Howard Stern: "dead man walking"

Please...

What Howard doesn't bother to mention is that he had a major ratings slip starting last winter and is now hovering at fourth or fifth behind Limbaugh and three NPR programs for largest weekly audience. Even before the crackdown he was trying to siphon from NPR's anti-Bush crowd. If he leaves the air, it will be his choice - but he'll blame everyone else. The guy's career has been on fade for a number of years now...

...by the way, does he ever mention how the FCC saved his ass from numerous fines over a year ago by deisgnating his show as news/information and not entertainment? If they didn't, he would have been torched soon after Opie and Anthony were pulled.

For some reason I just can't place Howard Stern in the same category as the books that were burnt in Farenheit 451...

Howard Stern trying to steal NPR's listeners? Now THAT would be interesting.

Stern being cancelled has nothing to do with freedom of speech (or the press) ((or the right to bear arms in a militia)) (((or with the abolition of slavery))).

Boo Fucking Hoo!

I've been listening to Stern off and on since his WNBC days. His decline in ratings really started when he got divorced. Since he always talked about what a great relationship he and his wife had it turned a lot of his listeners off when it disolved and he ended up with a much younger chick.

The way Stern tells it you'd think there was a big government conspiracy to get rid of him. All he's been doing is complaining like a little bitch. In all honesty I'm surprised he's been able to get away with what he does for so long. I think he could get rid of all the tired sex schtick and just try and be funny. He starting to sound like a dirty old man instead of the once funny guy he use to be.

If he leaves the air the world will go on and as a side benefit all the other shitty shock jocks will go with him. Maybe then we can get back to playing more music.

You're right, Kirk. His first ratings dump came after his divorce. He remained in second behind Limbaugh until last fall/winter.

You know his bitching isn't on the up and up when he won't let anyone try and do a rally or petition. He knows the numbers are not there and the weak turnout for support will make him look worse.

Stern is alot like Gene Simmons. They claim a thousand diffeent projects are always on the burner, but none ever come off. I guess that's why he's considering a minor role in Martin's Pink Panther flick.

Well, this isn't technically CENSORSHIP seeing as how it's not officially being done by the guv'ment, but this does steam me.

What pisses me off more than anything is how Clear Channel just totally sold out their best employee. Stern has made millions of dollars for Clear Channel over the years, and as soon as the government starts putting pressure on them they roll over like a bitch dog gettin' her belly scratched.

"Oh, yes sir, Mr. Government-Man, the show is reprehensible and disgusting. Yes, of course, we're ashamed of it too. Yes sure we'll get to work on cleaning it up right away."

The company is spineless and feels that it owes nothing to Stern or his millions of fans. It's an example of corporate screw-overs at it's finest.

I agree with Kirk 100% too - I watch the E! show and you're absolutely right. Since the divorce he's so whiny and needy. So he gave the old hag 1/2 his cash - big deal - he still has more than any 10 men need. I lost all respect for him when he had his hottie on the show and a caller asked if she did 'the 3rd input'. Howard got pissed - total hypocrite. Ok for him to rib celebs about their proclivities but everyone has to treat him and his skank with kid's gloves. Loser.

The guy amassed a fortune with fart jokes. To now get bitter is laughable.

And as far as his politics, hypocrisy too. If a conservative talk show had had the 'n' word used on his show, Howard and his left wing buddies would have called for his head.

i wish they would bring back ron and fez to ny

Completly Agree with Kirk

I turn by Stern every morning all he is doing is crying "oh the gov. is after me , im the poster child for radio so they want me "

WWWWHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
shut the hell up !

Howard Stern should have been on the Pasion , he brings his own cross and everything . The other morning he even said some one painted a picture of him as Jesus on the cross, this guy is a Narsisus ( i know i spelt it wrong) if i ever saw one.

I hope they do take him off Just so i dont have to hear the constant piss blubbering.

Seems like the general feeling on this thread is censorship by government through corporate proxies is okay...As long as you don't like what is being censored. That's lovely.

Explain how it's censorship when the FCC covered his ass over a year ago by relisting his show as a news format and not entertainment? If he remained under the pure entertainment guidelines, he would have been killed soon after Opie and Anthony were pulled.

