The Savage Nation
Encyclopedia
The Savage Nation is an American
radio show
hosted by conservative
commentator Michael Savage
on Talk Radio Network
. His show is heard by 8-10 million listeners a week and syndicated across the U.S. in over 300 markets, making it the 3rd most listened to radio show in the country. The show is based out of San Francisco, California
.
subject matter. This, along with the suggestions of friends and acquaintances, inspired Savage to record a radio demo about the very subject of his manuscript. He mailed the tape to 250 radio stations, and on March 21, 1994, The Savage Nation was born on KGO in San Francisco.
Savage's radio career began modestly enough as a fill-in host for Ray Taliaferro
. But as his popularity in the Bay Area grew, sister station KSFO took notice and gave him his own show less than a year after his inception in broadcasting.
At the time, his slogan was "To the right of Rush
and to the left of God." On January 1, 1995, he was given his own show during the drive-time hours. The show quickly became a local hit. During his time at KSFO, Savage soared to #1 in Arbitron
ratings among both adult men and women over 18 during afternoon drive-time in San Francisco and became top talk host in his timeslot in Northern California.
.
On January 17, 2000, he started doing an additional two hours of radio which was broadcast nationally. His national experiment was a success, and, on September 21, 2000, he stopped doing separate shows, beginning a full three-hour national show The Savage Nation. After one year, he was in 150 markets. By 2003, he was in more than 200 markets. Savage's fill-in guest hosts include former U.S. congressman "B-1" Bob Dornan
, Rick Roberts
, Mancow, and Peter Weisbach. Talk radio host Lars Larson
is also a former guest host, although his show now directly competes with The Savage Nation.
in San Francisco.
, Savage has 8-10 million listeners per week, making his show the third most widely heard broadcast in the United States. Savage calls his listeners "literate callers with intelligence, wit, and energy." He says that he tries to make a show that has a "...hard edge combined with humor and education...Those who listen to me say they hear a bit of Plato
, Henry Miller
, Jack Kerouac
, Moses
, Jesus
, and Frankenstein
."
Savage was named the 2007 recipient of Talkers Magazine’s Freedom of Speech Award. According to Talkers Magazine, Savage was honored "for being the first major conservative radio talk show host to criticize President George W. Bush
on his policies and encourage hosts of all political ideologies to remain independent of partisan loyalties.” Previous recipients of the Freedom of Speech Award include Howard Stern
and Rush Limbaugh.
The Savage Nation was removed from KNEW's schedule on September 10, 2009. It was later picked up by sports station KTRB
, but that agreement ended when Comerica Bank foreclosed on the station. Savage advised listeners that the show can be heard in the Bay Area via Sacramento
-area KSTE
.
Savage filed a lawsuit in an attempt to break from his contract, which, though it expired at the end of 2010, contained clauses that granted Talk Radio Network the right to match any offer in perpetuity.
Guests have traditionally been a rare occurrence, but they have become more frequent since 2007. As of 2009, the entire third hour of most shows is now devoted to pre-taped interviews with guests.
removed Savage Nation from its programming because of negative comments.
Savage often closes the show by saying, "With God's will and your listenership, I shall return," or some variation thereof.
He also played "God Save the Queen" by the Sex Pistols
and "Living on a Thin Line" and agreeing that "there's no England now" after being banned from the U.K. by British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.
The signature musical introduction to The Savage Nation is the beginning of Metallica
's "Master of Puppets
" followed by an announcer saying, "Warning: The Michael Savage Show contains adult language, adult content, psychological nudity. Listener discretion is advised." This is followed by Mötley Crüe
's "Looks that Kill
" and Metallica's "The Shortest Straw
" to conclude the introduction.
For bumper music
, Savage has used "Eye of the Beholder
", "Frayed Ends of Sanity
", "Holier Than Thou", "Jump in the Fire
", "To Live Is to Die
", "Battery
", "Blackened", "Sad But True
", "Ain't My Bitch
", "Fuel
", and "The Shortest Straw" by Metallica
, as well as "Du Hast
" and "Tier" by Rammstein
, Nirvana
, "Big Gun
" by AC/DC
, and "Killing in the Name
" by Rage Against the Machine
.
