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Franken Interview In Asheville

S

Spindoctor

Guest
Kids on the radio,
I'll be interviewing Al Franken in the morning here in Asheville.
Any input on questions to ask him?
Thanks for any replies.
The Spindoctor
 
> Kids on the radio,
> I'll be interviewing Al Franken in the morning here in
> Asheville.
> Any input on questions to ask him?
> Thanks for any replies.
> The Spindoctor
>


Did he hide his cocaine use from his kids? (Or is he like most Liberals who believe drugs should be legalized)<P ID="signature">______________
We send you a $1 every other day. Please fill out your diaries.

Please help Err Amerika: http://larslarson.com/LinksNStuff/LarsSpoofs/Attachment_GetAttachment.aspx?id=1466&fd=0
</P>
 
Wait...you work for a conservative News/Talker, do you not? Why is he going to be on your show when you directly compete with his local affiliate? This really should be good...I can't wait, and I'm glad I just happen to live in the same market as you so I can listen.

...Al Franken on a conservative station. Hmm...I hope your callers don't beat him up to bad. I listen to your station occasionally, and they can get pretty rough. Didn't they make one of those wacko communists running for City Council cry a while back?

Do you guys stream? I know a lot of the posters here on this particular board might like to listen if you do. We all get pretty involved in matters relating to AAR and Franken, from one side or the other...
 
Re: Answered my own question...

> Do you guys stream? I know a lot of the posters here on this
> particular board might like to listen if you do.


I found your website, Mr. Spindoctor, just in case anybody might want to listen in the morning. www.supertalk1350.com. I found "Listen Live" on the left. Hope you don't mind me posting it!

I wish you'd ask him about a few things...like what the deal was with the money AAR took from the Boys and Girls Clubs, why AAR has resorted to begging for money a'la public radio, and why he seems to hate America. And, for the record, those questions are based upon MY opinions and my opinions only. Don't wanna get flogged.



Good luck with the interview...I'll be listening.
 
Franken Interview - I blew it!

Kids,
I had a fantastic opportunity to have a great dialogue with
Al Franken this morning and thanks to my (bless her heart)
guest host, it was nothing more than a damn gush-fest. I
defend her (guest-host) right to say what she wants but I
completely let the interview become a fluff piece. I had
a buttload of great questions that would have actually
answered questions that are on the minds of many. INSTEAD,
it became a friggin infomercial for a competitor and his
appearance at their sponsorship of his show/tour.
I feel like such a dumbass (rightfully so) for allowing
this to get away from me.
And no, I had no plans of attacking Mr. Franken but I thought
the conversation would be a helluva lot more intriguing than
I quote "Omigosh, good for you for having a New York Times best
seller". That kind of radio is for an AC morning show, and for rookies...
not for a 15 year vet.
A humbling reminder that I need to get my sh** together if I want to
be and stay competitive as well as worth listening to.
BUT, I then went to this live show of his to report on the turn
out and the first 10 minutes is blasting my interview and one of the
many callers (who actually saved the entire show).
A Vietnam veteran is a regular caller to the show, he gave one of
the ultimate sacrifices for his country...his legs. During the
show, Al said "thank you for your service to our country" when the
gentleman mentioned his tour of duty. This man is far more intelligent
than Al could even begin to imagine. During HIS show is gave him a
hillbilly accent and spoke as if he had a learning disability (ironic
for Al by the way) and proported him to be an idiot.

Plus he claimed that AAR is getting great ratings when in fact they are
getting next to nothing in major markets AND San Antonio just dropped them.

There was more BS from AL, but since I dropped the ball I guess I need
to go grab some diapers and shut the hell up.
(Just thought I'd say it before anyone else mentioned it)

The Whinedoctor

Now, let the beatings begin...wait...(whimper, whimper)...okay I'm ready.
 
Re: Franken Interview - I blew it!

