Michael Savage
Michael Alan Weiner, better known by his pseudonym Michael Savage, is an American radio host, author, and conservative political commentator. His nationally-syndicated talk show, The Savage Nation, airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network.
Michael Savage was born Michael Alan Weiner to a Jewish family with Russian origins living in the Bronx. As a child, he worked. He described his childhood as difficult, due to his father's "gruff and profane" personality. His father died of a heart attack in his fifties.
After graduating from Jamaica High School, Michael attended Queens College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in education and sociology. After college he taught high school for several years in New York City. His first marriage to Carol Ely in 1964 ended in divorce, and he remarried after meeting his current wife Janet in 1967. His first wife says that she became pregnant twice and aborted both pregnancies.
Michael earned two master's degrees in ethnobotany and anthropology from the University of Hawaii. He obtained a Ph.D. in 1978 from the University of California, Berkeley, in nutritional ethnomedicine. He spent many years researching botany in the South Pacific and has a background in alternative medicine.
While in the South Pacific, he became fascinated with the 19th-century sailor Charles Savage, who was believed to be the man that first brought firearms to Fiji. (Thus, one would assume, the pseudonym.)
The rejection of a 1994 manuscript prompted him to record a demo tape with a mock radio talk show about illegal immigrants and epidemics. He mailed this tape to 250 radio stations in an attempt to change careers and become a radio talk show host. On March 21, 1994, Savage began his radio career on KGO (a San Francisco news/talk radio station) as a fill-in host for the liberal Ray Taliaferro. Less than a year later he was given a weekday show on KGO's sister station, KSFO.
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. In 1999, he came to the attention of the Talk Radio Network, based in Oregon, which currently syndicates his The Savage Nation radio program.
As of the fall of 2006, Michael has eight to 10 million listeners per week, making his show the third most widely heard broadcast in the United States. Michael 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." Mark de la Viña of the San Jose Mercury News wrote of Michael, "In contrast to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Schlessinger, Bay Area-based Savage mixes conservative diatribe and blunt observations with acerbic humor and a gift of gab. It has propelled him to the top of radio talk-show ratings as well as bestseller book lists."
Michael has summarized his political philosophy in three words: borders, language, and culture. Some, including Michael himself, have characterized his views as conservative nationalism. Consequently, he outspokenly opposes illegal immigration, a supporter of the English-only movement, and claims that liberalism and same-sex marriage are degrading American culture. Although his radio delivery is sometimes characterized by colorful language and a confrontational approach, much of his show involves ruminating on topics such as history, culture (food, books, television), health issues, and personal anecdotes. His show is peppered with such phrases as "Liberalism Is a Mental Disorder", and many of his comments have earned him the criticism of liberal groups and moderates.
Michael and his second wife have two children, a daughter and a son; his son, Russell, is the founder of the company that produces the Rockstar energy drink, where Janet serves as chief financial officer.
Spiritually, Michael is an enigma. He was raised in a Jewish home. His radio delivery can be crass, and yet at times he uses Scripture passages to make his points. Michael knows a lot about God and the Bible, but he has yet to actually know the God of the Bible. Please pray the the Lord will reveal Himself to Michael through His Son, Jesus Christ!