The Al Franken Show



         


The Al Franken Show, formerly known as The O'Franken Factor is the flagship show of Air America Radio. Hosted by Al Franken and Katherine Lanpher, it features comedy, commentary, and interviews poking fun at conservatives and arguing for liberal positions on the issues of the day. The show was the first to air on the network on March 31, 2004.

Franken is a comedian and satirist who is well known for his books and his roles on Saturday Night Live, while Lanpher is an experienced radio host who has most recently worked for Minnesota Public Radio and was formerly a newspaper columnist.

While the network is planning on using Franken as its face and lead show, Franken has only signed a one-year contract. "I'm doing this because I want to use my energies to get Bush unelected. I'd be happy if the election of a Democrat ended the show," he said in an interview with The New York Times.

The Sundance Channel has announced that it will broadcast a one-hour televised version of the show on weekdays, starting on September 7, 2004 and continuing into November.

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The O'Franken Factor

Until July 12, 2004 the name of the show was The O'Franken Factor. That name was a jibe at Bill O'Reilly and his The O'Reilly Factor. O'Reilly is thought by some to have instigated Fox News Channel's lawsuit against Franken for using their trademarked phrase "fair and balanced", which was thrown out of court in summary judgment, but ended up giving publicity to Franken and his book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.

Franken described his show as taking place in a "Zero Spin Zone" where Franken pledges to tell the truth. This is also a reference to O'Reilly and Fox, where some shows say they are in a "No Spin Zone."

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References

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Partial list of early guests

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