“I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me,” is how Al Franken’s “Stuart Smalley” shtick on “SNL” used to go.
Well, America will be the judge of that.
Franken, voice of the political left, will test liberalism’s radio-worthiness Wednesday, when he debuts his call-in show, the centerpiece of the new Air America Radio network.
The network, which will carry shows hosted by Chuck D, Janeane Garofalo and Robert Kennedy Jr., will air on WNTD-AM 950 in Chicago and on other small stations in New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., and on the Web (www.airamericaradio.com) and XM Satellite Radio.
In a country evenly divided politically, talk radio is anything but. Air America is a liberal salvo in the war for listeners, advertisers and the opinions of millions of Americans.
While the new network has drawn an avalanche of publicity, some see it as a risky venture into the largely conservative talk-show realm dominated by Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly. (“The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox inspired Franken’s mocking title, “The O’Franken Factor.”)
“Talk radio is an extraordinarily important way to communicate with voters,” said Mark Kornblau, a spokesman for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. “We’ve seen in past elections that the Republicans have more effectively used talk radio to their advantage.”
Franken even says that his radio experiment will be a “total failure” if President Bush is re-elected.
The author and former “SNL” comedian offers himself as an antidote to Limbaugh, whose conservative ideas have ripped across AM airwaves in national syndication since 1988. Franken’s show will run directly opposite Limbaugh’s (heard locally on WLS-AM 890), from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays.
“I’ve got Rush in mind, even though I’m calling it ‘The O’Franken Factor,”‘ a harried Franken said during a quick break in the rehearsals and meetings that have filled his days before the network launch.
Never mind that Limbaugh is the nation’s leading talk-radio host, with about 20 million weekly listeners who tune into nearly 600 stations.
“I think a lot of people listen to Rush because he’s the only person to listen to,” Franken said. “So just by letting them know that a choice exists, we’ll provide an alternative. A lot of liberals listen to him just to get angry.”
Anger, in fact, seems to be a key fuel stoking the fire of talk- radio success.
“There’s no doubt that a large part of the appeal of talk radio today is the ‘angry white man’ syndrome,” said Steve Rendall, senior analyst at Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, a national left-of-center media watch group. “G. Gordon Liddy, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Michael Reagan, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly–they are tapping into their listeners’ anger.”
So, are those on the opposite end of the political spectrum angry enough to back a new radio network?
“Yeah, liberals are angry,” Franken said.
In the beginning, Franken’s reach certainly won’t compare to Limbaugh’s. It is searching for languishing stations in other markets to take its daily programming. Meanwhile, Limbaugh is on hundreds of mainstream stations nationwide.
Talkers magazine, which covers the industry, last year named Limbaugh the most important radio host of the modern era.
Before Limbaugh, Talkers publisher Michael Harrison said, many radio listeners felt ignored. They thought “that Hollywood was liberal, that television was liberal, that most of radio was liberal, that music was liberal, that newspapers are liberal.”
“Whether it’s true or not, I can’t say. But they believed it. And they felt that, ‘Wow, these guys are talking to us,'” Harrison said.
Hannity, for instance, draws nearly 12 million listeners over 400 stations. The audience is primarily white men, self-described Republicans with average household incomes of $75,000 a year.
How do Franken’s frequent media targets feel about the fledgling network? A spokesman for Limbaugh said he has a no-interview policy, but O’Reilly labeled the “Liberal Radio Network” the “most ridiculous item of the day” on his TV show Monday.
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Air America’s lineup
Monday-Friday
– 5 to 8 a.m.: “Morning Sedition” News and opinion with satirist Marc Maron.
– 8 to 11 a.m.: “Unfiltered” Politics and culture. Hosted by Lizz Winstead, co-creator of “The Daily Show,” rapper Chuck D. and Rachel Maddow.
– 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: “The O’Franken Factor” Al Franken, Katherine Lanpher.
– 2 to 6 p.m.: “The Randi Rhodes Show” with the longtime Florida talker.
– 6 to 7 p.m.: “So What Else Is News?” Politics, media and Hollywood. Expect celebrity interviews.
– 7 to 10 p.m.: “The Majority Report” Janeane Garofalo and political humorist Sam Seder. A showcase for younger voices from politics and entertainment.
Weekend
“Champions of Justice,” with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mike Papatanio. Legal and social issues.
TRIBUNE
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CONSERVATIVE CELEBRITIES
Johnny Ramone
Republican-voting, NRA-supporting conservative. During an award acceptance speech he said, “God bless President Bush, and God bless America.”
Kelsey Grammer
The “Frasier” actor emceed a Bush campaign fundraiser March 14. Said he might run for a Republican senate seat someday. On being a conservative: “Thanks to Fox News, actually, I think it’s a little more safe for us to come out of the closet.”
Shannen Doherty
On “Last Call with Carson Daly,” Shannen Doherty praised
Donald Rumsfeld and said she’s “a big supporter of President Bush.” She also revealed that she had a picture of herself with Ari Fleischer on her fridge.
“I’m a Republican. … I’m a big supporter of President Bush.”
Bruce Willis
In 2003, with the next Gulf war looming, Willis phoned President George Bush to tell him he was ready to volunteer for military service. An aide told him he was too old to enlist.
Jessica Simpson
Performed at a March 14 Bush campaign fundraiser and at the president’s inauguration.
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LIBERAL CELEBRITIES
Dixie Chicks
During a concert tour, group member Natalie Maines
(center) criticized Bush and his plans to go to war with Iraq, setting off a public uproar.
Alec Baldwin
Served as head of a celebrity activist group and is an ardent critic of the current administration: “Everything that Bush touches turns to manure in public policy.”
Madonna
Endorsed Wesley Clark. On Bush: “Our greatest risk is not terrorism, and it’s not Iraq or the ‘Axis of Evil.’ Our greatest risk is a lack of leadership, a lack of honesty and a complete lack of consciousness.”
Moby
Co-founded a project with moveon.org that invited the public to create ads critical of the administration.
Russell Simmons
The hip-hop king, along with rapper Mos Def, recorded two thirty-second TV spots attacking the Bush administration’s policies in the Middle East. Served as a judge at the moveon.org contest.
Gwyneth Paltrow
“I think George Bush is such an embarrassment to America in the way that he doesn’t take the rest of the world into consideration.”
