KUGN to bounce hard-line talk show (DUMPS SAVAGE IN A BOW TO LEFTIST WHINERS)

The Eugene Red Guard ^ | December 18, 2002 | TIM CHRISTIE

[Clinging Bitterly]

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www.registerguard.com | © The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon

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December 18, 2002

KUGN to bounce hard-line talk show

By TIM CHRISTIE
The Register-Guard

KUGN, the "Voice of the Ducks," will drop bombastic talk show host Michael Savage starting today.

The move follows a chorus of complaints from University of Oregon faculty and students who have argued for weeks that UO football and basketball broadcasts shouldn't share the air with "hate radio" commentators who defy the university's commitment to diversity and equality.

Station officials insisted Tuesday that the campus clamor had no bearing on the decision to dump Savage.

	Michael Savage

In place of "The Savage Nation," the station will offer a locally produced talk show from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays featuring veteran broadcaster Dan Carlin, who had a KUGN talk show in the 1990s.

Cumulus Broadcasting, which owns KUGN and six other stations in the Eugene market, had been looking for months to replace the Savage show with a local program, said Michael Donovan, market manager for Cumulus Eugene.

KUGN, which relies on syndicated shows for much of its programming, wanted to get more "live and local," particularly during afternoon drive time, Donovan said.

But station officials had also concluded that the Savage program wasn't a good fit in this market, he said.

"It was our opinion that Michael Savage, in his desire to be noticed and compete in a crowded conservative talk show market place, was growing more and more outrageous as time wore on in order to draw attention and therefore ratings," Donovan said.

Still, he noted, university officials, including President Dave Frohnmayer, went on record that they had no desire to dictate KUGN's programming decisions.

"So consequently, there is not linkage in our suitability to be the voice of the Ducks and the primary outlet for Oregon athletics on the radio, and whether Michael Savage is heard on KUGN in the afternoon," Donovan said.

Last month, Frohnmayer publicly affirmed the university's diversity policies, but said he wouldn't use the contract with KUGN to pressure it into dropping the Savage show. To do so, he suggested, would amount to censorship.

Critics at the UO said Savage went beyond outrageous. They called his program "hate radio," and cited his on-air remarks denigrating women, immigrants, Hispanics and Jews.

Julie Novkov, an associate political science professor at the UO, was among the faculty members who objected to the university's relationship with a station that aired Savage.

She said the departure of the Savage show goes a long way toward addressing her concerns.

"I would hope that it speaks to the power of the market," she said.

"What I really object to about Savage is the gratuitousness and viciousness of his attacks on groups of people that I'm serving in my capacity as a faculty member daily," she said.

"He has the right to say whatever he wants to say, but I have no desire for the university to be affiliated with someone who was saying those kinds of things about people I'm seeing in my classroom every day."

Neither Savage, his staff, nor officials at his syndicator, the Central Point-based Talk Radio Network, returned telephone messages seeking comment.

On the Talk Radio Network Web site, Savage describes himself this way: "Those who listen to me say they hear a bit of Plato, Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac, Moses, Jesus and Frankenstein."

On the air, his favorite targets include liberals, the news media and "Hollywood idiots." He cuts off callers who disagree with him.

On Tuesday's show, he ripped into Sen. Trent Lott for "genuflecting before the minority pressure groups."

Lott, R-Miss., has come under a storm of criticism for his remark suggesting America would be better off if it had followed the segregationist policies Sen. Strom Thurmond espoused in his 1948 presidential bid.

"I am sick and tired of pandering to minorities," Savage said. "You stole my birthright."

He also targeted CNN anchor Judy Woodruff, calling her "Judy Woodmuff," and said: "There's no liberal bias in the media - it's liberal treason."

Savage's Web site said he's on 300 stations and is the fastest-growing talk show host in the country, but Donovan, a 30-year veteran of the industry, said "everyone claims to be No. 1 or fastest-growing."

Controversial, acerbic broadcasters such as Savage, Howard Stern, Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura may get great ratings in large markets, but they don't do so well in smaller markets such as Eugene, Donovan said.

