from the NY Post
May 25, 2003
May 25, 2003 -- In a possible reflection of her upbringing in the small Texas town of Katy, the actress who commands more than $4 million per movie recently bought a modest home in East Hampton.
She is believed to have paid $2 million for a quaint farm house, built in the late 19th century.
Location is everything, agents say, and Zellweger's new holiday home is down the road from the prestigious Maidstone Club, a Hamptons icon.
But being neighbors might be as close as the actress gets to the oceanfront snob sanctuary. The exclusive club is unlikely to instantly welcome a Tinseltown newcomer to its membership roster, some members said.
The two-story, 2,200-square-foot home is on an acre of land with groves of well-established trees and a long driveway for privacy and security. It has four bedrooms and three baths. The floors are the original wide-planked timbers.
But Zellweger's choice was not a slam-dunk.
"She had her brokers looking for quaint and charming," said a local familiar with the search that began last summer. "There were as many as 15 houses that she had her people pre-qualify before she looked at five or six."
Zellweger's investment reflects a change in this year's East End real-estate trends.
Gone are the salad days of Jerry Seinfeld-like mega-transactions, when celebrities routinely shelled out truckloads of cash for sprawling seaside mansions.
Those buying into the market - like "Sex and the City" producer Darren Star, who purchased a $2.85 million house in East Hampton - have gone toward the lower end of the market.
But shock jock Howard Stern is an exception.
After renting in the Hamptons for the last few summers, Stern became the king of his castle last December when he bought a six-bedroom, six-bath oceanfront mansion on 1.7 acres in Amagansett for $5.5 million - a decent price.
Before Stern settled on the home on Shipwreck Drive, he looked at several high-end properties, including a 7-acre $10 million spread on Further Lane, and a $19 million Rafael Vinoly-designed mansion, also in East Hampton.
from the Boston Globe
March 20, 2003
We didn't think anyone would willingly take credit for a TV show that hinges on the libido of the leathery Lorenzo Lamas, one that makes nudity as sexy as a frog dissection in a tin pan. Who would openly claim responsibility for ABC's "Are You Hot? The Search for America's Sexiest People," a Nielsen-starved spectacle of bloated implants, hidden steroid tracks, and body-image-therapy dropouts?
But last week in Los Angeles Superior Court, also known as "The E! True Hollywood Inventory," Howard Stern filed a $10 million suit claiming that ABC stole the "Are You Hot?" idea from him. According to Stern's complaint, ABC ripped off his radio bit "The Evaluators" and ruined his plans to adapt it into a series of his own. Both "Are You Hot?" and "The Evaluators" expose stripped-down women to the laser wit (and the laser pointers) of three judges.
If Stern prevails, his suit could inspire a blizzard of theft allegations. After all, reality TV has a long list of influences, from Miss America pageants to Mattel's fleet of perfect, plastic dolls. Why Barbie herself could sue for appropriation of hair bounce.
But the fact is that Stern has more right than anyone, except perhaps Andy Warhol and the makers of MTV's "The Real World," to call himself a reality TV pioneer. Whether he deserves $10 million for originating "Are You Hot?," the King of All Media deserves notice as a forefather of what is now America's most popular TV pastime. With his Whack Pack of horny cohorts and nutcakes, he has blazed the trail of today's reality TV aesthetic -- the dating competitions, the carnival challenges, the voyeurism, the exhibitionism -- even if most reality TV fans might balk at the connection.
There's a lengthy list of links between Stern radio segments and reality concepts. Long before "Fear Factor," Stern was offering cash prizes to people for performing acts they find unpleasant. (Yesterday, he offered a straight coworker $250,000 to have gay sex.) Long before "The Bachelor," Stern was hooking up men and women, with players sharing their opinions just as the "Bachelorette" men addressed the camera about Trista. Long before "American Idol," Stern was letting bands perform in front of no-nonsense record producers. Long before "Extreme Makeover," Stern was in the habit of awarding women breast-implant surgery as a prize.
