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 ...
sirius made an audacious and foolhardy move when they did this. I said so then, say so now. They're both doomed to obscurity, barring a miracle of repentence or some such.
One thing missing from all of this, is why doesn't Viacom fight Michael Powell, and the FCC in court??? Michael Powell is violating 1st ammendment rights!
Howard's biggest gripe is that Clear Channel took him off the air to avoid any heat from the FCC. Viacom's attorneys worked out "deals", rather than fight a constitutional battle that these broadcasters would win. BTW, Howard says he isn't going to "sensitivity training", he never agreed to any of these consessions.
Howard driving force is to bankrupt Clear Channel, that took him off in 9 markets, without paying him. He was not in violation of his contract with them.
To spite what one thinks about the content of his show, this is a constitutional arguement, a very important one. Howard Stern is in the scope of Michael Powell, while he turns his back on all similiar targets. The networks need to fight back.
Silence would be a great improvement. I would not say "music" unless I knew more about Mr Stern's taste in music. Somehow I misdoubt that it is any better than his taste, full stop.
"This is Howard Stern coming at you with 60,000 watts of sub-literate rap... are you ready to PAR-tay?"
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Dittos!
When it comes to music, there's nothing like a good CD player, preferably a recent one that will also play MP3. Then you can play what you like.
We had Stern here in Minneapolis for a while. The local guy kicked his ass in the ratings.
Stern coming to town was big news. The local "shock" DJ, Tom Barnard, reacted by... doing nothing. He didn't even acknowlege that Stern was on in the same market. Stern did some on-air tirades about how Barnards time was up, he was finished, blah blah blah. Still, Barnard just kept business as usual and never mentioned Stern.
Six months later, Stern was off the air here in Minnesota, but picked up "Crazy Cabe" from the Tom Barnard program for some reason. Cabe was in idiot, and I was glad to see him gone. I was glad to see them BOTH gone.
When I listened to Stern, he just didn't live up to his reputation. Among the things I remember from his program is an hour long analysis of a Chemical Brothers song and Hank the drunken dwarf. Robin Quivers' hideous cackle accompanied it all. I guess she was the news woman AND the laugh track. It was miserable radio.
Stern's career doesn't mean a fig to me, I guess. As for the FCC, well, it IS the public airwaves. One can get arrested by slinging obscenities around in the public square or behaving lewdly, and technically, the airwaves are of little difference.
It'll be interesting to see how the chips fall on this, though.
Merry Christmas
APf
The Flying Burrito Bros...... the best... saw them twice.. close up the honkey tonks
An Apple Sirius collaberation would be outstanding. One of my favorite parts about Sirius is the title/artist feature. Problem is, half the time I can't find a pen and paper to write them down before I forget.
My car, which I bought in April, came with XM. I can't remember the last time I listened to local FM stations since XM gives you far more choices, with little or no commercial interruption. I still do tune into AM for local sports, news, weather, etc., but commercial FM radio is going to get killed by satellite.
I'm buying an iPod if the rumors proove to be true.
Your estimate of how much of his audience Stern will take with him may be open to debate. You have to buy the hardware to get satellite radio and then $13.00 a month to subscribe, the hardware costs between $150.00 and $200.00 bucks. So how many people are really going to shell out that much money to listen to Howard? That will be the big question. I just got satellite radio today for XMAS and I am excited only because I don't have to listen to local crummy radio any more.
I have heard the quality is stunning on XM..
that said, I have a very large CD and LP collectin. On the public radio waves, I listen only to talk radio.
We've had several of the shock jocks on radio here and they all failed. Local or national, they all flamed out. The only people who listen to shock jocks are overgrown 8th graders. We just don't have that many around here.
Ping
You mean free radio as YOU know it.
Stern at one time was funny, but his show seem to have morphed into a littany of lesbian-butthole jokes.
Quite frankly, once in a while a lesbo joke might be kinda funny. But he has become so intent on being "cutting edge" that he can't do anything else.
When he goes to Sirius, he will be unable to bring along his main audience of young horny males aged 13-28 because most of them are too poor or too young to have a credit card with which to sign up for fee-based radio.
I predict that Stern will slowly disappear into the annals (ahem) of American radio history. Most current listeners will get along just fine without him, and might in fact even turn their attention to other whacky type of DJs, even if they are not promoting lesbian-orgy type shows.
Stern appeals to the sophomopric voyeur in all males--I don'[t think he's so hot for women.
But for him to claim that his show is a valuable contribution to our culture or society is ridiculous.
It was an autobiographical work written by Stern, though I've only read snippets from the book, so I couldn't tell you that much about it.
The movie itself was executed pretty well, though it didn't live up to the promotional hype put out by "The King of all Media."
She's probably the most grating, irritating personality, this side of Janene Garafalo.
I know that Jackie Martling has come in for his share of ribbing from Stern's audience, but the man was Moliere compared to that cackling, irrelevant harpy.
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