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See the original image at latimes.com —

How Howard Stern's switch to satellite radio cost him

latimes.com — An interesting article by the LA Times that contends the move to Sirius by the self-proclaimed "King of All Media" has actually resulted in him losing influence and high profile guests.

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  • ISitnikov, on 10/13/2008, -23/+8Its interesting - I actually heard that he gained a massive audience by switching to satellite radio.

    Apparently, that's not the case anymore...
    • doctechnical, on 10/13/2008, -7/+9Free Radio > Pay Radio.
      • ender7074, on 10/13/2008, -2/+6Satellite without 25 minutes of commearcials every half hour > "free radio"
      • quaxon, on 10/14/2008, -0/+3downloading howard stern everyday for free so you dont have to sit through commercials/can pick up where you left off > all else.
      • Elranzer, on 10/14/2008, -1/+1I'd agree with you doctec except that most radio stations have put the Free Beer & Hotwings Show in place of where Howard Stern was, and paying for satellite radio is worth not having to listen to that. Especially since they rip off Digg for 99% of their content.
    • samard2002, on 10/13/2008, -0/+11I think it's accurate to say that satellite gained an enormous audience, but that Stern dropped a bit from his overall numbers. Does it matter? Less people watch Sopranos than watch Two And A Half Men -- that don't make it better.
      • MWeather, on 10/13/2008, -1/+1Whcih show is more likely to influence others, and attract high-profile guest stars? It ain't the Sopranos (even if it was still on).
  • prefixmag, on 10/13/2008, -8/+16He did of course receive a massive contract for the switch, but I do wonder if in the long run it was the better decision.
    • sockpuppets, on 10/13/2008, -3/+5Bababooey.
    • KnightWhoSaysNi, on 10/13/2008, -2/+7I don't know $500,000,000 or more influence... Hmmmm, I wonder which I would pick?
      • Tryptek, on 10/13/2008, -0/+3that $500 mill was primarily in stock - which is currently sitting at the .50c per share margin (SIRI)

        the losses are insanely huge - Sirius may go bankrupt because they have over 1 billion in debt
    • Technopundit, on 10/14/2008, -0/+1He's not the king of podcasts. And that's a mistake on Howard's part.
      • Tyroc65, on 10/16/2008, -0/+1the thing is, he could go back to radio right now and get a ton of real money and not those glorified confederate dollars a.k.a. Sirius stock, which amazes me to no end. I have to give him credit for that. Where else could you become a millionaire by just trash talking and making girls masterbate in front of you...Pac Man Jones, take notes, chump.
  • eyepatch100, on 10/13/2008, -22/+45What about "How Howard Stern's switch to satellite radio cost all his listeners?"

    Sat. radio is expensive man...
    • MercedRocks, on 10/13/2008, -7/+39Yah $10 bucks a month to listen to commercial free music and uncensored talk shows FREE OF GOVT MEDDLING is pretty pricey. Its like 3 cups of coffee at Starbucks.
      • turpenine, on 10/13/2008, -3/+11but is it free of clear channel meddling?
      • neverender, on 10/13/2008, -5/+8Sirius radio costs about 43 cents per day. Its unlimited, has over 130 channels, has commercial free music channels, and offers online streaming. You probably spend more a day on coffee as Starbucks.

        Cable TV is expensive. Not Satellite Radio.
      • doctechnical, on 10/13/2008, -2/+9It's free of government meddling only as long as the government doesn't want to meddle in it. That can change with the stroke of a pen.
      • flossdaily, on 10/13/2008, -8/+9You know where else you can listen to commercial free music and uncensored talk?

        The internet.

        Guess what? It's free.
      • YoctoYotta, on 10/13/2008, -2/+7Don't forget to mention, the monthly cost of satellite radio is way cheaper than what you likely spend on coffee every day. You know, at a place like Starbucks or something.
      • slvrbullet87, on 10/13/2008, -2/+6@Floss

        Where do you live where you get free internet... i pay out the ass for crappy DSL
      • nesagwa, on 10/13/2008, -2/+2Hey, I like my free publicly funded radio just fine.

