Lanpher leaving Franken show

[LTR]

Katherine Lanpher is leaving as co-host of Air America radio's "The Al Franken Show'' to write a book. Her last day is Oct. 7, and she has mixed emotions about the move.

"I think any change, even if it's one that is positive, is exhausting and saddening. It's topsy-turvy and scary,'' she said by telephone Thursday from her New York office.

Lanpher, 46, is a former Pioneer Press columnist. She hosted Minnesota Public Radio's Midmorning show from 1998 to January of 2004, when she moved to New York to join fellow Minnesotan Al Franken's fledgling radio show.

Her book, a memoir/essay collection, will be published in the fall of 2006. It will launch a still-to-be-named Time Warner Book Group imprint for books that will address mid-life and reinvention.

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[MaineDem]

1. Franken will be in Maine this weekend

Maybe he'll mention this.

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. Too bad. She and Franken work well together.....

Bright spot in AAR's largely underwhelming line-up. I'm a little nervous with AL as a solo.

We'll see.

[Binka]

3. Indeed. Al Needs A Female Foil

I''m available I think I will call AAR!

[MarkTwain]

4. Good riddance...

... she is over-bearing, misplaced, and just generally obnoxious. Not all that bright, as well. Franken works best alone. Their whole act, together, was stilted and uncomfortable.

Bad radio.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

5. I feel the same way...

only the exact opposite. Franken isn't a "radio guy" and Lanpher is. She pulls him back from the edge on a regular basis and keeps the how moving along. I don't think Al can do the show as a solo.

[NashVegas]

9. I Never Got to Hear Franken

I work when he's on and can't listen in.

I did watch the show one night when it was running on the Sundance channel. I work in radio, I've been part of a morning show, and she looked more like she was there to be his "prop." I've been in that position once. It's incredibly frustrating.

[klook]

28. Franken's radio style drives me nuts!

I don't think I've ever heard somebody whose delivery is so full of dead air and verbal stalling tactics. If I had a penny for every time I've heard him say "Uh..." I'd have at least $10.43.

Lanpher, or someone like her, with some radio savvy, is essential to keep Franken's show from devolving into aural molasses.

The content is usually great, and I like Franken's ideas, attitude, and sense of humor. He just needs some serious coaching on delivery. I figured she'd quit before now just because she would get tired of having to clean up behind him. How many times has he gotten the guest's book title wrong? How many times has he farted around repeating himself for an extra minute or two when they're supposed to be going to a commercial break? How many times has he blathered on and on without reminding listeners what show they're listening to? Argghhh!

[splat@14]

47. Agree, I like the guy but he's a better writer than talk show host. IMO,

he wasn't that funny on SNL either but his scripts were great.

[phylny]

41. I agree with you.

He's not disciplined enough, and she reels him in.

Oh, and I actually don't mind her laugh :)

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

48. Al Franken's most redeeming quality...

He makes Katherine laugh. I love the sound of her laughter.

[JoFerret]

37. To me she outshines him completely

Franken is always about Franken. She redeems the program (when he doesn't speak over her.).

[confludemocrat]

52. She always acted as if his act was beneath her/as if she was "stooping" to

a lower level by deigning to be with him. Disapproval in her voice and on the TV version, evident detachment that seemed to grow of late. And her "hang on, here", followed by some forced attempt to sound the contrarian drove me up the wall, when she should have been backing him up. He needs someone to the left of him, not to the soft center-right of him to spice things up.

[NMDemDist2]

6. bummer, I liked Katherine a lot n/t

[bunkerbuster1]

7. Bold Prediction: His show will suck.

He needs Katherine every bit as much as Howard Stern needs Robin Quivers. (no, I'm not comparing their content, I'm comparing their entertainment value.)

I love Al's show, I think he does a fantastic job, but if he doesn't have a foil it's going to sound empty.

Beyond that, I'm really sorry to see her go. I enjoyed her commentary and takes on various issues as much as Al's.

But I hope that the move really is voluntary on Katherine's part, and I wish her the best.

[Search Party]

8. Is Tom Davis busy? eom

[Starbucks Anarchist]

10. That would be a cool reunion.

[cascadiance]

23. Hope you're not talking of the Tom Davis who is anti-whistleblower!

and was the congress critter that pulled out the national security whistleblowers protection ammendment that just got out of committee the other day.

Probably not...

