"Where on Earth Is Michael Savage?"

Chron Watch ^ | 6/4/03 | Ira Simmons

[finnman69]

There appears to be some interesting happening concerning hot-button talk show host and Marin resident Michael Savage. . On Monday, KSFO, the station Savage has been on since it went to the Hot Talk format in 1995, had no ''Savage Nation.'' Instead, all three hours (4-7pm) had a tape of the Sean Hannity Show, which meant that Sean was on KSFO for five hours on Monday! During the traffic breaks, there was no familiar mention of "Savage Nation" traffic or "Air Savage" by reporter Mike Stait as per usual. I tuned to Michael on his Sacramento affiliate KSTE, 650 am, easily heard in the East Bay and all he said was that there were "technical difficulties" in the Bay Area. But reading between the lines, I could detect that something else was happening. Today, during his final half hour Savage got a call from the Bay Area and told the caller that he would again be on a station in San Francisco "soon."

After his Monday show, I checked the KSFO web site and Savage's name was nowhere to be found. Sean Hannity was instead listed in the 4-7pm time slot. With his contract with KSFO set to expire on June 30, it is my guess that Talk Radio Networks, Michael's syndicator, has signed with KNEW, 910 AM, the new talk station that is owned by Clear Channel. The KNEW program director did not return my call seeking comment. Not surprisingly, there was no mention of this significant radio development in the liberal Bay Area newspapers or their web sites.

Although these type of station-jumping deals seem to happen frequently in talk radio (and I hinted that this Savage jump was a possibility in the first piece I wrote for ChronWatch as a response to another article in March) it is still shocking that KSFO would let Michael Savage get away. After a brief weekend overnight stint at KGO in 1994, Savage basically began his career at KSFO and within a few years, became Number 1 in the ratings in afternoon drive time. And Savage took KSFO along for the ride; the station was basically invisible in the ratings book in January 1995 when it switched from a liberal "radio with attitude" to the "hot talk" format. In the latest ratings book, KSFO was tied for Number 2 in San Francisco and a solid second in the San Jose rating book, trailing only KGO in both surveys. Both stations are owned by ABC/Disney.

So what will KSFO do, if indeed, Michael Savage has moved up the dial? They could keep a tape-delayed Sean Hannity Program in the 4-7 pm slot; perhaps KSFO could steal the Bill O'Reilly Radio Factor show presently heard on the misfit sports station KNBR - 1050 and fill two of the Savage hours with everybody's favorite humble correspondent. Another possibility is obtaining Larry Elder (syndicated by ABC) from KNEW in what would be a even-up trade for Savage.

Whatever happens, one thing is certain, the landscape of Bay Area talk radio is apparently being changed forever. And for the liberals in the audience--the Monday vote by the FCC to relax radio and television ownership rules which you whined about--had nothing to do with it!

[finnman69]

FYI- Savage is also currently suing some leftist propaganda sites as he promised he would do.

http://www.savagestupidity.com/nastygram/lawsuit/SavageNationSuit.pdf

[finnman69]

Perhaps Savage dropped KSFO for a better deal..

[freekitty]

If I remember, a short while back, Michael Savage said on his program there were going to be some changes; but he could not or would not say what they were. I hate for him to leave San Franciso air. He fits so nicely there.

[kattracks]

Savage off KSFO in San Fran

Radio host Michael Savage continues to make waves nationally.

But locally, at his home station, KSFO in San Francisco, he may have been – at least temporarily – capsized by some of those waves.

On Monday, we hear that powerhouse conservative talk station KSFO dropped Mike Savage’s program.

Savage had risen to fame at the ABC-owned station and was still the No. 1 afternoon drive-time talk show host – right up until Monday.

Apparently, Disney-owned ABC got wind that Savage was negotiating with radio behemoth Clear Channel and its Premiere Network to move himself and his nationally syndicated show "The Savage Nation” to Clear Channel’s AM station in the Bay Area, KNEW.

