HuffPo: Latest rumors on Air America and Franken

Eat The Press | The Huffington Post: "Rumors continue to swirl that Al Franken is leaving Air America Radio, with the latest being today's report from Radar's John Cook that Franken will be cutting and running 'before the end of the year,' which is sort of now-ish. Franken will be leaving on a USO tour of Iraq and Afghanistan — his sixth to date — and isn't sure whether he'll be back on the show when he returns, telling Cook 'It's not set in stone--I need to see what they're talking about.'

This, of course, is not the first time that Franken's possible departure from Air America has been raised. Last month, conservative blogger Brian Maloney Radio Equalizer reported a rumor that Franken was leaving, with his last show set for today. The speculation has continued since then, especially with the fate of Air America unknown as it tries to find a buyer to take it back from bankruptcy. The bankruptcy court deadline to show that a bona fide buyer has legitimate plans to purchase the network — twice extended — is today. The station filed for bankruptcy in October and has $2.6 million loans outstanding, including $360,749.98 owed to Franken, according to Radar. Both Radar and Radio Equalizer report that a buyer has been found, with Radar reporting the imminent sale to 'a small media company' and Radio Equalizer reporting that the network is being bought up by a group headed by former boardmember Doug Kreeger which includes Showtime execs Mark Greenberg and Roy Langbord, with a takeover set for January. Either way, the sale raises questions on how to afford Air America's two top stars, Franken and Randi Rhodes, though if Franken officially declares an intention to run for the Senate representing his homestate of Minnesota, the question may officially become moot."