AL FRANKEN
Liberals were buzzing in the Big Duke City Monday as word spread that liberal talk radio had finally hit town with lefty humorist Al Franken leading the charge. Franken, part of the new Air America network, can be heard on KABQ AM 1350 along with other liberal talk-show hosts. KABQ is a strong signal with 5,000 daytime watts so the liberals will have a decent shot at picking up some of the talk audience, including some perhaps from longtime conservative talk giant KKOB-AM

"I think this network satisfies a hunger. ABQ has had hardly any exposure to liberal talk and with it coming from a strong signal and strong personalities like Franken, I think they have a chance to build a decent audience," analyzed one local radio veteran.

Franken is heard from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the exact same time KKOB airs the king of right-wing radio, Rush Limbaugh. Let the battle begin.

HER KIND OF TOWN

Heather Wilson got a shot in the national spotlight when she addressed the Republican National Convention in the Big Apple last night. The ABQ Congresswoman who faces Dem Richard Romero in November, spoke just before 9 p.m. Eastern and was rewarded with full national coverage of her four minute or so talk by PBS (channel 5 in ABQ). Wilson, the first female Air Force vet to serve in Congress, touted the sacrifice veterans have made overseas. Right after, Romero issued a news release saying Wilson has voted against increasing combat pay.

But the race took a turn for the worse for the Dems Monday when it was disclosed by the campaigns that so far only one TV debate has been booked for the duo. Romero needs all the TV debates he can get, but the stations don't seem keen on offering them. Kinda like the airtime the tube gives the national conventions these days.

OPENING FOR ROMERO?

Before her speech, Heather was interviewed by PBS's Margaret Warner who Heather snipped at for talking about polls more "than politicians." That jibe came as Warner pressed Wilson about Bush's Iraq policy. And that forced from Wilson her campaign strategy on handling the war issue over the next two months.

"I think the big questions that people are going to have to face in November is what is the way forward from here, and what does America need to do to keep ourselves and the rest of the world safe." In other words, let's not get into what got us in trouble in the first place. Is the Romero campaign listening?

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2004
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