# Michael Savage
**Michael Savage** is the professional name of **Michael Alan Weiner** (born 1942), an American radio host and author whose nationally syndicated talk show, *The Savage Nation*, ran from 1995 until 2021 and at its peak ranked among the most-listened-to programs in American talk radio[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2002102346.html) • [2](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage) • [3](https://michaelsavage.com/about/). Before broadcasting, he worked as an ethnobotanist and wrote books on natural healing under his birth name[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2002102346.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and date | Michael Alan Weiner, born 1942; the Library of Congress authority record confirms he is the same person as the ethnobotanist Michael A. Weiner[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2002102346.html) |
| Education | Master's degrees in medical botany and medical anthropology; PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 1978, described variously as nutritional ethnomedicine and as epidemiology and nutrition sciences[4](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/03/party-of-one-2) • [3](https://michaelsavage.com/about/) |
| Radio start | Fill-in host at KGO/San Francisco in 1994; afternoon host of *The Savage Nation* at KSFO from January 1, 1995[2](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage) |
| Peak reach | National syndication from 2000; by 2009 heard on more than 400 stations and ranked third on Talkers magazine's "Heavy Hundred," with an estimated eight million weekly listeners[2](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage) • [4](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/03/party-of-one-2) |
| Syndication | Syndicated by Cumulus Media Networks from 2012, after a legal battle to leave Talk Radio Network[2](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage) • [5](https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/michael-savage) |
| Books | Author of books under both names, including *The Savage Nation*, a New York Times bestseller[6](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8035449.stm) |
| Honors | Inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2016, after twenty-one years on the air[2](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage) |
## Early life, education, and scientific career
The Library of Congress authority record establishes the identity chain directly: Michael Savage, radio personality and author of *Savage Nation*, is the same man as Michael A. Weiner, an ethnobotanist with a PhD from the [University of California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-california) who wrote books about natural healing and nutritional supplements with titles like *Herbs that Heal*[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2002102346.html). The birth date of 1942 derives from cataloging data for *Plant a Tree*, published under the name Michael Weiner[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2002102346.html).
His scientific training came at UC Berkeley. As Michael A. Weiner he earned master's degrees in anthropology and ethnobotany, and in 1978 a PhD in nutritional ethnomedicine[4](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/03/party-of-one-2). His own site describes the doctorate as being in epidemiology and nutrition sciences, with master's degrees in medical botany and medical anthropology[3](https://michaelsavage.com/about/). The two descriptions differ in wording but agree on the institution and the 1978 date.
## Writing career before radio
Under the Weiner name he wrote books on plants, herbs, and nutrition, including *Plant a Tree*, *Earth Medicine, Earth Food*, and *Maximum Immunity* (1986)[4](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/03/party-of-one-2). The BBC counted some 18 books under both names[6](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8035449.stm), while his own site and the Radio Hall of Fame put the total at over twenty-five[3](https://michaelsavage.com/about/) • [2](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage).
The pen name has a specific origin: he called himself Michael Savage after Charles Savage, the nineteenth-century explorer who introduced guns to Fiji[4](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/03/party-of-one-2). His book *The Savage Nation: Saving America from the Liberal Assault on Our Borders, Language and Culture* reached the top of the New York Times bestseller list[6](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8035449.stm). The number of his bestsellers is disputed: the Radio Hall of Fame says five[2](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage), his own site says nine, including two number-one bestsellers[3](https://michaelsavage.com/about/).
## Radio career and The Savage Nation
Savage entered radio in 1994 with a tryout filling in for Ray Taliaferro on KGO in San Francisco, got a daytime tryout, and in 1995 received his own show[4](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/03/party-of-one-2). On January 1, 1995, he became afternoon host of *The Savage Nation* at KSFO/San Francisco, proclaiming himself "to the right of Rush [Limbaugh] and the left of God"; the show became the top-rated program in its time slot[2](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage).
The show was syndicated nationally beginning in 2000[2](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage). Its performance style is marketed as "Psychological Nudity," combining political analysis with emotional disclosure[7](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.198194.20.0.pdf). It aired daily from 3 pm to 6 pm Eastern, and his site describes it as the top streaming talk show online[8](https://michaelsavage.com/savage-the-king-of-creative-talk-celebrates-24-years/). Since 2012 it was syndicated by Cumulus Media Networks[2](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage), and per his own site the show aired until 2021[3](https://michaelsavage.com/about/).