The FCC had his back for some time, but once Howard's ratings started a freefall, he had to do something so he tried to tap into Al Franken's audience before Franken hit the airwaves. And don't think Stern doesn't know his slide is only going to get worse as the election year goes on.

This is the ultimate schtick on his part; pull yourself off the air and say it's because your too dangerous. I think the truth can be seen in that he won't try and organize any type of protest. He knows the turnout will be dismal and only make him look worse.

Look at it this way. For all his suppoed "clout", the guy couldn't even get a cartoon on UPN, and now has to settle for Spike TV. His career jumped with the divorce.

I don't like the guy, nor do I listen to him.

But this is retarded.

Look, if you don't like it, Don't. Fucking. Listen.

How..HARD is that? Seriously.

OK, so if they pulled him off then or now, what's the difference? Either way it's the government telling us what they think is best for us. Either way it's bullshit and shouldn't happen to him or anyone. I'm sure he's blowing all kinds of bullshit all over the place, but that's not the issue here.

When they start cracking down on the films we all love, then we'll start to see some pissed off people.

Leo & Cpt. Peroxide are both right. People don't seem to care because they don't like him. That's not the issue though, the censorship is the issue.

I agree that the hardline the FCC has taken since the Superbowl is an over reaction. And I would say it's censorship in the context of how Stern frames it - The FCC fines Viacom so heavily that it becomes more cost-effective to just pull him from the air instead of fight it.

But there are still a few small problems with that argument. Such as - he still hasn't been fined. Even though everyday last week he said it was coming, they didn't do it. The legislation being passed today makes very little difference as to how much he could be fined, which is proven by the levelling of Bubba The Love Sponge.

Another problem is for this to be full out censorship means he could never have his day in court, which isn't true. The reality is Viacom could go to court for him if/when they are fined, but Stern feels they won't because they're afraid of taking on the FCC, who could hold-up future Viacom deals. For this to be true censorship, the FCC would be able to call Viacom and say "pull him", without issuing one fine nor have the possibility of court. Is it coercion? Without a doubt, and that's what I don't like about it. But it's not censorhip. Only in a truly free country could a guy get on the radio and call the President a "drunk for 40 years", while still claiming censorship.

After listening to him briefly this morning, what I hear is a guy who knows his day in the sun is up. Not because of the big bad government, but because there have been too many imitators on radio and TV, which diluted his originality and eventually tilited the scales against him by, somehow, exploiting exploitation. Before the Superbowl, he painted himself into a corner by trying to gain a piece of the anti-Bush NPR crowd and now he's afraid they are going to slam down on him for it. The guy did have political friends, but he turned on them first. And no entertainer or other media pundit is going to come to his side because most of its just desserts. Howard screwed Howard, and he can't come to grips with that so he'll pull himself from the air and blame everyone else.

Howard needs to get Hard Harry on the case.

If he keeps talking about it like he was yesterday and today I could give a shit less were he goes..

I fully understand the implecations of whats going down but to have to hear it over and over and over is getting old.

It will be a sad day for all of us when Hellboy's radio broadcasts get cancelled.

Zappaman, back on the meds, stat.

Wait a second. I thought you Liberals were the ones who told us white people using the 'n' word is Evil? NO ONE on this board had the nuts to address my assertion - if this happened on a conservative talk show the media - and you guys - would be calling for that person's neck. Because you know it's true.

Why doesn't Howard just come out and say he'll pay any fines the carriers get for airing his show? Afraid to put his money where his mouth is? Instead he just whines and whines. In the 'hood they call what he's doing as 'going out like a bitch.'

And where was your outrage when Michael Savage was removed from the air for his statement that 'all people with AIDS should just die'? Not real bright but why no Freedom of speech umbrella for him?

Gunro's pretty much on the ball - this is more about a middle aged celeb having trouble coming to grips with The End. He's finding out Happiness doesn't come with some hot young bush and a boatload of cash. He's a one trick pony (his radio show - and a movie about it) and doesn't have anything else.

