Michael Savage Goes Off On The American Killer Of Cecil The Lion; Takes Segment To Villify Animal Murder; KSFO/Syndicated Talker Offers Compelling Account

 Cecil the lion--one of the most famous big cats in Zimbabwe's national parks--was murdered by an American hunter. The details are gruesome enough and we normally wouldn't pour over this as a media story only its been reported all over the globe, even in Bay Area circles.


We bring up Cecil because our local angle involves America's second-most-listened to, syndicated-radio talk host, Michael Savage.


It was Savage, who on his show (heard here on KSFO) Monday, devoted a segment on the incredibly brutal assault on Cecil; to a point where it was gut-wrenching and emotionally painful to listen but listenable nonetheless and necessary --I'm glad someone here spoke out.


Savage, you may not know, is an extreme animal lover. I say extreme because he treats his 11 year-old poodle, Teddy, as a member of the family. Teddy sits in on most shows and Savage feeds his canine hero with gourmet chicken --to hell with kibbles and bits. Savage loves dogs and often links stories about them on his website.


So it is no surprise that Savage, the often flamboyant host would take the time and highlight the ghoulish fate of Cecil.


It was not unexpected and made for some compelling radio. Bravo Michael Savage.


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Savage Destroys Hannity; KTVU and Vacar/Fowler Shop Talk; Highest-Paid TV Anchors; KSFO/KGO Blather; Darya Folsom/KRON Intrigue; Karel No Red Carpet in Ireland; Friday Nuggets

Michael Savage

 Love him, hate him, revile at his rants, he's the highest-paid radio host in the Bay Area; Michael Savage, syndicated talkie that has destroyed his ghost rival, Sean Hannity not only here, (KSFO), but NY, (King of the apple), Chicago, Detroit, Dallas. It's not even close in the important radio demos that count although some advertisers are still weary of Savage's discourse. They might have to reassess that position.


Savage makes north of a million dollars but between his books and diversified business interests fortune, he's reportedly worth close to $100 million. Who needs radio?


*We've told you the inside story about KTVU's desire to rid itself of the services of ace, veteran reporters, Tom Vacar and John Fowler. A reader inquires why we don't see much of those correspondents. Fair question. Think age perception by management although both reporters still turn out quality work. One caveat about Vacar and why he's still on the payroll: They're afraid of showing him the door: he's a lawyer.




Tom Vacar

SPEAKING of KTVU and Assorted Media Notes: Heather Holmes: I don't get it, looks and all. Body of work? Meh...Where's Maureen Naylor? Mystery...Bill Martin looks kind of cranky and we wonder why: wait, everybody's in a crappy mood over there...Thank God for Sal Castaneda...Top 3 SF TV anchors in terms of pay, in order: 1. Dan Ashley, KGO-TV, $500K range, 2. Frank Somerville, KTVU, a little north of $500K and KPIX5's Ken Bastida in the $400K neighborhood...Just a hunch: Tom Tolbert will not be the Warriors TV analyst replacement for Jim Barnett next year. Radio is another story. Whoever ends up in Barnett's chair will have a tough hill to climb...Salary chat: Greg Papa gets about $300G from the Raiders and Comcast Sports Net Bay Area but he's nowhere near the high six figures of 49ers/CBS/NBC multi-platform man, Ted Robinson...Latest estimate time play when KRON's gear is moved to 900 Front: late Summer...Stay off my lawn, girl version: Darya Folsom and Justine Waldman. Cat fight with a central, certain male proxy...The only thing worse than a Jan Wahl report on KCBS is a Jan Wahl report...Mystery man still devoid of making the big change: PIX boss, Bruno Cohen who seems, temporarily, at ease with the Battery Boys...When KSFO puppets are boasting that "we beat KGO!" you know things are scary. Yeah, wonderful work. One albatross with Father and Daughter AM tag team beating the 810 AM little sisters of the poor. Terrific, go collect your Sweet Jack coupons...Sarah and Vinnie: you should hear what your slightly-disgruntled guy from IT told me! Gosh, better than I thought. But seriously, you'll never guess who, what, where, but good luck..."Hi, Welcome to the SF Zoo, er, KGO Radio on a Sunday Night!"...Breaking Karel News: No red carpets in Ireland. And a bunch of drunk weirdo-types asking: "Who the fuck is that asshole?" --Yeah, here's your free food and Guinness now get the hell out of our country!...Damon Bruce consensus: one year, tops...See, here's the problem: sure, in the room, Roberta Gonzales may not have a whole lot of allies but outside the hall she has a swarm of supporters who love her dearly whether guided or misguided, it's just the facts maam...David Weintraub has 50 lawyers lined up if KGO dare screw with him but I don't think they be that stupid. Yet...


