The Al Franken Show
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The Al Franken Show is the flagship talk show of Air America Radio. Hosted by Al Franken and Katherine Lanpher, it features commentary and interviews arguing for liberal positions on the issues of the day, and comedy poking fun at conservatives. The show premiered as The O'Franken Factor on March 31, 2004.
Franken is a comedian and satirist who is well known for his books and his earlier role as a writer/performer on Saturday Night Live, while Lanpher is an experienced journalist who had most recently worked for Minnesota Public Radio and was formerly a newspaper columnist.
When the show began, Franken signed a one-year contract. "I'm doing this because I want to use my energies to get Bush unelected. I'd be happy if the election of a Democrat ended the show," he said in an interview with The New York Times. Unfortunately for Franken, Bush won a second term on November 2, 2004, yet the host has stated that the show would continue whether a Democrat or a Republican was in office.
Beginning on September 7, 2004, Sundance Channel broadcast a one-hour televised version of the show on weekdays. The show aired its last episode in November 2004. Sundance Channel, however, has inked a new contract with Franken. The second season of the show premiered June 6, 2005 and will air weeknights though the end of 2005. Sundance Channel said the show has returned to the channel in response to "audience demand".
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The O'Franken Factor
Until July 12, 2004 the name of the show was The O'Franken Factor. That name was a jibe at Bill O'Reilly and his The O'Reilly Factor. O'Reilly is thought by some to have instigated Fox News Channel's lawsuit against Franken for using their trademarked phrase "fair and balanced", which was thrown out of court in summary judgment, but ended up giving publicity to Franken and his book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.
Franken described his show as taking place in a "Zero Spin Zone" where Franken pledges to tell the truth. This is also a reference to O'Reilly and Fox, where some shows say they are in a "No Spin Zone."
Guests
The show's regular guests include David Brock, Joe Conason, James Fallows, Christy Harvey, Paul Krugman, and David Sirota. Also making a near-daily appearance is Mark Luther, Franken's childhood friend and self-proclaimed dittohead, who discusses remarks made by Rush Limbaugh.
The show's guests during its first three weeks included:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/29 | 3/30 | 3/31 Bob Kerrey, Michael Moore, Bebe Neuwirth (as Ann Coulter), G. Gordon Liddy, David Sirota, Bob Elliott, Robert Smigel, Ben Stein, Chuck D, Al Gore |
4/1 Hillary Clinton, Robert Reich |
4/2 Richard Clarke, Paul Krugman |
| 4/5 James Fallows, Ron Suskind |
4/6 David Kay, John Dean |
4/7 Jon Stewart, Fred Kaplan |
4/8 Michael Isikoff, Howard Fineman, Gail Sheehy, Michael Kinsley |
4/9 John Kerry, Daryl Worley, Karri Turner, Andy Breckman |
| 4/12 David Cay Johnston, Sherrod Brown |
4/13 James Carville, Michael Elliott |
4/14 Walter Cronkite, Jonathan Alter |
4/15 Neal Boortz, Samantha Power, Lawrence O'Donnell |
4/16 Richard Ben-Veniste, Jason Flom, John Martin, Kellie Mann, Helen Thomas |
Other guests have included
- 2004-04-19: John McCain, Eli Pariser, Norm Ornstein, G. Gordon Liddy
- 2004-06-25: Ron Reagan, Michael Moore, Bill Clinton
Swing State Tour
In the runup to the 2004 U.S. presidential election, the show went on a "Swing State Tour" that included stops in
- San Diego, California (though California was not often considered a swing state)
- San Francisco, California
- Denver, Colorado
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Columbus, Ohio
- Miami, Florida
External links
- Official website (http://www.thealfrankenshow.com/)
- The Al Franken Show (http://www.sundancechannel.com/al/) on Sundance Channel
References
- Russell Shorto (March 21, 2004). Al Franken, Seriously So. (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/21/magazine/21FRANKEN.html?ei=5070&en=8a110ae1e1c19760&ex=1080795600&pagewanted=all&position=) The New York Times
- Weston Kosova (March 29, 2004). Live, From the Left, It's ... (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4571119/) Newsweek
- Press release (August 3, 2004). Sundance Channel to Launch Television Version of 'Al Franken Show' (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040803/nytu040_1.html)