Liberals Take on Conservatives on Talk Radio

Reuters ^ | 03/28/04 | Andrew Stern

[Pikamax]

Liberals Take on Conservatives on Talk Radio Sun Mar 28, 9:30 AM ET Add Politics to My Yahoo!

By Andrew Stern

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The gloves are coming off on talk radio. Comedian-provocateur Al Franken anchors Wednesday's launch of a new liberal radio network -- Air America -- that promises irreverent voices from the opposite end of the political spectrum to conservatives like Rush Limbaugh who dominate talk radio.

Reuters Photo

"We're going to listen to (Limbaugh's) show and hold him up to scorn and ridicule," Franken said in a telephone interview.

The debut is auspiciously timed: the presidential candidates have come out swinging and liberal anger at Republican President Bush (news - web sites) is at a fever pitch.

Network chief executive Mark Walsh said the goal was to skewer "pomposity" in high places regardless of political affiliation. "We're not in regime change radio," he said.

Walsh said his most recent job was as "the Internet guy" for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry (news - web sites). Franken also knows Kerry, who along with filmmaker Michael Moore is a likely Air America guest.

The network will also feature other radio neophytes such as actress Janeane Garofalo, rapper Chuck D and activist Robert Kennedy Jr. Each will be paired with a radio veteran.

Franken will kick off with a three-hour midday show, "The O'Franken Factor," a mocking tribute to his broadcasting foe Bill O'Reilly's show on Fox News.

A former writer on NBC-TV's "Saturday Night Live," Franken wrote the best-selling comic diatribes "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot" and last year's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right." The latter triggered a short-lived lawsuit from Fox News.

ONETIME WRESTLER

A onetime high school wrestler, the 52-year-old Franken's recent antics have earned him the label of comic brawler: he tackled a heckler at a Kerry event and offered to fight a magazine editor who said Democrats had "sissified" politics.

Franken turns serious when discussing Bush.

"This is a president who ran as a uniter not a divider and he's the most divisive president that I can remember," Franken said. "He had an opportunity to lead us in a new American century united in purpose and sacrifice and blew it completely. He wanted for some reason very, very, very badly to attack Iraq (news - web sites) ... (which) I think has damaged the war on terror."

Limbaugh and other conservative radio figures such as Sean Hannity and Michael Savage -- whose dominance of talk radio balances what some see as mainstream media's liberal bias -- have already begun mocking the upstart network.

"They're saying we're a bunch of wine-swilling cheese-eating liberal idiots; that it'll never work; that liberals don't listen to the radio; that all we did was hire a bunch of comics and not anybody that knows anything about radio," Walsh said.

Franken admitted he drinks wine occasionally but doesn't know the difference between labels. "I do eat cheese; they're more accurate than usual there."

Observers are unsure about Air America's chances of success but it has drawn an avalanche of publicity as the first liberal-minded radio network.

In truth, the serious-minded Pacifica network and segments of National Public Radio have already staked out liberal positions.

"If these guys succeed, you know who's going to be banging down their doors to get them on? All the guys running conservative talk radio. Radio's not a political business. Politics is just a product ... a prop," said Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers, a magazine that covers the industry.

Air America is armed with $30 million in investor cash and a $30 million credit line being used to lease AM stations in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, with more stations promised.

[cyborg]

Haters make poor imitators.

[Betaille]

The liberal media is pushing these guys so hard as "the alternative to conservative talk radio". What I think is funny is that they never pushed "conservative talk radio" at all when it was getting started. Even now, with 10's of millions of listeners, Conservative talk radio barely gets any recognition or publicity from the media, yet liberal talk radio who has all of 5 listeners(at a retirement home somewhere) is getting boomed all over magazines, newspapers, and television.

[vpintheak]

These liars are admitting they cannot make it under their own power so they must use gimmicks and mocking to try to overcome their shortcomings.

[I still care]

It's a good thing there were so many paragraphs in this article.

I had to stop to laugh between each one.

"The gloves are coming off on talk radio." Hahaha!

"We're not in regime change radio," he said.

HAHAHAHA!