> Kids,
> I had a fantastic opportunity to have a great dialogue with
>
> Al Franken this morning and thanks to my (bless her heart)
> guest host, it was nothing more than a damn gush-fest. I
> defend her (guest-host) right to say what she wants but I
> completely let the interview become a fluff piece. I had
> a buttload of great questions that would have actually
> answered questions that are on the minds of many. INSTEAD,
> it became a friggin infomercial for a competitor and his
> appearance at their sponsorship of his show/tour.
> I feel like such a dumbass (rightfully so) for allowing
> this to get away from me.
> And no, I had no plans of attacking Mr. Franken but I
> thought
> the conversation would be a helluva lot more intriguing than
>
> I quote "Omigosh, good for you for having a New York Times
> best
> seller". That kind of radio is for an AC morning show, and
> for rookies...
> not for a 15 year vet.
> A humbling reminder that I need to get my sh** together if I
> want to
> be and stay competitive as well as worth listening to.
> BUT, I then went to this live show of his to report on the
> turn
> out and the first 10 minutes is blasting my interview and
> one of the
> many callers (who actually saved the entire show).
> A Vietnam veteran is a regular caller to the show, he gave
> one of
> the ultimate sacrifices for his country...his legs. During
> the
> show, Al said "thank you for your service to our country"
> when the
> gentleman mentioned his tour of duty. This man is far more
> intelligent
> than Al could even begin to imagine. During HIS show is
> gave him a
> hillbilly accent and spoke as if he had a learning
> disability (ironic
> for Al by the way) and proported him to be an idiot.
>
> Plus he claimed that AAR is getting great ratings when in
> fact they are
> getting next to nothing in major markets AND San Antonio
> just dropped them.
>
> There was more BS from AL, but since I dropped the ball I
> guess I need
> to go grab some diapers and shut the hell up.
> (Just thought I'd say it before anyone else mentioned it)
>
> The Whinedoctor
>
> Now, let the beatings begin...wait...(whimper,
> whimper)...okay I'm ready.
>
I guess there is good reason for your "username".

Air America wasn't dropped in San Antonio. The CC progressive talk radio station was flipped to Texas Country. The CC station did not have AAR. Air America is still on KTXX.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by RBA on 11/30/05 10:40 PM.</FONT></P>
 
It Could Have Been Worse

> > Plus he claimed that AAR is getting great ratings when in
> > fact they are
> > getting next to nothing in major markets AND San Antonio
> > just dropped them.

> I guess there is good reason for your "username".
>
> Air America wasn't dropped in San Antonio. The CC
> progressive talk radio station was flipped to Texas Country.
> The CC station did not have AAR. Air America is still on
> KTXX.

Jerry Springer was on the CC station (KRPT), which led AAR to list it as an affiliate. But Franken was never on the station, so it would have been strange to ask him why "he" was dropped in "San Antonio." And KRPT is actually 34 miles from San Antonio, which makes it a long stretch to call it a San Antonio station in the first place. AAR affiliates are now getting decent ratings in several major markets and KPOJ continues to be the number one AM station in Portland -- that's hardly "next to nothing."
 
Re: Franken Interview - I blew it!

Let me understand this. You're a talk radio host on right wing talk station. You had the opportunity to interview the top liberal talk radio host in the country and, in your words, the interview became a "puff piece." Then you have the nerve to go on to slam Franken on this board. If I were you I would seriously think of finding some other kind of work. If you can't nail a light weight like Franken, I'm sure Randi Rhodes would have taken you apart. Yes, it was "a fantastic opportunity opportunity to have a a great dialogue with Al Franken." However, it sounds like you blew it.

