Thursday, October 18, 2012

Michael Savage Signs Deal With Cumulus Media

Michael Savage, the popular conservative radio host, has found a new home for his show, “The Savage Nation,” which went off the air last month after he won a legal battle to leave his former employer.

Cumulus Media Networks, which already has shows with Mike Huckabee and Geraldo Rivera, has signed a deal with Mr. Savage for the distribution rights to his show, the company said. It will be broadcast live each weekday from 9 p.m. to midnight Eastern time beginning Tuesday.

Before it went off the air last month, “The Savage Nation” drew about eight million listeners each week, according to Talkers magazine, making it the third largest talk program behind those with Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

Cumulus, which is based in Atlanta, operates 525 stations and syndicates programming to another 4,000. Mr. Savage's show will begin on a minimum of 20 Cumulus stations and could end up on hundreds more through syndication.

“The addition of Michael Savage is a milestone in our determined efforts to provide our listeners nationwide with the best programming in the business,” John W. Dickey, co-chief operating officer of Cumulus, said in a statement.

In late 2010, Mr. Savage, 70, sued Talk Radio Network, the former home of his show, to be released from his contract. In September, he won an arbitration ruling that let him exit the company and also awarded him more than $1 million, his lawyer said at the time.

“The turbulent times we live in give talk radio a new power,” Mr. Savage said in the statement on Wednesday. “This is the biggest move of my radio career and I look forward to reaching many millions of new listeners on their flamethrower signals.”

Ben Sisario writes about the music industry. Follow @sisario on Twitter.



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