Savage: My Numbers Don't Lie

Newsmax.com ^ | Monday, July 14, 2003

[nickcarraway]

Syndicated talk show host Michael Savage continues to fight back.

Fired recently from MSNBC, the conservative talker is angry with claims made by his former network MSNBC and fellow conservatives, one of whom claimed on Fox News that his TV program had low ratings.

On Savage's web site, MichaelSavage.com, Savage says, "Lying about Michael Savage's ratings is not 'fair and balanced.' A phony conservative is trying to put a knife in my back while I am on the ground. It is bad enough when the Liberals lie. Now a legion of so-called conservatives are creating false statements, publishing half truths, and trying to rewrite the history of my ratings on television. One of Fox's unknown clowns wrote a column this weekend stating that Savage's ratings were savaged by Fox and CNN.”

Savage then offers Nielsen ratings for his last month of programs.

The numbers show Savage consistently beating CNN, and gaining momentum against cable news king Fox. At one point, Savage even surpassed Fox. On June 29, in the final quarter hour of his program Savage pulled 138,000 viewers, against 121,000 for Fox.

Unstated by Savage, his numbers are even more impressive considering his show was new. Usually it takes time to build an audience on cable news.

Also, his ratings were remarkable for an MSNBC program, whose rating usually only draws a fraction of what Fox and CNN pull.

Savage is apparently not hurting after the flap. Interest in his national radio program has grown.

In his home base market of San Francisco, Savage just left Disney owned KSFO for Clear Channel owned KNEW.

A source close to the talk radio industry tells NewsMax that Savage got a huge increase in pay with a "A multi-million dollar contract in the eight figures.”

The source said Savage was now the highest paid broadcaster for either TV or radio in the Bay area.

[skeeter]

He's taking a savaging from some of his old mates on KSFO as well. There seems to be quite alot of animosity built up among his peers.

[Support Free Republic]

The former President disembarks from his airplane after a trip back to Arkansas. Although the hoopla is less now that he is out of office, Clinton still occasionally finds himself greeted by military personnel. This is one such occasion.

He climbs down the stairs, carrying two huge pigs, one under each arm. He gets to the bottom, and nods his head in return to the soldier's salute. "Son, what do you think about these?" he says. "Nice pigs, SIR!" comes the reply. Clinton gets mildly miffed and lectures, "I'll have you know these aren't just pigs but the finest of Arkansas Razorbacks. Top notch. I got one for Hillary, and one for Chelsea. What do you think about that?"

"Nice trade, SIR!

Free Republic

Your donations keep us laughing at liberals

[nickcarraway]

Bryan Wilson for sure, who else? Wilson came off as a jerk, to be quite frank.

[Eastbound]

That's the way it is between cooks. Savage makes a better meat-ball. That's where the beef is.

[xzins]

Savage hadn't even been on long enough for any analysis to be based on viewer trends. The show's not very many months old.

Savage shouldn't be surprised that rival networks, even conservatives, are glad he's gone. That's just regular business competition.

By and large I like Savage. Yeah, he gets crazy at times, but He has a different take. I don't mind someone making me think of a new angle.

[Im Your Huckleberry]

Success engenders that.

Savage made KSFO, and his show was the crown jewel of their line-up. His success made him a lot of enemies, and engendered a lot of bitterness and jealousy from his peers.

His departure opened the door to allow them to rip on him, which they would have liked to do while he was there but couldn't.

F- them. They're going nowhere.

Meanwhile Savage is the number 3 or number 4 show in the nation (depending on which numbers you look at) and he has an audience somewhere between 6 million to 8 million listeners a week.

They could only hope for that kind of success.

Savage rules.

[Yo-Yo]

A station in my hometown started carrying Savage Nation during the Summer of 2001. I was just about to switch him off permanantly because of his constant Bush bashing. His worst show was September 10, 2001 for this. After 9/11 he flipped 180 degrees and was (rightly so) a Bush supporter in the face of attack.

He's just now starting to whack at Bush again, and I'm finding him less tolerable again.

[bedolido]

he's on the way out.

[ImpotentRage]

Brian Wilson was always sniping at Savage with VERY thinly- veiled remarks when Savage was Wilson't lead-in. I really don't think Brian made himself look good with his openly gleeful bashing of Savage. I thought Wilson would have had more class than that.

[widowithfoursons]

Savage is not leaving. He's on a mission from God (ala the Blues Brothers). His job is to make conservatives angry enough to say something. ANYTHING.

[nothingnew]

Bump to what you said. As irritating as Savage can be, he's a necessary voice to answer to the likes of serpenthead, mccauliff and the like. Yeah, he pisses me off many times, but we need someone in the foxholes to answer the hatefull BS the above do. I will continue to listen.

FMCDH

[Vinomori]

Savage won't leave...he is a GREAT political entertainer like Lenny Bruce. He's absolutely wonderful.

[widowithfoursons]

And what is really good about Savage is his in your face NYC accent. Must p**s the libs off mightily. Most of his points are well taken. I wouldn't even be surprised if he said what he said on purpose. He's just devious enough to do that (for his own reasons). I just can't imagine that he said it by accident.

[widowithfoursons]

Lenny Bruce????? I have listened to all of his recorded concerts, and even though they have the same rat-a-tat-tat delivery, I think that speaks more to their cultural background than any political similarities. Lenny was a heroin addict who died from it (after making everyone who knew him miserable). But I still like Lenny's Cardinal Spellman/Bishop Sheen shitck a lot.

[skeeter]

Bryan Wilson for sure, who else? Wilson came off as a jerk, to be quite frank.

The station is running a promo of Sean Hannity's program which makes a derogatory if humorous reference to Savages recent troubles.

Savage often rubs me the wrong way but how pathetic was it for Wilson to slur on for an hour regarding him the other day? Talk about yer sour grapes.

[texas booster]

Wow. Petty jealousy from radio and TV types?

Shocking.

[bedolido]

But I still like Lenny's Cardinal Spellman/Bishop Sheen shitck a lot

lol. I remember him and Mort Sahl. They changed the way commedians approached their comedy.

Never liked Bruce, however, I did like Shelly Berman and Bob Newhart.

[Bullish]

Brian Wilson has never impressed me in the least.

He's pretty thick in the head.

[widowithfoursons]

Saw Richard Pryor at the Schumman in Chicago years ago, and Bob Newhart was in the audience. He got a standing O just for being there.