Sirius Move May Have Cost Obscene 'King of All Media' His Throne
by Jeff Johnson
October 17, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Howard Stern, the self-proclaimed "king of all media," moved to satellite radio in January 2006 to be free from government decency regulations. However, the president of the American Decency Association says the notoriously profane radio host's newfound freedom has apparently come at a cost.Stern predicted that millions of so-called "terrestrial" radio listeners would follow him to satellite and pay a monthly subscription fee to hear his show. Sirius Satellite, which now carries the well-known shock jock's broadcast, put its money on him in the hope that he was right. In addition to Stern's show, Sirius also offers Playboy Radio, Maxim Radio, and Cosmo Radio.
But Bill Johnson of the American Decency Association, a group that has boycotted Stern's advertisers, says what the controversial and outrageous radio personality hoped for and boasted about simply has not happened. It seems the king may be losing his crown.
Stern's listening audience or "followership" on traditional radio was estimated to be about 12 million, Johnson says. "But on Sirius Satellite there are only about five million subscribers at this time," he notes, "and certainly it's very fair to say that not all of them are Stern fans."
Sirius Satellite offered Stern $500 million and a five-year contract to join their lineup after more than 20 "terrestrial" radio stations dropped his program in response to listener complaints of indecency. According to the American Decency Association, Sirius is now offering two free days of online access to Stern's "four-hour long perverse, profanity-filled radio show" in an attempt to boost the shock jock's listenership.
Moving to satellite radio may have lined Stern's pockets, Johnson says, but it seems to have cost the self-dubbed "king of all media" millions of listeners and a tremendous loss of popularity. Unfortunately, the decency advocate contends, "like a bad penny, Stern keeps showing up, trying to find new mediums in which to peddle his filth."
Jeff Johnson is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
