Michael Savage was just beginning his radio career in 1994 with a weekend program on KGO Radio called "Savage Nation." It was a potpourri of politics, insight, with a jolt from the host that would soon catapult himself and his program beyond the 415-area.
And who'd have thunk it would be the program that emerged as the vehicle that provided the angst between an already-established player at KGO at the time, Ronn Owens.
Guess who would win? More importantly, guess who started to get teed off even more? Can you say Ronnnnnnnnn?
As Savage's program began to move the needle both locally, (and soon to be nationally), Owens was in the middle of serious contract negotiations with then-GM, Mickey Luckoff. The money was eventually going to be worked out--after all, Owens was clearly established as KGO's bread-winner in the all-important morning primer right after news. He was beating Rush Limbaugh handily, but he wanted more. As in more markets. Syndication, maybe.
Michael Jackson, (the LA-based talk-show host), at KABC, was lagging in the ratings. Owens yearned to take his show, syndicated-style down to LA and make it a KGO/KABC virtuoso. It would eventually be a disastrous move on Owens' part.
Meanwhile, Savage was rocking the Bay Area. His ratings were soaring. He had a polarizing show, but it clicked to a vast audience that soon clung to it with a near cult-like status. The program centered on politics; Savage was a conservative, but that wasn't the hook to the show's appeal, much like it is today.
As Savage began to steam ahead, Owens show in LA was cancelled and the grand experiment of an LA-SF radio simulcast was nearing an end. Owen's LA numbers were worse than Jackson and his reviews in the press were dismal. Moreover, he never was able to carve a niche with LA listeners. Soon, he was back exclusively on KGO.
Savage soon had his own show on KSFO. The show was off the charts, but, as it turns out, too polarizing for advertisers. Nonetheless, Savage Nation would get a national radio stage and emerge as a big player in the talk-show circuit.
But Savage had his detractors, mostly industry people who were peeved at his growing popularity. He didn't take to gladhanding and was sure of himself to succeed that he often riled feathers with management and veterans like Owens.
Owens, according to insiders, was supremely jealous that a virtual nobody could vault into the market and become #1 like the intense Michael Savage. Indeed, even the cold-blooded, calculating negotiator himself, Mickey Luckoff, soon resented Savage. It didn't matter.
Today, Savage is the second most-listened-to radio talk-show host in the country. His salary, not counting book deals and newsletters, hovers around $10 million a year.
Savage refers to Owens as "Mr. Softie." I wonder why. Well, no, I really don't.
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I find it curious that Michael Savage EARNS $10 Million a year, and Bud Selig, pays himself over $22 Million plus a $500,000.00 non-taxable expense account plus a private jet -- more than just a handful of superstars. Even more than Albert Pujols, Barry Zito and Prince Fielder.
ReplyDeleteActually Savage has nothing to with it. I think maybe Ron Owens is the Bud Selig of radio. Without the money and the jet.
I remember that god-awful LA/SF show, and I have not listened to Ronnnnnnn Owens since.
ReplyDeleteRich, please take your brass knuckles off the next time you write about Ronn Owens. You'll find that you'll be able to write much better. Or just draw a picture of Ronn on a punching bag and get it out of your system, once and for all. Once you get it all out of your system you'll feel much better and can enroll in an entry-level remedial writing class at your local JC.
ReplyDeleteWow.... you are right on.
DeleteGood post. Not a bad way to start the week!
DeleteSavage is a sick, sickening creature. Can't figure out why you continue to feature him.
ReplyDeleteHe should be shunned. Blech.
I couldn't have put it any better. It amazes me that people with conscience actually still listen to him.
DeleteTotally agree with 2:26 and 8:22. I can't stand Michael Savage. I like Ronn Owens and don't get Rich's big deal with constantly hammering him. Yeah, yeah he screwed up after the big 8:10 firing and never handled it well, but when I look at the many years of enjoyment listening to him, I still appreciate him. Michael Savage however is ugly radio, both politically and his loud-mouth tone...ugh.
DeleteYou morons wouldn't know good talk radio if your pathetic, mindless lives depended on it. Savage Nation is the best radio show out there. Good luck with your miserable lives.
DeleteYou are entitled to your opionion, no matter how worthless it may be.
DeleteWow, the polesmokers are here in full force to bash Savage.
DeleteOh, c'mon, Rich. This is really a stretch.
ReplyDeleteThe time-frame of Owens' year with KGO/KABC, and Savage's increasing recognition may have some parallels. But, I cannot see personal envy as a driving force.
Where's the sin in a broadcaster seeking to reach a larger audience?
