Posted on 12/25/2004 5:20:14 AM PST by raccoonradio
Howard's end? The shock jock is almost dead on the public airwaves: One more indecency blunder and Stern is off.
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The shock jock died Thursday on public radio.
On Dec. 23, a portentous deal reached last month between Viacom, the owner of the country's second-largest radio station operator, and federal anti-indecency watchdogs went into effect. On top of paying $3.5 million to end several ongoing investigations of on-air public broadcasts, Viacom agreed to additional measures aimed at preventing future material deemed obscene, profane or indecent.
If Viacom has lived up to settlement terms, Howard Stern has now gone through sensitivity training. Worse for Stern, if the Federal Communications Commission issues another "Notice of Apparent Liability" (the official sign that decency cops think laws were broken), then Viacom has agreed to yank Stern off the air. The consent decree covers only broadcasts from Dec. 23 and on. Stern, who claims he was unaware of these provisions, expressed outrage earlier this month, arguing that he's been set up to be canned and threatening to play only music. Listeners won't know what Stern plans to do until Jan. 3, when he returns from vacation.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
A Wall St. Journal article mentioned that Stern was asked to tone down his mentions of Sirius on his show and also couldn't appear in advertising for the satellite radio provider, all until his Infinity contract expires a year from now.
We have been trying to decide between XM and Sirius. Howard Stern on Sirius makes it easy--XM here we come.
Which makes sense, from a practical, business-oriented standpoint.
If you were an executive working at Infinity Broadcasting, would you want your on-air talent promoting your competition?
Oh if Howard would only play music on his show. I have seen bits and pieces on cable television. Music would be a great improvement.
>>would you want your on-air talent promoting your competition?
Exactly--in Boston, Sean Hannity is run on WTKK 96.9, tape delayed (station owned by Greater Media). A few months back they refused to run an hour in which Sean talked to Opie and Anthony (who will be on XM, right?). The subject was the indecency war, but listeners in Boston couldn't hear it because WTKK ran a "repeat" hour of Hannity from before. because they didn't want basically an hour-long promo for XM!
Howard Stern, no dummy he, will take about 3/4 of his audience to satellite (referred to as "uh ah" on his show after he found out that some of his affiliates were hitting the kill button when he mentioned it on his show). His move, in my opinion, is the end of free radio as we know it and I, for one, have already bought a Sirius subscription and the equipment. I've bought into the logic that I want to hear what I want to hear without the interjection of inane commercials, listless music, blathering know-nothing "talent" and, most importantly, censorship.
Well, I don't care for Stern but since I own quite a few shares of Sirius I certainly hope something can be worked out so he comes on board early. Go SIRI !
Many times I'll see newspapers refer to talk show hosts as "DJs". maybe they need brevity in headlines, but newsies, talk show hosts are NOT DJs. No record spinning! Would be like referring to Pedro Martinez as a center fielder.
It was basically a half-hour advertisement for Sirius radio.
Towards the conclusion of the event, they had a bunch of employees hand out gift certificates guaranteeing a year of free Sirius, if you purchased a satellite radio...WITHIN THE WEEK!
Overall, it was pretty lame.
Though, as a public spectacle, it did offer some entertainment value. Especially watching their XM rivals-replete with Opie & Anthony gear-across the street, jeer Stern & Co.
I don't have a satellite radio yet but I did hear some of Sirius while at a BBQ restaurant in Connecticut. They were playing "Sirius 31", hot new country. Same stuff you'd find on most country stations, but no ads. The DJ did come on and banter about how exciting it was that Stern is
headed to Sirius, and also mentioned "you can hear the Presidential debate" (this was in Oct.) "right here on
Sirius"--they have channels for Fox News, Air America,
NPR, etc. Anyway, who knows--am not into Stern myself
(but thought article was of interest), but satellite
radio sounds interesting.
Rap would be an improvement.
I can't figure why people listen to Howard. I got tired of his kind of humor when I was 10.
Please consider that Stern is only one show that will be on Sirius. I have two subscriptions and am a stockholder. In my personal opinion Sirius has better content musically. That's why I love it. No stupid commercials no inane DJ's. Plus I get Tony Snow, Tammy Bruce, Laura Ingrahm, Geoff Metcalf and Rusty Humphries. There is something for everone's taste. XM also relies on many ground based repeaters whereas SIRI does not. Whichever way you go you won't be sorry. Satelitte radio is the wave of the future.
You should check out Outlaw Country on stream 36 and Underground Garage on 26 I think. Talk about great music !
Sirius is a good inclusion to your stock portfolio. I have a load of SIRI too, and am expecting it to do in 2005 what XMSR did in 2004.
And to be perfectly honest, I don't think most of the FCC commissioners-with the possible exception of Michael Copps-have much of an interest in doing so.
A lot of this heat isn't coming from any branch of the federal government, even the more intrusive Washington bureaucratic agencies, it's coming from a minority of people living outside of D.C.
As much as I admire the convictions of a Jeff Jarvis, I have to say, he's wasting his breath.
Whether or not these moral scolds-who are targeting perceived acts of indecency-represent anything approaching a majority is immaterial at the moment.
What is, is, and there's nothing much he or any other blogger can do about it.
"All Things Considered" -- that's a good one. They should change the name of that show to "All Liberal Things Considered".
My husband has had a Sirius subscription for a little over a year. We got it before our trip from Iowa to Southern California. It was wonderful listening to Music, comedy, Fox and CNBC where the year before there were vast areas with truly lousy reception particulary through Kansas, the OK and Texas panhandle and NM. I am going to subscribe for my office. A colleague just bought the XM portable (?) unit for his daughter. It sort of looks like a walkman. I trust Sirius will be available that way soon.
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