Democracy Radio was an American

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

founded in 2002 by

Tom Athans Tom Athans (born 1961) is an American media executive. He is the co-founder and former CEO of Democracy Radio, an organization that created and produced progressive talk radio shows that included '' The Ed Schultz Show'' and '' The Stephanie Mi ...

and Paul Fiddick, which aimed to address what its founders saw as political imbalance on American commercial radio. The concept was to develop and incubate

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy pa ...

-oriented talk programming and enlist radio networks to market the programs to stations around the country. Democracy Radio developed and produced

radio talk show Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...

s that launched the national careers of

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 from ...

and

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 sy ...

, among others.

History

, a veteran of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

and former staffer for U.S. Representative Dale Kildee, founded Democracy Radio in 2002. A 2003 ''New York Times'' story quoted Athans: "We're going to go out and identify talent and help them to create programming and actually connect them with local stations." Late in January 2003, Democracy Radio gathered over 30 progressive talk show hosts to

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

to provide coverage of the

2003 State of the Union Address The 2003 State of the Union Address was given by the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush, on January 28, 2003, at 9:00 p.m. EST, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 108th United States Congress. It ...

. In January 2004, Democracy Radio launched its first nationally syndicated show, ''

The Ed Schultz Show ''The Ed Schultz Show'' was a progressive talk radio program hosted by Ed Schultz. It was formerly broadcast from KFGO in Fargo, North Dakota. It was heard on a network of over 100 stations, including seven of the ten largest radio markets. It ...

'', hosted by

of KFGO in

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo ( /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the most populous city in the state and the 219th-most populous city in ...

. Democracy Radio retained

Jones Radio Networks Jones Radio Networks & Jones Media Group were branches of Jones International before being sold to Triton Media Group. JRN and JMN provide local radio stations with satellite-delivered formats. They also offer other services to local radio such a ...

to handle affiliate relations and advertising sales. The show was commercially successful, and grew to over 100 stations and 8 of the top 10 markets. In September 2004, Democracy Radio debuted ''

The Stephanie Miller Show ''The Stephanie Miller Show'' is a syndicated progressive talk radio program that discusses politics, current events, and pop culture using a fast-paced, impromptu, comedic style. The three-hour show is hosted by Stephanie Miller and is syndicate ...

'' in conjunction with Ron Hartenbaum's WYD Media. On June 8, 2005, Democracy Radio sold its stake in ''The Ed Schultz Show'' to a new company headed by radio executive Randy Michaels, the former CEO of

Clear Channel Radio iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...

. In November 2005, Democracy Radio closed after Athans joined the management team of Air America. WYD Media, Democracy Radio's partner in ''The Stephanie Miller Show'', purchased Democracy Radio's shares and assumed sole ownership of the venture.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website (archived as of June 4, 2005)
Radio stations established in 2002 Radio stations disestablished in 2005 Air America (radio network) Defunct radio networks in the United States 2002 establishments in the United States 2005 disestablishments in the United States Defunct radio stations in the United States