If I recall correctly, Savage started a feud with Jim Eason, who had the show just prior to his. Those 1 minute hand-off segments weren't Eason's favorite things, and eventually Eason left the station.
Also, when Savage was starting out at KSFO, they already had a strong line-up.
Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan ruled the morning, then I jumped to KNBR to listen to Limbaugh, Geoff Metcalf had the noon-2 slot, Eason from 2-4, then Savage from 4-7. I think O'Reilly eventually was on KSFO from 9-12.
Then Limbaugh left KNBR for KSFO from 9-12. Metcalf got replaced by Laura Schlessinger, Savage started his double shift doing his national show from noon-3, then his KSFO show from 3-6.
Savage left KSFO for 910 and Brian Sussman got the 4-7 slot. Hannity started from noon-3.
This is all from memory, so I'm sure I'm missing a few things. But the point is that Savage was the last thing that was responsible for KSFO's success.
-PJ
I think the feud with Jim Eason had to do with a dispute Savage was having with a relative of Eason's (daughter?) at KSFO. But I do remember the dispute.
Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan ruled the morning -- I remember how much fun it was for them to invite the local newsrag on to present them personally with the acknowledgement published by the newspaper's own polls.
Do you recall the time Spencer Hughes (Sat and Sun back then) scheduled Pat Buchanan in-studio for a Saturday show? Savage demanded that management let him (Savage) have a Saturday special to do the interview. He got it. I don't recall that Savage mentioned Hughes. I do recall Buchanan saying later that he thought he was going to be up against a San Francisco hippie when he met Savage the first time.
I believe Hughes just got the time opposite Limbaugh now that Huckabee bombed. I was hoping that Metcalf would get it.
I recalled all that when I read this on a Savage Nation thread earlier this month.
Going to tune into iheart KSFO a bit early, yesterday I was treated to a bit of off air banter between savage and a producer with savage bitchign about how the previous host had called savage a “old firend” and savage complaining that he was not a firend and the previous host had implied that savage was the reason that host has his slot . . . It was kinda interesting to hear (see) how the sausage is nmade so to speak.
In general the hosts kept their comments about Savage off air back in the 1990s. Not so Savage but usually nothing like nowadays. In those days KSFO did not allow "best of" shows. And Barbara Simpson made the mistake of saying that she was filling in for Savage while he was on vacation that day. That infuriated Savage and the next day he lit into her personally something terrible while screaming that it was not a vacation.
I liked Garrett he was a real Democrat, didn't like Bill Clinton, was a friend of Lee Rodgers, and was the only one I called in S.F. I got on the air immediately to ask a F.O.B. about Vince Foster and the New York Post (Christopher W. Ruddy) articles at that time.