        ***** paying for something that is FREE.
      • TheGuruStud, on 10/13/2008, -2/+1slvrbullet has missed the hacked modem discussions before :)

        Or you could just leach off a dumb ass neighbor that has unsecured wireless or do some packet sniffing and crack the security. Even if no ones close, a good yagi antenna should be able to find someone.
    • SouljaBoySTFU, on 10/13/2008, -5/+1They don't care about us. =(
    • dfsjdkflasjk, on 10/13/2008, -9/+11if $12/mo is expensive for you, perhaps you're doing something wrong in your work life.
      • whateverHeSaid, on 10/13/2008, -3/+22Or maybe, if you're already paying for a house, property taxes, insurance, auto loans, food bills, heating oil, electricity, gas, cable, clothes for kids, etc, then $12/mo for radio becomes a little harder to justify.
      • ttntyler, on 10/13/2008, -7/+1No, $12 per MONTH is not too much to justify, for anything. Could be ***** paperclips.
      • slvrbullet87, on 10/13/2008, -7/+2@whateverhesaid... it is 3 dollars a week. I spend more than that on pop on any given day.
      • Spuy767, on 10/13/2008, -0/+8You should drink more water slvr.
      • dime, on 10/14/2008, -6/+1"Or maybe, if you're already paying for a house, property taxes, insurance, auto loans, food bills, heating oil, electricity, gas, cable, clothes for kids, etc, then $12/mo for radio becomes a little harder to justify."

        Ironic you mention cable, since that's the biggest waste of 50-100 bucks per month I can think of...
      • dfsjdkflasjk, on 10/15/2008, -0/+1whateverHeSaid, perhaps you're not the target demographic for premium radio then? Ever venture to guess that every product doesn't have to appeal to every person?
    • EndUserX, on 10/13/2008, -6/+17Satellite Radio is absolutely worth the price.
    • Abatrour, on 10/13/2008, -0/+1@MercedRocks

      Some stations do have commercials.
      Like the Howard Stern Show, but atleast he has them for a reason (bathroom breaks :P )

      And I'm sure what eyepatch means is its expensive for something that he used to get for free.
      • smoger, on 10/13/2008, -1/+2he said commercial free MUSIC. the talk channels have always had limited commercials and were never advertised as being commercial free
      • Abatrour, on 10/14/2008, -0/+1I've had Serius radio for over a year and I've heard MANY commercials on some music stations.
    • engarak, on 10/13/2008, -11/+4Howard Stern is still relevant? And he has listeners?
    • etx313, on 10/13/2008, -0/+2I thought the same thing, I'm now a three year subscriber.
    • revmitcz, on 10/14/2008, -0/+4I'm w/you, eyepatch. It's not the $10-12 a month that gets me. It's buying all the equipment and installation fees to get it in my car that bothers me. "Terrestrial radio" (oh how I hate that term) has been in every car stereo system since the dawn of the car stereo.

      And, really, I'd prefer to just rock my iPod in there anyway. I'd only want it for Stern. Other than that, I'd prefer to pick the music I'm listening to, instead of having someone else pick it for me.

      Some people suggest that I just get their online-only subscription, but it's hard for me to work on hand-coded websites while listening to someone talk. My brain doesn't quite work that way. I love stand-up comedy, too, but I can't listen to that while I design, either.

      Moreover, I could just BitTorrent the ***** and call it a day if I cared that much. Sure, it's a day behind, but it's free.
  • mongo22, on 10/13/2008, -35/+16I always liked Howard's show, but gotta admit I like Opie and Anthony better now that I've been listening to them on Satellite for the last few years.
    • flossdaily, on 10/13/2008, -9/+2i want to bury you for liking howard stern, but I also want to bur you for liking opie and anthony.

      One bury is just not enough for you.
  • willsani, on 10/13/2008, -25/+51You know, once you take the limits away the shows just becomes another smut fest. The real entertainment was in how they would push the envelope despite the FCC bans and their management rules...
    • protogenxl, on 10/13/2008, -9/+9It has not turned into a smut fest it is the same show Howard was doing in the early K-rock days.
    • BadAsh71, on 10/13/2008, -7/+6Yeah, I totally agree. Howard rose to fame not just by "the listening public" that wanted to find out what he would do next but even the people that hated him added to his numbers by doing the same thing.

      Howard Stern was a spectacle... we all tuned in to find out what outrageous stunt he would pull. Now everything he does is "legal" for where he broadcasts... what's the fun in that... sitting around listening to dick and fart jokes and checking out temperature through rectal thermometers live "on the radio"... not as fun.

      Although, I will say that a lot of my friends that are die hard fans not only pay for Satellite Radio now but $15 a month for the TV Channel as well... but some people really need a life :p

      I enjoyed Howard in the old days when you didn't know if he was going to be fined or fired... today it is just too predictable and expected.

      It's like Metallica on mainstream radio... dohhh!!!
    • dfsjdkflasjk, on 10/13/2008, -4/+9Clearly you haven't been listening to the show at all.
      • doctechnical, on 10/13/2008, -3/+4Yes, "Guess what's in my foreskin" was truly the height of humor. The Bard would have been proud.
    • CoreyTamas, on 10/13/2008, -4/+2Yeah, I gotta agree with this. Whenever I've listened to his show lately, I've been thinking "Lots of vulgarity and porn but not that funny". It's a solid truth that "vulgar" alone isn't funny, and it makes me sad to see that Howard's degenerated to the point where he no longer seems to know this.
  • bluebovine, on 10/13/2008, -37/+59Never liked Howard...Never really cared what he had to say...Now I have to pay for it? Count me out!