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Michael Savage is Killing Sean Hannity in Big Markets; National Radio Talker Destroys in SF Too on KSFO; Big Hit With Younger Demo

 I must confess.

I underestimated Michael Savage as he navigated to a prime-time slot in the midday, (12-3 PM, KSFO and 3-6 PM drive in the East Coast), but after a month, the rambunctious, unpredictable, and occasionally extremely entertaining Savage is beating the bejesus out of his nearest rival, the boring and repetitious Sean Hannity.

As Politico points out, Savage destroys Hannity in big markets like New York, Dallas, Detroit and here in San Francisco.

Moreover, he's beating Hannity with key younger demos. Savage e-mailed this report to me.

Frankly, I was not impressed with the early tone of Savage's program. It consisted of repeated monologues debasing the Obama administration on frequent easy right-wing talking points like Obama Care, the NSA and IRS scandals. Granted, all legitimate subjects, but in the radio talk-show genre, hardly the epicenter of broadcast nirvana. In fact, as I have pointed out, the Groundhog Day gyration that doesn't move the needle, that grates the nerves of those ardent listeners-- Democrat, Republican, who are looking for something far more palpable on the audio domain.


It is that element of Savage's repertoire that captivates me. I could do without politics. Matter of fact, and Savage feels the same, political radio with the standard screamers and routine bits, is frankly, lazy radio. It gets to the point where you know automatically how the host formats their show and what nasty, repetitive thing is coming next. It's not just an Obama deal--it migrates to the left too even though there's considerably less left-wing talk shows on the dial mostly because left-leaning shows don't extract any entertaining radio these days. Stephanie Miller is a bore. Mike Malloy is an annoying twit and we all know how that Air America experiment turned out. Norman Goldman is an interesting listen but he too trolls down the political route much too often and often repeats the same talking points. Repetition radio is bi-partisan.


Savage is best when describing the Indian buffet that gave him indigestion. His Chinese food histrionics at Hunan is, in fact, brilliant radio, worth a thousand laughs. Meat ball recipes trump the pratfalls of Joe Biden. "Teddy", Savage's loyal poodle and his status, is an A ticket to Disneyland. Hillary Clinton and Climate Change are the 4700th ride on the Matterhorn. You get my drift.


There exists a radical lack of creativity on the trappings of AM terrestrial radio in the Bay Area and beyond. Savage at least provides a dramatic detour from the pronounced dreck that is the constant. And while his primetime palate is resonating with listeners nationwide thus far, I say, can the politics and stick to meat and potatoes. Teddy would approve too, Maestro Savage.


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Michael Savage, More To The Point And Specifically

 Sure, it's only a couple of shows but if the early indications and insider news is only slightly correct, then Michael Savage's new entrée in an earlier time slot, (Noon-3 PM, PT --syndicated--heard locally on KSFO), is not ripe for future successful longevity.

 

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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Savage's Big Announcement on Wednesday Night

  DRIVE-TIME SAVAGE

Michael Savage has a big announcement Wednesday night. (KSFO-- 6-9 PM here locally).

My gut says Noon-3 PM replacing a Hannity soon.

**Developing...

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Barbieri Settlement Bullet Points; The Alioto Factor; Prospect Of Facing Sympathetic SF Jury Weighed Heavily on Cumulus; Thursday Starter

  BARBIERI SETTLEMENT BULLET POINTS

1. The prospect, however unlikely the plaintiff, Ralph Barbieri, had any case, of a sympathetic liberal SF jury hearing how a big greedy corporate company from Atlanta fired a man in the early stages of Parkinson's disease was reason enough for Cumulus to settle.

2. Forget how you feel about Barbieri--good or bad--the mere legal facts of the case, however nebulous, were enough to cause the powers that be to get this behind them.

3. In spite of the "blown-away" amount of settlement money offered by Cumulus, Angela Alioto, the attorney for Barbieri, wanted to go to trial, according to my source. It was Ralph Barbieri who was happy about the offer and told Alioto the figure was good for him. (No shit, Sherlock.) The $4M settlement is more than enough to live comfortably for the rest of one's life.

4. Barbieri has a special needs son; the settlement money will go a long way to helping his son navigate through life. It was that major element that gave emphasis to this complaint.

5. A biggie: This settlement is also about pragmatism. Barbieri isn't the only older Cumulus employee in SF that has a debilitating disease. This settlement might have staved off another possible future legal showdown.

6. Alioto comes from a family with deep Italian legal roots in SF and likes a good fight. Don't think the Dickey bunch did a lot of "Joe Alioto" googling. And Angela ain't so bad herself.

7. Yes, it was a settlement and not a victory. But even the most ardent optimists in this town gave Barbieri no shot at this case even smelling a courtroom. The settlement award was astounding. Wonder what those who said he had no chance are thinking today.

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