Industry Figure Tom Chappell

Starting today, Rachel Maddow gets a deservedly expanded showcase: The Rachel Maddow Show grows to two full hours (in the words of Kent Jones, “When faced with natural predators, The Rachel Maddow Show expands to twice its normal size”), as part of the new Air America Mornings.

It is, as I say, well-deserved. Rachel’s old show was the tightest production on Air America Radio, and I expect that that will remain true of the new one, though the expanded format gives her scope to interview guests and just generally go slightly more in-depth.

But yes, after quintupling the ratings in her former time slot, and doing an absolutely amazing job substituting for Al Franken the week that Katrina hit, she launches her new, bigger-than-ever show today.

You can catch her new “double-wide” show at 7:00-9:00am Eastern Time on one of Air America Radio’s 84 Stations (count ‘em), or you should be able to download the MP3 podcast either from the archives or else via iTunes, though I’m at this point posting proleptically, as Industry Figure John Blackburn would no doubt say.