Al Franken has finally found the right place to work ““ a
place where no one has to see his face.
Air America, the nation’s new all-liberal talk radio firm,
hit the airwaves this week. Feeling left-wing political commentary
had been excluded from the AM dial for long enough, the network was
pushed forward to add new mudslingers to the fray. Franken
headlines the stations’ programming and is joined by fellow
performers such as Janeane Garofalo.
This was wonderful news to me, because when I think of
insightful political commentary, the first name that jumps into my
brain is The Bowler from “Mystery Men.”
The network currently has stations in Los Angeles, New York,
Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, Ore. and California’s Inland
Empire. Coming soon is an outlet in San Francisco and San Jose. If
programmers are looking for an appropriate channel number, might I
suggest AM 666?
With only a handful of stations nationwide, much of Air
America’s audience comes from the Internet. In its first week
of broadcasting, more than two million streams were accessed by
patrons using the network’s Web site.
But audio problems interfered with the program’s
clarity.
Common complaints included unreliable audio and garbled
messages. At times, the sound from the speakers was so distorted
that it made little sense to keep on listening.
But in all honesty, the same complaints could be made when the
feed was coming in crystal-clear.
Franken has named his show “The O’Franken
Factor.” He did so, by all public accounts, to further annoy
rival pundit Bill O’Reilly. When Franken released his book
“Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced
Look at the Right,” Fox News unsuccessfully sued him over his
use of the phrase “fair and balanced.” Fox will not
risk another suit that would give Franken more publicity at its own
expense. Air America may need to worry about legal action from MTV
though, because with Franken behind the microphone, they certainly
are airing a version of “Jackass.”
I will be the first to admit that compared to O’Reilly,
the Tea Cups at Disneyland are a “no spin zone.” But
despite his obvious leanings, O’Reilly’s success comes
from the fact that regardless of whether his audience agrees with
him, he can provoke thought on both sides and captivate his crowd.
This is the key for talk radio. And after all, he is good enough,
he is smart enough and doggone it, people like him.
Air America fails to remember that radio is about entertainment
more than anything else. Just because you throw a few Hollywood
personalities together does not mean you are entertaining an
audience. “Gigli” taught us that lesson.
The “three Rs” of the radio broadcasting business
should be ratings, revenue and recognition. The bottom line for
successful programming is determining what will make money for the
station. Air America’s chief executive, Mark Walsh, expects
his network to lose $30 million in the next few years. The backers
of the firm apparently let their lust for a liberal bastion cloud
their business sense. Had Air America established itself
step-by-step rather than gambling on immediate prominence, its
future may have been a surer bet.
The assertion that Air America is needed to balance the media is
ludicrous. National Public Radio, which is widely considered to be
a left-leaning entity, is currently aired on more than 700 channels
nationwide. Furthermore, print and television journalism has
largely catered to liberal ideology. Conservatism on the airwaves
has merely been the pursuit of those who have felt voiceless in
other arenas.
I am in no way trying to discourage liberal radio. If there is a
demand for it, then by all means let it strive. If radio listeners
are truly tired of right-wing claptrap, then turn the dial to
something else. If Air America is a winning product, then more
power to it.
But Air America must not forget that as much as it is
propagating a political philosophy, it is even more so an
enterprise that must cater to the consumer and enthrall those who
listen. Once the initial luster of liberal radio has worn off, it
will be up to Franken and the rest of the network’s staff to
maintain the programming as a successful product. If Air America
cannot do this, then it will go down as the biggest radio
embarrassment since Ryan Seacrest replaced the immortal Rick
Dees.
But have no fear, hippies. Even if left-wing radio does leave
the airwaves, you can keep getting your liberal commentary from
your newspapers. At least when you are done with them, you can use
them as rolling papers.
Pfohl is a fourth-year history and political science
student. E-mail him at jpfohl@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments
to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.