## Audience and industry standing
Independent estimates and self-reported figures differ substantially. Talkers magazine ranked Savage third on its "Heavy Hundred" list, behind only [Rush Limbaugh](https://www.edgepedia.org/rush-limbaugh) and [Sean Hannity](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-hannity), and estimated that he reached more than eight million listeners weekly[4](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/03/party-of-one-2); the BBC likewise reported an estimated eight million US listeners a week, making him the third most popular radio host in the US[6](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8035449.stm). His own site claims the show was the second-most-listened-to radio talk show in the country in 2009, with over twenty million listeners on four hundred stations[3](https://michaelsavage.com/about/), and a 2019-era release claimed more than 20 million listeners a week across more than 300 markets[8](https://michaelsavage.com/savage-the-king-of-creative-talk-celebrates-24-years/). The Radio Hall of Fame's figure of more than 400 stations by 2009[2](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage) and the New York Times' reference to more than 350 affiliates under Talk Radio Network[5](https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/michael-savage) also differ. Independent estimates of roughly eight million weekly listeners are lower than the figures from his own site; rankings differed by source, with Talkers placing him third on its "Heavy Hundred" list and the Radio Hall of Fame describing the show as the country's second-most-listened-to[4](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/03/party-of-one-2) • [2](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage).
## Political views and on-air controversies
"Borders, language, and culture" is his rallying cry: he believes that, in America, all three are under siege, and the phrase frames his positions on immigration[4](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/03/party-of-one-2).
Two episodes drew national attention. He was fired from MSNBC in 2003 after a brief stint at the cable channel, following an on-air remark to a caller, and later apologized[6](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8035449.stm). At the time, his syndicator Talk Radio Network rejected critics' calls to fire or suspend him[5](https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/michael-savage). He also litigated against the Council on American-Islamic Relations in federal court in the Northern District of California[7](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.198194.20.0.pdf).
## Legal and political episodes
In 2009 the United Kingdom placed Savage on a list of 22 people banned from entering the country for fostering extremism and hate; he threatened to sue the British government for defamation[6](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8035449.stm). The Radio Hall of Fame describes him as the only American media figure banned from entering Great Britain[2](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage).
In 2012, *The Savage Nation* went off the air briefly after Savage won a legal battle to leave his former employer, Talk Radio Network, which had syndicated the program to more than 350 affiliates, and he then signed a new deal with [Cumulus Media](https://www.edgepedia.org/cumulus-media)[5](https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/michael-savage).
## Recognition and honors
Savage was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2016, after twenty-one years on the air[2](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage); he called the induction "the capstone of my life"[3](https://michaelsavage.com/about/). He received Talkers magazine's Freedom of Speech Award in 2007[3](https://michaelsavage.com/about/). He has also been the subject of mainstream long-form profiles, including one in *The New Yorker*[4](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/03/party-of-one-2).
## Relationship with conservative media politics and Trump
Savage was one of the first radio hosts to endorse Donald Trump. He later said the president's fans were too uncritical[5](https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/michael-savage). [The Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-times) also reported that Savage, an early endorser of Trump, publicly said right-wing media had been wrong to doubt the severity of the coronavirus[5](https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/michael-savage). Within talk radio he belongs to the cohort ranked alongside Limbaugh and Hannity in the 2009 Talkers standings[4](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/03/party-of-one-2).
## What has changed since 2023
The syndicated show aired until 2021, according to his official site[3](https://michaelsavage.com/about/). His publisher describes *The Savage Nation* as broadcast on over 200 stations and as one of the top radio programs and podcasts in America[9](https://openroadmedia.com/contributor/michael-savage).
## References
1. [Savage, Michael, 1942- — Library of Congress Name Authority](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2002102346.html)
2. [Michael Savage — National Radio Hall of Fame](https://www.radiohalloffame.com/michael-savage)
3. [The Savage Nation – MichaelSavage.com – About Savage](https://michaelsavage.com/about/)
4. [Party of One, The New Yorker (August 3, 2009)](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/03/party-of-one-2)
5. [Michael Savage — The New York Times topic page](https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/michael-savage)
6. [Profile: Michael Savage, BBC News](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8035449.stm)
7. [Savage v. CAIR — First Amended Complaint (N.D. Cal.)](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.198194.20.0.pdf)
8. [Michael Savage Celebrates 24 Years on the Air — MichaelSavage.com](https://michaelsavage.com/savage-the-king-of-creative-talk-celebrates-24-years/)
9. [Michael Savage — Open Road Media](https://openroadmedia.com/contributor/michael-savage)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Broadcast organizations and stations › Broadcast networks and channel brands › Radio networks and syndication › Syndicated radio programs and personalities*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license