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“Superagent” Don Buchwald Dies: Howard Stern’s Longtime Agent Was 88

He helped Stern negotiate some VERY advantageous contracts! If you believe reports about highest-paid celebrities, Howard is always among them. He pulled in $90 to $100 million a year in the days when he was doing both SiriusXM and America's Got Talent on NBC. AGT paid Stern a reported $16 million for about 20 shows a year. It even moved production to NYC from Hollywood to accommodate Stern. Robin Quivers and Fred Norris also use Buchwald.

Money isn't everything. But Howard clearly uses it to judge how much his employer, CBS Radio in his K-Rock days and SiriusXM currently, value his show. Every five years, he gets on the air saying, "This will be my last contract. I don't think I want to come back. I don't need this." I'm sure it was torture to his employers and his staff. But he wanted to do everything he could to drive up the price of his next contract. I don't know if Buchwald encouraged this or tolerated it. But he did win Stern new contracts for each five-year period that brought Howard back to the microphone for another half-decade.
 
Gregg. said:
Money isn't everything. But Howard clearly uses it to judge how much his employer, CBS Radio in his K-Rock days and SiriusXM currently, value his show.
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It wasn't just money. Howard wanted control of his show, and ultimately control of its environment. He had clauses put into his contract that gave him the right to approve other personalities on K Rock, and the music they played. The contract said how much he could talk about the company, and even how he referred to the executives. He had a very unique deal that became the basis for many other personality deals after him. The one thing he couldn't control was the FCC, and that's ultimately why he left.
 
radiofan2023 said:
I've been listening to Howard since the mid 90s, he says a lot of stuff and that doesn't mean it's all completely true.
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I agree. But then you watch what the station did, who they hired, and the music they played.

My point is that Buchwald & the contract was concerned with more than just money.
 
TheBigA said:
I agree. But then you watch what the station did, who they hired, and the music they played.

My point is that Buchwald & the contract was concerned with more than just money.
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The only thing Stern was concerned with as far as what was on the station was his show and how much he and his staff were getting paid. He wouldn't have written being the defacto music director or hiring manager of K-Rock into his contract. I also know someone who worked at K-Rock during some of the years Stern was there, and as far as I know, Howard wasn't the one who interviewed him for the job. Just think about it for five seconds: how would he have had time to prepare for a 5 hour morning show, manage who was getting hired, do music selection, etc. for the station every day of every week, and write books and film his movie Private Parts while still getting to spend time with his wife and kids at night?

He possibly had input on who got hired for his show, but I doubt he had or wanted any say on who got hired for afternoons or what music they played. He didn't even do interviews to have interns for his show - someone else did that.
 
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radiofan2023 said:
Howard wasn't the one who interviewed him for the job.
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I think you're taking what I wrote too literally. As I said, there was more to his contract than money. My understanding of his deal is the people on his show worked for him, not CBS. He paid them out of the money in his contract. Howard's staff did a lot of the things people associated with him with regards to the terms of the contract. It's not all Howard. Some think all the money went into Howard's pocket. It's more complicated.
 
TheBigA said:
I think you're taking what I wrote too literally. As I said, there was more to his contract than money. My understanding of his deal is the people on his show worked for him, not CBS. He paid them out of the money in his contract.
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My understanding is his show had a budget and the staff got paid from that budget.
 
I would think Gary is paid by XM? Possibly others

  • Howard Stern – host
  • Robin Quivers – co-host
  • Fred Norris – sound effects, in-studio comedian, writer, producer
  • Gary Dell'Abate – executive producer, co-host of The Wrap-Up Show
  • Jason Kaplan – executive producer
  • Will Murray – senior producer, head writer
  • Jon Hein – Executive Producer Howard 101, co-host of The Wrap-Up Show
  • Steve Brandano – director of talent relations
  • Benjy Bronk – writer
  • Richard Christy – writer, producer
  • Sal "The Stockbroker" Governale – writer, producer
  • JD Harmeyer – media content producer
  • Mike Trainor – writer, producer
  • Chris Wilding – writer, producer
  • Steve Nowicki – writer, producer
  • Memet Walker – writer, producer
  • Rahsaan Rogers – producer, co-host of The Wrap-Up Show
  • Ronnie "The Limo Driver" Mund – correspondent
  • Bob "Wolfie" Wolf – writer, producer
  • Jonathan Blitt – writer, producer
  • Mike Pearlman – writer, producer
 
MadMan said:
I would think Gary is paid by XM? Possibly others

  • Howard Stern – host
  • Robin Quivers – co-host
  • Fred Norris – sound effects, in-studio comedian, writer, producer
  • Gary Dell'Abate – executive producer, co-host of The Wrap-Up Show
  • Jason Kaplan – executive producer
  • Will Murray – senior producer, head writer
  • Jon Hein – Executive Producer Howard 101, co-host of The Wrap-Up Show
  • Steve Brandano – director of talent relations
  • Benjy Bronk – writer
  • Richard Christy – writer, producer
  • Sal "The Stockbroker" Governale – writer, producer
  • JD Harmeyer – media content producer
  • Mike Trainor – writer, producer
  • Chris Wilding – writer, producer
  • Steve Nowicki – writer, producer
  • Memet Walker – writer, producer
  • Rahsaan Rogers – producer, co-host of The Wrap-Up Show
  • Ronnie "The Limo Driver" Mund – correspondent
  • Bob "Wolfie" Wolf – writer, producer
  • Jonathan Blitt – writer, producer
  • Mike Pearlman – writer, producer
Click to expand...
They are all paid by SXM but are employed by Howard.
 
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