Al Franken: A liberal voice debuts on talk radio

The liberal answer to Rush and O'Reilyy aired today. Al Franken's show debuted today:


NEW YORK (AP) � Is it a radio business, or is it politics? The two seem inextricably entwined for the leaders of Air America Radio, the liberal talk radio network that launched on five stations around the country Wednesday.

As a startup media business, they need to draw in listeners fast. Air America Radio is betting that a menu of left-leaning political commentary, current affairs talk and satire will resonate with those opposed to the Bush administration.

Al Franken, who is headlining the network with a daily three-hour talk show, has made no secret of his intention to use his platform to influence the election in November.

"We are flaming swords of justice," Franken told a cheering crowd at a party to launch the network Tuesday night. "Bush is going down, he is going down, he is going down. And we're going to help him."

Franken's show went live at noon on Wednesday with co-host Katherine Lanpher, a longtime host of a public radio show in Minnesota. At the opening, Franken joked that they were broadcasting from a bunker 3,500 feet below Vice President Dick Cheney's own secret bunker.

In fact, Franken will be broadcasting his show, dubbed The O'Franken Factor in his latest jab at Fox News host Bill O'Reilly, from the slightly shabby studios of New York City station WLIB, on the 41st floor of an office tower a few blocks from the Empire State Building.

www.usatoday.com...

i like Al's sense of humor....i think it will be good show.
I especially love the dig at O'Reilly.

Well, I don't like O'Reilly's show at all, he is rude and arrogant and full of himself. I probably wouldn't like Al's show either. Rush is boring.
Hmmm. The only personality show I can tolerate and enjoy is Imus.

Mostly, I posted this in the spirit of providing info on both sides.

It will be a glorious venture!

*cough*mysignature*cough*

more like a glorious failure, Nerd. Look at how poorly other liberal radio shows have done. You see, when Americans look for, or choose, media, like radio and books, and not the large networks, they don't seek liberal media. This is why non-liberal radio shows and books do so well. Look at Rush, you may not like him, but he's got millions of listeners and great ratings. Look at Beck and Hannity's shows, or Hannity's book sales and Fox Ratings.

'Air America' won't get the ratings to sustain itself. The only way liberal radio will work is if it were to get public funding, then have annoying on air fund raising every other week. Wait, we already have that radio station, it's called NPR.



[Edited on 1-4-2004 by Bob88]

Here's another good talkshow...

www.theguyjamesshow.com...

Bob88 - Sorry dude but this is already a huge hit!!!

They do have Al Franken and his show is good, he knows what he's talking about and he keeps it interesting with his sense of humor. Garofallo show is good too because she has a very sharp insight to the DC seen!!!

BUT.....

The real coup though was bringing my personal favorite to the national scene, Randi Rhodes from Florida will storm the airwaves!!!

Randi Rhodes is the best, brightest and funniest of them all. She kicked the big fat idiots arse soooooo bad when they were going head-to-head on competing stations, that clearchannel bought her show and moved to after the drugrushers show just to save his ratings from falling to single digits!!!

To all my fellow liberals, its COOL to be LEFT AGAIN!!!!
Not that I ever cared what the neo-cons thought anyway but be proud my brothers and sisters!!!

The winds of change are upon us and they bring our freedom from the bushcrimefamily oppresion and we shall rise up and defeat this evil force that has stolen our nation from us.

Our founding fathers wrote "We the People"
not
We the corporate thieves!!!

Join us in taking back our country, take back America for Americans once and for all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The O'Franken Factor is awesome. Just the right amount of journalism and satire. I think it is true liberal media.

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe
Well, I don't like O'Reilly's show at all, he is rude and arrogant and full of himself. I probably wouldn't like Al's show either. Rush is boring.
Hmmm. The only personality show I can tolerate and enjoy is Imus..

I am with you 100% I am watching Imus rip our politicians a new one right now.

~Face

Originally posted by RaSorry dude but this is already a huge hit!!!

I think before you can call it a huge hit, it needs to be on the air at least a few months, if it makes it that long. This isn't the NPR model. I expect this new Liberal network will fail as others have: Lack of Revenue. As the Dems are always quick to point out, they are the party of the poor. Well, if your poor audience can't afford to buy the products you are advertising, then you won't make any money.

Maybe Soros will finance you and then you won't have to actually compete in the marketplace.

Well, if it doesn't make its rent through advertising and ratings, "we the people" should subsidize it with tax money because its only fair to have a liberal radio show whether anyone wants to listen to it or not. Maybe we should all be required by law to give each equal listening time? That begats a who new enforcement division of the FCC. This would also take care of the overpopulation problem by spurring mass suicides nationwide because many people, me included would rather die than listen to some pompass self-righteuos ass on either side bitch and whine over a topic that is largely fabricated for our distraction in the first place. Yeah, thats what I want to hear for 3 friggin hours a day. How, the puny tax break I got took away some politician's slush fund he was going to use to buy re-election. Boo friggin hoo!


Franken has every right to get on the air and say whatever he wants as do I or any of you...if he, I, or you can afford the cost of operating the station. Once we began to force his message to be listened too and paid for by people who do not approve the expense, we cross a line.


Freedom of Speech is in no way the right to be heard, only the right to say it. Write that down.

Are the same ones who were trying to link the George McGovern outcome to the recent Dem races!!
(Don't tease them too much, DittoHead-ism is a tough addiction to break!!)
There's a good chance it will succeed. But, based on the conglomerate and complicit corperate media monopolies, it's a success by just getting launched to begin with.
I likely won't listen to it though.....it's either NPR or CD's ( N.E.R.D 's new one "Fly or Die" & "Combat Rock " by the Clash are getting HEAVY rotation lately) when I'm driving.

More power to Franken. It'll be interesting, that's for sure. Still, I wont give this venture very long. It wont get the ratings. Look what happened to phil donahue, and Franken is on the radio.