Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The King of All Media in Winter

It is no coincidence that Howard Stern uses the carnival barker motif for his pay channel "Howard TV."  Stern is, in his way, a descendent of P.T. Barnum, drawing people into his world with a motley assortment of misfits, porn stars and celebrities who casually bare their id and humanity on his show.  Stern and Barnum also share the trait of offering more than is necessarily delivered.  This was no more true than when Stern moved to Sirius Satellite Radio in 2006.  While endlessly drumming up support among his fans in the waning days of his terrestrial radio show, Stern glided past, or mentioned only in passing, that his show would change once it began airing on satellite radio.  Since starting with Sirius, the Howard Stern Show, and its associated channels, "Howard 100" and "Howard 101," have steadily offered fans less and less live programming while shrinking creatively from its promising beginning.  

The satellite show Howard started in January 2006 began with great fanfare and anticipation.  Not only was Howard doing a clever, bawdy and downright hilarious show 5 days a week, a "Howard 100 News" team acted as a show force multiplier for all information about the show and its cast of characters.  Two other original programs, Bubba the Love Sponge and Scott Ferrall, were added and random hour long specials popped up to expand the show's universe.  Sirius received great coverage and a large spike in subscribers in the months leading up to Howard's arrival.  Soon thereafter though, once the carnival barker had the customers (and their $12 dollars a month) in the tent, things changed.  The news team was trimmed in half, the 5 day a week show quickly shifted to 4 days (Stern never fully accounted for this, usually claiming that he told listeners his hours would "change" on satellite and that even so, with fewer commercials, the show was actually longer than his terrestrial show.  Even the commercial break claim started to slip as musical and/or show bit bumpers added to the show breaks), Bubba's exclusivity ended when Sirius would not renew his contract after 2 years and additional programming was scaled back or disappeared completely.

Even with these changes, longtime listeners could see that Stern was enjoying a creative renaissance on satellite radio.  While the language of the show became more colorful, more importantly, being freed from the confines of blocked commercials allowed Stern to delve far more deeply into interviews and show bits when needed. Moreover, the show received a substantial contribution from so-called sidekick Artie Lange.  While Lange's comedy was often stunted within the more regulated airwaves of terrestrial radio, on satellite, Artie's genius truly shined.  Lange's natural abilities as a storyteller and a comedic foil for Stern, particularly during the news segment that closes the show, were evident and added greatly to the overall quality of the show. Lange's personal life also became a deep vein of show material and, at times, crossed a line of "reality" and reality, as when Lange stormed off the show in a rage after arguing with his assistant, engaged in a nearly hour-long on-air argument with Stern about whether the two men were actually friends and feuded with cast members Sal Governale and Richard Christy.  That Lange was also spiraling downward in heroin addiction, nodding off during the show, randomly missing work days and behaving in an erratic way was either lost on Stern or not taken seriously on air. (Stern's comments about Lange since his departure from the show have been limited and essentially excused Stern's ignorance of Lange's condition).

While fans generally accepted the shorter schedule and additional days off, callers who complained about these changes were told variously that there was other programming on Sirius and/or if they did not like it, to cancel their subscriptions. This was a far different message than Stern was conveying when he was attempting to promote Sirius prior to and immediately after his arrival.  The "revolution" he promised was, like Barnum's bearded ladies and siamese twins, less than met the eye. Moreover, Stern's impact on Sirius's subscription base is open to interpretation.  When Stern sued SiriusXM for failing to pay him performance bonuses he claimed he was entitled to, subscription information for the period of time both before and after Stern moved to Sirius showed that while there was a clear bump of more than 2 million subscribers in the window of time between when Howard announced his move, started his show on Sirius and the year after, that spike did not last.  In other words, the subscribers Howard moved over to Sirius came on board either in the months prior to, or after, his arrival.

