, 1951) is an American radio personality, author, former psychotherapist, businessman, and progressive political commentator. Hartmann has been hosting a nationally syndicated radio show, ''The Thom Hartmann Pr ...
from taking the slot on the channel, prompting midday host Sam Seder to ask his listeners to call XM to complain. Schultz responded on air the next day claiming that "Air America sucks, their programs suck, they give liberals a bad name," and recommended that XM play other Jones radio hosts
Stephanie Miller Stephanie Catherine Miller (born September 29, 1961) is an American political commentator, comedian, and host of '' The Stephanie Miller Show'', a Progressive talk radio program produced in Los Angeles, California, by WYD Media Management and s ...
and
Bill Press William H. Press (born April 8, 1940) is an American talk radio host, podcaster, liberal pundit and author. He was chairman of the California Democratic Party from 1993 to 1996, and is a senior political contributor on CNN. He hosts ''The Bill ...
on channel 167. Schultz kept the timeslot, and Hartmann's show was eventually added to the channel's schedule. Bill Press and Stephanie Miller would be added later in 2008. In addition to Schultz, XM exclusive shows
The Agenda ''The Agenda with Steve Paikin'', or simply ''The Agenda'', is the flagship current affairs television program of TVOntario (TVO), Ontario's public broadcaster. Anchor Steve Paikin states that the show practices long-form journalism. Each hour-l ...
and
Left Jab Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right * L ...
were added to XM 167 weekends. These moves have led listeners to question XM's confidence in the Air America Radio network, as ex-AAR host and current
Nova M Radio Nova M Radio, later known as On Second Thought, was a radio syndication service providing progressive talk programming. Founded as Nova M Radio by Sheldon Drobny, Sheldon and Anita Drobny in 2006, its stated purpose was to purchase, own, and ope ...
host
Mike Malloy Michael Dennis Malloy (born July 1, 1942) is a progressive American radio broadcaster based in Atlanta. Previously his show has been carried by WSB (AM) Atlanta, WLS (AM) Chicago, the I.E. America Radio Network, the Air America Radio network, ...
returned to the channel in July, weeknights at 9 PM eastern. With this rescheduling, XM moved Thom Hartmann from midnight to 6:00 PM eastern and the Air Americans, which previously aired in that time to midnight. Despite being on a channel with the "Air America Radio" label, Schultz stated on February 13, 2007 that Air America "sucks" and he doesn't want people who listen to AAR listening to him because he is "better than they are." These comment were in response to remarks by AAR host Sam Seder, who asked his listeners to call XM and request
Thom Hartmann Thomas Carl Hartmann (born May 7, 1951) is an American radio personality, author, former psychotherapist, businessman, and progressive political commentator. Hartmann has been hosting a nationally syndicated radio show, ''The Thom Hartmann Pr ...
instead of Schultz. Seder's reasoning for his action is that he believes AAR hosts should be on the 'Air America Radio' channel. Hartmann was added to the channel beginning March 5, 2007, on a tape-delay basis at Midnight ET, and has since moved to an earlier time slot on the channel. In April 2007,
XM Radio Canada XM Radio Canada was the operating name of Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (or CSR), a Canadian communications and media company, which was incorporated in 2002 to broadcast satellite radio in Canada. Following the merger of Sirius XM Radio ...
added the channel to its lineup unannounced, making Air America programs available in Canada. The AAR network has also announced that Sam Seder will become a Sunday host only, and has scheduled WOR talker Lionel to replace him. Eco-Talk has also been dropped by the network in favor for a four-hour Mark Riley program, and Jon Elliot doing midnights. XM has indicated that they will schedule Lionel and Seder's new timeslots. In July 2007, Air America Radio let go of its top-of-the-hour news staff. Their reason was most AAR affiliates don't use AAR News at the top of the hour, opting for local news or another national service like CNN Radio. XM 167 was one of the few that used AAR News, and upon their removal, switched to AP Radio News.