    XXXOOO
    • ventralnet, on 10/13/2008, -5/+12Yes that would be the benefit of an open market. If you don't want to listen to him you don't pay... You are learning well grasshopper
      • dboone74, on 10/13/2008, -7/+2you just said nothing...
        but at least you managed to be condescending at the same time.
  • artvandeleigh, on 10/13/2008, -12/+20I agree with "willsani" - what brought Howard Stern to the forefront of pop culture was how he was defiant to the establishment.
    Now he's in an environment that basically condones anything...thus, he's not really "defiant" towards anyone anymore.
    • Croecop, on 10/13/2008, -18/+13Why don't you agree by using the reply button you *****
      • protogenxl, on 10/13/2008, -1/+8Because than he wouldn't be sure that everyone would see his ground breaking comment.
      • flossdaily, on 10/13/2008, -3/+2why don't you be a little more civil?
      • CoreyTamas, on 10/13/2008, -1/+2Looking for a fight much?
    • shadowspawn, on 10/13/2008, -1/+1So he's a defiant cum conformist.
    • rheaume, on 10/13/2008, -1/+1Agree? Reply to his post. Buried.
    • Spuy767, on 10/13/2008, -2/+2He used to be entertaining, now he's not.
  • vango, on 10/13/2008, -6/+44not sure i agree with this article. if you cant tell how many of the 14 million subscribers are listening to a channel, how do you know that he *only* has a 1 million listeners? also, how many other djs could even get a million people to pay to listen to them?
    • EarlofSlander, on 10/13/2008, -1/+11The other thing not accounted for is his show is running 24 hours a day on one channel and is replayed on another channel 2-3 times daily. So it may only be 1 million people at any one time but over the course of an entire day? I would imagine more the the 1 million of Sirius's 8 million subscribers are listening. Then you tack on the additional XM subscribers now able to get the service and you have to assume the listeners will keep coming. So many people have down played his career and influence this is just another article getting publicity using his name.
      • dfsjdkflasjk, on 10/13/2008, -0/+2Each day's show is played back to back on Howard 100 and the west-coast feed (show starts 3 hours later) is played once, then original programming continues through the day.
    • ShylockHolmes, on 10/13/2008, -3/+1Fewer listeners, more money. Half of howard can't argue with that.
  • CMuffa, on 10/13/2008, -30/+12Howard is a no talent ass clown, and so is the useless black hole. O & A and lil Jimmy know how to entertain. Granted it's not killer radio every single second, but they know how to keep the laughs coming. XM 202/Sirius 197

    And just to point out, it's Opie that sits in the seat of the dead king everyday over at CBS.
    • vilago, on 10/13/2008, -5/+1dugg for office space reference
      • santaliqueur, on 10/13/2008, -1/+1Yeah, that movie that was funny 11 years ago is great.
    • neverender, on 10/13/2008, -2/+8who?
    • yerock, on 10/13/2008, -3/+5Without Howard Stern there would be no Opie and Anthony... you could at least acknowledge his accomplishments.
      • Spuy767, on 10/13/2008, -4/+1Don't start the goddamn "Howard invented Shock Jockery" ***** again. That argument is a huge pile of fail.
  • VinceMancini, on 10/13/2008, -6/+73Mainstream media's been writing this story for the last 5 years, and it isn't any truer now than it was then.
    • Chirp08, on 10/13/2008, -1/+13A month ago they were talking about beating their subscriber goal for the year since switching over and only growing since then. He has been nothing but successful on satellite.
    • whodoes, on 10/13/2008, -0/+3i have to agree. This is the most played out story in the world. He got a $500 million dollar deal that allowed him to escape the confines of corporate radio and the FCC. Everyone on the show seems ridiculously happy with the move. As a listener, the quality difference is like night and day. You might as well compare "K-Ville" to "The Wire". I guess theyre both cop shows shows but as for the quality... ?
    • CraveEscobar, on 10/13/2008, -1/+0It is an overplayed story, but I do see where they are coming from. I started listening to Stern about 10-15 years ago, had satellite for a year and then got rid of it. I miss Stern, but don’t miss paying a monthly fee. F the FCC.
    • CoreyTamas, on 10/13/2008, -1/+1So then you attribute the ever-worsening selection of crappy guests to... ?
  • POTPOLITICS, on 10/13/2008, -19/+4the one good thing is we dont have to hear this clown when we spin the dial :)
  • itsbob, on 10/13/2008, -12/+3That was the longest 15 minutes I have seen in a while
  • SpectralSounds, on 10/13/2008, -23/+8I didn't listen to that douchebag when it was free. Not about to pay for it. His tired old schtick grew unfunny ages ago.
    • honkimon, on 10/13/2008, -2/+6I agree. Around the time his movie came out was when he really started to get way too high on himself.
    • Eaststand, on 10/13/2008, -2/+5I've only listened a few times to stern, and I dont get what the fuss is about. Unwitty, far too low brow, generally just tacky smut, never understood why this man is famous, maybe its because I'm not american and maybe it goes over my head, but I dont think so, hes just a ***** idiot IMO.
  • DarkBlueAnt, on 10/13/2008, -2/+26My roommate listens to it downloaded. People like him don't factor into these stats.
    • santaliqueur, on 10/13/2008, -6/+3If you understood, or even read the article, you'd know it was about Stern losing high profile celebrities as guests. I'm sure the show itself is doing just fine, subscriber-wise.
      • DarkBlueAnt, on 10/13/2008, -1/+3I did read the article. Looks like you skimmed it. It wasn't all about celebrities. It was about him losing fans due to his move to satellite and losing prime celebrities as a result of his reduced audience.
  • alohatiger, on 10/13/2008, -4/+49This must be why anything/anybody on the Stern show tops the Google Trends for that day.
    • greenvortex, on 10/14/2008, -0/+3He still is the only game in town with a live (inter)national audience, held captive in their cars and workplaces. The show is better unconstrained by the FCC -- ask any listener. The shorter breaks help, too. Howard's audience doesn't tune in to hear George Clooney or Angelina Jolie. They want to hear what he and the gang have to say about what is happening right now in the world. Google Trends illustrates that unique power.
  • officecamel, on 10/13/2008, -18/+13Raaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmmmmmoooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeeeeee!
    • ZurMacht, on 10/13/2008, -2/+11RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMOOOOOONEEEEE

