Can Al Franken save talk radio

Jewsweek ^ | 2-26-03 | Benyamin Cohen

[CyberCowboy777]

To: editor@jewsweek.com

Concerning:
“Can Al Franken save talk radio?”
By Benyamin Cohen

Mr. Cohen and his subjects act as if talk radio is in trouble. The fact is, "Liberal Talk Radio", is in trouble.
Normal, non-subsidized talk radio is quite healthy and vibrant. Saved originally not in any small part by Rush, using a formula of speaking for the majority, not too.

Also, you might know that the conservative movement is growing younger. The growing numbers of college students and young adults that listen to talk radio are apart of the still larger growth of the conservative movement. This is fuelled by the factual and perceivable failings of the left especially and the Democratic Party.

The left have started the failed wars, they have not stood against and worse pandered too dictators and evil persons, they have failed to recognize what even JFK knew to be true - tax cuts work, lastly the left forgot.... that character matters.

The left can play hide and seek with their image all they want, history is working against them.

Keath Huff

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Oy!

[CyberCowboy777]

Bump

[skinkinthegrass]

Very Funny...FACT : Rush saved talk radio...will make a very large fortune into a small fortune, Dumb...1 year MAX. :)

[Mike Darancette]

The DemocRATS have it wrong again, as usual, the success of an enterprise like FOX News is not the individual talent but the organization behind them.

It they have a person with the savvy of a Roger Ailes to run their new network then they might (though unlikely) have a shot.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

You go girl!!

"Pretty lady gone do that dance, pretty lady gone do dat dance (C'mon now!)"

[Pompah]

The real question is, Can Talk Radio save Al Whats-his-name.?

[Moby Grape]

I agree that the organization behind Fox has helped Fox attain its' place in the ratings, BUT, the FACT that it is NOT the usual liberal slanted news media is the REAL reason.

[SerpentDove]

[Slyfox]

So there are some right wing college kids out there, they just don't make much noise.

What makes them so dangerous is that they vote, countering the illegal voters. Can't have that dontchaknow?

[HHFi]

I'm been in radio and radio syndication for over 25 years and currently write my own internationally-syndicated daily topical radio humor service, so I know a bit about this subject. My opinion: Franken will be lousy in radio. The line about the Iraq war that they quote to illustrate his brilliant wit is so lame, I wouldn't even use it on my service, and we send out five jam-packed pages of material a DAY!

To connect with a radio audience, you have to possess a voice that people like listening to, a personality they want to welcome into their homes every day, and the ability to discuss and defend your beliefs respectfully for hours at a time. Franken talks very slowly, his humor comes from an arrogant viewpoint, his delivery fairly drips with condescension, and he can't make an argument without attacking someone personally. Note that he couldn't even get through the title of his book about Rush Limbaugh without calling him a "big, fat idiot." And it's no accident that his most famous SNL bit was the "Al Franken Decade," which had the repetitive punchline, "Me...Al Franken."

IMHO, he's going to crash and burn very quickly. If he stays on the air more than six months, it will be because some rich liberals have too much money to flush away and no toilet handy.

[Nonstatist]

Mr. Cohen and his subjects act as if talk radio is in trouble. The fact is, "Liberal Talk Radio", is in trouble

Not really true. NPR is liberal talk radio and many lefties listen to it partly because it has no commercials. The fact that the taxpayer subsidizes is incidental to this fact.

Whatever Franken puts out will also have to compete with NPR. If he goes for mostly satire and skits 14 hrs a day, its going to get old quickly. In short ... this aint gonna work.

[Mike Darancette]

"Me...Al Franken."

Didn't Frankin do a skit on SNL where he said "I am a Communist"?

I found it believable.

[LADY J]

"Off topic: It never fails to amaze me that the people making the largest contribution in the fight against the Anti-bush, Anti-Republican, Pro-Israel forces are liberal Jews."

Also wondering about why this is so. If they keep bringing attention to this absolute fact - they will build a lot of resentment among main stream Americans.

[Plutarch]

...all this is a logical response to Campaign Finance Reform...

Bingo! Why, of course! Since CFR limits commercials, but not "media", re-direct the propaganda $$$$ to the creation of the medium itself. Instead of writing checks for commericals, write checks for the business losses of the media company. The other benefit, is that their "business loss" will be tax deductible, whereas their campaign contributions are not.

The Right will have no answer, as its conservative media invariably have terrific ratings and make scads of money, ergo, no tax benefit!

[Burkeman1]

Franken's show will consist of nothing more than the most vile and juevenile character assassication, cheap innuendo backed by no facts, and sneering self righteous sermonizing. And of course he will ridicule, belittle, and mock white men (especially southern white men) and Christians as they serve the same function to the modern Left that the "jew" served for Nazis ideology. Oh and look for a lot of charges of racism as well. The investors will know the show is a flop within three months but out of pride will keep it on for six.

[rpage3]

You want irreverent? See what this book, "Double Take - Politically Incorrect Limericks" by some body named Jaggero (which I read over the Xmas holidays) had to say about this turd (FRANKEN); it's a cheap and funny as heck book that also makes some great observations about BILL/HILL and a lot of their best buddies, politicians (ours), pop-culture (& Hollywood leftists - the book accurately predicted that Bill Maher will return on cable...) and society, in general. Check out their website here:

http://www.doubletakebook.com

I'll say this too, if this book had a liberal slant it would be hailed by the media as a pure work of art! A picture I took of a poster ad (in NYC) can be seen here:

http://home.nyc.rr.com/sandr/poster1.jpg


By the way, I sent this book as a gift to a few of my liberal "friends" last Christmas, I haven't heard from them since...makes me wonder!

[Bernard]

Al Franken would have a built-in audience. All the Donahue fans can tape a picture of Phil to the radio and listen to Al. That demographic by itself will mean a rating of .0000000000000001

The only other audience for this comes from NPR.

Actually, Al Franken isn't funny. Most of the skits he was in on SNL bombed. He's like the real-life version of the SNL skit of the two women doing the cooking radio show.

[Burkeman1]

One possible explanation for Jews being more "liberal" in their political views is history. All over Europe Jewish communual survival often depended on the protectin of a strong central government. Very often strong kings protected Jewish communities from local authorities. This of course backfired on occassin when kings would scapegoat them for various problems and expel them or restrict them in numerous ways. But strong central authority more often than not served to protect Jews from endemic Europeon anti semitism.

[CyberCowboy777]

The fact that no other Liberal Talk radio network has worked lends credence to the view (which I hold) that NPR would not exist if it were not for it being subsidized.

NPR is not a banner of how liberal talk radio can work, but a testament to how liberal talk radio is a idea doomed to failure.

I listen to NPR, the fact is, "Liberal Talk Radio", is in trouble. Without NPR "Liberal Talk Radio" does not exist and many of us are working to de-fund that.