Franken's Air America bounces back with Bush win
Wed Feb 2, 2005 08:03 PM ET
By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Comedian and political provocateur Al
Franken says the re-election of U.S. President George W. Bush was bad
for the country but good for his fledgling liberal radio network, Air
America, as it strives to rebound from a rocky start.

Much as conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh grew in popularity as he
railed for eight years against Democrat Bill Clinton, Franken sees
Bush as the perfect foil in his mission to amplify the voice of the
political left on daytime talk radio.
In an interview with Reuters ahead of this week's return of Air
America to Los Angeles, the second largest U.S. city, Franken said he
was as disappointed as any lefty by Bush's victory over Democratic
challenger John Kerry.

But in his view, Kerry's loss was Air America's gain.

"Obviously, it's more fun to go after Bush's terrible ideas and
programs than to defend Kerry's not-quite-exactly-what-we -want
plans," said Franken, 53, whose New York-based show and the rest of
Air America's lineup will begin airing on KTLK-AM in Los Angeles on
Thursday, the day after Bush's State of the Union address.

By the end of the month, the network that began in just six cities on
March 31, 2004, then nearly collapsed weeks later amid financial woes,
will have spread to 50 stations nationwide, including outlets in 15 of
the top 20 markets, among them New York, Washington, D.C., Miami,
Boston, Atlanta and Philadelphia.

It will even venture into Bush's home state of Texas with a launch on
a Corpus Christi station later this month.

The network's programming, which includes shows hosted by actress
Janeane Garofalo and commentator Randi Rhodes, also airs on satellite
radio and the Internet on (http://www.airamericaradio.com).

With a new team of executives in charge and investors committing
additional capital, Air America President Jon Sinton predicted the
network could reach profitability by year's end.

"We are as far as I can determine the fastest-growing network in the
history of this industry," Sinton said, adding that its cumulative
national audience ranges from 2.5 million to 3 million listeners per
week.

That pales in comparison to the 20 million so-called "ditto heads" who
tune in weekly to hear Limbaugh on nearly 600 stations nationwide, but
Sinton noted that the conservative commentator has a 15-year jump on
Air America.

The KTLK launch marks a key turning point after the network was
unceremoniously dumped from another Los Angeles station last spring
due to a cash crunch.

Ironically, some of the network's biggest successes have come on
stations owned by Clear Channel Communications Inc. (CCU.N: Quote,
Profile, Research) , the media giant seen by liberals as a tool of the
right and whose subsidiary, Premiere Radio Networks, syndicates
Limbaugh's show.

But Sinton said it should come as no surprise "when businesses behave
in ways that will enhance their bottom line." As one industry insider
who spoke on condition of anonymity put it, "If Franken can deliver an
audience, they'll run to Franken. They don't care about his politics."


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