And some advertisers simply won't run ads on their programs, he said.

Even without Savage, KUGN will continue to tilt to the right with a program lineup that features Bill O'Reilly and Michael Medved.

KUGN began looking for its own afternoon talk show host last summer, talking to candidates inside and outside the market, Donovan said.

Carlin got in touch with KUGN when he heard about the controversy involving Savage, Donovan said. Carlin knows local issues and his Rolodex is "very up to date," he said.

"It made a lot of sense, and we were delighted when he contacted us and that the timing worked out the way it did," Donovan said.

Carlin previously hosted two other talk shows on KUGN and was a reporter for KVAL-TV and an assignment editor for KABC in Los Angeles. He left KUGN in 1997 to write a book, "The Pinocchio Effect," and to pursue business opportunities.

Carlin, 37, of Creswell, described himself as "fiscally conservative and socially libertarian."

"I want to leave people alone," he said.

He plans to take calls from listeners and interview guests. As for his broadcasting style, Carlin said he won't be sure until he gets on the air.

"I can tell you what my style was five years ago," he said. "I don't know if I'm the same way I was."

But he said he's no Michael Savage. "The guy's a shock jock," he said. "I'm not a shock jock."

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[Clinging Bitterly]

Been looking to do this since last summer. Yeah right.

I emailed Jerry Allen (the senior on-air personality at the station, and also a university employee as the Ducks' radio announcer) a month or so ago when the leftists started tossing their feces around over this issue, and I told him that my radio dial is not stuck and I would be turning it if anything like this happened.

My email tonight will be to tell him that the dial has been turned.

As for U of O sports, this year I was fortunate enough to obtain tickets and attend most of the Ducks home football games at the newly expanded Autzen Stadium. I noticed that later in the season there were a lot of empty seats. My company is a huge sponsor of U of O athletics, and purchases hundreds of season tickets for all of the programs (and part of the Autzen complex is named for it), and while I don't see that situation changing a whole lot, there are those of us who appreciated that politics didn't get mixed up in at least this part of the University, and our disappointment today isn't likely to do much to fill up those empty seats. In the coming year, there'll be plenty of time to analyze the whole issue and figure out if the station's comments regarding this are on the up and up, and also decide whether or not to attend home football games.

I think KUGN has made a mistake here. In the end, the Ducks' broadcast contract boils down to money. Until very recently, it went between the top three AM stations in the area, and they were locally owned. With changes in broadcast regulations, we now have KUGN as #2 owned by Cumulus Broadcasting, and KPNW as #1 owned by Clear Channel Communications (and for all practical purposes, there is not a #3). Talk radio is the bread and butter of both of these stations, but the university sports broadcasting contract is the meat. It is the biggest thing on radio in this town, and when the radio contract comes back up for bids, it's gonna get ugly as it always does. But the university doesn't have much control over what station gets it anymore, as they have delegated that function their national television broadcats rights holder, which is currently ESPN. Somehow I don't think much will affect this beyond the bottom line.

Dave in Eugene

[Clinging Bitterly]

Hey bud, ya got a Eugene ping list in the can??

Dave in Eugene

[Commander8]

Well, there's one station that's going to lose lots of listeners.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

The move follows a chorus of complaints from University of Oregon faculty and students who have argued for weeks that UO football and basketball broadcasts shouldn't share the air with "hate radio" commentators who defy the university's commitment to diversity liberalism and equality special treatment for selected classes of women and non-white people.

[GOP_Raider]

Did that article just say that talk shows dont do as well in smaller markets?? Baloney!! Maybe not in Eugene, but in places like Reno, Boise, Billings, Idaho Falls, and a few other markets in the west they do extremely well.

I think sometimes news departments just make up statistics like that to suit their own purposes.

[Nachum]

What station is KUGN's competitor? Man, I would pick up Savage's contract in a heartbeat. Then I would run a billboard on campus with a huge picture of Savage and my call letters just to piss everybody off.

