Savage is difficult to work for and with; a local PD who orchestrated Savage's brief tenure at ex-talkie, KTRB, was on the verge of quitting because of the host's petulant, crazed, and frequent e-mails.
The two made up and things went smooth, (temporarily), but that type of pronounced angst and severe irritance is a common element when Savage is in the equation.
Here in the Bay Area, where Savage does his show from several secret remote locations, (he'll continue that operation when his new Cumulus show begins next week), he's the frequent target of derision and envy, particularly from talk-radio hosts and broadcast execs.
Among the most noted:
*Ronn Owens: KGO's 9-nooner who has never liked Savage. Part of that is money. Envy too. It was at KGO where Savage began his radio career, (in 1994); little did anyone know at the time that some weekend "schmuck", (as Owens once referred to Savage), would become the second most-listened-to radio talk host in the country and make close to $10 million a year. Owens liked to verbally strut that his million-dollar-plus salary made him the highest-paid media figure in the Bay Area. Wrong, Savage holds that distinction.
*Brian Sussman: Sussman, part of the KSFO morning show, is a celebrated Savage basher. Part of that is due to the fact that it was at KSFO, (where Savage worked, after his KGO stint), Savage's national career kicked off. Sussman wasn't at the station when Savage worked there, but he knew several people, broadcast execs and air-talent, that had frequent flare-ups with Savage. (How utterly infuriating it must be for Sussman to realize that Savage's show will air on KSFO. Ouch.)
Savage has never been a fan of the local SF minions--from the broadcast biz to the political arena, he has openly chastised the city, many times referring to it as "San Fran-sicko." A distinction that has made him aloof in the social scene but admired and beloved by a large portion of SF's small conservative club.
Savage doesn't care. And although his notorious reputation as being difficult to work with has increased, so have his listeners. The new deal with Cumulus brings a ton of ironies in addition to more radio and digital platforms. For better or worse, Savage's show will no doubt be a solid affirmation to his work. Love him, hate him, despise him, as many in and out of the business do, this huge new juggernaut just got a whole lot bigger.
You can take that to the bank.
*Follow me on Twitter
Seriously, Rich, you've never listened to the vile that Savage spews? That's why I stopped listening.
ReplyDeleteHe's deeply racist. That's why he's despised. You have some gall to chastise anyone for not being able to look beyond his ugly speech to find his entertaining qualities. Maybe you could list the names of anti semitic on air talents that you think are misunderstood and wildly entertaining so you don't look like a complete hypocrite.
ReplyDeleteAnti-semitic on-air talents? Where? Other than maybe a 50 watt broadcast from the shack behind Billy Bob's trailer, American radio operates on an Israel-first basis. From right to left on the political dial, everyone's on the same page when it comes to Israel -- and no one seems to notice. Honest reporting, hard criticism, and objective analysis are non-existent, no matter whether the Israeli government is bulldozing Palestinian homes and American activists, shooting up a boatload of humanitarians, treating Congress like a kindergarten class, spying on us while shaking down our treasury, defaming a former president, or dressing down a sitting one.
DeleteAmerican radio promotes the hatred of Americans by other Americans, but the hatred of Israel's enemies by everyone.
I stopped listening when he did his rant that the biggest threat to the US was the falling percentage (share) of white births. Referring to Barbara Boxer for years as "Bagel Barbara" was disgusting too. I support his rights to free speech, and exercise my right to criticize him for being a neo-nazi.
DeleteNo Rich, he does care. He cares he wasn't carried locally.
ReplyDeleteNot only is he a vile racist pig but he thinks everyone is an enemy. The pissing sound after Herb Caen died was despicable as were his two full shows mocking the Bernie Ward issue. The little fellow Weiner sure holds grudges. Lowenstein better not pass away before Weiner otherwise expect some derogatory commentary even before the body is cold.
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered why his wife has so many missing front teeth. Can you find out,Rich? Too much rockstar drink?
DeleteIf you think he's gonna take you out to dinner, you're wrong. He hates you. He hates everyone.
ReplyDelete"What's the beef with Savage? Jealousy and envy. Oh, of course, money too."
