‘Ernie Salomon Live’ Goes Off the Air

After more than 20 years and 600 episodes, outspoken and curmudgeonly civic crusader Ernie Salomon, 83, announced he will no longer produce his public-access talk show Ernie Salomon Live. Famous among Santa Barbara reporters for his blistering emails, Salomon was typically both outraged and outrageous, saying things out loud that few dared even think. Big-hearted, angry, and on occasion even sweet, Salomon took pride in predicting Trump would win the presidency back when he was still fighting for his party’s nomination. “I’m an immigrant, but you have to control the borders,” said Salomon, who arrived from Germany in 1939. A centrist Republican by inclination, Salomon had a passion for railing against stupidity and ineptitude. He takes greatest pride in his shows that highlighted various diseases. “That helped people,” he said. “If we saved one life, it was worth the whole 20 years.” He added, “It’s time to let someone else carry the ball. [But] very few people get involved. They just like to bitch.”