Al Franken, Air America Radio Departure

FRANKENFLAK

As Air America Fades, Al's Future Questionable






When writing about Al Franken, it turns out, your Radio Equalizer just can't win. It's time to put on our Frankenflak jackets.

For weeks, we've been getting snippy emails from readers wondering why we hadn't reported on Stuart's impending departure from Air America Radio, despite the strong hints that it was about to occur. Far from a right- wing plot, some of these were coming from liberal listeners and bloggers.

Do they consider Franken a burden to their cause? The agenda wasn't clear.

Then, when we did report on this still- likely outcome (because enough evidence had finally emerged), some lefties criticized this site for being late to the party. After all, some of them had apparently posted Internet messages to this effect some time ago. That's why we didn't label it as an exclusive story.

Now, we're being slammed at the Huffington Post and elsewhere for supposedly jumping the gun, because Franken either isn't leaving the network, or isn't yet ready to announce it.

Here's the HuffPo's Steve Young (a sworn O'Reilly enemy who recently posted a fake obit for the FOX News Channel talker) on why your Radio Equalizer is wrong:

Franken's Leaving Alright...For Iraq...
News of Leaving Air America, Premature


Right Wing media outlets in the know about liberal talk, reported the breaking "news" that Al Franken would be leaving Air America on 12/8.

Newsbusters, Brian Maloney's Radioequalizer, and a number of other sites all gleefully reported Al's departure from AA.

One right wing site announced that they only reported on the story because it could be "verified via the affiliates." Perhaps they got the info from the same guy at the Quake in San Francisco who has posted premature and inaccurate news of Al's departure in the past.

Even an idjut from Huffington Post, who sometimes uses my body, took off with story.

Yessir, they were right on the money. Except for a couple little things.

1. Al is leaving all right...for Iraq and Afghanistan on a USO Tour.

This is Al's third trip to entertain the troops in the war torn area. You know, like Sean Hannity and Rush Lim... Oh, yeah. Better nix those last two. I forgot. It's only the ones who undermine the troops who head over to the front lines with our guys. The ones pushing to send them over...well, you know. Busy, busy.

2. While some have said he's leaving Ait America, he hasn't. As Al told me last night, at this point, he's "made no decision on leaving the show." And it is up to him. Which means, as of today, when he returns, he could just as well be back at the Air America mike as begin a run for Senate or study the history of bakliva. Nothing has been determined.

First of all, "the guy at the Quake" happens to be the program director of what has been one of Air America's largest affiliates, KQKE- AM. Word of Franken's departure was made on the air by one of their announcers. No right- wing plot here.


Second, many of these stations, if not all, have been informed that Franken's not going to stick around. In fact, Inside Radio, your Radio Equalizer's employer, reported on speculation related to that clear back in October. The only question has been the actual date, which we took from the KQKE- AM audio clip. If we're off a bit on that, so be it.


Finally, if Air America doesn't have a buyer lined up by Thanksgiving, it's all over anyway. We'll be reporting more on that very soon. Somebody has to put up the ca$h to keep it going, or what remains of the dying network will likely go into Chapter Seven liquidation. That could push all of them off the air very quickly.

At the same time, we're hearing that Franken is making other pre- campaign plans, perhaps elsewhere in the media world. We're looking into that now.

In the meantime, here's a memo to our "progressive" detractors: we're either late to a story, early or wrong altogether. We can't be all of those things, it doesn't make any sense. Pick your criticism and stick with it.


ALSO: from Tim Graham at NewsBusters: "Matthews Laughs As Al Franken Jokes John Fund's GOP Buddies Are 'Crooks'"

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