      She carries rocks in her clithood!
    • kevindoc, on 10/13/2008, -1/+8Frrrrrrruuuuunkis!
    • DeeVoc, on 10/13/2008, -1/+7RRRRRRRRrrrrrrrraaaaammmmmmoooooonnneeeee, why can I only book C list celebrities
    • SirRX7, on 10/13/2008, -1/+7Linger Longer....


      Hole Voice ----- Oh You guys....C'mon..... Noooo.... Eeeyoooooo
    • LilJimmyNordin, on 10/13/2008, -2/+7He stinks, and I don't like him.
  • officecamel, on 10/13/2008, -21/+8O&A FTW.
    • ventralnet, on 10/13/2008, -4/+7O&A couldn't make it on satellite so they had to go back on terrestrial radio. I wouldn't consider that winning.
    • protogenxl, on 10/13/2008, -1/+4you know those guy's have no concept of pacing.
  • MercedRocks, on 10/13/2008, -6/+94What high profile guests has it cost him? He had Chris Rock on the other day, Jon Favreau on to promote Iron Man prior to launch, the list goes on and on.

    Terrestrial Radio is just pissed it cant compete with Sattellite radio where DJs can say WHATEVER THEY WANT and have adult conversations that arent dumbed down to please right-wingers in Kentucky.
    • Chirp08, on 10/13/2008, -1/+14You have a point, I can't recall the last time any local station in the Phili area had Chris Rock on. And when they do it's always to promote something or plug something, they don't even try to hide their intentions. At least Howard interviews celebrities he is friends with and has a conversation, not a commercial.
    • brendon2020, on 10/13/2008, -1/+12he had Chevy Chase on a month or two ago. He's had the same level guest he's always had. Show is great on sirius, couldn't be better. Its great when high profile guests do come on but sometimes less famous guests have a greater story to tell.
    • centran, on 10/13/2008, -1/+1The problem is that the agents of high profile guests will no longer push their clients to go on the show becuase it is not terrestrial. I am sure many of his past guests did not want to do the show but where persuaded.

      On the flip side, he has been in the industry for many years. Even though some think he is an ass, he still has many friends and acquaintances in showbiz. Those people are his bread and butter and don't care if he is on terrestrial radio or not. It is those people that keep him going
    • IphtashuFitz, on 10/13/2008, -1/+4No kidding. Here's a list of a lot of the celebrities who have been on the show:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_celebrity_gue ...

      Unfortunately the dates of when they were on are very incomplete, but you can still get a good idea from that list. He started at Sirius on 1/9/06. Check out the names of those who have appeared after that date, like Alec Baldwin, Carmen Electra, Chevy Chase, Cuba Gooding Jr., Dennis Rodman, Don Rickles, Hulk Hogan, Ivan Reitman, Jamie Foxx, Jenna Jameson, Jimmy Kimmel, Joan Rivers, John Stamos, Jon Stewart, Kathy Griffin, Martina Navratilova, Meat Loaf, Norm Macdonald, Pamela Anderson, Rosie O'Donnell, Ryan Phillippe, Jack Black, Tracy Morgan, Wilmer Valderrama, etc.

