Al Franken is finally giving up the lame name for his radio show. I always found it pathetic that he descended to spoofing Bill O'Reilly in choosing a name for his radio program, by calling it 'The O'Franken Factor.' Making the very title of your enterprise derivative of another show betrays a startling lack of originality, not to mention confidence in your ability to be judged on your own merits. Franken revealed his own position as a reactionary, in the most literal sense of the word. His entire schtick consists of reacting to conservatives. 

From now on, it will be the utterly conventional "Al Franken Show." Gee, Bill Bennett calls his show "Morning in America," Al. Get it? Reagan's famous line? Plus, it's a morning show.

Couldn't you come up with something more imaginative than the "The Al Franken Show"?

After all, I thought you New York liberals were supposed to be creative and smart.  Maybe something like "I did not have radio with that country, America" or "Depends on what the meaning of 'radio' is."  Your slogan could be "No talent, on loan from anywhere."

But the name change is probably just another sign of how badly things are working out for Air America radio. DO SOMETHING! is probably the operating philosophy. The network has, in three—and—a—half months, rocketed to a total of 16 conventional stations, most of them in small markets, and the and two pay—satellite services. This, despite extravagant publicity from the left—leaning press. Strangely absent from the network's publicity is any crowing over recent ratings success.

It is now election season, and a huge public exists for anti—Bush screeds, as demonstrated by Michael Moore. But stitching together a two hour movie over a period of months allows a certain degree of selectivity and planning, while producing three hours of extemporaneous radio every day is a test of wits. Franken is demonstrably failing to produce radio even die—hard leftists want. Guess what, Al? Talk radio is hard, and requires a fast mind.

Meanwhile, Page Six reported yesterday that Franken is wisely searching for another day job, by continuing to indicate to friends his seriousness about running for the Senate from his native Minnesota. Of course, the next Senate seat facing the voters belongs to Mark Dayton, a fellow Democrat. But Dayton has been embarrassingly ineffective, and even stupid in his Senate tenure, so maybe he will step down. Maybe not. If Franken wants to take on the very smart and effective Republican Norm Coleman, he'll have to wait until 2008. Given the fact that Coleman is smarter, more effective, and has actually lived in Minnesota for the last couple of decades, and Franken hasn't, maybe taking on the hapless Dayton isn't such a bad idea.

Posted by Thomas  07 13 04