As I recall, Ronn was very open about the SF-LA project being a huge disappointment ... even, disaster. He expressed delight to be back in SF, exclusively. To my knowledge, he hasn't made any further efforts to go national.
"...Savage had his detractors, mostly industry people...." True. However, not "who were peeved at his growing popularity." But, more precisely, ...WHO HAD TO WORK WITH HIM.
2:26 pm: Shunned? Only some bloody little twerp talks in those terms. He's a winner and you're a loser. He maybe crazy, but he could buy and sell your ass 10 x over.
ReplyDeleteComparing Owens to Savage is like comparing milk to gasoline. One strengthens your bones, the other fuels the steamroller to crush them with...
ReplyDeleteUh,uh, bad column. Someday you'll learn about Michael Savage. Till then.......
ReplyDeleteHey 2:37. That's a pretty sad way of looking at someone's value.
ReplyDeleteWho the heck cares how much someone makes? Do the numbers on his or her pay check necessarily make them a better person?
While acknowledging that Michael Savage is a special talent, you and I have no idea what it was or is like to work for him. So you may like him, and that's fine, but you shouldn't be demeaning someone else's worth or opinion, just because they had a bad experience with the guy and didn't care for him.
I think what you said about "buying your ass 10x over," also pretty much sums up what is wrong with this country, and that world for that matter. Material wealth and power are not the be-all end-all for most of us in this short time that we live. Unfortunately, for those who crave power and money, many have made life difficult if not impossible for some people who just want to have a modest, happy, relaxed life.
This nonsense about "he who dies with the most toys at the end of life wins!" is a childish, nonsensical idea that has led much of our world to
sadness and sometime ruin.
Savage is an acquired taste like fine Mezcal or Scotch. He can go over people's heads especially if their world view is limited. I disagree with 98% of what he says but in terms of showmanship and craft there is no one better. I dare anyone to name a better political talk show host than Savage. When Limbaugh was in his prime in the 90s he was not even close to today's Savage. People who get tied up in knots listening to Savage remind me of the people who did the same when Stern was on terrestrial radio. I can see how Ronnnn Lowenstein is still jealous of Savage's success. The guy stormed in out of nowhere without radio experience and became numero 2 in the country. When Lowenstein's contract ends he will be thrown on his ass meanwhile Savage will continue to come thru loud and clear across the nation. The Savage Nation!
ReplyDeleteLike Stern, Savage has the gift of making you laugh every now and then. It is worth something.
DeleteI would consider Savage more like Jaegermeister...dark, strong and harsh going down, like medicine, but afterward--"hey that wasn't bad! Let's do another shot!"
The decision to simulcast Owens's show was not his. In 1997 KABC was already starting down its still-steep slope in the ratings battle with KFI 640 (A TKO was declared not long after). A bright young woman named Maureen Lesourd, the newly-installed PD at 790, had taken the elegant, eloquent (and liberal) Jackson off his longtime 9-noon shift and moved him to the radio Skid Row of weekend mornings.
ReplyDeleteIn his place was Owens, who would spend one week here and the next at KABC's studios. Lesourd's reasoning? "He beats Limbaugh in every book in the Bay Area, so he'll outpoint him here...right?" What she didn't know was that a lot of listeners up here would prefer the Emergency Broadcasting System's droning hum to Rush Limbaugh's voice.
While Southern California and Northern California are the equivalent of Venus and Mars in almost every way, Ronn's failure to connect down there was more than a regional thing. The show withered on the vine after eleven months because Owens couldn't match Jackson's A-guest-list, his interviwing skills, and his South African-accented charm. As an LA Times radio writer offered after Ronn-O headed back up US 101, "his show was dull...it relied on the McTopic of the day."
I haven't been with Rich's column long, so I *love* the updates on items like this!
ReplyDeleteSomeday, I would like to hear why Ronn crashed and burned in LA ... was it too tough to serve 2 masters? Did LA look down upon someone from Sss-Fff? Was Ronn not hip enough for LA? Do tell. I did read onetime that Mr. Softie felt like the esteemed Michael Jackson "stabbed him in the back" ... the inside baseball on that would be great to read!!
Ronn also let out that when he tried to pen his own book, he *couldn't* ... he had to hire his nerdy guest... the skinny guy who knows old DVDs and shows?? ... to help him 'with his first draft', or something like that. Ergo, Savage can write 5 or 6 books that sell well... and Owens can't pen one (1). Ouch. So much for the Sociology Softie.
Bernie Ward also failed at going nationally. Rich, when do we get an update on Senor Ward, from the Big House?
Savage is a great storyteller. Too bad he isn't carried locally.