      If he's still able to attract big names like these on his satellite radio show then I don't see any problems. That's a very respectable list and it's nowhere near complete. It also demonstrates the breadth of celebrities he's still able to attract, from movie stars to sports figures to comedians, to musicians, and everything in between.
      • drewbe121212, on 10/13/2008, -0/+1Jenna Jameson on a sybian ftw!!
      • verevi, on 10/14/2008, -0/+1The Jamie Foxx interview was stellar.
  • ZurMacht, on 10/13/2008, -18/+9This has been obvious to most people who follow radio for a while now, Howie gave up ad dollars for being able to do more things on the air. Seriously though I don't understand why people listen to him as there are much better radio shows out there, no one gives them a chance though, people either listen to there dumb local radio jock or Stern.

    Opie & Anthony, Ron and Fez, Don and Mike, Adam Corolla

    All good, specially OnA if you are looking for a laugh and have a sick sense of humor.

    Frrrrrrrrunkis.
    • FyreDragon17, on 10/13/2008, -4/+4If you're going to have an opinion as to what is "dumb," such as "dumb local radio jock," you might want to spell "there" right to be taken seriously.
      • ZurMacht, on 10/13/2008, -3/+2So your assumption is b/c i mispelled sumthing that makes me dumb and i shouldnt be taken seriously?

        ure a fool.

        and obv. im doing this on purpose now.
      • FyreDragon17, on 10/13/2008, -1/+1Not at all. I think you have every right to your opinion. Just saying that if you want it to be taken seriously as an educated opinion, you might want to check your grammar. Sorry to offend, but I was just trying to help. Apparently that makes me a fool, LOL.
    • VetGamerRo, on 10/13/2008, -1/+1If you know how good those shows are, you obviously aren't paying to listen to Stern so you wouldn't REALLY know who's better now would ya? No.

      How do you like all the commercials you have to listen to by the way?

      And yes I know Stern still has some commercials, but at least it's not half the freakin show. That's a great business model for the listener by the way.
      • ZurMacht, on 10/13/2008, -0/+1I listen to radioshows in such a way where I don't ever have to here commercials. ;)
  • username7410, on 10/13/2008, -7/+1If you can say or do whatever you want, suddenly doing it is longer entertaining.
    • samard2002, on 10/13/2008, -0/+1Said the guy on the internet. I guess since the net has no censorship, you'll be leaving this dull place any moment.
  • neophenix, on 10/13/2008, -2/+19Big shock that total listeners dropped, going from a freely broadcasted forum to a pay service.

    However I think if I were in that same situation, I would gladly take the $500 million payday and the drop in listeners.
  • LanaGK, on 10/13/2008, -14/+1It cost him because the cretins who enjoy him are too poor to pay for satellite. He's shouting at women to take off their halter tops into the empty void of space.

    Does Stern remind anyone else of Jon Tricky?: http://tinyurl.com/5c7d5c
  • EELander, on 10/13/2008, -2/+38LOL............Howard Stern almost made about a billion dollars on this. How in the world
    could anybody argue that he didn't make the right move for himself?
    • twiztidsinz, on 10/13/2008, -3/+3I really don't know how someone could think that this wasn't the right move, but what I -DO- know is
      you don't have to add your own linebreaks when typing since like 1990.
  • chrissku, on 10/13/2008, -1/+24I'd be happy with 5 listeners a day for $100 million a year (what he makes) and his wife.
  • butwhyowhy, on 10/13/2008, -3/+21If he has no relevance or impact how do you explain the fact that almost every time he has an interesting guest on his show they become the number one search term on google??
    • MothBoy, on 10/13/2008, -12/+3It's because people who listen to Stearn have plenty of time to sit on their moms couch all day and search on Google for Stearn's guests (when they should be looking for a job), and the short term memory loss from the pot they start smoking the moment mom leaves for work causes them to forget they already did the search, so they do it again, and again, and again......
    • MothBoy, on 10/13/2008, -8/+1Ooooooh, how cute. Some Stern fans were physically able to move the little pointer over the little red thumbs down thingy and push a button. Congratulations!

      Here is some friendly advice for you; It only counts the first time you push it, so you can go ahead and stop repeatedly pushing it now like you do the walk button when you cross the street to go to 7-11 for your munchies, and you can go back to your Google searches.
    • mpobri, on 10/13/2008, -2/+3Don't confuse Google Trends with what's most searched. Trends measures fastest rising. I suspect that it doesn't take too many listeners searching the same term at the same time to hit the trend list.

