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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