[backhoe]

Naturally, I have my own take on this- here's another:

http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1105864/posts
WHY LIB RADIO PROBABLY WON'T WORK
3/26/04 ^ | Neal Boortz

[kenth]

Air America is armed with $30 million in investor cash and a $30 million credit line being used to lease AM stations in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, with more stations promised.

What's funny is their promotion that they are going to compete with conservative radio. If that were true, they would have done it without the fanfare and 30 million investment. This is nothing more than a 60 million dollar John Kerry ad.

They can't compete, not because they aren't allowed, but because they fail at honest discussion. Listeners won't remain listeners for long. I just wonder how long they can Salon themselves.

[Drango]

In truth, the serious-minded Pacifica network and segments of National Public Radio have already staked out liberal positions.

Gasp! Andrew Stern and the print media has stumbled upon the truth.

[Humidston]

TYPICAL RHETORIC/RADIO MANTRA:
Bush is a poopoo head!
No, he's a liar!
Yeah, he's a liar AND a poopoo head!
And a cowboy. Don't forget a cowboy!
YEAH! Poopoo head liar rich brat liar doofus!
WE HATE POOPOO, DOODOO. RICH LIAR BUSH!
YEAH! ALL OF US HATE HIM!

Cut to commercial for Heinz.

[Steven W.]

I just hope most people (FReepers included) just IGNORE this farce for what it is. You know, tomorrow, it's guaranteed, Al Franken will call Bush an idiot and come out with some outrageous charge to try and generate controversy. Such gimmicks - as well as all of liberal talk radio - should simply be IGNORED as being as irrelevant as it truly is. Give the ratings to Rush, Savage, O'Reilly, Laura Ingraham, Tony Snow, Gallagher, Quinn or any of the other great hosts already on the air.

[martin_fierro]

Liberals take on Conservatives in internet media.

(Opening quote price in June, 1999: $10/share)

[dts32041]

"Air America is armed with $30 million in investor cash and a $30 million credit line being used to lease AM stations in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, with more stations promised."

Their investment is about good Ole Rush in about a year, with salary and all his other side lines.

Wonder what they would do if Rush in a free market move bought them out?

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

"We're going to listen to (Limbaugh's) show and hold him up to scorn and ridicule," Franken said in a telephone interview.

So that's this moron's lame plan? Let Rush do a show and use it like a color commentator does a football game? Sounds stupid and illegal ( something like fair use ), but the left never cared about much about that.

[dts32041]

"about good Ole Rush in about a year"= about what food ole Rush makes in a year

Note to self don't post when trying to get ready for work.

[DeFault User]

The network will also feature other radio neophytes such as actress Janeane Garofalo, rapper Chuck D and activist Robert Kennedy Jr. Each will be paired with a radio veteran.

Not enough brains to fill a gnat's navel.

[blackdog]

The self celebration party that liberal talk radio will be will last until their $60,000,000 runs out, which should take about two months the way limosene liberals are accustomed to living.

[GraceCoolidge]

What strikes me about the liberal radio endeavor is how much they have to rely on "former SNL writer" Al Franken, "actress" Garofalo, "liberal activist" Kennedy, rapper Chuck D. (or whatever his name is), etc. None of the commentators they are promoting seem to have developed credentials as a radio person, commentator, analyst, etc. They all seem to be staking their budding radio careers on a resume line to the effect of "I hate President Bush." I don't recall anything about Sean Hannity being a comedian or Rush Limbaugh being a rap star or Bill O'Reilly making a lot of movies. They had to make it in commentary on the strength of their ability in that particular arena. The liberal commentators have to have some kind of "profile" first to make people tune in, I guess. Of course, I'm not at all convinced Ted Danson knows that much about marine biology either....

[Capt. Tom]

If it was "speech" radio they would hold their own.

But when you get calls to refute your arguments and are forced t defend your positions, I don't think the liberals will hold up very well. - tom

[Lazamataz]

We're going to listen to (Limbaugh's) show and hold him up to scorn and ridicule," Franken said in a telephone interview.

So he's kinda like an anti-freeper.

[blackdog]

Other than Ben & Jerry's....No, they sold out.......uhm.....

Any sponsors at all?