Speculation: Howard back on FM?

[TowerBuzz]

What's with all the speculation about Howard Stern back on "the radio?"

The gossip continues to be that some sort of mega-deal's brewing among Sirius chief Mel Karmazin, Stern, and Mel's longtime associate Farid Suleman - who's running Citadel and about to take over the ABC properties.


A friend in sales sent me this yesterday from some sales site and the talk continues. There is a problem though, since Farid has thrown hat in the O and a ring can he strike a deal with Howard now that mimicks the O and A deal and not anger all of them in the process?. Either way if Howard comes back to Fm it will be interesting times all around. Since ABC does not own a Boston property something else would have to happen. Interesting though.

 

[Neggy]

I don't care how much you can bill Howard out at, it still isn't enough to pay all the fines you KNOW are going to come with him, and the risk of loosing the license is just too great.

I don't miss Howard one bit!

 

[Smoke]

"I'm so done with regular radio." - Howard Stern

He has lifted Sirius' fortunes, but that half-billion dollar deal is can be even more profitable with Stern on FM the way O&A are. I could see him on one of the two Southern NH rock stations (Rock 101 more likely).

Why aren't O&A being syndicated as quick as they should? Maybe these Stern rumors are planted to get them to roll out faster.

 

[Varulven]

You've seen it happen in the record biz, it will happen with the radio biz too. Satellite radio is the "answer", it is the "alternative", then the competition licenses from the "alternative." Ho hum, it is not Radio or the Record biz,
it is just pure business.

Billboard purchasing Radio & Records was really the last straw of objectivity we had left. You don't think
Capitol & Warner Brothers aren't conspiring to run the internet?

 

[TowerBuzz]

"I'm so done with regular radio." - Howard Stern

He has lifted Sirius' fortunes, but that half-billion dollar deal is can be even more profitable with Stern on FM the way O&A are. I could see him on one of the two Southern NH rock stations (Rock 101 more likely).

Why aren't O&A being syndicated as quick as they should? Maybe these Stern rumors are planted to get them to roll out faster.


That's it exactly. He has not really lifted Sirius fortunes the stock is at an all time low. He has not done for them what they thought he would do which was get millions and millions of new subs, the same can be said of O and A. their initial XM run was a bust as XM was forced to eliminate the two dollar surcharge they were charging to offset the O and A contract they got rid of it becausue not enough of the O and A army were signing up. Howard had to say things like he was done with regular radio his mission was to lure subscribers to Sirius and he could only do that by emphazizing the fact that it would be the only way to hear him. Since going there though he has faded into relative obscurity with an audience nowhere near what he's used to. Compounded by O and A doing their show from his old studio, promoting XM with cbs's blessing everyday when he was sued for doing the same for sirius? it all has to be a real blow to his ego as well. I would not be shocked to see some sort of deal happen. It could only help Sirius and Mel Karmizan is the king of the shrewd deal.

Or it could all just be smoke. I guess we'll see.

 

[Vaka]

like sirius/howard or not..satellite radio is WAYYYY better than what you get around here these days. I have had it for about 3 weeks and its like cable tv vs rabbit ears both for reception and content.

 

[Neggy]

I've had it for almost 4 years now..... 60's on Six! George Taylor Morris doing work on the rock chans!

 

[skimartyb]

I can't agree on the quality of the reception of satellite radio...the trees and valleys play havoc with reception...even during some snowstorms the reception bites. If it wasn't for Howard Stern I'd probably cancel my subscription.

As far as Howard Stern moving back to terrestrial radio goes, you'd really have to be nuts to think he'd make the move back or do the O & A thing and split the difference. O & A had a paltry 30,000 listeners to Howard's 3,000,000+. If you listen to Stern then you KNOW he loves the freedom satellite gives him to speak his mind. Then there's the 500,000,000 other reasons he'll stay with satellite...

 

[TowerBuzz]

like sirius/howard or not..satellite radio is WAYYYY better than what you get around here these days. I have had it for about 3 weeks and its like cable tv vs rabbit ears both for reception and content.

I think you feel that way because its a new toy. It's 100 plus new channels of content you did not have before and that will wear off shortly. Ive had both, I currently have sirius and a lot of it content wise sounds like college radio level to me and I cant agree on the reception either. In the house it's pretty great in the car it's garbage.