Yeah. I don't really get the assertion(I know it's not yours, prankster) that he is trying to steal away the anti-bush audience(or that all of NPR's listeners are anti-bush, my father sure isn't - and do they (NPR) really have all that many listeners to begin with?). Since 9/11 Howard has been pro-bush and a serious chicken-hawk- he's all about bombing the shit out of countries and applauded Bush for it.

The past few weeks before he was taken off the air in San Diego, the only anti-bush things he has said have been about the Gay Marriage issue. Not exactly tearing Bush a new one, you know?

The weird thing about the "N-word" being the reason Howard was taken off the air is that it had been used quite often on his show before by obviously racist callers and guests and no one said boo about it.

That's what really doesn't make sense about this new sanction. He hasn't really changed or done anything different than what he did in the past. They were okay profiting off his filth before, but now they are not? It has nothing to do with their bid to change FCC laws about station ownership? Please.

NO! YOU LIE!!

Stern has gone off on Bush for a while now, saying he was a drunk for 40 years, a jesus-freak, etc... I personally haven't heard him rail one person this much since he wished cancer on some congressman.

As for dropping the N-Bomb, you're right that it really isn't nothing new, but that's the contention he would have to raise in court and feels he wouldn't get the chance. I do agree that he's done nothing different to be fined, but as the record still shows - he still hasn't been fined.

As for NPR, they are the radio base for liberal, anti-Bush radio. I think Terri Gross and Diane Rehm prove that on almost a daily basis. Certain shows like Marketplace or ToTN are even handed, but the talk shows are very anti-Republican, (which only makes sense when you consider that it's the RePubs who keep trying to cut a piece out of their yearly budget).

Stern's rating have dipped over the years, but took an especially hard hit during the Dem Primary run while NPR soared and knocked him down from 2nd largest audience to 4th. He was Pro-Bush after 9/11 and during the Iraq War days, (because he has ties to Israel), but business is business and if going after the guy even more visciously than NPR's morning show can, (which is #2), he will.

His other major concerned was announced yesterday, and that's Air Radio America, which is the liberal, syndicated programming built around Al Franken. Stern has pimped Franken hard lately, and I think he feels that he will siphon the more angry listeners away from NPR, so he's trying to beat him to the punch.

Today, Stern said he'll quit if Bush signs the new FCC legislation passed. Between that and his continual "I just want to do comedy" concessions, he knows he painted himself into a corner.

He always say he would quit if this happen or that happen. But he never did. So he just probably bullshitting more or maybe this is it who knows.

Here's what I think Stern may be doing:

For years now he has said he wants to get out of radio. Now arguably he could be doing this to try and get more listeners or for an ego stroke. I think maybe this time he sees this whole FCC thing as an out for him. A way for The Howard Stern Show to go out on a rebellious note. Its the perfect opportunity save face rather than just retiring as an old coot. Howard is no dummy and is very well known for using opportunity to his advantage.

I have to also say as a listener for over 20 years I've found the last few weeks unbearable and I have a feeling so have a lot of other fans. I can't even listen to it anymore. Its pretty easy to see through all the Bush bashing and the chicken little ranting. Its like listening to a music star who's on the way out but still thinks they are relevant.

Kirk - you are on-the-fuckin-money.

What, you mean because he's Jewish?

Salon has a story up today making the case that Angry Howard = Bad News For Bush. I'm not entirely sure I buy that. It assumes that all Stern listeners vote, and more specifically, that they'll all vote against Bush/for Kerry or an alternate candidate.

Howard's ties to Israel are through financial backing means. He does a lot of off-the-record support, along the lines of Katzenberg. Not everyone who is Jewish politically or financially supports Israel. If they did, then the entire community would stand behind Bush for getting rid of Saddam, a major financial backer of Hamas and suicide bombers.

After reading his "I might go to satillite" comments from yesterday, I'm wondering if he just won't sit out the last 20 months on his Viacom contract. This way, he'd have a better idea as to what he can get away with and his return would probably generate some interest.

Howard's act has been pretty lame lately, but when I turn the channel all across the band, all I find are even lamer imitators. I just wish he would get back to the unfriendly, anti-establishment asshole he was back in the early 90's.