Al Franken Back on TV

[MrRant 0]

Look out, Bill O'Reilly: Your good friend Al Franken is back on the tube and ready for battle.

 

Political satirist Franken's daily radio show will soon be available in TV form. The television version, also titled The Al Franken Show, will begin airing Sept. 7, Air America Radio and the Sundance Channel announced Monday.

 

The Sundance show will serve as a best-of, distilling the three-hour radio program into a one-hour TV-friendly version that will be edited down in time for broadcast later the same day in the 11:30 p.m. time slot.

 

The format will be similar to what Howard Stern and Don Imus do--both have televised versions airing excerpts of their shows on E! and CNBC, respectively.

 

"Although this whole TV medium is new to me, I am thrilled that The Al Franken Show will now be seen on Sundance Channel, even though it means I will have to wear clothing during the program," said Franken, a 15-year, Emmy-winning vet of Saturday Night Live.

 

"Besides, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was one of my favorite movies."

 

No word yet whether the show will be a permanent fixture on Robert Redford's cable channel known mostly for airing indie flicks, or if the show will only run through the presidential election in November.

 

However, Air America Radio chairman Doug Kreeger is optimistic about the show's chances on television. "We are extremely excited," said Kreeger. "This now puts a face to our voice."

 

While Air America Radio, the liberal radio network Franken's radio show airs daily on in 17 markets nationwide, has been hit with lackluster ratings and financial hardships since its launch earlier this year, there are reasons to think that Franken's show might be a winner.

 

Recently, Franken's show beat Fox News' ratings powerhouse and avowed enemy O'Reilly in New York's spring Arbitron radio ratings race. The Al Franken Show trounced O'Reilly's The Radio Factor in New York City among the 25-54 demo by a two-to-one margin during the only hour when the two go head to head, according to Arbitron's first quarter ratings results released in July.

 

It's the second time in a year that Franken was victorious over O'Reilly and his minions. Last August, Franken won a legal battle brought by Fox News over the title of his most recent bestseller, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.

 

But the best-selling author is still is nowhere near as popular as conservative radio heavyweight Rush Limbaugh or Stern, who recently reclaimed his crown as New York's most popular morning show host.

 

And Franken will have a long way to go before he can topple Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, which is the top-rated cable news program, averaging 2 million viewers nightly.

 

Meanwhile, in other cable commentator news, CNBC's Dennis Miller Live will be revamped effective Tuesday, taking a less confrontational stand on political issues.

 

"I don't want to talk about politics the whole time," Dennis Miller told the New York Daily News Monday.

 

Miller's conservative take on daily events, on the air since January, has yet to boost the network's low ratings. The new version will focus more on topical humor instead of politics.

 

As for Franken, Sundance Channel President Larry Aidem is looking forward to the new show. "In a digital television environment, it is important to be relevant and talked about," he said.

 

Bill O'Reilly certainly can't argue with that.

 

So they are going to condense 3 hours of crap into one hour.

[Guest JMA]

I never knew Franken's radio show beat O'Reilly's. A liberal radio show beating ANY conservative one is a big deal. I see the TV show doing much better than the radio version, though. After all, Franken has much more experience being on TV than being on the radio.

[Dangerous A 0]

I never knew Franken's radio show beat O'Reilly's. A liberal radio show beating ANY conservative one is a big deal. I see the TV show doing much better than the radio version, though. After all, Franken has much more experience being on TV than being on the radio.

Don't let the smooth taste fool you on this one JMA. Franken is beating O'Reilly in the New York market, which has a democrat to republican ration of 6 to 1. Nationwide, O' Reilly is on top but that is also because he is more accessible. Franken beating O'Reilly in NY is good for Franken and it's nothing to sneeze at, but realize that it's in a pro-Dem area.

[Placebo Effect 0]

I don't even know if I have The Sundance Channel.

 

And God, just let Dennis Miller die. He's not funny.

[King Kamala 0]

I have 200+ channels and I don't have Sundance. Weird. Yet I have the channel that only shows frikkin reruns of Father Knows Best, Highway to Heaven and the Honeymooners(I like the Honeymooners. But still give it a rest they only had thirty or so episodes.) Wow I just realized that's an odd trio of shows.

[spman 0]

I'm still waiting for the day Michael Moore eats Al Franken and chokes and dies on his body.

[Guest JMA]

I'm still waiting for the day Michael Moore eats Al Franken and chokes and dies on his body.

Couldn't Moore just eat O'Reilly instead?

[2GOLD 0]

I'm still waiting for the day Michael Moore eats Al Franken and chokes and dies on his body.

Couldn't Moore just eat O'Reilly instead?

 

Moore could eat them both and still have room for Ann Coulter.

 

Al Franken is funny when he doesn't get preachy...problem is he seems to be nothing but preachy anymore. But he's not the worse of the comics who get preachy.

 

This is why I like Lewis Black. Preachy because he knows BOTH sides are lying asses. Bless that man with nyquil and a clean hooker.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

This won't last too long. Air America is still a blackhole for money. Are they even paying the on air people yet?

[Dangerous A 0]

I heard Franken say about a month ago that he is getting paid along with the other on air talent. I also heard that they supposedly got some funds from rich Hollywood types, with Larry David being named as one of the people. I don't have any links or proof if any of this is true, it's just what I heard.