It was one year ago today that Howard Stern walked away from “free” radio and abandoned his audience to do his show with less censorship and for more money for a paying audience on satellite radio.
Watching Howard this week, making appearances on shows like Conan O’Brien’s, in the same clothes he’d worn a year ago while promoting his venture last year, bragging about his celebrity interviews that no one gets to hear and the sexual antics that couldn't be shown in the past, and giving away free "Howard TV" subscriptions, did not make us want to buy the latest Sirius Satellite device and a subscription. It made us realize that things change, life goes on, and that in January, we former listeners will have lived through an entire year of the crapulous, grating, annoying, moronic, dull, repetitive, boring, unfunny, assaultive, droning, uninformative, doltish, harassing, sluggish, sophomoric Adam Carolla replacement show. And someone in the radio business will have kept that crummy, unlistenable, stultifying, stupid, rasping, irritating, nettling, boneheaded program on the air for twelve entire months.
Howard's pandering appearances this week on the one-year-anniversary of his "death," have also made us realize that, irrelevant as he has become, he will soon be back on free radio in one form or another. Just wait.
I disagree. Howard won't be back on free radio. With the shows he is doing on Sirius...he wouldn't be able to do on FM radio. Also, he has a five year contract. He is making $ 1000 a minute. Has made a ton of dough for Sirius...brought over at least 4 million listeners at $ 12 bucks a month. He can program another channel. Has his own news crew. Is not tied to time limitations or commericals on his show. No censorship or FCC issues. Has his own TV Channel. Should I go on? The guy may not have 20 million listeners as before, but those 6 million subscribers are making more money for him than then the 20 million on FM radio. And in return, he is putting out a better product.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find interesting is that those who bash him, typically don't even subscribe to Sirius. If you listened, you would know that he has ZERO desire to return to FM radio. What I hear from those who subscribe...they could never go back to free radio...I agree. After two years of Sirius...FM radio is intolerable. I tried to listen for about 10 minutes. Painful.
Sorry, Howard won't be back...and if you want to listen to him...get out that Visa card...
Have to agree with the previous comment. The show has never been better and Sirius as a whole is an amazing product, so good that I got rid of cable tv. Try to sit and listent o regular radio after lsitening to Sirius. You simply can't with all those commercials and boring content. Why would people not want to be part of a movement that is about freedom and not having to adhere to the government's sense of morals. Oh and commercial free music is not bad either, a hundred stations of it.
ReplyDeletei think it's so funny how everyone in the industry be-littles stern's move to sirius, or how bad sirius' doing, but yet, with a little research, you can see how dead wrong the nay sayers are, and how sirius is out selling xm, 2 to 1 in canada. anyway, i'm extremely happy with sirius myself, and the fact that nascar is going to be on in 07', is a major plus. just the fact that you can travel out of town, or out of state, and not worry about searching for a good station just because you lost the signal. is a major plus.
ReplyDeleteas for the stern show, i think it totally rocks. everyone on the show sounds so relaxed, and not every other word is a curse word. or the fact that the show will go for more than an hour with out a break is great, and some times the show would be longer than 4 hrs. the thing i like best is the fact that i can come home from work, during the afternoon, and listen to that days show.
so as for the show doing bad, or sirius not selling....wake up and smell the coffee, and get a life.
Despite the plugs for Sirius, I agree with Tabloid Baby. howard Stern may be making money and having fun, but he has no social relevance any more.
ReplyDeleteHe's been forgotten by the mainstream.
I agree that his serious show will be simulcast-- in part.
Agree in part with all comments. Howard's show rocks. Sirius is an awesome product. FM radio is dying. Howard won't be back on FM radio. However, Howard will make his way back to the public via his production company. He'll produce Howard Stern's Porky's, etc. The result? He'll eventually have 10 million subscribers to Sirius. May take some time...but they'll eventually sign up...as the service and radios become easier to use. Howard? He'll make another 100 million.
ReplyDeleteTo say that Howard Stern has become socially irelevent is just plain lying. if this is true why did 60 minutes re-run his interview about a month ago. if that statement is true, why is he in ever tabloid magazine, and why was every major celebrity news organization at his film festival. you will know the day he is irrelevant, it will be when other "free" radio djs stop ripping off his material. until then howard is the king, and just because some people are to cheap to buy a radio for 40 bucks, and pay 100 for a year subscription to listen to the best radio on radio, then thats there problem. but dont start rumors about stuff that you obviously dont understand
ReplyDeleteI know this blog is a little dated, but I wanted to post an update.
ReplyDeleteFor Christmas I put Sirius in my wife's car. After tax refunds came in, I wanted to put it in my car, but I had to wait three weeks for a new unit to come in! Apparently everyone in town was sold out.
I finally got my Sirius and both my wife and I agree "terrestrial radio" is just plain boring! As for me, Howard is my favorite!
I live in an area that never had Howard on the radio, and now I hear people around town talking about him that never did before.
He may have lost a lot of his original audience before he left, but he gained people he never dreamed of having before!