Names and faces

LITTLE ROCK — Michael Savage’s talk show left the airwaves Thursday after the conservative host won a legal battle with his longtime employer, and his attorney said discussions with new networksare already under way. Savage posted a message on his website Thursday evening under the headline “Free at Last!” that said he was free to work with any station or network from now on. He said he “will not be heard on the radio for some time.” His attorney Daniel Horowitz said Savage left Talk Radio Network after obtaining a favorable ruling in arbitration Thursday afternoon. More than 8 million people listen to Savage’s show each week, placing him behind only Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity in ratings, according to the magazine Talkers. The immediate effect that his abrupt departure would have on companies that advertise on his show was unclear. An e-mail sent to Oregon-based Talk Radio Network was not immediately returned. Savage’s name and biography already have been removed from the company’s website. Horowitz said Savage has been fighting the network for two years to get out of a contract that was 10 years old and prevented the host from switching employers. Horowitz said the agreement lacked protections afforded to artists and entertainers under California law, and tied Savage to Talk Radio Network indefinitely. Horowitz said Savage spent more than $900,000 fighting his case but was awarded more than $1 million in arbitration. The agreement also calls for Savage to be able to obtain all archived tapes of his show. Savage, who broadcasts from San Francisco, was heard on nearly 400 stations.

Actress Amanda Bynes pleaded innocent Thursday morning in a Los Angeles court to misdemeanor hit-and-run charges. An attorney entered the plea on behalf of Bynes, who was not required to appear in court. The 26-year-old actress faces a possible sentence of six months in jail for each count if convicted. Los Angeles prosecutors have accused Bynes of leaving the scene of two accidents, one on April 10 and another on Aug. 4, without providing proper information. The first incident occurred just days after Bynes was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after police say she grazed a sheriff’s patrol car. She has pleaded innocent in that case.