MSNBC Fires Host Savage for Wishing AIDS on Caller

Yahoo! News ^ | July 7, 2003 | Ben Berkowitz

[El Conservador]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Cable news channel MSNBC on Monday fired Michael Savage after the controversial talk show host wished AIDS (news - web sites) on a caller whom he dismissed as "one of the sodomites."

Savage had been under fire from gay rights groups since February when the network announced it had hired the conservative commentator to host a TV version of his popular talk radio show.

Saturday's episode of "The Savage Nation," his 15th since the program's debut in March, featured Savage discussing air travel with callers.

One caller began discussing his experiences, and after an unintelligible part of the call, Savage asked him "So are you one of those sodomists?"

When the caller said, "Yes I am," Savage, reclining in a chair with his arms folded and wearing dark sunglasses, responded, "Oh, you're one of the sodomites! You should only get AIDS and die, you pig!" in a clip of the show hosted on the Web site of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

An MSNBC representative was not immediately available to comment, but a source familiar with the matter confirmed that the show had been canceled.

GLAAD, which from the start campaigned against MSNBC's hiring of Savage, cheered the cancellation.

"Michael Savage's latest rant made the clearest possible case for why this kind of behavior has no place on any reputable news network," GLAAD spokeswoman Cathy Renna said in a statement.

In addition to his radio and TV show, Savage founded the Paul Revere Society, which advocates closing the U.S. borders, eliminating bilingual education and ending affirmative action programs.

A message left at a number listed for the Paul Revere Society in the northern California city of Mill Valley was not immediately returned.

Savage, who according to his biography on a network Web site holds a doctorate in epidemiology and nutrition science, hosted his unabashedly conservative show from the well-known liberal bastion of San Francisco.

A network source said the show had averaged 347,000 viewers through its first 14 airings, not including three weekends when the show was preempted by news coverage. It had aired Saturdays at 5 p.m. ET.

Savage was hired around the time the network canceled liberal talk-show host Phil Donahue, who in turn reportedly accused MSNBC of trying to "outfox Fox," a reference to Fox News Channel, often characterized as being conservative.

MSNBC is a partnership of the NBC unit of General Electric Co. and Microsoft Corp.

[Cultural Jihad]

True, you can waste your time being concerned whether the Moon is made of Kraft brand marshmallow, too.

[Cultural Jihad]

Are you also concerned that the Man in the Moon might not have a right to someone else's microphone?

[Libertina]

Savage had been under fire from gay rights groups since February when the network announced it had hired the conservative commentator to host a TV version of his popular talk radio show.
A little piece of the truth right here. First Dr. Laura, now Savage. Just part of the radical homosexual action plan.

[Cultural Jihad]

Nonsense. Dr. Weiner has no one to blame but Dr. Weiner. Did you not hear that he has apologized?

[Symix]

Looks like you are both mean and stupid

[Bob J]

We are not winning because we do not have an effective plan for countering the media dominance of the left.

[Cultural Jihad]

Hey, I understand the 1st Amendment. If you don't like the fact that Dr. Weiner is barred from MSNBC then you are free to purchase it and hire him back. Or would you rather pass some kind of law forcing the owners to place Dr, Weiner back on the air?

[Libertina]

hatemongering defenders
Listeners who like Savage are hatemongers??? I believe you're on the wrong forum. DU is the LEFT turn.

[MattAMiller]

Because if you saw the show it was obvious that Baldwin's comments were part of a prescripted bit where Baldwin's craziness was meant to be laughed at.

[Libertina]

Unlike you, I listen to most all his shows. He explained. He did not say he was wrong in what he said to the plant caller. His apoligy was to people who thought it was a blanket statement - it was not.

[Final Authority]

I like Scarborough too. Like when I need to go to sleep. He is soooo boring, but he is couth.

[Symix]

Your usage of the name "Weiner" just shows you as anti-semite as well.

