It's official.
At least as official as anything Stern says on his morning radio show (on 97.1 FM in Los Angeles). But today Stern confirmed on-air that in 15 months, when his contract with Infinity Broadcasting ends, he will be leaving the company to start a new radio show to be broadcast solely on Sirius Broadcasting's satellite radio.
For Stern, this means a future of radio broadcasting where the FCC cannot penalize Stern for what they perceive to be indecent, vulgar content. And since satellite radio is a subscriber-only service (much like how HBO and Showtime work), Stern will have free reign to deliver "the best radio they [listeners] will ever hear."
Sirius, competitor to XM Satellite radio, reaches more than 10 million DISH Network satellite TV and Sirius Satellite Radio subscribers nationwide — and will most likely give the big 'ol slam-down to XM when Stern steps atop his new throne at the end of next year.
LAist, a long-time fan of the shock-jock, has found ourselves less entertained over the last year as Stern's radio show has become obsessed with FCC issues, the problems and the drama associated with the politics surrounding Clear Channel, and good 'ol Dubya. It's nice to know that in, just over a year, Stern will be back to his old antics and craziness on the "digital" airwaves.
The only drawback? It's not gonna be free.
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I used to be an avid Stern fan, until he began on his supposed "political" rant...just like everything else Stern does, it's selfish and self-aggrandizing. Personally, I think the FCC is too restrictive, but what I find more annoying (and stupid) is the fact that Stern knows what he is doing and knows when he's crossed the line...and when he's busted, he cries like a little baby....usually when his ratings are slipping. Fine Howard, take your crew of misfits and go to satellite radio, I won't be following you.
The ridiculous thing about the FCC's prosecution of Stern isn't that it happened—Howard knows when he crosses the line—but rather that the FCC was citing him for offenses that took place years beforehand.
The FCC picked Howard because he was an easy target and because they needed a fast PR maneuver. It isn't as though Howard has been G-rated since he started and suddenly started inviting strippers on his show—he was strung up in the town square for political reasons. If I were him, I'd be pissed off, too.
a better question is will sirius even be in business come Jan. '06. They nearly went bankrupt recently and are still bleeding money. It's dot com economics with that company.