During my lunch hour, sometimes nothing goes as well with a turkey sandwich and a bag of Funyons than a little righteous dissent. Sadly, since Al Franken's show was bumped in this market from obscure frequency 1220 AM to even more obscure frequency 1530 AM, even I've had a hard time finding them.
Thankfully, Fraters reader Rick has an atomic strength radio antenna, or lives right next to their broadcast tower, since he continues to monitor Air America broadcasts. His report:
I feel it is my patriotic duty to tune in as often as possible and monitor the tripe that Al Franken spews on Air America. One of the few interesting aspects is their roster of advertisers. They include The Carpenter's Union, Northern Sun Alliance, the place to get lefty T-shirts and bumper stickers (editor's note--I can personally testify to that, since I once bought a gross of hemp Nader t-shirts from them as Christmas gifts), the Law offices of DFL House Minority Leader Matt Entenza (or was it DFL chairman Mike Erlandson? I can't remember which one) (ed. note--there's a difference?), and in heavy rotation, Air America begging for contributions to keep them on the air.
There's also a message from the Prairie Island Indian Community, reminding us all about the good Indian gaming does rural Goodhue County, but not suggesting at all that the listener should come down to Treasure Island and play a few slots. And on Monday, I was rather surprised to hear a commercial for Playboy Magazine. Of course, the ad only mentioned the hard hitting interviews and sports features that have made the magazine such a success. Every guy buys those for articles, right? I wonder what's next, a PSA from Déjà Vu?
Unions, hemp t-shirts, lawyers, sex, gambling, I think they've got all their core constituencies already covered. No wonder they've had such a hard time expanding their ad revenues.
Or maybe this has something to do with it, the official promotion for their morning show:
Time to wake up, brush your teeth and stick it to The Man. Set your alarm to Morning Sedition and keep us on as you make your way to that charmingly decorated cubicle where you help rich people increase the disparity between their bank account and yours. We'll give you the day's headlines and political news, without that annoying, smiley, blow-dried double-talk the other media use to avoid offending anyone who might jeopardize their access to Sweet Lady Ad Revenues. Join radio veteran Mark Riley and comedian Marc Maron for morning news served up the way you like it: In context, with a healthy dollop of absurdity on top and a side order of subversion.
Speaking of ads, here's an article on the going rates. $1,500 per minute on Franken. $16,000 per minute on Limbaugh. Although this article (from March 30) quotes all sorts of people associated with Air America who have either resigned in disgrace or been exposed as frauds, so it's hard to know what to believe.
As the folks at MPR will attest, it's so much easier to do liberal radio when the tax payers are funding you and you don't have to degrade yourself by having to generate an audience to justify your existence.
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