I just communicated with Bernard..He has 28 more months to go..runs nine miles a day..Listens to the radio.
DeleteOh thats so cool, bet his boyfriends cant wait til he 'out' so to speak..
DeleteBernie made a mistake and he's paying for it, 100 times over. He hurt no one except himself and his family. When he is freed, he should be given the opportunity to rebuild his life and have a clean slate. A lot of people enjoyed listening to him before, and I hope those same people will give him the opportunity to get back on the radio and rebuild his life.
DeleteI agree with @5:34am. Ward is paying his debt to society and he should be allowed to rebuild when he gets out. Unfortunately there are people like Ms. Craft who even when someone gets out of jail she continues to hound them (Michael Vick). There will always be some jerk who will bring up Bernie's conviction no matter how contrite he is and how much tome he spent in jail.
DeleteThere are virtually no radio talk stations remaining who have local on-air people. Just exactly where do you think Bernie will go to get another radio job? With all the KGOne people fired and only a few rehired on a fill-in basis, I can't imagine any radio jobs for Bernie, especially after serving prison time.
Delete@6:21pm: sure, sure, so how and why is convicted felon G. Gordon Liddy on the radio? Don't be a hater dude.
Deletedearest 4:35...perhaps you are just ignorant and actually believe Mr. Vick did federal prison time for torturing dogs(the killin'overalls, the battery cables, the swimming pool with the desperate scratch marks of electrocuted dogs who refused to fight hard enough)..Mr. Vick was charged, convicted, and did time for....violations of the federal RICO statutes..to wit: running an illegal interstate gambling enterprise. Mr. Vick never did a scintilla of time for torturing doggies,except in your mind.
DeleteMs. Craft, you illustrated my point exactly. Vick did the time but in your head he did not do the time for the crimes you allege he committed. Fine. By the same token some people will argue that Ward did the time for which he was convicted but he should have done the time for pedophillia. It is such a vicious vindictive cycle and it points to the huge societal issue that once someone is convicted of even a misdemeanor their lives are ruined. They are always hounded even after getting out by vindictive people such as yourself. How are they supposed to reintegrate into society?
DeleteYou berated me for ragging on Michael Vick after he had served time for harming dogs.He didn't serve any time for harming dogs. Mr. Ward was convicted of the thought crime of looking at forbidden images. I think you are confused about what causes of action there are for which crimes. Mr. Vick, despite my protestations is now a multimillionaire, once again, thanks to the NFL and the ratbastard HSUS. How have I, with all my vindictiveness perpetually against him, how have I harmed him in any way? You suggest I've ruined Mr. Vick's life.....HOW?
DeleteBernie committed a thought crime for which I forgave him many moons ago. Actually harming and torturing live sentient beings is no big deal in this society..looking at forbidden images is a different story. IF I owned a radio station , I'd hire Bernie in a heartbeat. How is that harming him? think carefully before answering.
Ms. Craft, this is the reason I enjoy listening to you. Even when someone agrees with you, you continue to be very feisty. If I owned a radio station I would also hire Bernie and every KGO all-star and I would give Dr. Dean Edell an offer he could not refuse. With friends such as yourself I believe Bernie Ward will have a chance to redeem himself and hopefully succeed. I certainly would tune in to his show.
DeleteIf Mr. Vick could not throw a football or run he would have a difficult time finding a job even as a hamburger flipper. I am sure you would not have given Vick a job if you owned a burger joint. (By the way, do not forget that Vick was sued successfully by the Falcons and owes them millions of dollars, so I doubt he is in as cushy a financial situation as you attempt to describe). However; Ward and Vick are the exception to the rule. Not everyone gets a second chance and thus the high incidence of recidivism among ex-cons.
On a sidenote, the creature from the black lagoon is back. Marleen Langston the hack comedian from NY is back on KGONE. Great way to end the talk radio weekend. Give the audience a collective finger with this character from 10pm to 1am. Stop mocking us Paul Hosely and Jared Hart!!!
ReplyDeleteI happen to know people who work for Savage. His producer lives and works in Medford, Oregon. They hate him but need him. They think he's a crazy, hateful prick, and he treats them like mud (because many are what he would call "mud people") but they want a future in radio. I question their choices, but people hang onto coattails when there's nothing else.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Savage attracts a wide audience full of people like the Anonymous "Lowenstein" humorist above signifies that a large proportion of Americans are bored, timid passive-agressives who blame others -- people not like them in particular and specific ethnic ways -- for their boredom and timidity. And, ultimately, for the futility of their lives.
