Howard Stern Uncensored
Howard Stern is probably the most hip 54-year-old man you will ever meet. He is the horny equivalent of Peter Pan, a man who refused to grow up, even when confronted by CBS Radio and the FCC. He has been dubbed a “shock jock” by members of the press, who were never quite sure how to characterize his groundbreaking radio show. Stern at once appeared to be an out of control comedian who didn’t tell jokes and a serious journalist intent on breaking rules that didn’t even exist yet. Despite his shrewd mind when it comes to business, Stern seems to enjoy the shallow descriptions associated with his character and his radio show: scatological, sexualized, and willfully offensive.
Stern has publicly declared that although he makes no excuses for the adult content, he doesn’t feel that his show is about shocking people, but primarily meant to offer his honest opinion on world affairs. Who is Stern that he should be qualified to offer an opinion on world affairs? Though he is not quite humble enough to admit that he caters to a certain demographic and is not a god among media worshipers, it is fairly obvious that Stern’s humor appeals to a younger demographic of iconoclasts, both the uninhibited college crowd of today as well as the angry baby boomers who are discontent with their lot in society.
Stern continues to be the highest paid radio personality in the United States and also the most fined personality in broadcast history. However, SIRIUS radio plays a part in his financial rise to the top. After leaving NBC for CBS, Stern later announced that he would be leaving for SIRIUS Satellite Radio in October 2004, having signed a five-year contract. SIRIUS provided a budget of 500 million dollars to pay the staff and to handle production costs. How much was Stern paid personally? Obviously this was kept secret, though some sources claim $225 million could have been a realistic figure. Why did Stern leave CBS Radio? Unlike Don Imus, Stern’s nemesis, he wasn’t fired from CBS. Rather, he was unhappy with the station’s censorship and editing as well as the commercial breaks. (What many people tend to dislike about terrestrial radio)
The SIRIUS deal, which would take effect on the first day of the 2006 year allowed Stern to broadcast his show with more freedom of expression, since the FCC has no content regulations over subscribe-services. The deal also gave Stern the right to create a second channel. CBS wasn’t happy about this very real Stern prank and filed a lawsuit shortly after, against Stern and SIRIUS Satellite Radio, claiming the star unfairly promoted the satellite service while still on terrestrial radio.
Stern argued (even appearing on CBS television with buddy David Letterman) that CBS didn’t seem to mind when it came down to dollars, since they kept him on the air for 14 months. Eventually, the ill-will died down, as CBS President Leslie Moonves appeared on the show to congratulate Stern on his move, and CBS settled the lawsuit, even giving Stern back his entire back catalog of radio shows from his CBS days. (Which amounts to 23,000 hours, quite a bit of filler for the Howard 2 Channel.
Bob Maines is a satellite radio specialist with several years of experience selling and installing SIRIUS Radio
