Love him, hate him, Howard Stern is King of all media

In December, NBC announced Howard Stern, the self-proclaimed ‘king of all media,’ would replace Piers Morgan as a judge on “America’s Got Talent.” Just this past Monday, “America’s Got Talent” was the most-watched non-sports prime-time show on TV. But the decision to bring Stern, and his reputation, to a national TV audience was not easy for executives concerned advertisers might be put-off by the inclusion of the irrepressible ‘shock jock.’
I had mixed feelings when Howard Stern and his merry band of misfits left the terrestrial airwaves in January 2006 to pioneer satellite radio. While I abhor his vulgarity and exploitation of women as much as I detest censorship, freedom of speech is the most basic of our human rights that cannot and should not be legally constrained. But I also realize his ‘schtick,’ however profane, works.
His detractors, of which there are many, know only the parade of women, the vitriol directed at his enemies, and the shock value that his show generates. However, Stern is considered one of the greatest interviewers in American media. Rocker Sammy Hagar talked openly about aliens being downloaded into his brain during an interview. Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura shared his 9/11 conspiracy theories. Ron Howard admitted to considering doing porn early in his career. And comic Darrell Hammond opened up about the brutal child abuse he suffered at the hands of his own mother.
Stern developed his provocative on-air personality when he landed jobs spinning records at WRNW in Briarcliff Manor, NY, WCCC in Hartford, Conn. and WWWW in Detroit. In 1981, he was paired with his current newscaster and co-host Robin Quivers at WWDC in Washington, D.C. Stern then moved to WNBC in New York City in 1982 to host afternoons until his firing in 1985. He re-emerged on WXRK that year, and became one of the most popular radio personalities during his 20-year tenure at the station. During that time, his show had been syndicated in 60 markets throughout the U.S. and Canada and gained a peak audience of 20 million listeners.
In the process, Stern managed to rack up $2.5 million in FCC fines for airing indecent material, while at the same time winning Billboard’s Nationally Syndicated Air Personality of the Year award eight times.
On October 6, 2004, Stern signed a five-year contract with Sirius Satellite Radio, finally freeing him from the constraints of the FCC, which began a crackdown on perceived indecency after the controversial wardrobe ‘malfunction’ during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. Stern hosted his final broadcast on terrestrial airwaves on December 16, 2005, and aired his first satellite show on Sirius on Jan. 9, 2006.
The move proved lucrative. Stern’s contract called for him to receive 34.3 million shares of stock from the company worth $218 million for exceeding subscriber targets set in 2004. A second stock incentive was to be paid in 2007, with Stern receiving 22 million shares worth $82.9 million
In 2010, Stern signed a new contract with Sirius XM through 2015. But Stern also sued the company, claiming he was stiffed on the promised stock. A judge in April dismissed the suit, ruling that the parties never anticipated new subscribers through the merger with XM would trigger hundreds of millions of dollars in Stern’s bonus compensation.
Did I make the move to Sirius XM? No. I won’t pay for the vulgarity and exploitation of women. But there is no disputing Stern’s ability to tap into a lucrative market.
Love him or hate him, America’s got talent in Howard Stern.