> Kids,
> I had a fantastic opportunity to have a great dialogue with
>
> Al Franken this morning and thanks to my (bless her heart)
> guest host, it was nothing more than a damn gush-fest. I
> defend her (guest-host) right to say what she wants but I
> completely let the interview become a fluff piece. I had
> a buttload of great questions that would have actually
> answered questions that are on the minds of many. INSTEAD,
> it became a friggin infomercial for a competitor and his
> appearance at their sponsorship of his show/tour.
> I feel like such a dumbass (rightfully so) for allowing
> this to get away from me.
> And no, I had no plans of attacking Mr. Franken but I
> thought
> the conversation would be a helluva lot more intriguing than
>
> I quote "Omigosh, good for you for having a New York Times
> best
> seller". That kind of radio is for an AC morning show, and
> for rookies...
> not for a 15 year vet.
> A humbling reminder that I need to get my sh** together if I
> want to
> be and stay competitive as well as worth listening to.
> BUT, I then went to this live show of his to report on the
> turn
> out and the first 10 minutes is blasting my interview and
> one of the
> many callers (who actually saved the entire show).
> A Vietnam veteran is a regular caller to the show, he gave
> one of
> the ultimate sacrifices for his country...his legs. During
> the
> show, Al said "thank you for your service to our country"
> when the
> gentleman mentioned his tour of duty. This man is far more
> intelligent
> than Al could even begin to imagine. During HIS show is
> gave him a
> hillbilly accent and spoke as if he had a learning
> disability (ironic
> for Al by the way) and proported him to be an idiot.
>
> Plus he claimed that AAR is getting great ratings when in
> fact they are
> getting next to nothing in major markets AND San Antonio
> just dropped them.
>
> There was more BS from AL, but since I dropped the ball I
> guess I need
> to go grab some diapers and shut the hell up.
> (Just thought I'd say it before anyone else mentioned it)
>
> The Whinedoctor
>
> Now, let the beatings begin...wait...(whimper,
> whimper)...okay I'm ready.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
http://talkingradio.blogspot.com/</P>
 
Fact Checking Here...

> Jerry Springer was on the CC station (KRPT), which led AAR
> to list it as an affiliate. But Franken was never on the
> station, so it would have been strange to ask him why "he"
> was dropped in "San Antonio." And KRPT is actually 34 miles
> from San Antonio, which makes it a long stretch to call it a
> San Antonio station in the first place.

All the other stuff aside...let's be honest here. The "San Antonio" AAR affiliate (KTXX/103.1 Karnes City TX) is even farther away from the city than KRPT was!

92.5 is a rimshot into San Antonio. 103.1 is a distant signal that can get a relatively small number of SA market listeners.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
Re: Fact Checking Here...

> All the other stuff aside...let's be honest here. The "San
> Antonio" AAR affiliate (KTXX/103.1 Karnes City TX) is even
> farther away from the city than KRPT was!

The point is that Spindoctor would have sounded even more foolish if he'd asked Franken why he had been "dropped" in San Antonio. Franken could have said, "Look, kid, I'm on 70 stations and you're on one, in market number 162. And you're asking me why I'm not on a station that neither of us has ever been on?"
 
Re: Fact Checking Here...

Spindoctor, my friend, I should have warned you: Mr. Franken is revered by some who frequent this board almost as much as you and I admire Jesus. Saying anything on this board that could even slightly be construed as a stab at AAR will most certainly earn you a beating. Trust me, I know. :)

Incidentally, I listened yesterday. The interview didn't make YOU look stupid, but it made your co-host look like a total airhead. Probably NOT what your core audience wants to hear, if you want my opinion from a radio business perspective. But, you are the PD there, not me! If I WERE, though, I'd dump her in a heartbeat. Totally unsolicited advice, but my opinion nonetheless.

As for the remark about Franken being on 70 stations, my question is this: if a tree falls in the forest and nobody's there to hear it, does it make a sound. I've done the homework...quite a few hours of it. Out of the 67 affiliates listed on the AAR website, 19 have NO measurable audience according to Arbitron. Sure, they gained 4.9% between the last two books, in total 12-plus numbers. But so what? Stations which air Rush gained 1.9% during that same period. So, nobody's losing audience, but the gains are not groundbreaking, either. My final thought is this, and I know I'm kicking a hornets nest here that I really don't have the time or desire to kick, but I can't resist after hearing Franken blatantly lie on his show yesterday. AAR has no measurable audience in some quite large markets such as Atlanta, Raleigh, Detroit, San Francisco, and Honolulu.

