Michael Savage Ire and Energy, Hey Just Relax; 415 Media Blog Radio 24/7 Mini-Test Saturday KSCO; Friday Notes Starter

 Funny really that Michael Savage draws so much ire and energy --pro and con--among the masses.


Put aside the all the venom, the occasionally magnificent theatre, the stories and Savage is the greatest, most brilliant, funny, on terrestrial radio.


He bends, he screams, he's a loose cannon personified with a penchant for the extreme--an entertainer with a broad scope of enemies, advocates, and listening devices.


I find him intoxicating swell with hilarious, compelling, unpredictable audio staccato --on good days, a bonus monologue about the virtues of Italian meatballs, an Indian buffet, indigestion and a conspiracy theory about how Chinese food can lead one to consider extreme liberalism --I don't even waste my time with the politics--Savage transcends that trivial pursuit. In fact, if you listen closely, politics is merely the appetizer before the main courses. Sure, it's an acquired taste not fit for everyone's menu but it matter of fact produces some of the best material on an otherwise dreary radio panel. If you want saltines then listen to the others, I'd much more prefer rye crisp and a bowl of clam chowder, New England, of course.


*This blog becomes your immediate source of RADIO!, beginning Saturday morning from 10 AM to Noon. I'll be hosting the "Saturday Special" on KSCO and there's a SIMPLE, easy way to listen, participate, irritate, whatever...Simply CLICK the upper right of the blog under the KSCO logo, whether it's your laptop or smartphone. No need searching links or beholden to electronic mafia, you just click and you'll be there. I tried it Thursday and it sounded great. Our topic on Saturday is media matters and some surprises.


*You want superficial phoniness and bland critique then I'm not for you. I will give you my honest thoughts like I did about KTVU, and KGO, and KRON, and KPIX, and KNTV for that matter. I don't play favorites, I'm an equal-opportunity shit disturber and I'm consistent. So go ahead and take your shots and pick your poison --I'm all ears. Consider this though...


1. I've been on of the biggest Larry Krueger critics on the planet. But when the Comcast guy took some unjust hits, I supported Krueger.


2. I was ripped endlessly for my frequent love letters about KTVU and how great, still, the 10 O'clock News was and praised them to the max until I sensed a series of lousy detours and called them out. Including their crummy management guys who don't know the ways and means of being PR savvy. Wonder Boy, I can understand, but GM Raponi? Proverbial suit guy with way too many appointments on the 17th at the Olympic Club.


3. Damon Bruce and I are fire and ice. I don't think Damon is great by any means but when he's into it and doesn't inflate his gigantic ego he can produce some of the very best sport-talk radio. And when he's posing, I'll make a note of it. And here's something else: I don't have to love someone and he don't have to love me to register an honest critique. See sentence 1.


4. Gary Radnich: If there were ever a definitive definition of "Hot and Cold."


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KGO-TV/Watkowski Post-Mortem; Friday Media Notes

A longtime KGO-TV staffer called to scold me for posting the Tracey Watkowski story involving an Executive News Producer.

"She's great. She's a thorough professional, how could you?" I'm paraphrasing a bit, but the tone was there.

I told the news veteran, (I'm not going to name the person because they didn't want to go on the record), that indeed, I too, have heard that Watkowski has solid credentials, as she should. No argument there--only one problem: that wasn't the basis of the story.

What was the basis of the post was that I had received word of the outburst and those that told me about what had happened said it was out of the blue and "totally unprofessional." Their words, not mine.

And two independent sources besides the individual who actually saw what took place in the Channel 7 newsroom corroborated the account. One person I spoke to who works at the TV station hadn't heard anything out of the ordinary.

I called Watkowski and left a message asking for a comment. She called me on my cell and said she hadn't seen the story but would call back. She didn't comment. I'll leave the rest up to you and others.

Bottom line is that this wasn't a referendum on Watkowski's resume. She's obviously earned her stripes. No argument. That doesn't make her Mother Theresa either and a few people who work there were put off with her animated scolding of a colleague in front of everyone in the newsroom. I'm comfortable with the story.

FRIDAY NOTES: Now that the Wayne Shannon tragedy has made it to the net, maybe the albatross station and its cranky sports anchor who worked with Shannon will offer a few words, but I tend to doubt it...No, I haven't followed the 'Fernando and Greg' inner-workings, so sue me...KNBR: your station for 5000 Giants' promos daily...I hope KCSM has the means to make it...Kevin the Rat "clips of the day" is the only reason to listen to KGO News weekdays. Nice use of actuality, yes see, even when I rip, I cheer too...Meanwhile, KTVU's ridiculous "Thanks for trusting us" news ender is utterly condescending and not becoming of a place as vaunted as Channel 2 News, trust me...I like and admire Mike Krukow even more dept: his non-sports breakdown of whether Aubrey Huff "was ready" to come off the DL from one of the frat boys on Knibber Friday morning: Krukow, to his credit, deferred such talk. Depression is not a morning-drive topic worthy of frat boy territory...Meanwhile, over at the "Bay Area's only FM sports station", they keep tweeting way. We can tweet, sure, but we still don't have any ratings...Yo, Byrnesie? Just shut up.

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*Tips/E-Mail: Rich.Lieberman@Gmail.com