Sirius's 2007 merger with lone competitor XM Radio was heralded by Stern as a validation of his own impact on the business and there was likely some truth in that statement; however, even then, the level of interest in the Stern Show specifically was likely overstated.  After the merger, XM subscribers who were interested in a "best of" Sirius package that included Stern had to pay an additional $4 a month for that programming.  Papers filed in the case Stern brought against SiriusXM show that roughly 1 million subscribers, or about 9 percent of the total subscribers XM had when the acquisition took place, purchased the best of package.  While being directly responsible for at least 3 million subscribers is an impressive feat, the idea that Stern's audience is still what it was in his terrestrial days is highly unlikely.  The entire case file in Stern's lawsuit is worth reading and can be found, for free, through the New York Supreme Court's website at: http://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/iscroll/SQLData.jsp?IndexNo=650762-2011.

As Stern's contract with Sirius drew to a close, there was a legitimate question as to whether Howard would re-sign with the company.  Now in his mid-50s and re-married, Stern appeared to achieve a certain balance and stability in his life that made walking away from radio more compelling and his career had not only been highly successful but incredibly lucrative.  Lange's departure in late 2009 and the show's notoriously insular world suggested bringing in new talent was unlikely and Stern's antagonism toward SiriusXM's management due to his view that bonuses he believed he was entitled to were not being paid only added to the uncertainty.

Like any good showman, Stern stretched out the drama until the very end, announcing his re-signing during his final week of live broadcasts in 2010.  Terms, as with all of Stern's contracts, were not disclosed by him except for a cryptic reference to working a "limited schedule."  Die-hard fans knew that the term "limited schedule" almost certainly meant more vacation time and the possibility of fewer shows, perhaps just over the summer, but instead of coming clean with his audience (as the terms of the contract had to define the number of shows and/or frequency required), Stern opted to remain noncommittal about the situation.

The truncated schedule Stern agreed to would soon be revealed to his audience.  The 4 day a week schedule quickly morphed into a "hybrid" schedule where the show was live 4 days one week, 3 the next, along with additional vacation time.  By the end of the summer of the first year of this new 5 year contract, the show was down to 3 days a week all the time, which appears to be the new norm, even though Stern himself has not mentioned it. The show itself is schizophrenic.  On the one hand, Stern relies more and more on recycled show bits and stories that even casual fans have long grown tired of to fill large blocks of time.  Regular callers to the program do little more than blow kisses at Stern, whose separation from the common man is in sharpest relief when he re-tells stories of parties with the likes of Conrad Black and his long weekends in the Hamptons.  Those short commercial breaks Stern promised are now larded with up to 5 additional minutes of song bumpers and bits that reduce the live show even further.  Most staff arguments feel canned and staged and Stern himself often seems uninterested in pushing the show creatively and, all too often, seems to be going through the motions to get to the end of that day's telecast.

On the other hand, the one area of the show where Stern has arguably never been better is in his interview segments.  In the past few months alone, Stern has produced amazing radio with A-list celebrities like Lady Gaga, Simon Cowell, and Billy Joel, drawn out controversial statements from Tony Bennett about 9/11, and shown his true skill in talking to lesser celebrities like Dave Navarro, Tom Sizemore and Tatum O'Neal and making them come to life through open, honest and sometimes painful conversations about drugs addiction, divorce, family alienation and other deeply personal and painful subjects rarely covered in traditional interview segments.

A prime example of Stern's genius was his interview with Lady Gaga, who, over the course of a more than one hour interview opened herself up about everything from her sexuality and sex life to her fears and insecurities about the music business, her tireless devotion to her craft (and fans) and love of performing.  The showstopper though was Gaga's story of the impetus behind her song "Edge of Glory," which, she told Stern, was written shortly after the death of her grandfather and with the assistance of her father.  The stripped down version of the song she performed on piano in studio was one of the finest moments in Stern Show history and testament to Howard's continued powers as a broadcaster.

