It was Jim Meyer’s final SiriusXM earnings call as CEO and the first to include his replacement, Jennifer Witz. But the bold-faced name who got the most attention as the satcaster reported third quarter financial results was morning man Howard Stern, specifically the status of talks to renew his contract which expires at the end of the year.
Meyer said contract talks are making progress in forging a long-term arrangement with Stern. “Howard tells me he’s never been happier and our relationship with Howard is very strong,” said Meyer. “From my perspective we are far along but it’s never done until it’s done. I am very confident we will have an agreement soon to announce shortly.” Meyer said.
Later in the call, responding to a question from an analyst, Meyer suggested the financial aspects of the deal have largely been hammered out. “I can tell you that where we are in the discussions today, we have a set of economics that Howard’s team is happy with and I’m happy with,” Meyer said, without providing details. Sources earlier told Bloomberg Stern’s pay would jump to $120 million a year under the offer on the table.