ReplyDeleteand for many; it's just that he is a jerk. Not his radio persona; just plain old him. On the other hand; I don't listen to his show so if you say he is entertaining.. well great. Good for him. I'm also skeptical about the racism charge (re: would need some actual evidence) since most bay area leftists call anyone who not on their side racists...
I use to listen to Savage now and then, and yes at times he is entertaining. I always like it when the right starts to eat their own. However, in the long run he is just too meanspirited, too full of himself, too much yelling and too much of "I can't take it anymore". As for being racist it is charge and term difficult to define. Is he paranoid about race, yes. Claims he lost a job at Berkeley or (not 100% sure if it was Berkeley or another University) because of affirmtive action. Could it be he is too difficult to work with, perhaps his reputation precedes him. Does he automatically hate or dislike or discount anyone who is black or latino I don't think so. However, it seems like many conservatives they only like people who are pretty much carbon copies of themselves. I lost a lot what little respect I had for him when on 9/11 he was ranting and about the lazy black and latino's firefigther, said he didn't see any of them anywhere. Of course he was dead wrong, but to bring that up on that very day where many firefighters (of all colours and background) lost there lives, show he has no class, what so ever. I might tune into him once in awhile, but not as a steady diet. Will rather listen to some soothing jazz, than his rantings.
DeleteHow about when he refers to Latinos as Apocalypto men? Is that enough for ya' or shall I bring out the full binder?
DeleteBinder? Hater! :)
DeleteBrian Sussman is one of the few broadcasters in the business who seems like a worse human being than Savage. Sussman is certainly a worse broadcaster than Savage is
ReplyDeleteHe's one of those guys who goes on the air and puts on this act of being a mean-spirited, angry, nasty, racist prick.
ReplyDeleteBut, off the air, he's actually a mean-spirited, angry, nasty, racist prick.
Thanks for my best laugh of the day! It's zingers like yours that make this blog such a delight to read! Keep 'em coming!
DeleteSurprise! Surprise! People dislike Savage. What's to like? It's not jealously. He is just a dick, plain and simple.
ReplyDeleteIn other news... Pot meets Kettle
ReplyDeleteGood Lord Rich, why do you have such a hardon for Savage. Practically a week doesn't go by that you don't have some post about how flipping wonderful he is. He's a vile hate monger. I don't care if Hitler could tell funny one liners and dance, that entertainment value doesn't cancel out the other side. I wouldn't want him broadcasting in my town. Can't you come up with anything better to write about? Does he pay you for these posts? Do you get a commission if he signs a contract to broadcast in the Bay Area again?
ReplyDeleteSavage is just another loudmouthed wingnut asshole. Oh, and one that's STILL without a job! Where are all those high-priced offers his agent was blustering about last week?
ReplyDeleteRonn is one step below Carlos Prescott. They canned him years ago. That's what they should do with Ronn. Ronn can't hold Savage's jock.
ReplyDeleteWhy is Bernie Ward, "SUPER PERVERT"s name now coming up. He is in jail and hopefully will not make it out. He did it to himself and now is paying the price. Why would anybody be a cheer leader for him? I doubt he will ever make it out alive but if he does you will find him living in a little hole in the ground. What a low life.
ReplyDeleteBernie is not in "jail". He is in federal prison. Cheerleader is one word. Your wish that he would die before returning to his family and his family's longtime family home in San Francisco says a lot about you, actually.
DeletePoster at 4:43pm
DeleteBernie is in Jail. Period.
By the way, when did you win the spelling bee?
Rich, give it up. You're wrong on this one. Savage cannot be excused for his lunatic, racist rants for any reason. Fine, you are enthralled by his use of the medium. I appreciate that, even though the quality of his performance does not deserve the level of your enthusiasm. Your belief that he is an underrated performer is blinding you to his content. Please stop rationalizing this guy.
ReplyDeleteI will take savage anyday over that gnome on knbr and now comcast...martie lurie,why does the bay area attract a guy like this?
ReplyDeleteBecause his dad was rich and owned the Gnats.
DeleteNo relation. Marty Lurie is from Brooklyn.