That power, or more specifically, Stern's unwillingness to wield it except in limited circumstances, is what makes the current state of the show and the artist that much more perplexing.  For every morning where it sounds like Howard could not care less about being at work, there will be an interview segment that shows a performer at the height of his power.  It is unclear how much Stern's lawsuit against SiriusXM is affecting his work, but his ambivalence about re-signing seems to have bled into his work.  Interviews aside, the show lacks much vigor.  Lange was never replaced and his absence is felt not only creatively but in the lack of a strong foil for Stern's observations and antics.  Long-time true sidekick Robin Quivers serves as both validator of Stern's opinions and equally removed now-celebrity who treats the show as Stern appears to, as a part-time gig between vacations in places that are out of reach of the average listener and with a modest amount of interest in the actual product being put on air.

Sadly, the show's quality is unlikely to improve.  Stern has shown no inclination to fill Lange's empty chair and even if he were, it is unclear whether a quality replacement could be found in light of the uncertainty that surrounds Stern's future after this contract and the question of whether SiriusXM is interested in investing additional money in a performer who is now suing them for what we can only assume is a substantial amount of money (the parties stipulated as part of the litigation that financial details would be redacted from all court filings).  Moreover, as his contract nears its end, Stern is likely to lose staffers who actually contribute on air material as they move on to new opportunities.  On some level, the fitting end may be the coda to a clever short movie done as part of the Howard Stern Film Festival back in 2006 (another ambitious undertaking that seems light years ago).  In "Radio Play," childhood versions of Howard, Robin and Fred find each other through radio and create a show.  In real life, it is entirely possible that the near retirement-age versions will do the same and ride off into the radio sunset.   

Follow me on Twitter @scarylawyerguy


17 comments:

  1. 10/10. Needs to be tweeted and shared.

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  2. Thank you, great article.

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  3. Nigga I ain't reading all that shit. Just kidding, read most of it. Nice job of articulating the Stern situation. The only part I really disagree with is "amazing radio with A-list celebrities" first of all those interviews were good not great. But even if you loved them to call them "amazing" is a bit overboard. The aurora borealis is amazing, celebrity interviews are entertaining at best.

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  4. Major ditto on this one. I've been on board for 10+ years and still try to listen but it's tough. Howard is mailing it in for the paycheck and doesn't want to be there.

    The worst thing that ever happened was them getting the rights to the old tapes. They use them as a crutch now.

    In terms of guests - how does Bai Ling and and sad porn star sound? That was the lineup one day this week.

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  5. As a very long time listener (since day one when he started at K-Rock), I agree with your article 100%. Stern's show is now more habitual listening than must listen radio. Too bad, when he is on his game, he is the best. Far too may times I keep thinking that he should have not re-signed with Sirius and should have taken his talents to television and the movies. In the interim, I am starting to learn what life will be without Howard in the morning.

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  6. I've been listening to Howard since his WNBC days. I followed him to K ROCK and then to Sirius. I even bought one of his pay per view specials one year...so I guess you could say I'm a fan. But in the past few years I have found myself listening less and turning the channel more. He seems to be less and less interested in his work and more interested in promoting a career for his wife or, more recently, the X Factor. Artie Lange brought a certain masculine touch to the program that is painfully lacking now. Endless discussions about American Idol and Dancing with the Stars seem weird for a guy in his 50's. Sometimes I don't listen at all,except for the news, if he's spending more than 5 minutes on one of these topics. For me, the jump to a three day a week work schedule was a slap in the face of his listeners. He might as well bow out and go sit in his estate in the Hamptons and take pictures of his wife...it's clear, he's not into us anymore.

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  7. I Could not agree more. It is sad but all shows must end. I wish that he would cut 2 yrs off his contract and go back to 5 days a week and go out in a blaze of glory. The slow decline is difficult to stomach. PS I would Twat this blog but I'm not on twitter.

