ABC Yanks Michael Savage in New York

newsmax ^ | June 18, 2003 | Carl Limbacher

[TLBSHOW]

ABC Yanks Michael Savage in New York

Rising radio star and best-selling author Michael Savage has been yanked off the air by his New York City affiliate, WABC Radio, due to a contract dispute with his San Francisco flagship station, KSFO, which syndicates Savage nationally through the Talk Radio Network.

"'The Mouse' is trying to intimidate me," Savage told the New York Post on Wednesday - referring to WABC's parent company Disney. "It's bullying of the worst kind."

The shoot-from-the-lip talker has been off the air on KSFO since June 2. But on Monday, WABC followed suit, replacing him with Landmark Legal Foundation President Mark Levin, who has own show on the station on Sunday.

"ABC has outright told me, point blank, that if I don't sign with them in San Francisco they're gonna take me off in New York, that they want to send a message," Savage told The Post.

"This is out of bounds - in plain English, they took me off the air in New York to pressure me to sign below market value in my home market, San Francisco."

The acerbic talker complained, "It's astounding a corporation can act this way in this day and age. 'The Mouse' is trying to intimidate me. It's bullying of the worst kind."

A terse statement on WABC's website explained:

"Due to unresolved contractual issues between Michael Savage and our sister station KSFO in San Francisco, WABC regrets that we have made a decision to remove the program from the air on a temporary basis.

"We hope those issues can be resolved quickly, and that Michael can again return to the air on WABC in New York City."

The station's program director Phil Boyce told the Post, "I'm the guy who put Michael on the air [in New York City] and he's performed well for me - it's very painful to take him off the air."

Boyce said he was hopeful that the dispute could be worked out and that Savage would be back on the air "as soon as possible."

But the WABC PD added, "He won't be on the air until there's a resolution one way or another."

Still, the California-based talker showed no signs of giving in. In a statement of defiance that Savage has kept on his own Web site for weeks, he declared:

"Right Now the Station [KSFO] that I made famous has chosen to take me off to pressure me into signing a contract extension. They want me desperately. Beginning July 1, 2003, I will be heard again in the San Francisco Area. Right now you may be able to hear me on 650AM on the dial (KSTE) in my regular time slot between 4-7PM broadcasting live, from Sacramento, California."

He continues to hint that there's more to the dispute than mere money, announcing cryptically, "Very soon, the whole story will be told."

Rumors swirled earlier this month that ABC was concerned that Savage was planning to jump to radio behemoth Clear Channel and its Premier Radio Network - and that both he and No. 1 talker Rush Limbaugh were planning to abandon KFSO.

But an industry insider told NewsMax that Limbaugh has just renewed his deal with KFSO and has no plans to leave the ABC affiliate.

[Lazamataz]

This really upsets me. Put Savage back on the air.

Yeah, but Mark Levin doesn't exactly suck.

[Lazamataz]

I have to say it. I just plain feel better after two hours of Mark Levin than I do after two hours of Michael Savage.

(Dreamy-eyed) "Kin we git yer autograph, Mark......?"

Heheh. No, seriously, you do have some real fans here on FR, Mark. I'm one.

[OXENinFLA]

Well, tonights show ought to be a good one.

[bootless]

"Below market", my foot! For San Francisco, that's just not true.

[bootless]

In the end it's about money. If they make more dollars paying cheaper salaries to Elder and Mark, then why not? I actually prefer Mark levin and Elder. They are more calm and articulate. Savage is too full of himself and tends to bite more than he can chew.

Good observation, Cacique, and I know that you know the business. As I said slightly upthread, Savage's claim that KSFO is trying to pay him "below market" rates is just not the case in that market...

[bootless]

Thanks for that link, Cacique. One of the Bay Area broadcast boards (the one started by the broadcast engineers) is all but unusable now, because it's spammed on a daily basis by a deep-fried nutcase who make the John Lennon guy look rational and sane.

