When we first started looking at the question of how progressive media projects make an impact on the larger national conversation a few years ago, we noticed several “high impact personalities”–progressive spokespeople who could fluently move across multiple media platforms and sometimes even in and out of more mainstream settings. The media stranglehold that marked the first years after 9/11 has let up, and we’re seeing more and more of these progressive celebrities rise. As Rory O’Connor notes on AlterNet today, Rachel Maddow seems to be next in line:

…this self-described “35-year-old, liberal, lesbian girl-who-looks-like-a-man” is on the brink of becoming progressive media’s next mainstream breakout star. One significant measure of Maddow’s new-found favor: the decision by MSNBC, effective next week, to hire her as a regular panelist on its newest nightly campaign program Race for the White House — and to allow Air America to simulcast the 6 p.m. nightly program as the first hour of its own nightly Rachel Maddow show….installing Maddow as a regular gives MSNBC an edge its competitors can’t match — a telegenic and true progressive voice for an election cycle dominated by progressive politics and politicians. The MSNBC simulcast on Air America — in addition to making an impressive statement about the progressive radio network’s growing stature — also promises to pull in a new progressive audience to MSNBC, which is successfully positioning itself as the hot new alternative to Fox News in the cable firmament.

Heartening news! Take that, Tucker Carlson, you smug fop. Speaking of high-impact personalities, stay tuned for a recap of our recent interview with Cenk Uygur of “The Young Turks,” along with other highlights from our ongoing book research.