Al Franken in 'Deep Level Talks' for Radio Show

NewsMax.com ^ | 11/20/03 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

In-house Democratic Party comic Al Franken says he is in "deep level" negotiations to host a show on a liberal talk radio network set to launch early next year.

The hot-tempered ex-SNL writer tells the Chicago Tribune that he's been meeting with former America Online executive Mark Walsh, who's taken over the project from Sheldon and Anita Drobny.

Hefty contributors to the Democratic Party, the Drobnys announced plans to bankroll a liberal answer to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly earlier this year.

The Chicago couple have sold the majority of their shares in the corporation they created to launch the project, AnShell Media, to Mr. Walsh.

Walsh formerly worked for the Democratic National Committee and currently serves as the party's chief technology advisor.

"These guys seem to be charging forward and making progress," Franken told the Tribune, saying negotiations to bring him on board had reached the "deep level" stage.

Though Franken is famous for his in-your-face verbal assaults - he used the "F"-word earlier this year to attack the Fox News Channel at a rally attended by an applauding Hillary Clinton - Walsh says that his network's political tilt will be primarily "centrist, with a hint of liberalism."

"We're excited about the opportunity," said the liberal media mogul, who finalized his deal with the Drobnys last week.

[ChadGore]

Al Franken has all the depth of a puddle.

[Tacis]

"Al Franken ! The Molly Ivins of Radio Broadcasting!"

He'll probably be amusing for the first couple of days. Then he'll fall into the inevitable trap that all neocommunists face. He'll bump up against an issue/story where his doctrinal and mandatory position is just so follish in view of the facts/circumstances, but he won't have a choice.

The dems, America-haters, and traitors have to oppose EVERYTHING that Bush says or does (is anyone surprised that Chuckie Schmuckie opposes Bush's nominee for ambassador to Saudi?). But, there are situations where what he does is right. AlFra will either have to avaoid them, agree with Bush, or oppose Bush and look even dumber. Dem spin and lies, while sometimes clever, even amusing, becomes so predictable after a while that it is boring. Ivins column is only good for gamblers who bet on how many words deep you have to get before shes says "Bush did it."

[ken5050]

Good guess..if you recall..Cuomo and Jim Hightower both had talk shows...they were unlistenable, and were pulled after a few weeks....the basic problem with the lib talk shows is that all the callers are either deranged, or whiners..

[Rummyfan]

Franken will blow up the first day on the air, and this idea will die a quick expensive commercial death.

[VRWC_minion]

I say we Freepers have a duty to help these liberals launch there show. We must call in and encourage them to continue whenever possibe because when people here the true pure liberal message they don't want any part of it. So, when it starts we must call and say ditto's.

[alloysteel]

Hoow long until "deep level talks" become "deep six talk show"? If the limosine liberals think they are circumventing campaign funding laws by operating their own media centers, Well, it is their money.

Remember how the US finally beat the Soviet Union? We forced them into bankruptcy, by an arms race into high technology warfare. We could spend out of much deeper pockets, while they were forced to play keep-up. They really believed that "Star Wars" would work, unlike the anti-war crowd in this country. Now that the anti-war crowd has shifted their emphasis to the support of the Islamofascists against the US, and are spending their money for that objectives, why, of course they should have their own access to the air waves. Freedom of speech, doncha know. As a corollary, they cannot command us to listen, they have to be able to persuade us by appealing on some level to our better or baser natures, whichever works. Therefore, we are perfectly free to ignore or attack them, as the situation arises.

[Prolifeconservative]

I'm sure they have plenty of advertizers lined up:

Trojan
Planned Parenthood
ACLU
Yugo car manufacturers
Attorneys plugging for personal injury cases
Filter manufacturers
Bottled Water companies galore
Doctors (who work in the same building with Attorney's)
CBS

the list just goes on and on.

[cubreporter]

FRANKly AL...we don't give a d___

[HankReardon]

They don't get it, the free market will not support a radio talk show based on propaganda and lies. This will not attract a large enough audience to encourage advertisers. The only reason NPR is able to stay solvent is becuase it's government funded lies and propaganda.