DeleteRich:
ReplyDeleteDon't understand why you have such a boner for Savage.
Why don't you ask Krasny about the time Savage heckled him at a graduation speech?
Give it up. Savage is a vile, mean-spirited douche, and the more you defend him, the more you become a douche
I was there. It was Redwood High School, at Savage's own daughter's graduation! She must have been so proud.
DeleteInteresting post you have shared !! Overhead Crane
ReplyDeleteIs this crane chick a new advertiser?
DeleteSavage makes a lot of money by using his radio pulpit to exploit the fears of ignorant people. He does it well, but I don't have to like it. His presence degrades us all.
ReplyDeleteI'll never understand the idea that someone who spews nonstop hate can somehow still be credited with doing "good radio" or being "entertaining". I mean "knowing how to use the medium"? to what end? Pandering to wingnuts? Add to that the Savage Weiner's stunning hypocricsy ("experimented" with Ginsberg but now hates gays; goes on anti-Semitic rants but is himself Jewish) and he's pretty indefensible.
ReplyDeleteI think Michael Savage can do and does (not always) riveting shows. I know several folks who are very liberal, very bright, who seek out his show. Why? It's sort of like the train wreck attraction. They can't believe what he's daring to say next, waiting for the full and inevitable implosion. Listening to him also helps understand the nasty cutting edge of invective which inflames the national psyche. In itself, that is fascinating. Also, in many if not most markets, it's the only thing on the air that isn't pablum.
DeleteIsn't ranting references to the right being members of the KKK, racism, Romney is a monster Mormom, etc., just liberal pablum?
DeleteHow many times did I hear the liberals trot out the Republican member of Congress who's name slips me now, who was a member of the KKK. But weren't 11 of 12 congressmen who were former KKK members, Democrats?
Not to mention racist President Woodrow Wilson. D.
Tuesday at 6pm on KSFO
ReplyDeleteWhere is John Batchelor headed? Will he have an outlet in the Bay Area?
ReplyDeleteHoly crap! One more reason to thank God I don't left that place!!!
ReplyDeleteI learned years ago that anger is the flip-side of fear. That raises the question: What are Savage and his equally-angry listeners so afraid of?
ReplyDeleteNo problem with bringing Michael Savage on but don't blow off John Batchelor. Please get rid of Laura Ingrahom, she is really hard to listen to. She is a total loser compared to John. He has so much more to offer your listeners than she could ever think of.
ReplyDeleteYou may miss the bigger point here that John Batchelor isn't going to be come part of Cumulus's large programming block. That's what this is about.
DeleteCumulus wants to become the full provider for all their stations, and maybe even others. They'll offer you an ENTIRE day of right-wing programming, which they believe fits in with the radio audience, but also falls in line with their corporate desires.
They can provide Laura, Savage, Levin, whomever in a BLOCK, and if they own your station that's what you'll be running. You'll get 1-2 live shows (if you're lucky, or have someone great in the market) somewhere in the day.
Low cost radio at it's finest. John Batchelor not part of this equation.
Laura Ingram is the best.
DeleteAttractive and conservative. End of discussion.
We fear statism, communism, and any other -isms. That is why we are angered when our Liberty is trampled under foot.
ReplyDeletecapitalism?
Deletepatriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings(after religion and other forms of group think).I think Michael Savage can do riveting shows. I know some pretty bright liberals who listen to him regularly. Perhaps because everything else on the dial is mostly pablum and he offers that cutting edge of destructive invective. They can't believe what he will dare to say next, as they await the inevitable implosion of either him, the country, or both.
DeleteAren't you the one who just compared our "scary negro" president {your words), to a dog?
DeleteAny mirrors in your house?
patriotism is the last "ism" to which a scoundrel clings.(after religion)
ReplyDeleteChristine,
DeleteYour anecdotal loveable pit bull stories are just that. Unscientific observations.
Dr. Bill, a trained scientist, and someone with far more intellect than yourself, has stated that pit bulls have been bred to be aggressive. It's in their genes.
So drop your personal bias and ignorance. Try to enlighten yourself, and objectively examine the historical data and the evidence.
You are becoming tiresome.
