In a deal touted by its two parties as the most important in radio history, shock jock Howard Stern will abandon the broadcast airwaves and move his controversial show exclusively to commercial-free satellite.
 Shock jock Howard Stern |
The No. 1 talker among males 18-49 signed a five-year, multi-million dollar agreement with the premium satellite radio provider Sirius, beginning in January 2006.
“It has been my dream to have the top-rated show in radio since I was 5 years old,” said Stern, the self-proclaimed “King of All Media.”
“Sirius — the future of radio — will take this dream to a whole new level as I bring my fans my show my way. It will be the best radio they will ever hear,” Stern said.
Earlier this year, Clear Channel Communications dropped Stern’s show from six stations because it was deemed too indecent for broadcast.
“It was vulgar, offensive, and insulting, not just to women and African-Americans but to anyone with a sense of common decency,” John Hogan, president and CEO of Clear Channel Radio, said in February. “We will not air Howard Stern on Clear Channel stations until we are assured that his show will conform to acceptable standards of responsible broadcasting.”
In June, Clear Channel paid $1.75 million to settle FCC indecency complaints against Stern and other radio hosts.
Sirius has a potential audience of more than 10 million through the DISH Network and Sirius Satellite Radio subscribers.
“Signing Howard Stern is, without a doubt, the most exciting and transformational event in the history of radio,” said Joseph P. Clayton, CEO of Sirius. “He is an entertainment force of unprecedented recognition and popularity in the broadcast world, who is capable of changing the face of satellite radio and generating huge numbers of subscribers for Sirius.”
Sirius said it estimates Stern would need to generate only about 1 million subscribers to cover the costs of the deal.
The total budget for the show is about $100 million per year, the company said.
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