 

[Garrett]

What's with all the speculation about Howard Stern back on "the radio?"

Uh, gee, I dunno, what gossip? The fake one your creating?

Why would we discuss something that isn't real? And why are we talking about this on the Boston board, Howard's show is/was syndicated, there's a syndicated board for this, where I don't have to see it.

He's not comming back, he's not on Boston radio anymore, and not a local show. Move on please..

 

[TowerBuzz]

Howard Stern has no relevance to Boston radio, that is your theory?. [EDIT]



[EDIT=inflammatory]

 

[Lucylu]

Symptomatic of head-in-the-sand management and one of the reasons Howard did so well in the first place; “He’s not from around here, no one will listen. He doesn’t even have traffic reports!”

Insult to injury: Howard did go to college here, did radio here and had a huge impact on the Boston market (they took Laquidara off BCN for him!). Why fear talking about him on a Boston board?

 

[radiodouble]

What's with all the speculation about Howard Stern back on "the radio?"

Uh, gee, I dunno, what gossip? The fake one your creating?

Why would we discuss something that isn't real? And why are we talking about this on the Boston board, Howard's show is/was syndicated, there's a syndicated board for this, where I don't have to see it.

He's not comming back, he's not on Boston radio anymore, and not a local show. Move on please..

i beg to differ. he only dominated boston radio like no one's mama and was everyone's daddy for almost ten years. at least we didn't have to read about shlocky jocks like wally and loren, uncle dale, matty or hillman on these boards.

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

Howard is gone. period.

I say - good riddance. As far as I am concerned, ratings or no ratings, Howard is a national embarrassment, and a disgrace to the broadcasting profession. His schtick is old, tired, predicatable, and uninspired. Strippers, bimbos, porno stars, lame sex jokes - yaaaawwwwnnnnnn...

Sirius was counting on the move bringing tons of new subscribers along. They got SOME, but nowhere near as many as they were expecting. Seems like Howard's legions of "loyal" fans aren't all that loyal if they have to pony up actual cash money to hear him. I would bet that right now, Sirius has their lawyers looking for a way out of that absurd contract they cut with him. I would also expect that Sirius and XM would join forces to increase their market share overall. (the same way I predicted the TV merger of UPN and WB, several years ago...)

I don't really see the big deal with satellite radio, anyway. Why do I need, say, an all Rolling Stones channel, when I can but one of their CD's (for a little more than the price of one month's subscription...) and listen to it forever, as much as I like, on my own schedule?

 

[TowerBuzz]

That's the view of someone who never listened to the show but relies on the media's reporting of his show to comment on it. YES my puritanical friend there was a seual component to the show but when it comes to celebrity interviewers Howard is by far the best, better than the other "celeb interviewers" like Barbara Walters who gets big A list subjects and does very little wothe opportunity. Howard has a knack for that and for getting truth from people that no one else has. You cannot discount that because he also cavorts with strippers on air.

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

I've heard it . I'm not impressed. Never have been, never will be. .. To each his own...

 

[Garrett]

That's the view of someone who never listened to the show but relies on the media's reporting of his show to comment on it. YES my puritanical friend there was a seual component to the show but when it comes to celebrity interviewers Howard is by far the best, better than the other "celeb interviewers" like Barbara Walters who gets big A list subjects and does very little wothe opportunity. Howard has a knack for that and for getting truth from people that no one else has. You cannot discount that because he also cavorts with strippers on air.

Towerbuzz,
Howard's show was a national show, and that is what the National radio board is for. I mean this in the nicest way possible: This thread is straying way off course, and far off of Boston radio. Would you please kindly take this subject somewhere else?

Thanks.

 

[everyday magic]

With the success of the O & A experiment, odds are Howard will be back in Boston. One news report says that he misses the huge audience he once enjoyed.

 

[Garrett]

That story was a fake all along an the person involved in reporting is now out of a job.
As I said before, the whole thing is Nonsense. Howard isn't going anywhere, and certainly not back in Boston.

 

[TowerBuzz]

The person reporting (John Minelli) it is out of a job becasue his job at the NY post was a conflict of interest with his radio consultation side gig. That was not where the rumor started to begin with and if it doesnt happen so what? This board is nothing but rumors more often than not.