[alloysteel]

You forgot Progressive Insurance, Peter Lewis who is kicking in $10 million targeted at the defeat of George W. Bush in 2004.

If you are insured with Progressive now, cancel and apply ANYWHERE else. What the heck, use GEICO. Or Uncle Frank's Mafia front money-laundering scheme disguised as a liability insurance company. You will be doing more for America.

[fish hawk]

I hope Al Franken gets the job. He will flop within the first six months. Maybe a year but I doubt it. The left uses Franken or should I say uses his big dirty mouth to put down the right but I can't believe that even any of them actually like the guy. IMHO

[suzyq5558]

yep i'll be tuning in....NOT! franken is cretian,foul-mouthed pig who's only audience will be the extreme left party base. I just dont see where this lefty radio gig is going to last very long, how can it?
i dont think leftists spend a lot of time listening to the AM band. besides they sleep intill noon after a night of dope smokin and munchin down on anything they can find in their mom's fridgidare.

along with the occasional peace march or anarchist meeting they just vote for who there told to vote for.
they dont need radio anyhow they have the media and NPR and the media does the bidding of the left,as seen by the non-reporting of the DEM memo's.
but i do hope they throw tons of money into the project before it goes down in a flaming mass of failure.

[tellw]

We have Pacifica radio here. That's definitely a liberal radio network (they think NPR is too conservative). Why do the liberals need another network when they can just build up the existing one?

[TheBigB]

Uncle Frank's Mafia front money-laundering scheme disguised as a liability insurance company.

Uncle Frank sent me to fetch you. We need ta "talk."

[suzyq5558]

Just had anthor thought,i live about eight miles from a collage town here in the northwest and we get plenty of lib radio on the underground stations on campus.

i have tuned in for laughs in the past. mainly crazed anarchists types calling for all homeless people to rise up and break windows and pee in the street or some such thing, or insane enviro's shrieking about a slug thats had it habitat crushed under the bootheel of the developer.

no one's listening cept some poor soul who's traveling through, took a wrong exit off the freeway and is hopelessly lost in the maze of one way streets downtown and can't get anything on his radio but the collage stations at three AM.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

So, where're they gonna get a thousand radio stations ?

[harpu]

Come on in Al, let's see you try any time slot, say between Noon and 6pm (EST)! Sorry Al, but you ain't gonna make it, you ignorant dumbass.

[PeteFromMontana]

As long as they do not do it on the public dime I couldn't care less.

Having said that, I hope they try to compete honestly. If they do, they will be gone in no time.

[Astronaut]

I hope the smarmy little faggot gets a radio show. It wont last any longer than his sitcom of a few years ago. Rush and Hannity will laugh about it because Franken wont be serious competition for anyone. Franken is a washed up SNL comedy writer from the 1970's with pretensions of being politically astute. Competing with Rush Limbaugh will put this commie worm in his place.

[RedMonqey]

The Drobnys dropped this turkey of an idea because their numbers people told them the demographics aren't there. The only people interested for their proposed radio network(mostly welfare moms, the unemployable) are too addicted to idiotic TV programing like Monte Williams, Jerry Springer, etc.
They get their daily "fix" of victimhood and about "feelings" and whining about the haplessness of life and thru them. After the first thirty minutes of humourless name calling and mindless rantings from Al Franken, their target audience will drift back to lesbian sister catfighting on Springer. After all, how long can you say F@ck Bush" and "It's all Bush's fault" without being redundant?

On the other hand, Rush and other conservative radio personalities get their listeners from ACTUAL WORKING PEOPLE who tune in at work. They talk about real issues and real solutions with humor and good taste. The only possible audience for Franken's droning about public policy are stuck in Lesbian Afro-Centric History class at the local Liberal Arts college. Hardly an demograph with expansive possibilities.

Let Al Gore and the Dems sink their fortunes in this "Titanic" expedition. There's an iceberg out there waiting for them.