In closing, I'd like to say that I'm ashamed that my city was represented the way it was on Franken's show yesterday. For those of you who listened, I assure you that Asheville, NC is not quite the bastion of wackoism you might think it is after listening to all Al's guests yesterday. There are plenty of conservatives here...we just get out-blabbed by the socialist minority. As evidence of how low these folks will slink, I'll leave you with an example from Franken's NATIONAL show yesterday. In the first fifteen minutes, he mocked and made fun of one of the finest Americans I know. This fine American lost his legs in Vietnam, but still does more for his community than most able-bodied people I know. He called in on Spindoctor's show to ask Al a question, and was absolutley respectful. Al even said "thank you for your service" before the call was over. But, just a few short hours later, he was making pop-shots and mocking this fine American for a national audience. I have absolutely NO respect for anybody who'd be this two-faced to somebody who gave such a sacrifice for his country.
 
Re: Fact Checking Here...

> I assure you that Asheville,
> NC is not quite the bastion of wackoism you might think it
> is after listening to all Al's guests yesterday. There are
> plenty of conservatives here...we just get out-blabbed by
> the socialist minority.

Apparently you also get out-voted, since the incoming mayor
(who was interviewed by Franken) seems to be decidedly
non-conservative.

> But, just a few short
> hours later, he was making pop-shots and mocking this fine
> American for a national audience..

I also listened to the national show and Franken made no mention of
a caller who had served in Vietnam. He did mention a caller who
seemed surprised that a liberal like Franken spoke about his family
and who, when asked why that surprised him, said he wasn't sure. Didn't
sound like "pop-shots" to me.

Franken also mentioned that a local Clear Channel executive had told
him that Air America's Ashville affiliate has four times the listeners as
the Spindoctor's right-wing station.

And by the way, I don't "revere" Franken and don't know anybody who does.
 
Re: Fact Checking Here...

> > I assure you that Asheville,
> > NC is not quite the bastion of wackoism you might think it
>
> > is after listening to all Al's guests yesterday. There are
>
> > plenty of conservatives here...we just get out-blabbed by
> > the socialist minority.
>
> Apparently you also get out-voted, since the incoming mayor
> (who was interviewed by Franken) seems to be decidedly
> non-conservative.
>
> > But, just a few short
> > hours later, he was making pop-shots and mocking this fine
>
> > American for a national audience..
>
> I also listened to the national show and Franken made no
> mention of
> a caller who had served in Vietnam. He did mention a caller
> who
> seemed surprised that a liberal like Franken spoke about his
> family
> and who, when asked why that surprised him, said he wasn't
> sure. Didn't
> sound like "pop-shots" to me.
>
> Franken also mentioned that a local Clear Channel executive
> had told
> him that Air America's Ashville affiliate has four times the
> listeners as
> the Spindoctor's right-wing station.
>
> And by the way, I don't "revere" Franken and don't know
> anybody who does.
>
Ah, selective listening again are we?
No, Mr. Franken did not mention the person he was mocking was a Vietnam Vet.
How would that have gone over? It doesn't change the cordial way he
acted on WZNN and then the switch of the face on his dog and donkey show.
The Clear Channel rep didn't necessarily have his facts straight,
amazingly the "Station who nobody listens to" had the phone lines
solid from 4 til 6 talking about Mr. Ignorance.
(by the way, NOT repeat callers)
Since Clear Channel has a monopoly in this town I guess
I'll remain in the shadows right? The competitor that is the most
dangerous is the one that is underestimated the most...don't
underestimate the underdog.
Glad to see that the responders on this board never make mistakes.
Unlike AL and the party of the digruntled and unbathed I do take
responsibility when I screw up including learning from mistakes.
Al loves bringing up everyone's past, let's look at his skeletons.
Stay tuned if you can stand the truth. Oh wait, I forgot how much
certain factions enjoy hearsay without facts. And America bad, America bad.
Have a nice day if you can.
The Spindoctor
 
Re: Fact Checking Here...