Can you imagine the publicity? Ratings would hit the roof.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Yeah, that's how it goes. They dump a conservative in the name of equality and diversity (code for "liberalism"), then can't figure out why their ratings just went in the dumper.

[The Obstinate Insomniac]

ping

[jwalsh07]

Critics at the UO said Savage went beyond outrageous. They called his program "hate radio," and cited his on-air remarks denigrating women, immigrants, Hispanics and Jews

Michael Weiner, nee Savage, is a Jew and strong supporter of Israel. Not that the truth matters in today's America.

[Clinging Bitterly]

My email to jerry@kugn.com (Jerry Allen):

Subject: Dropping the Savage show...

When this issue of the Savage show vs. Oregon sports came up about a month ago I emailed you and I mentioned that my radio dial is not stuck.

I'm not inclined to believe what I heard from your market director in the former Savage time slot today. The newspaper article sort of gives away the fact that the programming decision was made at least partly in response to the vocal leftist minority's cries for censorship.

Too bad for you and the station. I listened to you on the sports broadcasts, and to the Savage show, but it seems as though your station didn't listen to me.

Thank you for all the years of wonderful Ducks game broadcasting, especially for the excitement with which you have colored some of the greatest moments in U of O sports history. I will be missing them for as long as the sports programs remain on KUGN. I am truly sorry.

David xxxxxx
Eugene, Oregon

[Clinging Bitterly]

There are two "major" AM stations in town and as I said, talk radio is their bread and butter. To say talk radio doesn't do well here would seem to be a lie, since that's all there is.

Dave in Eugene

[Clinging Bitterly]

> What station is KUGN's competitor?

That would be KPNW 1120 (a "clear channel"), 50,000 watts into a four tower directional array standing in a big flat marsh. If you tune in right now, I can just about guarantee you will hear it (currently playing a Trail Blazers basketball game).

Their billboards have Rush's picture, but there's room for more.

Dave in Eugene

[First Amendment]

I used to live in Eugene (left about 5 yrs ago) and for those of you who haven't been there, it is one of the most left-leaning towns I have been in. More women with beards there than anyplace I've seen.... I bet Mike Savage will do fine on 1120 AM!

[John W]

We just lost Dave Macy on WOWO in Fort Wayne this week.Supposedly for not properly filling out FCC required paperwork when commercials don't run within 15 minutes of scheduled time.Macy didn't disput his errors,but,as he put it-it'll be a "safer" station without him.Fort Wayne is a cowtown that aspires to be something else,won't get there this way.

[Nachum]

50,000 watts? Clear channel?

Hey, why not write a letter to the sports director of the University, suggesting he could do better with a station with more power. This is sure to affect the recruiting power of his football program. What mother wants to send her highly touted football player to a University that has so much controversy?(send a copy of this letter to the program director at KUGN along with a reminder of how he just lost a bunch of listeners)

I mean, as long as Oregon is now more of a nationally recognized football power, the fan base would appreciate a 50,000 watt clear channel station. "Mr. Sports Director- think of the better recruiting the program could do with the larger reach of a 50,000 watt clear channel station like KPNW 1120."

[DBtoo]

But Savage has that awful, whiny, grating voice that makes me just cringe....

Plus I think he is nothing but an opportunist. I think his act is a charade. I am not a liberal. I just don't like that man.

[The Obstinate Insomniac]

Just don't make the mistake of listening too often to his show, he might grow on you.

[DBtoo]

Where I live we have one AM station and one FM station. The FM station is local (AM is public radio) and the owner of the FM has Michael Savage on in the afternoons. It's much more interesting than NPR, but Savage behaves like such a jerk. He is very much in love with himself. I went to his website some months ago to find out about him. At the time all I could find on his site was him begging for money.

[DBtoo]

Well that's the problem!

I've been listening to him a few days a week for over a year now. It seems he's gotten worse lately with the rudeness and insults. He makes me so mad sometimes when he doesn't give other people a chance to speak and yells nasty things at them and hangs up. What a jerk!!! I even resort to screaming at the radio sometimes.