Savage Nation indeed. I could kick Michael Savage's ass and leave him wallowing in a mess made of his own teeth and blood and I weigh 90 pounds. I don't get Lieberman's fascination with the guy. He is, by first hand accounts, a very crazy, paranoid, self-absorbed mean person, likely a sociopath, who lucked out because lots of white Americans wanted their own Id's voice on the air. Just like they wanted Freddy Kreuger at the cinema.
I don't give a crap about Ron Owens, whom I've never heard, but Lieberman's weird vendetta and willingness to treat Michael Savage as anything but a festering scab on America's psyche makes me question the credibility of everything in this blog.
You really think savage is some mystical figure, oh what a douche you are. Savage is show biz, thats it thats all..
DeleteThe blog entry pertains to Savage as a successful radio talk show host and Ronnn's jealousy of him. Who gives a rat's ass about whether or not the guy is a dick off the air? It is generally accepted he is everything you described. Fine, but he is an entertaining radio personality. You remind me of people who obsess over the personalities of top flight athletes. Who gives a shit? It is entertainment not the mother Teresa humanitarian awards.
DeleteOnly problem, Anon -- Savage is not entertaining enough for his own market -- the 4th largest in the country. XM/Sirius won't even have him.
DeleteStations won't buy for cash what they can't replace with paid advertising. You may find him entertaining, but advertisers don't give a crap about you or me. They want to make $$$. And Savage doesn't make them much $$$.
I agree, I have a friend who knows his producer and he says that Weiner often yells at them and makes them laugh at his bad jokes on the air. They don't tell him anything because they get a pretty good pay check, but how much abuse can a person take.
DeleteAthletes don't make money by delivering racist diatribes. They are good at something other than that. Weiner makes money delivering racist diatribes. Apparently a lot of people consider his venom mere "entertainment." Arguable point. But it's an easy argument. Want to have it? Savage is doing politics, athletes are doing sports. Which of the two is most influential in determining if you'll get a job if you are Hispanic?
DeleteSavage is a blowhole who likes to incite people with a bunch of BS, that I doubt even he believes, where with Ronn, I think you get what and how Ronn really believes. Savage is a ratings whore, Ronn tries to put on a good show.
ReplyDelete'Ronn tries to put on a good show' and then you fall asleep #snoozefest
DeletePersonally don't care for either of these hosts - for different reasons. I will say that Savage is incredibly compelling and you will tune into just to hear what he's going to say. Not so much with Ronn. However, Savage's big problem is that he's become so "over-the-top" that he's unsellable. That's why he has only one major market clear in California (KSTE)- everywhere else Savage is delayed and played late at nite. Stations use him to bolster their 6am - 12m Mon - Fri numbers, but they have no expectation that he will bring any new billing to the station. Many stations dropped Savage because he was on too many 'no buy' lists and he causes local businesses to avoid purchasing time on the station period. BTW, Rush is getting that way as well. Yes, Rush has gotten a nice boost from his Sandra Fluke comments, but at what cost? It's great that he generates good ratings for stations, but when he makes a comment like the Fluke diatribe, he ends up hurting his affiliates more than he helps them. Just try and sell those higher Rush numbers locally after he's generated another fire-storm. Good luck. The next time Rush pulls another Sandra Fluke comment, he'll be off the air on a number of his smaller affiliates. GM's will tell Premiere, "...I'm not going to pay you cash money rights fees for a show that I cannot sell spots on..."
ReplyDeleteRight on! Rush is halfway through his 8 year contract.
DeleteFor some reason I was under the impression that it was Ronn's LA/SF show that catapulted him into the big money category. And he has remained there ever since.
ReplyDeleteI too remember that weird concept... and yes, he did call it a huge mistake. But an attempt was made at something that could have been a success... who knew?
I just got tired of him over the years - long before the bloodbath - and haven't listened in quite a while...
This lovefest for Savage confirms that media people are whores for money who will say and do whatever despicable thing it takes to get ratings. Either that, or Savage and his supporters are just plain garden variety racists. No wonder Brain Copelans is held in such low regard. The man just won't stay in his place.
ReplyDeleteI liked to listen to Savage, and I refer to him as the "Evil Genius", but picking him up is tough. 10% of the time he goes way, way over the top, but his monologues on food or the one-armed pizza funeral director, or whatever, are hysterical!
ReplyDeleteHe can lay out so much information in a few paragraphs, it's tough to fully digest. And I figured half of it was fluff.
As an example, one of his countless asides was that "...he can join the Communist professors at Cornell". Months later, I was reading an economic history book, and it referred to Communist professors fleeing Europe before WWII ... and where did many go?? Cornell!! (It could have been Columbia, my memory isn't perfect.)