Wouldn't be the ex-basketball coatch at University of Iowa either now would it?

Probably not...

:)

[Starbucks Anarchist]

45. No, the Tom Davis who was Franken's comedy partner on SNL.

[bunny planet]

11. They should get Joe Conason to do the show with Al.

[CTyankee]

13. No, Al should get a woman

Don't get me wrong, I like Conason a lot. I like all of Al's regular guests a lot and they seem to be practically all men.

Al needs a female sidekick, but perhaps without Katherine's scolding personality. But his ego may not permit him to choose a funny woman. (I really like Al but he does have quite an ego!).

[AspenRose]

29. Joe Conason might do well with a show of his own

I like Joe....

[Pirate Smile]

12. Who is taking her spot?

[cascadiance]

22. How about someone like Nancy Skinner...

Who currently is cohost on Doug Stephan's show that used to be on Sirius Left and was replaced by Bill Press. She seems like she's a little more political than Doug Stephan wants on his show (which is probably also why Doug Stephan was replaced by Bil Press on Sirius Left as well). I wonder if she might jump at the opportunity to team up with Franken. She ran for congress in Illinois last election to as a Democrat.

http://www.ilsenate.com/candidate.asp?ID=19

[Gidney N Cloyd]

35. Al couldn't handle Nancy.

I like 'em both but sounds like a bad mix.

[cascadiance]

49. Looking through KGO's current lineup... Edie Sellers?...

I haven't heard her since she looks to have been added since I left the Bay Area, but as a "fill-in" host, I would guess she'd jump at the chance that someone like Al Franken would offer...

Anyone else who's listened to her on KGO want to give a thumbs up or thumbs down?...

She kind of looks the part from both her pic and her bio...

http://www.kgoam810.com/complexshowdj.asp?DJID=28108



...

Edie says she's an unapologetic liberal but isn't dogmatically so. "I'm all for logic. I may not like the source of a good idea, but I'm pragmatic. If there's something that makes better sense than the alternate argument, it matters not a whit to me who's behind it. Logic, truth and fairness mean far more to me than ideology."

She's also not afraid to scrap it out when necessary. She once got into a battle of wills with a member of President George W. Bush's media handlers when he attempted to limit her access to the presidential entourage. Not surprisingly, she won.

Edie brought the same independent-minded spirit to radio when she cut her talk-show teeth at KGO.

...

[earthside]

14. Time for Revamp

Well, I hope that the Franken show will take her departure as an opportunity to revamp the format.

Some of Franken's schtick is getting VERY old. He has great guests, but he does not take nearly enough callers.

What Franken needs to do is a half hour with Harvey or Sirota or Brock and take callers. It is radio and that is what radio has that TV doesn't -- a way for average folks to call in and be a part of the show.

[mccoyn]

15. She always kept the show in check.

One thing I don't like about most Air America shows, in fact most political talk is that the hosts often go overboard and report conjecture as fact. I can see how it happens, you have to talk for 3 hours every day in an adversarial manner. Its easy to just make something up and not realize your spreading falsehoods. Katherine also chimed in to stop this from happening. I think it made the show more respectable than any other political talk show I've heard.

[maseman]

16. Bye Bye Katherine

I never warmed to her. She has a fake laugh like a finger nail on chalk board. Drives me nuts. She does round out the edges a little regarding going into or coming out of breaks, but any good producer can do that without being on the air. I think Al could fly by himself with not much problem. My gut though says they will replace her with another female.

[WoodrowFan]

17. Damn

I like her better than I like Al. (I do like hi, just like her better).

[Mika]

18. Al's comments on Lanpher leaving

"Katherine is.. um.. ah.. well.. Katherine.. Katherine.. Katherine is the.. ah.. ah.. she's she's she's.. um.. um.. ah.. Katherine is one of my um.. um.. her her her book will um.. um.. Katherine's book will.. um.. ah.. ah.. ah.. the book will.. ah.. ah.. her book will.. um.. um.. her book will be.. um.. ah.. ah.. um.. um.. let me say that um.. ah.. ah.. I'll I'll I'll miss.. um.. um.. um.. um.. ah.. ah.. Katherine's book will be great and I'll miss her very much."

[MattNC]

21. LOL

Kinda sums up ol' Al's shtick on his show fairly well unfortunately.

[klook]

31. That's what I'm talking about!

Augghhhh!

