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| Bad Ideas - Hydrogen Zeppelin, Maginot Line, Liberal Talk Radio | ||||||
| 2004-03-30 | ||||||
| Conservatives, plug your ears: Liberal talk radio is finally here. More like cover my mouth, to stifle the laughter. Al Franken and a host of Come on now, nothing in Boston or San Francisco? Demographically speaking, these two cities are no brainers, and tu3031 and I could use a few laughs during the commute. Mr. Franken will debut at noon with "The O’Franken Factor," a three-hour daily show airing opposite conservative host Rush Limbaugh, who has 20 million listeners. Mr. Franken once wrote a book titled "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot" and has named his show as a parody of "The O’Reilly Factor," hosted by Bill O’Reilly of Fox News. And somehow we’re supposed to take Franken seriously when the majority of his schtick consists of juvenile name calling and thoughtless / witless mocking of conservatives? Yeah, that’ll bring in the ad revenue.
Hey, you gonna box Rich Lowry or what?
This will burn out faster than the Graf Zeppelin. No debate or exchange of ideas, no attempt to persuade. Yell, scream, call names and sue. This is childish behaviour to the extreme. The daylong lineup also includes comedian (?) (comedienne?) Janeane Garofalo, an outspoken critic of the Iraq war; environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; and Alan Colmes, co-host of Fox News Channel’s "Hannity & Colmes." At least Colmes commands some respect, since he, you know, actually has relevant experience. XM Radio offers the new shows a built-in potential audience of 3 million. Key word - potential. Actual use may vary! For a $10 monthly charge, the company offers 120 digital music, talk and entertainment channels for home, car or computer. "America Left" — produced by New York-based Air America Radio — joins an XM stable that already includes talk-radio fare from Fox News, CNN and ABC, among others. America Left, and changed the channel after 5 minutes. "We’re excited to provide a national audience to progressive superstar Al Franken and his spirited cohorts at Air America. Challenging our listeners and giving them the best and broadest choices possible is our daily mission," Hugo Panero, XM’s District-based president, said yesterday. Did he say that with a straight face?
No, really? "There is a great underserved market of Americans who want to hear compelling and funny talk voices expressing viewpoints long absent from the radio airwaves," said Mark Walsh, president of Progress Media, the parent company of Air America. Mr. Walsh, have you bothered to figure out why these viewpoints have been long absent from the radio airwaves?
Wotta coincidence... As Hollywood actors-turned-pundits, Mr. Franken and Miss Garofalo have criticized the Bush administration, the war in Iraq and conservative ideology in no uncertain terms. Not always coherently or persuasively, but, yes, the criticism has been noted.
"I hope this is it". Doesn’t sound like a well thought out plan, judging from that sentiment. Did Karl Rove pay for this? | ||||||
| Posted by:Raj |
| #2 |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-03-30 11:36:45 PM |
| #1 |
| Posted by: Cheddarhead 2004-03-30 10:49:57 PM |