Funny, I've never seen Bill Wattenberg with a dog. YOu say he was trained as a scientific expert on dogs? really? I thought he built atomic bombs and rockets for the space program. I make no claim to be a scientist. My specific anecdote told here has no scientific implications, nor did I claim any. I saw what I saw.
DeleteHere's the deal.Some dogs are bred and raised to have high prey drives. Most, however have not been. You are the sort who would see a lab/pit mix and call it a vicious pit bull. Or perhaps when you see Barack Obama,who is half black and half white, you only see the scary negro.
Did a pit bull make you wet your undies,like Michael Savage?
I'm betting your knowledge of dogs is de minimus.Tiresome that.
Wow. Just w-o-w! Does this post show how unintelligent, and brainwashed, Bay Area liberals are?
DeleteSo Christine Craft of KGO 810 AM and Sacramento lawyer posted this humdinger!
ChristineOctober 23, 2012 7:34 PM
"Here's the deal.Some dogs are bred and raised to have high prey drives. Most, however have not been. You are the sort who would see a lab/pit mix and call it a vicious pit bull. Or perhaps when you see Barack Obama,who is half black and half white, you only see the scary negro."
Wow! OK, what do we have here?
1) She compared our President to a dog!
2) You opine that a blogger might see a "scary negro" in our President. WHERE oh where did this come from?? ?Project much?
3) I have nothing against pit bulls, per say. Except for the stories I read, year after year, where they maul a grandmother, or a child, or a parent, or whomever, causing massive inuries, or death. I don't read about poddles, podle mixers, labs, or others doing such on such a frequent basis.
You also wrote: "Did a pit bull make you wet your undies,like Michael Savage?"
I see you borrowed this line which Dr. Bill used on a very infrequent basis. Can't you come up with your own? Are you also jealous of Dr. Savage?
Sad.
Weiner or the Tricky Dickeys? Who will blink first? Will Rich continue his Savage infatuation? Or will Rich's deep disdain for the Ac-Cumul-ating prevail?
ReplyDeleteBTW, Thanks for the smile, 7:45!
Preening, over-compensating, belligerent a-holes apparently make for great conservative talk hosts. Why the surprise that the same qualities don't make too many friends around the shop?
ReplyDeleteSavage seems to taking a step backward by moving from afternoon drive
ReplyDeleteto evenings.
What exactly was his problem with TRN?
Hard to believe the tightwads at Cumulus paying him that much more to be on in the less desirable late evening.
Savage shoots from the hip. Be bombastic, confident, self-righteous, indignant, bark really loud. But he talks first and defends later vis-a-vis the above. Sometimes he paints himself in a corner.
ReplyDeleteIt should be interesting to see how Savage responds to Cumulus' inevitable micro-managing, and also to see how Cumulus responds to the first really big on-air gaffe, that starts to garner some bad press and petulant advertisers.
I'd give even odds this thing implodes one way or another before the first year is out. Possibly spectacularly.
Then, Savage can go back to living in an undisclosed hole in the ground, surrounded by remarketed y2k rations and ammunition.
Love these comments from the "elite left" !!! They sure miss the 'old guard' from KGO, don't they?!!!
ReplyDeleteWelcome Michael Savage!!
Talk radio is theatre. Reasoned discussion rarely brings in ratings anymore. You love or hate the hosts. It all depends if you agree or disagree with him/her. And the more outrageous the host, the higher the ratings. Who knows, or cares what the hosts truly believe. It's their radio personna that brings in the audience. What's scary is not that the hosts are so radical, but that they attract such a radical audience. The hosts push until they find the limit and then they back down. When ratings go down, they test the limit yet again. The "elite" left is as obnoxious as the "radical" right. Just like in politics.
ReplyDeleteHaha the Bay Aryans bent out of shape...
ReplyDeleteBagel Barbara,that's pretty funny...he also referred to Nancy Legosi
Typical yankee...and I don't mean a person from the north in general, just the ones with a sour, negative and agressive attitude. (based on my personal experiences) Knows everything, therefore is closed to learning anything further. Combative and rude. Zero finesse. Waste of time. Delusions of grandeur.
ReplyDelete