[candice]

53. They made a great team. I'll miss her. She kept the show on target.

[coolhandlulu]

19. Sexist, I know, but...

All men need a woman to keep them in line. Kathy did that.

[rocktivity]

36. DING DING DING! Coolhandlulu, you're our grand prize winner!

Sexist, I know, but all men need a woman to keep them in line. Kathy did that.
And that's exactly why I felt Al underutilized her so--she was more of a nanny than a co-host or even a sidekick.

:headbang:
rocknation

[azndndude]

20. Not going to miss that laugh!

[K8-EEE]

24. The Only Thing That Really Bugged Me Was Her "Comedic" Gifts

When they had her doing straight man schtick, that hurt....she would act so affected, it was a ouch.

[bunkerbuster1]

26. Oh, I loved that laugh.

Let's hear "The Lonely Goatherd" one more time!

[otohara]

32. Sometimes She Drowns Out Guests

with that laugh - and that pisses me off. Too much, she sounds like Franken's disapproving mother.

[brentspeak]

25. She's excellent

Kept the show running smoothly, and very intelligent.

[SiouxJ]

27. That's too bad

They better find a damn good replacement or Al is going to be in trouble.

[arwalden]

30. Who Will Help Franken To Pick Up The Pace?

Who will keep an eye on the clock for him? Who will get him BACK to the subject when he starts to meander around off-topic as he speaks a random stream of consciousness.

I like Al Franken... he's very smart and informed... but he certainly can babble on and on and on without getting to the point.

She kept him focused and moving forward. I hope the replacement can do the same for him.

[Chicago Democrat]

46. Someone to the Left of AL..... Rachel Maddow?

just an idea

[Ivan Sputnik]

33. He's done the show solo at times

when Katherine was sick or away. He seemed to do OK -- I got the impression that the producer was cue-ing him off mic. That said, I do think he's better when he has a (fact-checking) foil to talk to.

[americanstranger]

34. Considering he's going to be running for office next year...

...maybe Franken ought to pack it in and give his time slot to Thom Hartmann.

Maybe that's the reason they signed Hartmann to a syndie deal - to fill the void if/when Franken declares his candidacy and gives up the show?

-as

[Sgent]

38. There's a reason

Rush Limbaugh has the largest audience in radio -- and built it with a generally hostile message (at least to the status quo).

He is a radio guy first, and a talking head second. He's one of the few good radio guys on either side of the spectrum. We need a liberal Radio host, not merely a liberal.

[CreekDog]

39. Franken's shows a couple of weeks ago w/o Lanfer were better

I was on the road while she was at a conference and Al was doing the show alone. I thought HE was better alone and that he could do a show on his own.

As for callers, well, we don't need to waste Franken's gifts answering callers. He'll still do that, but the guy can talk.

To make his shows better, I'd like more segments where he does fake interviews, impersonations, plain-old debunking and so forth. That's where he really shines.

The bit where he played an 80-year old schoolmarm-teacher at the Astrodome was hilarious.

"You know Al, that when one student misbehaves the other 22,999 suffer."

[phylny]

42. I hate those segments.

They annoy me and make me think people will take him and his message less than seriously.

Well, to each his or her own!

[CatholicEdHead]

43. Ed Schultz's show is similar in style and format

to Rush's, just from the other point of view.

Of course while Ed is good, he is not universially liked in here.

[Donailin]

51. I happen to like Ed. And I adore Al with or without Katherine

The former is reasoned and polite and easy listening for me. But Al. I love Al. I've been a fan forever, though. I love his pregnant pauses, they are essential to the delivery of his humor. For instance when he announced that Dealy was indicted, he was like, "Wow. (pregnant pause) Well, that's just a shame"

LOL! He keeps me sane, I pray to God he doesn't lose the show, I would be totally depressed from 12-3 everyday.

[latebloomer]

40. Her phony, hollow laugh

absolutely drives me nuts!

I really don't care for the show at all -- Franken is a crashing bore.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

44. Not good news. I really like her and them together.

[DemCam]

50. Hated her laugh at first...

But I came to appreciate her ability to keep the focus, to redirect Al from his schtick, to make fun when it was needed.

Eventually, I forgot my loathing of the laugh...but then, maybe it got less raucous. Maybe I just appreicated her after a while. She seemed sometimes more serious than Al...more interested in the story...and sometimes really embarrassed...and sometimes so was I.

I'll miss you, Katherine.