Re: Stern is staying at Sirius
Makes sense for Stern, money and content-wise.
It's funny that in 2010, some stubborn commentators still don't 'get' satellite radio and call Stern irrelevant just because they don't hear him. That notion comes from the antiquated mindset that radio should somehow be "free." (Never mind that endless commercials surrounding dubious content don't constitute "free" and that most TV hasn't been "free" for decades. You get what you pay for.) Actually, when it comes to Stern's sphere of income and influence, the lowest common denominator passive "listeners" who sample terrestrial radio's pedestrian fare by default are irrelevant..... and unnecessary. And terrestrial radio's politics, with rogue FCC Commissioners like Michael Copps continually threatening to impact radio's content, makes the relative freedom of satellite important to Stern and his listeners.
Sirius is available online and could easily work up a Stern podcast for those who don't use satellite radios with recording capability. The possibilities are endless. But the appointment listening content is the key. With Stern, satellite has it. With the exception of NPR, some talk radio shows and brief traffic and weather updates, terrestrial radio doesn't.
If I were in corporate at a terrestrial company, I'd desperately be looking to foster the next group of potential Sterns. But it looks like everyone's dropped the ball there. And the clock keeps ticking.