[The Obstinate Insomniac]

I would agree with your assessment except every once in a while he will have a great show.

[Las Vegas Dave]

I listen to Savage as I surf the net and read FR in the evening, (7 to 10 in the EST zone), on KERN or WPHB.

I like his line to the libs, "If we had lost WWII because of people like you, today you would either speak German or be a lamp shade!"

[gaspar]

This whole business encapsulates the U. of Oregon. The left (particularly the SDS) took over the University in the nineteen sixties and has not relinquished power since. At that time it was a second rate University with one first rate school, architecture. Today, it is a third rate school, and the essence of political correctness wafts through its truly ugly campus. Today, there are no second rate schools worth bragging about, and a sheepskin from the green and gold is about as significant as a piece of paper from a Los Angeles theological diploma mill.

[shhrubbery!]

Savage is an equal opportunity basher. If more leftists get bashed, it's only because they present so many more opportunities.

Ann Coulter's right, liberals have no sense of humor. They don't get Savage's shtick. He may be coarse, but his humor is fresh and funny, unlike that of unlistenable toilet talker Howard Stern.

[Clinging Bitterly]

> the fan base would appreciate a 50,000 watt clear channel station

Yup. I live here in town and I get a noise free signal from KPNW but not aways as clear from KUGN (especially at night, I think they are 10,000 watts). But the sports contract has historically gone back & forth between the two stations. Whoever gets it signs up stations in every town to be a part of the "network", so the raw power of the local station isn't as big an issue as it would seem. But the license to carry the games comes up every three years or so and KPNW gets it about half the time.

And KPNW has carried Rush since the very beginning of his national show, used to carry Micheal Reagan but lately carries Dr. Laura. The midday show is the popular Oregon conservative Lars Larson, and the afternoon drive time show is a local sports talk show that is supposed to be funny.

They might put Savage on at 7:00 PM, but I doubt they'd go any earlier. At home I can tune in the Portland station that carries Savage, and there are various internet feeds.

Neither of these options works in the car, but my commute is like four minutes.

Dave in Eugene

[Landru]

"KUGN, the 'Voice of the Ducks,' will drop bombastic talk show host Michael Savage starting today.
The move follows a chorus of complaints from University of Oregon faculty and students who have argued for weeks that UO football and basketball broadcasts shouldn't share the air with 'hate radio' commentators who defy the university's commitment to diversity and equality."

~snip~

"'So consequently, there is not linkage in our suitability to be the voice of the Ducks and the primary outlet for Oregon athletics on the radio, and whether Michael Savage is heard on KUGN in the afternoon,' Donovan [read: station manager] said."

~snip~

"Last month, Frohnmayer [read: UO President] publicly affirmed the university's diversity policies, but said he wouldn't use the contract with KUGN to pressure it into dropping the Savage show. To do so, he suggested, would amount to censorship."

So there ya have it.
We saw it; but, it wasn't there.
We heard it; but, nothing was said.
It's wrong; but, we're going to say it's right.
Be honest & open; but, honesty & openess will be punished

Oh yea, one more too.

...there is no Liberal bias in the Lamestream media. :o)

[peter the great]

I would not wory about this and would bet that the competing station will eventually pick up Savage. When I lived in Cleveland WTAM was the perfect radio station. Clear Channel Communications bought them out and then changed eveything and the ratings dropped and they were forced to make changes. I moved to Houston, Texas talk radio was on one station a decent line up. Clear Channel buys them out again and everyone local gets fired or quits the ratings drop and then their competitor hires everyone local and then everything is back like it was. Perhaps he people at the niversity can learn a valuable lesson about the "real world" in that you must produce and that GPA's mean everything.

