As most people here know, I've been an ardent admirer of Savage, sometimes to my own personal and professional detriment.
Savage is a wide swath of audio buffet; a controversial, occasionally loud and rambunctious voice of political theatre, inner-thoughtful, (or thoughtless, depending upon your opinion), in-your-face imbroglio that is part-show, part-personal template and quite the setting for a national audience that Cumulus Media is hoping sets its table and more importantly, clearance, for all its hundreds of radio stations.
Early on, there's been problems. Some, self-inflicted, others not so. And while it might be unfair and way too early to paint a broad picture of the Savage show a couple of broadcasts into a new venture, first impressions provide a bevy of reservations.
For starters, Savage has gone ultra right-wing political with mucho Obama bashing with endless Socialist, Marxist, Communist verbal jousts; that's a common element in the conservative, right-wing radio echo machine only Savage's major forte has been his consistent detour from mainstream conservative talking points. It is the repetitive, bash Obama daily menu, (and W too for that matter), that has wrought ultra-conservative radio into a mindless, numb, and frankly un-entertaining radio program. It was Savage himself who has frequently decried the shortcomings of the Sean Hannity, (whom he replaced), Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, and Rush Limbaugh programs whose main content is basically 100% GOP talking points. Not especially creative even in an upcoming election year.
Savage is, of course, political , like all of us, but his mix of personal anecdotes, dietary stories, (the frequent Indian buffet and Chinese food adventures), and doggie updates on "Teddy", his canine buddy, has been noticeably absent. And really, that is the genesis, the genius if you will, of Savage although even in that area, it sounds as if he's become wary of talking about one of his best radio assets. Maybe it's Cumulus that wants him to become more political gung-ho like the rest of the horde but that won't work long-term because even the most loyal listeners tire easily of constant Groundhog Day offerings.
After my initial negative short take on Savage's first broadcast, I received much e-mail bashing from people ripping me because I dared offer a stark, frank review. Those of you that know me well here and have read my stance on Savage understand the foolishness of that reasoning. It's not my duty nor my pedigree to fawn. And that extends to Savage himself. To his credit, he's been steadfast in his unabashed, unpredictable support for non-conservative issues like raising the minimum wage, offering strong support for whistleblower Edward Snowden and calling out Rambo-wannabee, George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin murder case.
It is that part of his painting that we supporters, (generally speaking), hope to hear more of; we want, expect and delight in his off-beat, occasionally hilarious and again, unpredictable, views of the nation and world in general. We've waned on Limbaugh and Hannity. We don't even bother with an Ingraham nor care about the endless drivel of Levin's disingenuous "tyranny" rants. They don't register in today's rotten radio domain. So yesterday at best.
We hope Savage sets an immediate path back to his bread and butter. We hope the alleged, taped third hour reports are false, (in NY and some stations in the East). We appreciate the new "Give me 15 Minutes and I'll Give You America" mantra is more old-fashioned bits rather than the usual, tried and forced political shouts. After all, the "socialist" is a lame-duck anyway and Hillary bashing is much too early and seems dated even before its induction.
Should be an interesting year.
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Should be an interesting year.
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