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  8. Very well written. After listening to the show for nearly 20 years, I have just about given up. I usually listen to music or sports talk now, and don't miss the show. On the days that I do try to go back, I typically end up hearing one of those canned staff arguments which have zero interest to me anymore. Other than an occasional Richard/Sal bit, I fail to laugh at anything, whereas, in years past, I would often find myself driving in my car laughing out loud all by myself. It truly feels like they're all just going through the motions and can't wait to get to 10:00. I appreciate all the good stuff I've heard over the years, but I think I'm ready to move on.

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  9. You hit the nail right on the head Stern has become what he used to bitch about!Give the man money, trophy wife and all the ass kissers who fear him ,never let real calls on air, worn out bits. Is Fred still working there? Stern musta told all of them lets make this the lamest show because we took pay cuts and he didn't get his bonus. Good luck when the shows over no one will care Take all that money to your grave!

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  10. Couldn’t agree more. Long time listener also, and have noticed that Howard just isn’t into the show. He doesn’t enjoy it and it is painfully obvious. The entire tone of the show is best summed up by him persistently rushing Robin through the news “anything else Robin?” But there are glimpses of how talented he is – as noted, he can do very good interviews.

    But the rest of the show is a drag, him rambling about queer shows like Dancing with the Stars or how to keep a to do list. Its apparent true A-listers only did his terrestrial show because they were using him to promote, now he can’t pull real stars regularly.

    The show schedule now is… Howard kvetching / aimless rants, guest segment or staff infighting, news, get the f*ck out as soon as possible. Ironically Howard has become his mother in his attitude and even the cadence of his speech. This is even when he isn’t mimicking her voice (which is one of the few bright spots and good for a laugh).

    Listen to Howard’s voice and demeanor on his old shows (on 101, radio replay shuffle thing), he sounds upbeat, like he is actually laughing or having fun with Billy West, Jackie, Artie etc. He sounds genuine and like he really is getting into a joke or a segment. Contrast that with his somber, uninterested, almost always annoyed tone he has currently.

    He insults his listeners, or more so flips SiriusXM the finger with the 3-day work schedule. The guy is off the air more than he is on! He should provide some decent live radio on the days he is not there (not Jackie, he’s horrible on his own). In addition to the extended commercial breaks, he’s added the “in show” commercial read. WTF? That infuriates me when he slides into one of those reads. The absolute nadir was the “best of” week that consisted of “news” shows. Who wants to listen to old news? No one.

    I wouldn’t be so irked by the 4 day weekend schedule if the 3 shows he did were strong, packed shows. But as we all know, they aren’t. Tom Sizemore? Really? And then they get replayed over and over and over for the next 4 days.

    On the flip side, I totally understand his perspective – he’s rich and doesn’t need to work, he has a model wife, and has a massive Hamptons palace. At his age, getting up at 4am and dragging himself to work, away from his camera, the live petting zoo Beth has assembled and serenity of his ocean front manse is a burden and he resents it.

    Howard should have retired on top when this contract was up and moved on to producing or whatever. Go out on top and leave them begging for more, instead he’s going out slowly and painfully.

    As he’s often said on air to listeners who complained, if you don’t like it, don’t listen. And I’ve taken him up on that, listening to the Virus and RawDog when his show is boring. And my bet is that many others have done so also.

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  11. This is by a SFN Homo... You people are a bunch of 40 year old losers with daddy issues.. You spend ur whole day on a Howard Stern Fan website bitching Howard is not like you anymore.. Howard was never like you! You are a loser..
    Howard Stern show has never been better, SFN is 40 people Howard has 10million people listening to him that love the show so good luck on that lonely island SFN..Why don't you losers just move on in life? Pretty soon MUTT will be fired from hosting SFRT due to letting people promoting stealing sirius on his website and then all you SFN losers will have nothing to do with the stern show...Can't steal from ur work, if I did that I would be fired from my job..
    Move on fat losers

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  12. Waaahhhhhh I don't like a radio show no more!
    Move on in life losers..Howard does not give a fuck if all 12 of you don't like his how anymore.. There is 6-10 million people who still like it.
    You look like a sad loser crying about a radio show..Losers
    Good luck Mutt on being fired

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  13. Hey if Jackie is so talented where all his scripts he was going to punch up?