While Savage has previously criticized pop culture on his program, he says that he is a rock music fan. On his July 19, 2006 show, Savage said that he is a huge fan of the German group Rammstein and that he often drives around at night blasting their music. When challenged by a caller to explain why he likes Rammstein, Savage said that they are "the only true form of poetry and music that reflect the real world nowadays." Savage played their music at length during that specific broadcast. Savage is also a fan of 1950s rock 'n' roll and doo-wop
music such as The Cadillacs
, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and The Flamingos
which is played on his "Rock and Roll Friday." On January 25, 2007, he started playing "I'm Broken" by Pantera
on his show, stating that this is the type of music that U.S. troops should be listening to in Iraq.
On Mondays, he frequently opens the program by playing "Blue Monday
" by Fats Domino
.
Radio in the United States
Radio is one of the major mass media of the United States.-History:The beginning of regular commercially licensed sound broadcasting in the United States in 1920 ended the print monopoly over the media and opened the doors to the more immediate and pervasive electronic media...
radio show
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
hosted by conservative
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
commentator Michael Savage
Michael Savage (commentator)
Michael Savage is a conservative American radio host, author, and political commentator. He is the host of The Savage Nation, a nationally syndicated talk show that airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
on Talk Radio Network
Talk Radio Network
Talk Radio Network is an American radio network providing talk radio programming, with an emphasis on conservative talk on weekdays and variety/general interest talk radio on weekends. Some of the most recognizable personalities in American radio, such as Laura Ingraham and Michael Savage, are...
. His show is heard by 8-10 million listeners a week and syndicated across the U.S. in over 300 markets, making it the 3rd most listened to radio show in the country. The show is based out of San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
1994-1998
In 1994, Michael Savage (then publishing under his real name Michael Weiner) submitted for publication a manuscript called Immigrants and Epidemics. The proposed book, which was about the influx of foreign diseases due to the wave of illegal immigrants, was promptly rejected for what Savage contends was its politically incorrectPolitically incorrect
The phrase "politically incorrect" may refer to:* Someone or something which does not meet a standard of political correctness* Politically Incorrect, a late-night U.S. political talk show* Politically Incorrect, a German political blog...
subject matter. This, along with the suggestions of friends and acquaintances, inspired Savage to record a radio demo about the very subject of his manuscript. He mailed the tape to 250 radio stations, and on March 21, 1994, The Savage Nation was born on KGO in San Francisco.
Savage's radio career began modestly enough as a fill-in host for Ray Taliaferro
Ray Taliaferro
Rafael "Ray" Taliaferro is an American radio host and liberal political commentator. His early-morning talk show, simply called The Early Show, airs on KGO News Talk 810 in the San Francisco Bay Area.-Broadcast career:...
. But as his popularity in the Bay Area grew, sister station KSFO took notice and gave him his own show less than a year after his inception in broadcasting.
At the time, his slogan was "To the right of Rush
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
and to the left of God." On January 1, 1995, he was given his own show during the drive-time hours. The show quickly became a local hit. During his time at KSFO, Savage soared to #1 in Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
ratings among both adult men and women over 18 during afternoon drive-time in San Francisco and became top talk host in his timeslot in Northern California.
1999-2003
In 1999, he came to the attention of the Talk Radio NetworkTalk Radio Network
Talk Radio Network is an American radio network providing talk radio programming, with an emphasis on conservative talk on weekdays and variety/general interest talk radio on weekends. Some of the most recognizable personalities in American radio, such as Laura Ingraham and Michael Savage, are...
.
On January 17, 2000, he started doing an additional two hours of radio which was broadcast nationally. His national experiment was a success, and, on September 21, 2000, he stopped doing separate shows, beginning a full three-hour national show The Savage Nation. After one year, he was in 150 markets. By 2003, he was in more than 200 markets. Savage's fill-in guest hosts include former U.S. congressman "B-1" Bob Dornan
Bob Dornan
Robert Kenneth "Bob" Dornan is a Republican and former member of the United States House of Representatives from California and a vocal advocate of pro-life and social conservative causes....
, Rick Roberts
Rick Roberts (commentator)
Rick Roberts is an American conservative talk radio host on 760 KFMB in San Diego, California from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.He has been on the air in San Diego since the 1990s.He is often joined on-air by his producers "Christine" and "David"...
