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No surprise here that Michael Savage is back on the SF airwaves. And no surprise given the direction that KTRB, (
XTRA Sports 860 AM) is headed. Both Savage is a natural for new operations head,
Ken Dennis, and astute PD,
Kevin Barrett. Savage' shtick has long played well, yes, even in the "liberal" Bay Area, although outside the SF/Pacific Heights area into the burbs of Walnut Creek, Pleasanton, Modesto and the like, the Bay Area is a conservative hotbed.
Not that Savage, (real name: Michael Weiner) kowtows to the conservative brand. In many cases he doesn't. He was particularly hard on Pres. Bush 43 in the last days of his second term, and he routinely bashes conservative radio icons like Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin.
Full disclosure: I have guested on Savage' show twice and got lambasted by liberal bloggers and pundits for being his "lapdog". My e-mail included a few choice thoughts too which I won't disclose, but as I told Savage, I regarded him more an entertainer than a mere "conservative" commentator, and even at that, he's infinitely more listenable and entertaining than any broadcaster in this market, including Limbaugh and Levin combined.
Savage's tenure at KNEW was mostly a money deal and it was money that led to his departure. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't have the numbers he's signed for at KTRB, but I'd imagine, given his syndication deal, that he's not going to starve anytime soon.
And as many detractors as he has, and he does have many, Savage' addition to KTRB will only strengthen the Pappas broadcasting outlet, as it moves to become a major player in the Bay Area broadcast arena.
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