      That said, having 1-2 million listeners is pretty incredible, but it is a "niche" since that's about 1/3 what Jay Leno or David Letterman get, and they're on quite late.
      • greenvortex, on 10/14/2008, -0/+2Neither Jay nor Dave are live. Really, Regis and Kelly are the only comparable TV act. And it is much more influential to have people trapped in their cars or at work while getting your live message. Consider the fact that I was listening to Howard on 9-11, and heard events unfold from their New York City perspective. A lot of people deliberately tuned to Howard after first hearing the news, to get that live, up close report.
    • Creeper420, on 10/13/2008, -1/+2I think that says it all right there, I can confirm the fact that any time he has a guest on they become the #1 google search. You can all try to make up excuses to try and diminish the significance of that, but we're talking about F'in google here.
  • fuelcarddotorg, on 10/13/2008, -15/+8howard hasn't been relevant in years
  • Oheson, on 10/13/2008, -2/+13Why would he care if anyone listens? He has tons of money.
  • shadowspawn, on 10/13/2008, -17/+10I met him a couple of times. Outside his little act. And here's what *I* think, and this is *my* opinion only:

    He's an ass. He's really an ass. Yes he's rich, and yes he knows he'll be nothing more than a rich ass.

    He doesn't realize he'll never be anything but an ass. I have no love for him, no care for the ***** that he's been through other than from what i'd feel for any other person who has been through *****, even though they were an ass.

    He made quite a bit of money. He made me chuckle at times when he refused to do anything online. His view of the internet was that of a passing fad... this coming from someone who was knee-deep on the air and in the ***** in communications at the time.

    He doesn't understand anything outside of what his financial advisers tell him when they come up for air from sucking his dick. I mean anything. He's nothing but a money-grubbing, old, washed up ass. The only reason he is still on the air is because he's spending more money than he's making now, if you look at his stock option values.

    And he's going to die a lonely, lonely man... only now is he realizing that.
    • flossdaily, on 10/13/2008, -4/+2It's okay man... let it out... let it out.
    • drnkjunglist, on 10/13/2008, -2/+3someone didn't get the attention they wanted from howard..
    • VetGamerRo, on 10/13/2008, -2/+3He'll die a lonely man with a super model wife and close knit group of friends? Ok, you OBVIOUSLY "know" Howard, lol.
    • samard2002, on 10/13/2008, -1/+3Your story might not sound like whining, if you actually related what happened when you met him rather than just telling us how you felt about it.
  • slapded, on 10/13/2008, -4/+2Jim Norton makes me cry
  • thephosphorbox, on 10/13/2008, -8/+7I used to really love listening to Stern on the radio on the way in to work. I just can't see paying 10 bucks a month to listen to him for 20 minutes a day. I have no need for satellite radio music with an iPod hookup in my car.. so unfortunately he lost me there. If he comes back to FM when his contract expires, I'll be happy to tune back in.
  • PBRbeer, on 10/13/2008, -4/+30First off Howard's show is 10x better now that it's on Satellite radio, it hasn't turned into a smut fest, they are just allowed a lot more freedom now. And he hasn't lost any clout with 'A' List celeb interviews, His departure from regular radio sent the FM talk format scrambling for the last 3 years, they still can't get it right.

    Secondly Sat radio is NOT expensive, do you watch cable TV or are you still on 'Rabbit Ears' broadcast television, $12/month is worth every penny for the music alone, Stern's show on regular radio was up to 22 minutes per hour of commercials when it ended, it is around just 6 minutes per hour of commercials now. Nearly everyday he'll have at least one segment that goes for over an hour without any commercials.

    Anyone that drives a significant distance regularly will vouch for how good satellite radio is, you can go non stop coast to coast and never go out of reception. If you commute more than 30 miles to work each day chances are you go out of reception at least once on your drive.
    • TonyTheTerrible, on 10/13/2008, -2/+412/mo or 144/year is a lot to some people. its a lot to me, anyways.
    • still0lil0wagon, on 10/13/2008, -1/+0good point about the segment lengths... It really doesn't feel like a "show" ... IT's more like you're hanging with a group of people...cutting it up.... the show has its lame moments.... but my wife and I enjoy it... If satellite radio is beyond your means... you really need to re-examine your life
    • flossdaily, on 10/13/2008, -1/+3..."hasn't turned into a smut fest"?

      It already was a smut fest.
    • EndUserX, on 10/13/2008, -1/+0A-MEN!
    • Joebar, on 10/13/2008, -0/+2Also, most hardcore listeners don't give a ***** about the guests. The best, most memorable shows are the ones where they're just shootin the ***** with each other.
    • DickScott, on 11/04/2008, -0/+1I agree and you could take Stern off and I'd still love my sirius radio like a child.
  • kilsekddd, on 10/13/2008, -17/+10Buried because Stern is a big baby that is getting his just desserts.
    • yojiffyskippy, on 10/13/2008, -0/+3There's a lot of people that would settle for left-overs from his just desserts.
  • JBHedgehog, on 10/13/2008, -3/+6He knew that adding a price onto his should would cost him listeners. However, if you say the name "Howard Stern" everybody knows what you're talking about.