> AAR has no
> measurable audience in some quite large markets such as
> Atlanta, Raleigh, Detroit, San Francisco, and Honolulu.

This may well be true for many of those markets, but AAR affiliate KQKE/960 does indeed show up in the SF book. They aren't killer numbers, and are dwarfed by incumbent talk giant KGO (and KGO conservative sister KSFO), and are roughly in the same range as the former standards format...but they're there. (12-plus numbers, of course.)

KQKE appears to be settling into a range a notch or two lower than conservative CC sister station KNEW/910.

Detroit's WDTW shows up in the most recent 12-plus numbers I can find, but with an anemic showing, and they've been in and out of the 12-plus numbers since launching with libtalk.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
Re: Fact Checking Here...

Ah, our hearts go out to the underdog conservative broadcaster up against those evil liberals at Air America and Clear Channel.

So, the Clear Channel rep "didn't necessarily have his facts straight" when he said the liberal station was beating you four to one? What are the facts (besides the number of calls you received from 4 to 6)?

And I don't recall your admitting your mistake in saying that Franken was "dropped" in San Antonio.

> The Clear Channel rep didn't necessarily have his facts
> straight,
> amazingly the "Station who nobody listens to" had the phone
> lines
> solid from 4 til 6 talking about Mr. Ignorance.
> (by the way, NOT repeat callers)
> Since Clear Channel has a monopoly in this town I guess
> I'll remain in the shadows right? The competitor that is
> the most
> dangerous is the one that is underestimated the most...don't
>
> underestimate the underdog.
> Glad to see that the responders on this board never make
> mistakes.
> Unlike AL and the party of the digruntled and unbathed I do
> take
> responsibility when I screw up including learning from
> mistakes.
> Al loves bringing up everyone's past, let's look at his
> skeletons.
> Stay tuned if you can stand the truth. Oh wait, I forgot
> how much
> certain factions enjoy hearsay without facts. And America
> bad, America bad.
> Have a nice day if you can.
> The Spindoctor
>
 
Re: Fact Checking Here...

For the record, my research was done about five weeks ago, so certainly a few of the numbers have changed slightly as new trends are issued constantly when looking at a study of 67 markets.

Since I know the person Franken was referring to as a personal friend, and since I heard both Spindoctor's interview with him, it was obvious to all of us who he was mocking.

Yes, we do get outvoted. That's why I live outside the city limits. I don't want to pay the taxes for their communist social programs. But come here and see the results of 'their' goverment and I assure you that the situation has the potential to turn even the greenest liveral into a conservative.
 
Re: Fact Checking Here...

Stop the presses! An American southern city has elected and reelected a "communist" government! But why haven't the results turned the LOCAL "green liverals" into conservatives?


> Yes, we do get outvoted. That's why I live outside the city
> limits. I don't want to pay the taxes for their communist
> social programs. But come here and see the results of
> 'their' goverment and I assure you that the situation has
> the potential to turn even the greenest liveral into a
> conservative.
>
 
Re: Fact Checking Here...