[JMP]

I discovered Savage in Central Florida about 2 years ago. Since then I listen much of the time (he is pre-empted by the Orlando Magic whenever they play, though still available on the web). He can be great listening when he is pissed off but it is tempting to hit scan when he starts all that self adoration. His attempts to paint call-ins who may disagree with him before he ultimately hangs up on them is transparent, weakens his arguments and insults his listeners.
.
As far as the article is concerned, it is the stations right to practce what amounts to censorship. Generally a business won't do this because ultimately the bottom line (revenue) rules. Perhaps that has been weighed here and the choice of KUGN loosing savage or the university meant that financially the university was more important to the stations bottom line. I would think that one of KUGN's competition has been handed an opportunity. It would be interesting to know if this occurs.

[Jack Black]

Personally I'd be thrilled if KXL in Portland dropped Savage. As it is he is pre-empted almost every day during sports season for some stupid game. Often, the Trailblazers who personify everything he is against. I'd like to see him on a station that was committed to airing each show, not just occassional filler.

I can not stand the Jail Blazers and hate even listening to a station that promotes them. What a bunch of thugs and losers.

[JMP]

Yes, same here. It's WDBO in Central Florida. I would like to see savage on a station that would consistantly air him. There are ways around this (internet) but not in the car. Sometimes I can pick up a faint signal from SW Florida when there is a cold front moving through.

[blackie]

No Eugene ping list here ... I don't get a chance to listen Savage as much as I would like. at 4:00 I'm usually starting to prepare the evening meal ... :)

Be Well - Be Armed - Be Safe - Molon Labe!

[peter the great]

up here in New York, Savage is pre-empted by the New Jersey Devils. will admit that it is a litle frustrating at times.

[Missouri]

>>I like his line to the libs<<


Where do we start? He has so many. I like when he says if the enviormental wackos ban cars, how is going to get around, in a ricksaw? Got to go. He's on right now.

[Clinging Bitterly]

Well in Eugene it's the same way with the regularly scheduled talk shows. KPNW carries the Jail Blazers which pre-empt Dr Laura when they are on (not that she is my cup of tea, that's the time I do my Freeping). And KUGN bounces anything that's anywhere near the time of a Ducks game broadcast with rather lengthy pre and post game commentary.

At night, KPNW carries what Art Bell show has become, which for me is good background noise to sleep on, and KUGN carries yet another flying saucer/crop circle show, the name of which I don't recall. I am amused by some of the subject matter on the former, but I enjoyed Art Bell more waaay back when his show was all political discussion. Either way, there are often some real whacked out people calling in.

Dave in Eugene

[Clinging Bitterly]

I envy your situation. At 4:00 I usually still have a couple of hours to go at work (I hope I'm still alive when I retire, but either way I won't miss working, it's all good at that point).

Dave in Eugene

[DBtoo]

I'm not liberal at all and he makes me actually howl and scream! It's usually when he is so over the top rude to callers though. I agree with his views, but his personality is so grating to me.

[blackie]

I retired when I was 55 ... it has been perfect! :)

Had a busy morning:
We went to Costco at 0900 then to Ye Olde Pancake House, for breakfast.
I readjusted the latches on my electronic locking, pickup tonneau cover, when we returned home ... :)

I'm about ready for a nap. :)

[Clinging Bitterly]

> We went to Costco

I guess I march to the beat of a different drummer here. Costco is universally popular, it seems, but I hate that place more than just about any other place I have ever been, or could ever imagine being. I cannot express in words (need to also use gestures) how much I despise that place. Mere utterance of the name of that place will get me started (as you can see)...

> I readjusted the latches on my electronic locking, pickup tonneau cover, when we returned home ... :)
> I'm about ready for a nap. :)

I guess those latches can be real buggers, huh. And you do need your rest, I'm sure. It having been rainy and all, you'll probably need to be polishing the water spots off that Harley soon.

Dave in Eugene

[blackie]

Costco has the best fillet mignon (choice) steaks in town.

It's been two years since the latches were adjusted.

I sold my Harley in '00 and bought this '01 GS650 Suzuki, after changing my mind about riding some more ... :)

Be Well - Be Armed - Be Safe - Molon Labe!