corrente

From our own Inky:

Air America, the left-leaning radio network anchored by Al Franken, will launch March 31 in the country's four largest markets [ New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco], which leaves out Philadelphia.

Until there's a local [ie, a Philly] station - and company executives say a deal is "imminent" - those in this area who hunger for liberal talk and laughs will have to listen on the network's Web site (airamericaradio.com) or wait until negotiations play out with satellite radio and television.

Franken, speaking to reporters by teleconference from deep in the Republican "red states," somewhere between Baton Rouge, La., and New Orleans, said yesterday that he would call his noon-to-3-p.m. weekday show The O'Franken Factor. The title is a dig at his conservative nemesis, Bill O'Reilly, whose O'Reilly Factor is telecast on cable's Fox News Channel.

Last year, Fox sued Franken unsuccessfully for using its slogan "fair and balanced" in the subtitle to his latest book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.

The liberal network hopes to challenge conservative radio programming, especially in this presidential-election year. "To their credit, the right wing has captured radio, and we're going to go at them, and at them hard," Franken promised.

Hoping to engage young and liberal audiences with political satire, news and comedy, Air America has signed actress Janeane Garafalo for an 8-to-11-p.m. weekday show, and former Public Enemy rapper Chuck D to join Lizz Winstead, cocreator of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, to host a program from 9 a.m. to noon. Environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will have a Saturday show. Shows will air from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m. and some will repeat after-hours.

Air America, known as Central Air when it was announced in December, expects to debut in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. It will be available in about 20 percent of U.S. households. Air America has bought some stations and is leasing time on others.

Air America programming will be available on its Web site as it is broadcast, and remain archived for listeners to hear when they want.

Company officials said they had commitments from several national advertisers, but weren't ready to name them. The "tens of millions" raised by private investors so far should allow the network to run "for years, not months" before turning a profit, said Walsh, a former TV anchor and former America Online executive.

Fans of conspiracy theories may find it interesting that the liberal network will be going by the name of the notorious CIA air transport operation of the 1950s-70s.

Franken sought to settle all speculation: "We are funded by the CIA," he said.
(via The Inky)

I just hope they're good on radio... Dunno about RFK, Jr., for example. Readers?