> Ah, our hearts go out to the underdog conservative
> broadcaster up against those evil liberals at Air America
> and Clear Channel.
>
> So, the Clear Channel rep "didn't necessarily have his facts
> straight" when he said the liberal station was beating you
> four to one? What are the facts (besides the number of
> calls you received from 4 to 6)?
>
> And I don't recall your admitting your mistake in saying
> that Franken was "dropped" in San Antonio.
>
Hey there Sparky, you need to check YOUR facts I did NOT say
AL was dropped I said Air America was dropped.
With a ratio of 18 gaining to 23 losing or with no audience, I can't say that AAR is gaining listeners. The average drop was 0.57 while the average gain was just 0.48. Throw in the total loss of stations in Philadelphia, Providence and Charleston, S.C. and I would argue that Air America is losing listeners, not gaining them. The bottom line - just like most of what you hear on Air America Radio, you can't believe what they say about themselves anymore than you can believe what they say about others. From the Summer of 2004 peak, Air America Radio dropped 14.3%.
Now check those facts, but don't do it too long or the boss will wonder
where his board op/janitor went.
The Spindoctor
<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Spindoctor on 12/01/05 11:23 PM.</FONT></P>
 
Uhh... "communist social programs"?

> Yes, we do get outvoted. That's why I live outside the city
> limits. I don't want to pay the taxes for their communist
> social programs. But come here and see the results of
> 'their' goverment and I assure you that the situation has
> the potential to turn even the greenest liveral into a
> conservative.


Those are some pretty strong words there. I mean, nobody in an intelligent conversation throws around terms like "communist" casually. So, what's so 'communist' about your city's social programs? Or is 'communist' just a term you toss around for anything that isn't 'conservative'.

I'm sure steam would come out of your ears if a non-conservative here compared the current government to 'naziism' or 'facism'. And I'm sure you'd complain about 'the lack of intelligent conversation' if that would happen to come up. Unfortunately, it works both ways.

So, what's so 'communist' about your local government, besides the fact that it's not your ideal utopia of 'one-party rule' (the party that you like, of course)?<P ID="signature">______________
The Liberal Talk Radio Update</P>
 
Re: Franken Interview - I blew it!

Disgusting to throw your co-host under the bus in a public forum. What an egomaniac. Not to mention excuses are like a**holes. Do your job.

> Kids,
> I had a fantastic opportunity to have a great dialogue with
>
> Al Franken this morning and thanks to my (bless her heart)
> guest host, it was nothing more than a damn gush-fest. I
> defend her (guest-host) right to say what she wants but I
> completely let the interview become a fluff piece. I had
> a buttload of great questions that would have actually
> answered questions that are on the minds of many. INSTEAD,
> it became a friggin infomercial for a competitor and his
> appearance at their sponsorship of his show/tour.
> I feel like such a dumbass (rightfully so) for allowing
> this to get away from me.
> And no, I had no plans of attacking Mr. Franken but I
> thought
> the conversation would be a helluva lot more intriguing than
>
> I quote "Omigosh, good for you for having a New York Times
> best
> seller". That kind of radio is for an AC morning show, and
> for rookies...
> not for a 15 year vet.
> A humbling reminder that I need to get my sh** together if I
> want to
> be and stay competitive as well as worth listening to.
> BUT, I then went to this live show of his to report on the
> turn
> out and the first 10 minutes is blasting my interview and
> one of the
> many callers (who actually saved the entire show).
> A Vietnam veteran is a regular caller to the show, he gave
> one of
> the ultimate sacrifices for his country...his legs. During
> the
> show, Al said "thank you for your service to our country"
> when the
> gentleman mentioned his tour of duty. This man is far more
> intelligent
> than Al could even begin to imagine. During HIS show is
> gave him a
> hillbilly accent and spoke as if he had a learning
> disability (ironic
> for Al by the way) and proported him to be an idiot.
>
> Plus he claimed that AAR is getting great ratings when in
> fact they are
> getting next to nothing in major markets AND San Antonio
> just dropped them.
>
> There was more BS from AL, but since I dropped the ball I
> guess I need
> to go grab some diapers and shut the hell up.
> (Just thought I'd say it before anyone else mentioned it)
>
> The Whinedoctor
>
> Now, let the beatings begin...wait...(whimper,
> whimper)...okay I'm ready.
>
 
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