AIR AMERICA: THE SAGA CONTINUES (Al Franken Makes Outlandish Salary Demands)

Michelle Malkin ^ | January 25, 2006 | Michelle Malkin

[PJ-Comix]

Last year, I was privileged to work with Brian Maloney of The Radio Equalizer on an ongoing blog investigative series about beleaguered Air America radio's finances. Brian has continued to dig and dig deep on the story.

He has a new report here and will discuss it tonight on The O'Reilly Factor.

Brian asks: "Did Al Franken's outrageous salary demands hamper Air America's ability to repay the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club in 2005?"

Excerpt:

During the same mid-to-late 2004 period when Air America parent Piquant LLC was quietly considering how to resolve the still-undisclosed scandal, Franken was demanding everything, including the kitchen sink.

A June, 2004 Wall Street Journal investigative report on Air America stated Al was making "over $1 million a year". That was accurate, but not for long.

Despite mixed reviews, low ratings and a perpetually shaky cash outlook, Franken was handed a virtual blank check by Piquant. Even as the extent of the Gloria Wise crisis became clear to an ever-changing series of managers, Franken pushed ahead anyway with an eye-popping 2005 compensation package.

Included was a staggering base salary boost to $1,725,000, plus fringe benefits and potential bonuses, after less than a year on the air. Nor was his bloated staff left out. The result: what is quite likely talk radio's largest-ever and most overpaid entourage, mostly from the ranks of Al's Harvard research team.

The kicker: Franken successfully insisted the entire base sum be paid in advance, during the first week of January, 2005...

Read the whole thing.

[kjo]

Even liberals don't listen to AA; but then, they already have NPR.

[My Favorite Headache]

She is like nails on a chalk board to work for....funny enough...it was while I was working on her show I discovered FR in 1999 when I met Freeper Seeking The Truth and went to interview him after being assaulted by a Clinton lover while he was holding a sign off a major road in Boca.

[Buffettfan]

They will go under within the next year. Nobody is buying what they are selling and you cannot stay in business by not turning a profit. Seeeeee ya Air Enron!

[in hoc signo vinces]

Most likely to support his crack habit...

[MindBender26]

Randi is probably on the books for <$150.000. Radio does NOT pay well. In large markets, yes, but the AE air staff was betting on the come.

The other thing to remember is that Raunchy Roads had/has no "star power." Frankin was a bit of a draw, but outside the cities where she had worked before (or the free clinics where she had been treated to antibiotic-resistant venereal disease) she was/is an unknown.

[randog]

She is a brain-dead former AOR Rock jock who used to bang Jack Russel from Great White on the side...

Would that be the Jack Russel that burned down that nightclub and a good many of his fans in the process?

[Recovering_Democrat]

Included was a staggering base salary boost to $1,725,000, plus fringe benefits and potential bonuses, after less than a year on the air.

LOL!!! Err Amerika is paying Franken about $2M ??

I love free enterprise!

Out of curiousity, I have some questions: How much is Franken giving to charity? To the poor? To the homeless? How many African-Americans does Franken employ?

[TexasCajun]

Franken successfully insisted the entire base sum be paid in advance

Stuart Smalley may be a liberal icon, but even he is no dummy considering AA's history.

[TexasCajun]

Franken successfully insisted the entire base sum be paid in advance

Stuart Smalley may be a liberal icon, but even he is no dummy considering AA's history.

[PJ-Comix]

Did you know Brian Craig?

[vpintheak]

I used to be able to watch that guy. Now he has turned into a left-wing hack of the lowest order. I will never watch anything with him in it again.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

O'Reilly's doing a segment on Air America tonight.

Phone sex?

[Feiny]

Franken may be an idiot, but he is no dummy. He was smart enough to get the money up front....and AA was dumb enough to pay.

[vollmond]

It shouldn't be too hard to find another charity to steal money from so the man can be paid.

[Feiny]

I do see a way out for the Air America people.

"According to his contract, only death, disability or resignation would lead to any repayment."

So, if Al dies, he has to repay the money.....

[LtKerst]

$1 MILLION? I know people who will act like an ass for far less than that, some at no cost.........

Lets start a list!

people who will act like an ASS for free!

1 Al Gore

2 Babs Streisand

3 Jesse Jackson

4 Michael Moore

5 John Murrah

6 Cindy Sheehan

7 John Kerry

8 Howard Dean

9 Barbara Lee

10 ????

[Calvin Locke]

I tuned in to Err America on WTWK, at the beginning of the year. It was ESPN Radio during the 3PM (EST) hour.

[lesser_satan]

The result: what is quite likely talk radio's largest-ever and most overpaid entourage, mostly from the ranks of Al's Harvard research team.

Research team? What the hell do they "research"? Bong design?

[ziggygrey]

I bet Randi Rhodes will be PISSED OFF to find out how much Al Franken is scamming from Err America. I doubt if she is even getting 10% of his salary.

Once heard her show - she was making jokes at AA's expense.. lead me to believe that all is not harmonious over there.. she claims she's on Clear Channel stations? Hadn't heard that before..

[Lekker 1]

Eddie Murphy played a pretty good ass in Shrek, but it wasn't for free.