Perhaps Rupert Pupkin's on the air, somehow (4-4)
I believe the answer is:
anti-hero
'perhaps rupert pupkin's' is the definition.
(character in the film The King of Comedy)
'on the air somehow' is the wordplay.
'somehow' indicates anagramming the letters.
'on'+'the'+'air'='ontheair'
'ontheair' is an anagram of 'ANTI-HERO'.
(Other definitions for anti-hero that I've seen before include "Ignoble central character (of book, etc)" , "Ignoble lead character" , "Central character lacking traditional courageous attributes" , "Unlovable main character" , "Main character in play that lacks noble qualities" .)