Michael Savage extends contract
One of the more memorable and more important episodes of the TV show WKRP concerned unqualified people on the radio giving out advice. Jennifer, the station’s receptionist was dragged into the studio in an emergency and put behind the microphone. Not knowing what to do, she announced “let’s take some calls!”. People started calling in asking her for advice about personal issues. Her show became a regular show in which she gave out her advice to strangers, having no training or experience. The episode was “Ask Jennifer” from season three if you want to track it down. Her poorly thought out advice ends up in tragedy.
Dr Laura Schlesinger caught a lot of flack in her radio career because her “Dr.” Title was a PhD in physiology, not a medical doctor like a psychiatrist, a profession she is not shy about challenging. She was certified in marriage counseling and was in private practice for twelve years before she sat behind her first Microphone.
Dr Michael “Savage” Weiner has just extended his contract with Cumulus radio, but with the twist that he is going to talk less about politics, but instead he will assume the role of Dr Savage, Life Coach. Dr Savage’s “hard science” PhD is in nutritional ethnomedicine, after he got masters degrees in anthropology and ethnobiology. What that basically means is he studied how plants in different cultures are used to treat medical problems. It launched him on a career promoting unproven herbal cures, which eventually led him to create the formula for Rockstar Energy Drink, a company run by his son Russell Weiner and his wife Janet was the CFO.
Savage has no education or experience in relationship or personal counseling. There are lots of hints if you listen closely that Dr Savage maybe should be on the receiving end not the giving. He lost his MSNBC TV job after telling a caller that he hoped the caller got AIDS and died.
So who signed off on this concept?