He's an acquired taste, and you have to take him with a pound of salt.
For me the LA/SF fiasco was when Ronn's show 'jumped the shark'. Down hill since.
ReplyDeleteRonn Owens = McTopic. Classic!! I have to flip between Rush and Ronn, and sometimes just turn the darn thing off.
ReplyDeleteBut the McTopic nickname says it so well. He can sink his chops into Israel, but not much else. He has a typical Liberal slant, with a Softie delivery, said so nicely, without the snideness of Rachel Maddow, or the bitterness and blind hatred of Bernie Ward. Half of the cities in California are under water, SF is under water, pensions aren't funded, all of the Entitlement Programs aren't funded... but it's OK with good old Ronn if firefighters retire at 50 with full bennies (on to a second career?), OK that Obama adds $5 Trillion to the debt, and we continue to tax the productive citizens of our state - out of the state!
At least he does ocassionally let a decenting caller challenge his high-and-mighty (liberal) guests out of their comfort zone, to where they start babbling like young school girls. That is why I still listen. Rush, Bernie, Taliaferro and Maddow wouldn't allow that.
His lineup card is also 15 years out of date. Dr. Harry Edwards. Really? I knew McTopic was way out of touch when he popped $500 for Brittany Spears tickets for his kid.
"Hilarie' - you want to 'kick Savage's ass'? Why? Do tell. Doesn't your radio have an OFF button? See, I know at least 4 or 5 individuals that started to use that feature when Bernie Ward went off the rails 12 years ago into unreasonable land. You confirm that the wackos on the Left are as bad, or worse, than those on the right.
Brian Copeland? Please. I like him, but he is Softie II. (Ronn covers Israel, BC covers black issues.) A caller a few weeks back asked him if Germany was a rich or poor country. He didn't know!! For god's sake, he wasn't asked about Bangledesh or Taipan! When I heard about one of his divorce's (did he divorce Wife II?), I googled a bit, and apparently saw some dirt his ex wife was posting. She didn't have very nice things to say. Ouch. Any truth to her posts?
It was good to hear Dr. Bill last night on Talk Radio Network. The good doctor can still drive it home, and I think his nationwide audience may actually help our nation, and discussions on energy.
I didn't say I WANTED to kick Savage's ass. I said I could. Nimrods who find him "compelling" or "hilarious" are getting high off his empty, easy tough talk that scapegoats people who are better than themselves. He's an asshole, pure and simple, who makes money off blustering hate rhetoric. And he isn't tough. He's a bully. There's a difference. Savage is genuinely soft. Using Owens as a counterpoint -- again, I've never heard the guy (never heard KGO in fact) -- is a cheap dodge. I don't believe there's any correlation at all between the two, and it discredits Lieberman to fabricate one to further his own vendetta.
DeleteThe McTopic tag hit the button. No substance to Ronn's shows, just show business.
ReplyDeleteYou know why Michael savage calls Owens "mr. Softie"? Because when it was time for Owens to put it in savages backside he couldnt get it up.
ReplyDeleteRonn Owens is a 2 bit hack in comparison to Michael Savage. It's like comparing a triple A player to Willie Mays. And in truth it ain't even that close.
ReplyDeleteWithout callers Ronn wouldn't have a show. Savage can carry a show all by himself...in fact I hate it when he takes calls.
Hate his politics love his talent.
One other thing; Ronn Owens not only isn't in his Savage's league talent wise. He's an intellectual simpleton compared to Weiner.
ReplyDeleteBut McTopic gets free mattresses from SleepTrain, free trips a few times a year, and free meals at North Beach Restaurant.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder he has no worries about taxes going higher.
Love him or hate him, Savage is a major national radio star, and brand. Mr Softie is a provincial soft-ball, whiny talk show host at the end of his career.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing Mr. Softy does well is say uh uh uh uh uh.... Give it up Softie
ReplyDeleteI see it in the walls of the cloud. Tim the Monte might be replacing Ronn. It will Not be no talent Pat or No-neck Brian.
ReplyDeleteMichael Weiner and Ronn Lowenstein are both excellent entertainers. They are talented and that is the way they earn their living.I can listen to either and be content. Now if you want to get me riled there is Chris Craft, Bernie Ward, Ray Taliafero.These folks are not so much for talent. They appear to subscribe to the technique of putting something out to the audience that they know will piss people off. This technique is done to ensure they will get calls. Like the rookie talk show talent that introduces guns and/or religion into the mix. Works every time. Darn, Where are Jim Eason, Bob Trebor and Jazzbo Collins when I need them?
ReplyDelete