    Nothing is more sad then a bunch of 50 year old fat guys on the computer crying about how they don't like a radio show anymore..
    They really must have no life...
    Can't wait for Ralph to replace Mutt!
    Benji Rules
    Howard Rules
    Robin Rules
    Fred Rules
    Billy west is NOT funny
    Jackie is NOT funny
    Beth is Hot
    You can't beat me SFN, I own you fat bitches

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  14. Horse Face approves this message.

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  15. The funny thing is about the last few comments here is, if you look at the comments of people that are giving their $.02 and agreeing that the show has taken a turn for the worse, they are generally well written and not laced w/ boring, over usage of swears.

    Then you have this:
    Nothing is more sad then a bunch of 50 year old fat guys on the computer crying about how they don't like a radio show anymore..
    I'm 35, and in better shape then I've ever been..

    They really must have no life...
    Wife, 2 kids, beautiful home in the woods in CT, and bring home a hefty check every 2 weeks..

    Can't wait for Ralph to replace Mutt!
    Sorry, it doesn't matter who, if anyone replaces Mutt, that show is simply boring.
    Benji Rules
    I concur...too bad he's on the Stern show, huh?

    Howard Rules
    At what? Photography? Nope, but he's ok at Photoshop

    Robin Rules
    At being a vegan? Has anyone ever seen an obese vegan?

    Fred Rules
    Does he even work there anymore?

    Billy west is NOT funny
    Really? Network TV execs think otherwise, but clearly you know what you're talking about..

    Jackie is NOT funny
    Some of, if not MOST of what came out of Howard's mouth when Jackie was on the show, was written by Jackie and read by Howard

    Beth is Hot
    This isn't SFN, so, no she's not. She's way too thin...her voice is like nails on a chalk board...that big smile...that long face....
    Someday, walk down 5th ave in New York, Beth doesn't even come close to the real women that surround you.

    You can't beat me SFN, I own you fat bitches
    Nobody wants to beat you, because nobody cares about you.

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  16. The article is highly accurate, but leaves out a few details.

    While Sirius' subscribers increased, XM had a similar increase. How can people say Sirius' rise is attributed to Stern while XM had a similar rise in the same time period? It would be more accurate to say the entire satellite industry grew, instead of saying Howard was responsible for Sirius' growth. The true reason why both companies grew so fast is because new cars come with a free trial subscription. (People using the free trial are counted as subscribers)

    Another complaint his fans have is Stern became the person he railed against early in his career. He insulted Imus' trophy wife because she came out with a book. Then Howard's trophy wife came out with a book (Oh My Dog). He'd make fun of all the rich people who divorced their wives and found young trophy wives. He'd insult all the socialites who go from one Hampton party to the next. He insulted Letterman for not working Fridays. Letterman would tape Friday's show earlier in the week, which Howard said was lazy.

    There's more details, but I don't feel like posting the rest right now.

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  17. Really appreciated this posting.

    It is time that we disaffected listeners move to the next stage. We need to leverage our scale to put pressure on Howard and Sirius directly.

    I am not smart enough to know what the right mechanism is, but there has got to be a way that we can combine our strength to raise media awareness of the scale of disaffection present here. The story of how badly Howard has irritated his fans would be an interesting one to business journalists, at a minimum. At a maximum, other radio and TV hosts would love to report on a significant disturbance in the Howard fan-base.

    Should we try to create a viral avalanche on Twitter? Facebook? Tumblr?

    Should we try a cancellation-bomb, where we all agree to cancel Sirius on the same day?

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