It is also illogical to claim 1st Ammendment while in each of your posts you deny my right to have an opinion.

Your first post was a personal attack on me.

I gave you a chance to apologize by laughing it off.
You replied with several attacks.

You are probably young and this is how you are accustommed argue. Grow up - discuss ideas, events, listen and talk when you have something to contribute. Keep it civil by respecting others and they will respect you in kind.

Keep insulting and get the same back.
Liberals always go for a person - destroy the messanger and you destroy the message. This is how they got rid of the "Savage Nation".

Do not go their way.
Our way is the personal growth;
Theirs is to uplift themselves by destroying those in their way. It is faster but results in low quality.

Savage calls one of its variations "Affirmative Racism".

[Cultural Jihad]

What nonsense. Weiner is the fellow's name, and it is not anti-Semitic to call people by their name. As far as I have ever heard, (and I have listened to a lot of his programs) Mr. Weiner will not even answer questions as to his nationality, and frankly it doesn't or shouldn't really matter one bit, so please play your race card game with someone else.

No one denies you your right to your opinion no matter how flakey it is. But if I see an opinion based on balderdash, expect me to say so.

[Cultural Jihad]

Keep insulting and get the same back.

And where have you been insulted? If your ideas cannot stand the scrutiny of reason and debate, then that is hardly an insult.

[inkling]

Good Riddance!

Why doesn't MSNBC stop bottom-feeding and give a show to a good radio host? Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved, Dennis Prager.. someone with a mind.

[xm177e2]

I am sure Savage agrees, and isn't whining about being fired. He's got too much integrity to whine.

Bwahahahaha!! This is sarcasm, right?

[CaptIsaacDavis]

SAVAGE GIVES HIS EXPLANATION...
http://www.homestead.com/prosites-prs/SavageTVShow.html

[Conservative til I die]

AIDS is not a homosexual disease (or so the homosexual lobby has said for well over a decade).Oh come on, we know why Savage chose to use that as his insult.

Are you telling me that if I told my black coworker to "Go eat some fried chicken and choke on the bones" that I could explain it away with "Well, white people eat fried chicken too!" Like I've said to others on the thread, try it and see if you can explain your way out of it.

Certainly "sodomite" is an appropriate term; it was even the basis of the term "sodomy law" that refered to certain sexual acts.

Again, you're trying to argue your way out of it with by etymologizing the word. Yes, by the strictest sense of the word, "sodomite" is an accurate description. However, calling a homosexual a "sodomite" is not considered proper etiquette in our culture at this time, to put it lightly. And it's also about intent. Savage was trying to denigrate the caller. He wasn't referring to him as a 'sodomite' in order to use the most appropriate term. He used it as a perjorative.

Choking on sausage is not exclusively a homosexual manner of death either.

Again, the use of a value-neutral insult like "choke on a sausage" doesn't excuse the earlier insult. I'll use my fried chicken example. If after I told my black coworker to choke on fried chicken bones, I also told him I hope he gets hit by a car (funny that we refer to this as the nicer, excusible insult), it doesn't change the fact that I made a racially related, derogatory statement earlier. Try explaining to your boss "Well I also wished he got run over by a car! That oughta count for something!" and see where it gets you.

Even Ted Turner was permitted to insult the Christians who had ashes on their foreheads at his network.

If I'm not mistaken, wasn't this before he sold out to Time Warner, when he was still the man in charge? If not, it's still irrelevant, because two wrongs don't make a right. And copping out with the "Well, xxxx did it too!!" is pretty weak, and is just away of avoiding personal accountability.

[oceanperch]

They should of known what they were getting when signing Savage up.

That was Savage mouthing off, he reminds me of Dr. Gene Scott in that area.

[Porterville]

Savage is fun to watch because of his ego, vanity, insecurity, closet homosexuality (yes I said it the dude is gay), and nearing towards self-destruction....love his show, love his comedy, sometimes he is very insightful, but as is for many artist he is a complete whack job.