AAR loses more time as cuts are made

Towards the end of 2007, the Young Turks were cut from the Air America lineup, claiming it was a mutual understanding. The trio plans a return through internet radio. In the meantime, XM Radio added its second Jones Radio personality,
Bill Press William H. Press (born April 8, 1940) is an American talk radio host, podcaster, liberal pundit and author. He was chairman of the California Democratic Party from 1993 to 1996, and is a senior political contributor on CNN. He hosts ''The Bill ...
, to the morning drive timeslot. Although
The Rachel Maddow Show ''The Rachel Maddow Show'' (also abbreviated ''TRMS'') is an American liberal news and opinion television program that airs on MSNBC, running in the 9:00 pm ET timeslot Monday evenings. It is hosted by Rachel Maddow, who gained a public p ...
expanded from two to three hours on March 10, 2008, XM 167 does not broadcast the third hour, instead playing a taped Thom Hartmann program. This became moot on September 8, 2008, when The Rachel Maddow Show returned to a two-hour format. In April 2008, Randi Rhodes performed at an event in San Francisco sponsored by local affiliate KKGN, which included crude remarks made at
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
as part of a comedy routine. This resulted in Air America suspending Rhodes from the network. She claimed that the network was in breach of her contract, and ended up resigning from Air America. Within 24 hours, it was announced that Nova M Radio was picking up her show nationally, and hopes to retain as many affiliates as possible. XM 167 continued to run AAR programming in afternoons until a deal with Nova M Radio was made. On 2008-05-05, XM resumed broadcasting Randi Rhodes' show on Air America Radio channel 167. With this addition, the channel known as "Air America Radio" now only carried 13 hours of AAR programming per day, with 2 hours being distribution only, and only 7 of those hours in the daypart timeslots.


America Left (2008–2011)

On June 18, 2008, XM announced that Air America Radio would be changing its name back to America Left, beginning July 14. The channel kept most of its lineup, however, Lionel was replaced by Jones Radio's Stephanie Miller. In addition, The Young Turks returned to the channel. After the SiriusXM merger, the co-owned SIRIUS Left did not join the channel merger on November 12, 2008. Since February 2009, however, several SIRIUS Left shows have joined the America Left lineup, and all remaining Air America Media shows have been dropped. Nevertheless, the majority of America Left programming still consists of shows of former Air Americans:
Mike Malloy Michael Dennis Malloy (born July 1, 1942) is a progressive American radio broadcaster based in Atlanta. Previously his show has been carried by WSB (AM) Atlanta, WLS (AM) Chicago, the I.E. America Radio Network, the Air America Radio network, ...
,
Thom Hartmann Thomas Carl Hartmann (born May 7, 1951) is an American radio personality, author, former psychotherapist, businessman, and progressive political commentator. Hartmann has been hosting a nationally syndicated radio show, ''The Thom Hartmann Pr ...
(twice a day),
Bill Press William H. Press (born April 8, 1940) is an American talk radio host, podcaster, liberal pundit and author. He was chairman of the California Democratic Party from 1993 to 1996, and is a senior political contributor on CNN. He hosts ''The Bill ...
, and
the Young Turks ''The Young Turks'' (TYT) is an American progressive news commentary show on YouTube that additionally appears on selected television channels. TYT serves as the flagship program of the TYT Network, a multi-channel network of associated web s ...
. (Randi Rhodes' official site http://www.RandiRhodes.com has said America Left has carried her show live since just after her return to the air with Premiere Radio Networks.) On January 21, 2010, Air America Media announced that it would file for liquidation under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code, and ceased all live broadcasting that same evening.


Sirius XM Progress (2011–)

On May 4, 2011, America Left (XM 167) and Sirius Left (Sirius 146) merged to become SiriusXM Left and aired on channel 127 on both services. With the merger, a second channel SiriusXM Left Plus with timeshifting and additional airings of SiriusXM Left shows also started on online channel 853. On July 22, 2013, SiriusXM Left was renamed SiriusXM Progress. Along with the name change, several changes were made to the lineup. The Agenda with Ari Rabin Havt replaced Bill Press at 6:00-9:00 AM EST, Michelangelo Signorile replaced Thom Hartmann at 3:00-6:00 PM EST and Make It Plain with Mark Thompson replaced Alex Bennett at 6:00-9:00 PM EST. At the same time, SiriusXM Progress Plus, an online station also available through a smartphone app continued to air both Press and Hartmann at their regular times, as well as the usual lineup, though the showtimes differed slightly from those on the main Progress channel.


References


External links

* {{AAR Air America (radio network) Sirius XM Radio channels XM Satellite Radio channels Radio stations established in 2004