, Mancow, and Peter Weisbach. Talk radio host Lars Larson
Lars Larson
Lars Larson is a conservative U.S. talk radio show host based in Oregon. Larson hosts a national talk radio show, which as of 2009 is syndicated by Compass Media Networks...
is also a former guest host, although his show now directly competes with The Savage Nation.
2003-present
In June 2003, he had a salary dispute with his flagship station KSFO, which refused to renegotiate his contract. He was off the air in San Francisco for three weeks. On July 1, 2003 he began his show on a different station: KNEWKNEW (AM)
KNEW is a radio station in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, CA, USA. The station is owned by Clear Channel. Prior to the format change, the station operated as CNET Radio, offering business and technology news 24 hours a day...
in San Francisco.
, Savage has 8-10 million listeners per week, making his show the third most widely heard broadcast in the United States. Savage calls his listeners "literate callers with intelligence, wit, and energy." He says that he tries to make a show that has a "...hard edge combined with humor and education...Those who listen to me say they hear a bit of Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
, Henry Miller
Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller was an American novelist and painter. He was known for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new sort of 'novel' that is a mixture of novel, autobiography, social criticism, philosophical reflection, surrealist free association, and mysticism, one that is...
, Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
, Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, and Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
."
Savage was named the 2007 recipient of Talkers Magazine’s Freedom of Speech Award. According to Talkers Magazine, Savage was honored "for being the first major conservative radio talk show host to criticize President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on his policies and encourage hosts of all political ideologies to remain independent of partisan loyalties.” Previous recipients of the Freedom of Speech Award include Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
and Rush Limbaugh.
The Savage Nation was removed from KNEW's schedule on September 10, 2009. It was later picked up by sports station KTRB
KTRB
KTRB ESPN Deportes 860 is a commercial radio station in San Francisco, California. The station has a Spanish sports-talk format since June 27, 2011.-History:...
, but that agreement ended when Comerica Bank foreclosed on the station. Savage advised listeners that the show can be heard in the Bay Area via Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
-area KSTE
KSTE
KSTE is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Rancho Cordova, California, USA, the station serves the Sacramento area...
.
Savage filed a lawsuit in an attempt to break from his contract, which, though it expired at the end of 2010, contained clauses that granted Talk Radio Network the right to match any offer in perpetuity.
Format
Each hour of the daily three-hour broadcast usually begins with a monologue by Savage. Being a political commentator by trade, he often discusses issues in American politics and society in general. Many times, this leads to a passionate diatribe by Savage, a staple of The Savage Nation. Savage often takes calls in the second segment to comment on what was discussed in the previous segment.Guests have traditionally been a rare occurrence, but they have become more frequent since 2007. As of 2009, the entire third hour of most shows is now devoted to pre-taped interviews with guests.
Controversy
In 2007, Supertalk MississippiSupertalk Mississippi
Supertalk Mississippi, also known as The Super Talk Mississippi Radio Network or simply Supertalk, is a statewide, commercial news and talk radio network based in Jackson, Mississippi. Its flagship station is WFMN . Supertalk Mississippi was launched in July 1997, via WFMN. It simultaneously...
removed Savage Nation from its programming because of negative comments.
Introduction and music
Music is an integral part of The Savage Nation. Savage often extends the role of music beyond bumper music to be as much the content of the show as what he's talking about. (For instance, there was a period of several days in 2006 when Savage played "Living on a Thin Line" by The Kinks concurrent with his discussions of America's internal vulnerabilities.)Savage often closes the show by saying, "With God's will and your listenership, I shall return," or some variation thereof.
He also played "God Save the Queen" by the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
and "Living on a Thin Line" and agreeing that "there's no England now" after being banned from the U.K. by British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.
The signature musical introduction to The Savage Nation is the beginning of Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
's "Master of Puppets
Master of Puppets (song)
"Master of Puppets" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the title track and was released as the first single from their album of the same name....
" followed by an announcer saying, "Warning: The Michael Savage Show contains adult language, adult content, psychological nudity. Listener discretion is advised." This is followed by Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
's "Looks that Kill
Looks That Kill
"Looks That Kill" is a Mötley Crüe song released on their 1983 album Shout at the Devil. Written by bassist Nikki Sixx, the song was released as a single on January 4, 1984 and spent 10 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, peaking at #54 and # 18 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks....