    I actually heard a few sat shows and they were still very funny. I wish I had the disposable income to get sat radio; unfortunately I don't.

    And all the celebrities know who he is too. They still flock to him because they can say whatever they want.

    You have to sacrifice when you become a 1/2 billionaire.
  • FredFredrickson, on 10/13/2008, -8/+2Um, no *****. I could have told you this right from the start.
  • GoKings, on 10/13/2008, -3/+9Even if he did lose some listeners (which may or may not be the case) he was getting reamed up the ass by the FCC. Even if you don't care for his show, he still stuck it to the FCC whenever he could, and the move to satellite was the ultimate ***** you to the FCC. For that alone I hope he continues on in popularity.
  • specialbuddy1, on 10/13/2008, -11/+5Howard is a piece of ***** and you have no class if you listen to his filth. Let's fart into the microphone and have hot babes show their boobs over the RADIO. Throw a pinch of midget in there and you have a hit.
  • RudeTurnip, on 10/13/2008, -8/+3I end up listening to him and everything else on Sirius unwittingly because those car radio adapters broadcast too strong of a signal that blocks out my local public radio station (where I get NPR). This is the kind of stuff the FCC should be cracking down on...radio transmitters using a power level that exceeds regulations.
    • hydroplane, on 10/13/2008, -2/+2Try removing your tin foil hat for better reception.
    • smoger, on 10/13/2008, -0/+3they did actually. problem is that xm and sirius already had tons of those radios out. now they are running a campaign to get people to hook those radios up directly and turn off the transmitters.. under the guise of "better performance"

    • greenvortex, on 10/14/2008, -0/+1You get free satellite radio instead of NPR? And you're complaining?
  • Slackluster, on 10/13/2008, -3/+11So switching from a free broadcast to a paid subscription model caused him to have less listeners overall? And this is somehow a surprise?
  • TimDigg, on 10/13/2008, -7/+14"Hey, man, I did a radio interview for XM Radio. Nobody heard it. C'mon who has XM radio? (Some clapping) Hey, I'll be damned. It's growing in popularity! They said, "You could swear on XM Radio." "No *****, 'cause nobody can hear it... You could swear in the woods, too." "

    - Mitch Hedberg
    • DickScott, on 11/04/2008, -0/+1Ahh taken too soon. He was on the threshold of a huge career.
  • Thundercracker, on 10/13/2008, -3/+3...yeah.. I know, all he does now is tell my to stop paying for porn when I can get it for free...
  • rock774, on 10/13/2008, -12/+7Who gives a ***** about him !
  • ErickStevenson, on 10/13/2008, -3/+7I used to listen to him all the time in the radio when i was living in NY. He was entertaining and gave me something to listen to in the morning. Hate him or love him you know you listened to his radio shows just to see what he was going to do next.
  • embryoinbloom, on 10/13/2008, -7/+39babba booey babba booey babba booey babba booeybabba booey babba booeybabba booey babba booeybabba booey babba booeybabba booey babba booeybabba booey babba booeybabba booey babba booeybabba booey babba booeybabba booey babba booey
  • Nerdable, on 10/13/2008, -8/+6actually i think his gradual transition of whiny bitch like tenancies cost him listeners...
  • pstroll, on 10/13/2008, -12/+6Howard who??
  • FyreDragon17, on 10/13/2008, -7/+20Stern is the King, c'mon people, if you think he isn't, please let me know who in the entertainment industry is making more money and has been in media for as long as he has been. Sure, there are a few people such as Oprah, but I'd say that in terms of influence, they are about on the same level. Who cares that he left terrestrial radio...I am sure he doesn't! He even says he might retire in a few years, so I doubt that he really cares if his listening audience is smaller on satellite. One thing I know, the main reason I pay for two receivers and listen every day to Sirius is Howard Stern.

    Ba ba Booey!
    • ibeetle, on 10/13/2008, -4/+4Actually, Rush Limbaugh signed a deal worth 400 million (in July '08) and reaches 235 million listeners.

      http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/03/business/03 ...

