QuotesCosmos
Tom Leykis, talk radio host, April 14, 2004; after Franken's AirAmerica talk show was pulled off the air in Los Angeles and Chicago (the second and third largest US radio markets, respectively) after less than two weeks due to AirAmerica's failure to pay outstanding bills to radio stations.https://ia800409.us.archive.org/13/items/TomLeykis/Leykis-2004-04-14_Hr1-AirAmericaOffTheAir.mp3 Citing "Liberal radio stations silenced", The Chicago Tribune, 2004-04-14
“

I offered Al Franken $50,000 if within one year he could get one percent of the audience in a major market. One percent. A 1.0 share, I offered him $50,000. He didn't even have to bet me. I just offered a straight-cash payout. [...] These [hosts on AirAmerica] are amateurs. [...] Al Franken has no experience in the broadcasting business. None. [...] And he has no business being on the air. At all.

— Tom Leykis

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I offered Al Franken $50,000 if within one year he could get one percent of the audience in a major market. One percent. A 1.0 share, I offered him $50,000. He didn't even have to bet me. I just offered a straight-cash payout. [...] These [hosts on AirAmerica] are amateurs. [...] Al Franken has no experience in the broadcasting business. None. [...] And he has no business being on the air. At all." in the context of "Tom Leykis, talk radio host, April 14, 2004; after Franken's AirAmerica talk show was pulled off the air in Los Angeles and Chicago (the second and third largest US radio markets, respectively) after less than two weeks due to AirAmerica's failure to pay outstanding bills to radio stations.https://ia800409.us.archive.org/13/items/TomLeykis/Leykis-2004-04-14_Hr1-AirAmericaOffTheAir.mp3 Citing "Liberal radio stations silenced", The Chicago Tribune, 2004-04-14" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Al Franken" (Quotes about Franken) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

Tags

#Al Franken#offered#business#franken#percent#50000#straightcash#broadcasting#airamerica#experience#audience#amateurs
Al Franken

About Al Franken

Alan Stuart "Al" Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American writer, actor and politician. He was the junior United States Senator from Minnesota from 2008 to 2018, when he resigned following sexual harassment allegations from several women. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party. Franken achieved note as a writer and performer for the television show Saturday Night Live from its conception in 1975 before moving to writing and acting in films and television shows. He then became a political commentator, author of five books and host of a nationally syndicated radio show on the Air America Radio network.