[bootless]

I love Mark Levin - he's got the right amount of vinegar, and he really knows what he's talking about. I got hooked on him during the recount. I'm going to see if WABC streams his show...

[calvin sun]

I'd like to see Steve Malzberg back on WABC at a reasonable time, instead of that insane 1am to 5 am.

[YoungKentuckyConservative]

Michael is the weakest link among conservative talk show hosts.

I disagree. He's the strongest link and the only conservative that isn't willing to sell his soul. He believes what he believes and he loves America to its core. If this we're truly a savage nation, we could salvage what's left. Being that it isn't and many Americans prefer to parade around with half-a$$ed phonies, we're going down as sure as the Titanic. Straight to tyranny.

[bootless]

I used to listen to Michael on KSFO, and just got worn out. I've lost count of the times that he nuked a called that I wanted to hear - whether to complete a point or even make an @$$ out of himself - or took credit for something written by a Freeper, or touched on one or two-day old news that have reached 200 messages on FR and pronounces that we "probably don't know about this, so I'll be the first to tell you." Puh.

Yes, his Borders, Language, Culture message is very valuable, but I don't find it to be listenable radio. And I don't believe that, overall, he is advancing the conservative cause. Sorry, Savage followers, but I truly believe that.

I have my radio tuned to Larry Elder at 4, and hope that KSFO can move him over from KNEW. Larry had a funny and informative call on yesterday. A guy called up and said that while he agreed with him, he didn't think that Larry truly understood that "racism still existed in the country." Larry: "Are you aware that I am a black man?" Caller: (pause) "Uh. No. ... Sorry." And then they continued the conversation. :-)

[bootless]

Oh yes - I used to listen to him streamed on WABC before the actor's union shut it down for so long. I remember hearing DFU call in from time to time, too!

[.38sw]

I heard the caller on Elder's show that you are referencing. Pretty good stuff. I switched over to Elder several weeks ago, having gotten weary of Savage's ego. "You don't know this but...". Actually, Mike, I DID know that. I'm not as stupid as you seem to think most of your listeners are. I got tired of him cutting off callers who were trying to present actual FACTS (not contradictory opinions, but FACTS) that Savage had wrong, even though the callers weren't ranting or being disrespectful. He calls them idiots and cuts them off. Not good radio. I don't miss him. If I wanted to listen to him, I could listen to 650, it comes in fairly well during daylight hours where I live. But he's worn out his welcome on my radio dial.

[CommerceComet]

I have to agree with you about Michael Savage. I used to listen to him before I moved to the Midwest. I don't know where to find his show out here and I have realized that I don't miss him a bit. For every good statement that he made (and he made several), he'd have 5 "over-the-top" comments that made me cringe. In my opinion, he is too antagonistic to be persausive.

[skeeter]

Agreed. I just started listening to Larry Elder here in the Bay Area & prefer him to Savage in the same time slot. Elder is authentic.

[bootless]

Hey there .38...

Unless Savage changes this "you don't know this BUT I'll be the first to enlighten you" stuff, he will only be attractive to his true fans and "training wheels conservatives" (no disrespect meant - we ALL were there at some point: outraged, soaking up new conservatism like a sponge). But if he's going to KEEP a large number of informed conservatives, he's GOT to change that tune.

Check out Cacique's link to the NY Radio Boards - very good inside radio stuff.

[djreece]

And I haven't tuned into KSFO for more than a week. Without Michael, why bother? We have lots of good choices in the Bay Area these days. Five hours of Sean Hannity (3 hours live plus 2 hours of repeats), even though I am a fan of Sean's, plus Hannity and Colmes is way too much. He is just not that different from Rush's show.

[Fraulein]

He is just not that different from Rush's show.

Rush's show is much better than Hannity's, IMHO.

[Petronski]

BOYCOTT DISNEY: a vortex of seductive evil™

[djreece]

Rush's show is much better than Hannity's, IMHO.

True. I meant it in the sense that Hannity's show is often just an echo of Rush.

[the jogger]