Is Howard Stern About To Bolt Sirius/XM--& Could He Be Back On The Air in NY?

[Bob1370]

This from All Access this afternoon...Howard Stern broke with usual routine on Sirius/XM Wednesday and announced, "How do you go on when you've just gotten devastating news?" Then his show played the Who's "Who Are You" for its full 5 minutes (earlier editions said it was "Won't Get Fooled Again"), and when Stern went back on mike, it went like this;

""This time, they rocked me. This time, they rocked me. There's always something going on around here ROBIN ... I want to get out. I’m ready to get out. Let's get out. It's enough already. We did so much for this company -- would they be kind enough to release me? For my mental health? I need to get out!"

Back story may relate to Liberty Media's attempt to get effective control of Sirius/XM, which Mel Karamazin is resisting. Don't know what issues Howard has with the possible takeover or its leader John Malone, but obviously he's not happy with reporting to anyone other than his longtime boss Mel Karamazin. If he does go, either through a release or contract-jumping or just an escape clause in his contract which would kick in if ownership changed, his obvious choices are either to go fulltime into some aspect of TV, fulltime online, or back to terrestrial radio--or a combination of all the above.

Will he split?

If he does, what's his best option? Might he wind up back on the air in NYC and nationally?

[Steve Green NEPA]

I'm not a Stern fan ;  nor a Stern-basher.    For over 20 years I was not up,  listening,  at that hour.     The few times I listened to morning radio in NYC,   circa the mid-80's,    I quickly tired of the forced and phony laughter from the 'zany' morning shows.     I don't need a laugh track to start my day.     I wanted music and maybe a smattering of humor.    I had no desire to hang around for 45 minutes waiting for a punch line that probably hadn't even been thought of when the routine actually had begun.     

And that ennui was not limited just to Stern,  either.      In fact,   the few times I heard him,   I thought he had a pretty good grasp of straight humor.     Obviously,  the bluer stuff was his paycheck.

That said ,    on the topic of a return to terrestrial:
To my knowledge,   Howard Stern never had to bite his nails through a PPM book -- anywhere.  When considering the cliquish-ness of the Stern Nation through those years,    one has little choice but to theorize that those 6's and 7's and 8's in the morning were inflated,   no?

If so,   terrestrial radio and syndication,  with all their separate $270,000 fines,    has to evaluate the expense plus the numbers a lot more closely now than the last time around.

 

[Mike]

Look @ what liberty media did to STARZ! They ruined that channel and will do the same to

sirius-xm

[FrankF]

 I hope he does not leave Sirius, but if he did, he will not back to terrestrial radio. You could count on that. He's got more then enough money to retire right now.

[radiojomo]

Secretly, Howard LOVES to keep doing radio. So chances are if he ever did leave SiriusXM, he could probably start producing his own show on internet radio or sign a deal with a big online internet radio company that's looking for content, like Pandora or Slacker.


But Howard's not leaving SiriusXM...

[nocomradio]

 Is Howard Stern even that relevant anymore? Not trying to stir anything, but really, is he that relevant?

 Given that he is on satellite only and talking strictly to that audience, how many people aren't listening to him anymore, or have missed him since he migrated to the "bird"?

 I know that his name doesn't come up as often as it used to, say, 5-10 years ago.

 He's made his obscene pile of money. What does he have to lose now?

[DToTheJ]

@nocom: To answer your question... no, probably not - hence, why he took the job as a modern-day Simon Cowell on NBC.

[jhguthlac]

Nocom:  you are not stirring anything up.  The relevancy question is important.  As Oprah found out when she left traditional network broadcasting, when you leave, you are quickly forgotten.

Stern had a following.  But only a small portion cared enough to follow him to satellite radio.  It was not nearly the subscription booster forecasters predicted. And he has been off traditional radio for so long now that a new generation has never heard him and may never have heard OF him. Like a sports figure who tries to return to the game after his prime, Stern should just stay where he is or continue the TV thing.

[TimeIsTight]

This sounds like Howard found another excuse to generate a lot of buzz among his fans.  There is no doubt that Dr. John Malone would likely be a "sterner" boss for Stern than Mel, but Howard has a contract and Malone has lots more on his plate every day than worrying about one employee at one of his corporate units.

If you're not familiar with him, Malone is the billionaire chairman of Liberty Media, is the largest land owner in the United States, and a very smart guy who has earned a reputation as a corporate warrior.  Former Vice President Al Gore referred to him as "Darth Vader" for his behavior in the cable industry, and Wired magazine once put him on the cover pictured as "Mad Max" in his battles with the FCC.

So, if Malone takes over at Sirius, Howard may have some new experiences coming. He hasn't dealt with a hard head of this level before. This guy Malone will stand his ground, and the battles could be fun and interesting for the rest of us to watch.  It will certainly give Howard lots of material to kvetch about.  Apparently, it has already started and Malone hasn't even taken over yet.

[Element9]

This sounds like Howard found another excuse to generate a lot of buzz among his fans ... Malone is the billionaire chairman of Liberty Media, is the largest land owner in the United States ... who has earned a reputation as a corporate warrior.  Former Vice President Al Gore referred to him as "Darth Vader" for his behavior in the cable industry, and Wired magazine once put him on the cover pictured as "Mad Max" in his battles with the FCC ... if Malone takes over at Sirius, Howard may have some new experiences coming. He hasn't dealt with a hard head of this level before ... Malone will stand his ground, and the battles could be fun and interesting for the rest of us to watch.  It will certainly give Howard lots of material to kvetch about.  Apparently, it has already started and Malone hasn't even taken over yet.

Malone vs. Stern in a media death match.  That would be amusing and the tabloids for weeks.  Like many former listeners and fans, I've tired of Howard's whining and threats.  Howard: Man up.  If life's such a bitch, walk away.  You have the cash.  You have the celebrity.  You have the beautiful trophy wife.  You have another gig that pays you more than any three hundred posters on this board will make in a life time.  You made your point.  You're the king.  The major domo.  The capo de tuti capo.  Hard for the average radio shmuck, living paycheck to paycheck (or even under a contract) working for Clear, Cumulus or CBS to feel any sympathy for Stern.  Then again, if Stern tangled with Malone, my money'd be on Stern.  Malone may be rich, but he has the reputation of making a rattlesnake look like a house pet.