MSNBC fires Michael Savage

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MSNBC fires Michael Savage

Cable TV station dismisses commentator for anti-gay remarks


ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK, July 7 — The cable television station MSNBC Monday fired Michael Savage for anti-gay comments. The popular radio talk show host who did a weekend TV show for the cable channel referred to an unidentified caller to his show Saturday as a “sodomite†and said he should “get AIDS and die.â€

HIS COMMENTS were extremely inappropriate and the decision was an easy one,†MSNBC cable spokesman Jeremy Gaines said.
There was no immediate comment from Savage, according to a spokesman at his office in California.
The brash, tough-talking Savage is one of radio’s hottest jocks. His Paul Revere Society advocates closing borders, deporting illegal immigrants, mandating health tests for immigrants and eliminating entitlement programs.
The televised version of “The Savage Nation†began March 8 despite the protests of such advocacy groups as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
Aired at 5 p.m. EDT Saturday, Savage didn’t translate into a television hit. He increased the ratings for the time slot marginally, according to MSNBC.
The incident that resulted in his firing began innocently enough. Savage was taking viewer phone calls about airline horror stories, and a male caller began talking about smoking in the bathroom.
“Half an hour into the flight, I need to suggest that Don and Mike take your ...†the caller said, before he was cut off and his words became unintelligible.
“So you’re one of those sodomists. Are you a sodomite?†Savage asked.
The caller replied: “Yes, I am.â€
“Oh, you’re one of the sodomites,†Savage said. “You should only get AIDS and die, you pig. How’s that? Why don’t you see if you can sue me, you pig. You got nothing better than to put me down, you piece of garbage. You have got nothing to do today, go eat a sausage and choke on it.â€
He asked for another phone caller who “didn’t have a nice night in the bathhouse who’s angry at me today.â€
These bums “mean nothing to me,†he said.
GLAAD spokeswoman Cathy Renna said of Savage’s firing: “It’s about time.
“This latest attack made the clearest case for why Savage has no place on any reputable news network. MSNBC witnessed firsthand exactly the kind of verbal assaults GLAAD’s been warning them about for the past five months, and to their credit, they backed up their promises to hold Savage accountable.â€

© 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/935825.asp
 
Daryl, you wanna talk about rights? How about MSNBC's right to associate with whomever they choose? They are a private company and should have the right to fire anybody at any time for any reason. I don't know if Savage should have been fired, i personally don't really care. But they had every right to do it.
 
Listening to Savage yesterday I had the distinct feeling he
was actually relieved to be off MSNBC. Maybe he's getting
burned-out, especially after those two SCOTUS decisions. Maybe
he recognizes, on some level, that tv isn't and never was his
medium.

There's no doubt Savage is a loose cannon. But he is a cannon
in an age where there are damn few of those any more.
 
I think Savage is, in his way, akin to Patton and T.E. Lawrence.
A bit of a monster but no doubt useful in his rough style, like
any pioneer or point-man. Anger is his strength and his weakness.
People like him rarely last that long but maybe they indicate
the way to more constructive action. Those who get off on his
fulminating flights need to find ways to bring change to the
process lest the anger just be another narcotic.
 
private companies have the right to fire employees who exercise their rights to free speech? maybe, but it would have to be clearly written in the contract with the employee as such.

do you really think that savage was fired because he said those things or is it more likely because certain groups were offended by it and threatened to sue? thats the core of the issue. why does everything have to be PC? it shouldnt be that it is wrong to have your own ideas and opinions, nor to voice such. rather, our society has become PC because some have thin skin and take personal offense too quickly and without true cause.

someone says to my face they dont like short fat guys, it doesnt bother me. but the next guy they say that too would likely call the ACLU and complain about the mean men that said those bad things to him.

know what used to happen to those sissies? they got their butts kicked on the playground at school for being tattletales. obviously they didnt get a good enough kicking way back then.
 
Daryl- my point is that while you're accusing them of violating his constitutional rights, i don't personally think they were doing that.

Spiff- There's no question that they fired him because people would be offended. We already know that. I totally agree that our society is full of... <ahem> wimps. But while i don't think Savage should have been fired, i think they had the right to.
 
If I owned MSNBC and he told someone to "get AIDS and die" he'd be fired before he knew what hit him.

How anyone can think that is acceptable behavior is beyond me.

Yeah, he exercised his right to free speech by using bigoted kindergarten slurs on the air, which MSNBC just happens to own - and they excercised their right to send him packing for a new job.

Rightfully so.

- Gabe
 
No one's (well, some people here seem to be saying that) saying he doesn't have a right to free speech. But having the right to do something doesn't mean that you are absolved of the responsibility of excercising the results of that right. Just like you have the right to own a firearm. But excercising that right by shooting your neighbor for being ugly doesn't mean you aren't prosecutible.<---trying to keep thread firearm related because I found his firing to be interesting.
 
It wasn't just stupid it was bigoted. The guy has a problem with gays. That's fine. But don't be surprised when people who don't have a problem with gays decide not to associate with you anymore.

Thems the breaks.

- Gabe
 
Aired at 5 p.m. EDT Saturday, Savage didn’t translate into a television hit. He increased the ratings for the time slot marginally, according to MSNBC.
Click to expand...

That one line says it all. If he had been driving ratings this would have been a non-issue.

As far as I am concerned, like him or not, he had a right to say what he did, and MSNBC had a right to fire him for saying it. However, they would have been much slower to do so if he had a smash hit program running....

The 1stA gives one the right to speak, it doesn't give you the right to a medium.
 
Constitutional rights? Understand that Savage and all the rest-left, right or upside down make their living on the air. If a station changes hands or the station director decides they want to run a new venue on their radio or television station-you are gone, simple as that. Nothing personal, but thats show business. And thats all it is. When an on air personality makes an inflammatory remark like what Savage did, the station rightfully can let them go.
If I open a radio station-call it KGUN or whatever, and I hire people to promote private ownership of firearms, I better not hear anyone I hire start speaking like Sarah Brady or their kind-they will be out of the studio just as soon as I can get there or a replacement.
 
Well, that was pretty stupid, but he isn't known for being gentle either.

This Socal geek agrees with the other SoCal Geek...btw welcome to THR.
 
I Think that was the radio equivalent of suicide by cop.

It was his way of quitting. Savage is a lot of things - but he is very smart and I dont think he would just do that to do it.

I agree with whoever said he probably got tired of TV - its not his best medium.

All that said, it was uncalled for.
 
If his ratings were higher he would have been fined an put on leave. No ratings, no justification for keeping him hired.

Freedom of speech stops at the owner of the soapbox. MSNBC was owned by someone else who no doubt took issue with his opinions. No protection by the first amendment here. He said stupid things and paid the price.
 
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