" and Metallica's "The Shortest Straw
...And Justice for All (album)
...And Justice for All is the fourth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on August 25, 1988 through Elektra Records. It is the first full-length Metallica album to feature bassist Jason Newsted following the death of Cliff Burton in 1986...
" to conclude the introduction.
For bumper music
Bumper music
Bumper music, or a bump, is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to refer to short clips of signature or theme music used to buffer transitions between programming elements. Bumper music is commonly employed when a syndicated program takes a break for local station identification or...
, Savage has used "Eye of the Beholder
Eye of the Beholder (song)
-Cover versions:In Flames recorded a cover of "Eye of the Beholder" on A Tribute to the Four Horsemen, a tribute album recorded by various artists. This version of the song also appears on the remastered edition of In Flames' first EP, Subterranean...
", "Frayed Ends of Sanity
...And Justice for All (album)
...And Justice for All is the fourth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on August 25, 1988 through Elektra Records. It is the first full-length Metallica album to feature bassist Jason Newsted following the death of Cliff Burton in 1986...
", "Holier Than Thou", "Jump in the Fire
Jump in the Fire
-External links:* *...
", "To Live Is to Die
To Live Is to Die
"To Live Is to Die" is a mostly instrumental composition by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the eighth track on the band's fourth album ...And Justice for All . Keeping up with the tradition of the band's previous two albums, the instrumental track comes late in the album and is long...
", "Battery
Battery (song)
"Battery" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the opening track and was released as the second single from their third album, Master of Puppets.-Structure:...
", "Blackened", "Sad But True
Sad But True
"Sad but True" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the fifth and final single from their eponymous fifth album, Metallica....
", "Ain't My Bitch
Ain't My Bitch
Ain't My Bitch is the first song from Metallica's 1996 album Load. Released as a promotional single, it debuted on the U.S. Mainstream Rock charts at number fifteen....
", "Fuel
Fuel (song)
"Fuel" is a song by Metallica. The theme of the song could be applied to the fact that people like to drive their lives too fast...
", and "The Shortest Straw" by Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, as well as "Du Hast
Du hast
"Du hast" German, "You have", whose title is a play on the homophones "hast" and "hasst" , is a song by German industrial metal band Rammstein. It was released as the second single from their second album Sehnsucht...
" and "Tier" by Rammstein
Rammstein
Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...
, Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, "Big Gun
Big Gun
"Big Gun" is a song by AC/DC. It was released as a single in 1993 and can be heard on the soundtrack to the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Last Action Hero, as well as during reruns of the Savage Nation talk show as bumper music. It was later released on the 2009 box set Backtracks. It became the...
" by AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, and "Killing in the Name
Killing in the Name
"Killing in the Name" is a song by American rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, featured on their self-titled debut album, and was released as the lead single from the album in November 1992...
" by Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
.
While Savage has previously criticized pop culture on his program, he says that he is a rock music fan. On his July 19, 2006 show, Savage said that he is a huge fan of the German group Rammstein and that he often drives around at night blasting their music. When challenged by a caller to explain why he likes Rammstein, Savage said that they are "the only true form of poetry and music that reflect the real world nowadays." Savage played their music at length during that specific broadcast. Savage is also a fan of 1950s rock 'n' roll and doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
music such as The Cadillacs
The Cadillacs
The Cadillacs were an American rock and roll and doo-wop group from Harlem, New York; active from 1953 to 1962. The group was noted for their 1955 hit "Speedoo", which was instrumental in attracting White audiences to Black rock and roll performers.-History:...
, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and The Flamingos
The Flamingos
The Flamingos were a doo wop group from the United States, most popular in the mid to late 1950s and best known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You".-Early quintet:...
which is played on his "Rock and Roll Friday." On January 25, 2007, he started playing "I'm Broken" by Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
on his show, stating that this is the type of music that U.S. troops should be listening to in Iraq.
On Mondays, he frequently opens the program by playing "Blue Monday
Blue Monday (Fats Domino song)
"Blue Monday" is a song originally written by Dave Bartholomew, and first recorded by Smiley Lewis in 1954.It was later popularized in a recording by Fats Domino in 1956, on Imperial Records , on which the songwriting credit was shared between Bartholomew and Domino. Most later versions have...
" by Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
.