Industry insiders say that Disney feared a meltdown at KSFO with Savage’s departure and acted pre-emptively. ABC execs also fear that the Rush Limbaugh show, also owned by Clear Channel’s Premiere, may move from KSFO to KNEW.

A well-placed source tells NewsMax, "So ABC, which owns market-leading talker KGO as well as KSFO, is pissed!”

The Bay Area will be at a loss without "The Savage Nation." But KSFO will continue to rock with its highly rated Lee Rodgers & Melanie Morgan morning program, as well as Brian Wilson in the evenings - not to mention syndicated talk from mega-hosts Sean Hannity, Dr. Laura and Matt Drudge.

Of course, "The Savage Nation" continues to air nationally, but without a San Francisco affiliate - at least for the moment.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Thomas V. Leavitt, Defendant.

[cubreporter]

ABC execs also fear that the Rush Limbaugh show, also owned by Clear Channel’s Premiere, may move from KSFO to KNEW.


I'm not up on all of these stations, etc. So, would that be bad if Rush moved from KSFO to KNEW? I don't really care what station/s he is on as long as he is on! :)

[Carry_Okie]

Poing

[w1andsodidwe]

KGO is an extremely liberal talk station and KSFO is the Conservative side. Both are owned by ABC.

KGO is the market leader in SF as you would expect. KSFO is a breath of fresh air. Don't know anything about the new station coming in.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Good for him! He can play the liberals game with them.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

According to the lawsuit, the leftists involved in running the anti-Savage sites were able to convince Culligan (water) to drop sponsorship on the Michael Savage show. Freep is in order?

[martin_fierro]

I like listening to Lee Rodgers, and Officer Vic is fine, but Mrs. Jack Swanson (Melanie Morgan) makes me want to run screaming from the room. U G G H H !

[OXENinFLA]

I just found out that starting 6-9-03 WOKV here in JAX will be moving Savage from his 8-10 slot and playing his full 3hrs. from 9-12. I don't know if I like this change because they are putting Clark Howard on from 6-9.

This just makes no sense.

[gaspar]

When Rush Limbaugh moved from a sports station to KSFO it began to catch up with KGO, the old radio leader. Savage has his listeners, but Limbaugh is king in the Bay Area.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

KNEW 910 has Neal Boortz in the early afternoon. Neal rocks! Quite a nice alternative to Dr. Laura on KSFO.

Savage won't be missed. He can be occasionally entertaining but mostly he's boorish, overbearing, rude, repetitious, vain and unfunny. He's also a poor excuswe for a "conservative"... not only is he a poster-child of right-wing nastiness for the Left, but he's come out for things like income caps (back during the dot-com insanity) and other crowd-pleasing but essentially statist crap. Hannity--even on tape--is a great improvement. I hope KNEW passes on him too.

[steve8714]

don't be confused...Savage is not a "conservative, especially in the country club Republican sense of the word. He is a dyed-in-the-wool radical, more like Buchanan than Limbaugh. He is also eminently listenable.

[Cyber Ninja]

Nah! RightOnTheLeftCoast has it right. Savage is a self important poop head. ~~(8^o

[ohioman]

Savage rocks and is a great alternative to the Country Club wussies who call themselves conservative. He tells it like it is and gives liberals hell in as many forms as he can dish out at once.

[.38sw]

I stopped listening to Savage awhile ago for many of the reasons you stated. He was really getting on my nerves. I switched to KNEW in the afternoon, listening to Boortz and Larry Elder. I'm not all that fond of Hannity, but prefer him to Savage. It'll be interesting to see how things shake out, and who ends up where.

[skeeter]

I like listening to Lee Rodgers, and Officer Vic is fine, but Mrs. Jack Swanson (Melanie Morgan) makes me want to run screaming from the room. U G G H H !

Not me. I never tire of her relating her experiences reporting from Lebanon back in the 80's. /sarcasm

Her husband & she really have a great scam going on - she does almost all the personal endorsements for that station.

[finnman69]

This is all public info:


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