      David Letterman, Oprah, Rush, Jay Leno... they all make more than Howard and have many, many, many more viewers/listeners than Stern.
      • christianw, on 10/13/2008, -3/+2235 million POTENTIAL listeners and still nobody on entertainment's a list WANTS to be on his show.

        thats because hes a hypocritical prescription drug junkie that only wants to make money by trying to manipulate people.

        howard just wants to make people smile, and that my friend is why hes the king of all media and rush is a pathetic piece of garbage.
    • FyreDragon17, on 10/13/2008, -2/+2OK, but Stern moved to Sirius for $500 million, and only has a 6 year contract. He also has a percentage of Sirius stock, which has gone up consistently since he moved to Sirius. Rush might reach 235 million listeners, but I doubt that his actual listening audience is even a twentieth of that number. Good find though!
      • ibeetle, on 10/13/2008, -0/+2Unfortunately, those stocks have eroded (currently trading at less than $0.55 a share; down from over $4.00) to the point that Sirius might have to file for debt reorganization protection from it's creditors if it cannot secure the credit it needs come February '09.

        A great non-sided column of explanation from the Motley Fool:

        http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/10/13/5 ...
      • FyreDragon17, on 10/13/2008, -0/+1It is at a low, you can't deny that. However, if I had money, I certainly would buy some of its stock now. Wish the economy were better so I could afford to do that though, LOL!
  • still0lil0wagon, on 10/13/2008, -4/+8this article seems unduly harsh...
    Chris Rock is one of the very biggest comedians of our time. I think the show is waaaaaaay better than is was before Sirius. I really enjoy it. The author of this article seems to be reaching a bit. He's dead wrong about the show being basically the same. The only other talk radio I can handle is on KNBR .... Gary "Rabnish" ;-) ... The Razor and Mr. T ... even Fitz and Brooks (thank God Rick Barry is gone) ... Not listening during Damon Bruce.. but a big Oy YO YOY!!!!!! to everyone.

    Bottom line... the premise of this article is flawed... seems like the timing s fishy too...
  • protwizz, on 10/13/2008, -3/+10I think he's at a point in his life where he's much more interested in having creative freedom than audience numbers. That being said, there is no way that only 1 million people are listening to him at any given time. First of all, his show replays the entire day so you can catch it any time you want to. secondly, he has an entire second channel (howard 101) for his news department as well as a multitude of individual shows hosted by interesting personalities (greg fitsimmons, riley martin, superfan roundtable, chuck zito). Not to mention his on demand television channel Howard TV. As far as not getting A-List celebrities, I could care less. You hear about Clooney, Pitt, and every other A-Lister on every other show, and its all just softball questions and scripted responses. I'd honestly rather hear Chevy Chase talk about being locked in his basement by his abusive step father any day. I've loved the show for a long time and I can only say its getting better and better

    Baba Booey to you all!
  • okmon, on 10/13/2008, -4/+11This article is crap/influenced by regular radio, which is still mourning his loss. Stern is happy, wealthy and not missing anything from terrestrial radio. His hundred million a year deal is paying off for him, his employers and his listeners who are getting the best Stern shows ever. If you don't like it, you don't have to buy it and you don't have to listen.
    • livingdots, on 10/13/2008, -0/+3Agreed. LAT has (potentially huge) isterests in terrestrial radio

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribune_Company#Radio ...
      "Tribune [the owner of LA Times] is among the seven candidates/companies to make first-round bids of the 50 radio stations in 12 small and mid-size markets being sold by CBS Radio. If picked as a buyer and approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), it will be the biggest radio station purchase in company history since its purchase of Renaissance Communications in 1997."
  • samard2002, on 10/13/2008, -6/+20I am a Stern listener who easily and happily made the move from free radio to satellite. I can honestly say that the only thing about the show that has changed is the level of random wackjobs that call in to the show. I think the real crazies couldn't afford the move.

    And Stern has always had odd guests. The LA Times act like he was conducting interviews with Brad and Angelina before the switch to Sirius. His most memorable guests on free radio were Sam Kinison and Pamela Anderson. He's always been awesome about doing interviews and getting people to tell crazy stories -- that recent Chevy Chase interview was insane. Chevy talked about blowing his step-dad to keep from getting his ass beat. You think Julia Roberts would talk about that? You think she would do anything but discuss how wonderful her new movie is?

    Let's face facts -- some people, especially people in traditional media, don't like Stern and want to knock him down a peg all the time. But he changed the radio industry in his career and then changed it again when he moved to satellite. He took a nothing second-player of a company and turned it into a dominant force. That's fact. You cannot deny that. XM was going to put Sirius out of business and ended up having to merge with them because of Stern.

    Stern has been on top for decades. You rarely see that kind of longevity in any entertainment field. It is an insult to not give this man his props and to ask some backwater, no-name ***** like "radio-info.com" and "Talkers" what they think of his career.

    If Howard Stern was not relevant, they would need to write and article to explain to you why he's not relevant.
    • Joebar, on 10/13/2008, -0/+1I think the "blowing his step-dad" thing was a joke :)
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