Of course, Stern's take on these sideshow games is more R-rated and fringe than what we generally see on prime time. The women who are cast on the likes of "Joe Millionaire" are PG versions of Stern's endless parade of shapely ladies, most of whom are porn stars or strippers. The Zoras and the Brookes and the Helenes of Fox and ABC don't get naked, even if at least one "Millionaire" contestant and one "American Idol" wannabe were accused of having soft-core pasts. But they do share the same desire to sell their dignity, and maybe play footsie in a hot tub or go for a suggestive walk in the woods, in exchange for a few minutes of media attention and a spot on "Entertainment Tonight."
And Stern's radio games (which are filmed and air nightly on E!) tend to do what reality TV does: They push cultural buttons. He has an instinct for isolating issues of gender, race, and sexuality, then bringing them to the fore in all their eternal controversy. It's similar to the way "Survivor: The Amazon" separated the men and women to create a battle of the sexes, or how "Joe Millionaire" turned dating into a question of greed versus love. Recently, Stern created a game in which politically impassioned men had to choose between delivering a radio speech to America or going on a date with a voluptuous woman. It was a provocative setup that some Fox executive is probably musing at this very moment.
And long before "The Osbournes" and its evil spawn, "The Anna Nicole Show," Stern and his friends were turning their mundane lives into outrageous entertainment. Just as television viewers eavesdrop on the "Real World" kids and the "Surreal Life" celebs, Stern listeners have been intimately acquainted with his romantic ups and downs, his obsessive-compulsive foibles, and his complicated feelings toward his parents, both of whom have been on the air. Listeners have also shared in the office parties and the staff fights, some of which have been comically brutal. It was fitting when Stern regular Stuttering John Melendez, so active in the on-air bickering, was cast on the reality monstrosity "I'm a Celebrity -- Get Me Out of Here!"
Ultimately, the common bond between Stern and reality TV may come down to humiliation. Women and men, and celebrities, agree to appear on both Stern's show and reality TV with the understanding that they may be embarrassed, ridiculed, or put down. And public humiliation -- the rejection by Evan, the insult from Simon Cowell, the failure to eat buffalo testicles, the successful ingestion of buffalo testicles -- is what has made reality such a craze. In 2003, that's entertainment.
from the NY Daily News
February 11, 2003
David Hinckley
NEW YORK WINNERS: WHTZ and WLTW were among the big local winners Saturday night in Billboard Airplay Monitor's 2003 Radio Awards.
In the mainstream top-40 category, WHTZ won as best major-market station and Cubby Bryant as best music director.
WLTW won as best adultcontemporary station in a major market, with WHUD named best in a secondary market. WLTW's Jim Ryan won as best program director.
WKTU's Frankie Blue was named best program director in the rhythmic top-40 category, and 'KTU's Jeff Z best music director.
Tony Mascaro of WPLJ won as best music director in adult top 40, and Mike Peer of WXRK as best modern-rock music director. Howard Stern won for syndicated program of the year.
--snips--
from Newsday
February 5, 2003
New Jersey now can't afford to keep open the Route 295 rest area that once carried the radio host's name. It will be shuttered, reportedly at a savings of $1 million a year.
The closing was detailed in McGreevey's budget, which he introduced Tuesday. McGreevey also cut all funding to the arts, sciences and cultural programs. Aid for higher education, rebates and social service programs were also cut to balance the $23.7 billion budget.
Twenty-three state workers are needed to staff the area around the clock, state officials said. It is one of three operated on state highways. Rest areas on the New Jersey Turnpike and other toll roads are independently operated.
Former Gov. Christie Whitman, now head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, joked that she would christen the restroom afterStern during a 1995 campaign stop.
Whitman's decision raised a hornet's nest of criticism from several groups, including the New Jersey chapter of the National Organization for Women, which says Stern demeans women.
In March 1995 workers installed a black and silver plaque complete with a caricature of Stern peeking from an outhouse at the Springfield Township rest stop.
Within days it was stolen, but someone later mailed Stern the plaque, which had been paid for by the state Republican Committee.
A voice mail message seeking comment from Stern's radio producer was not immediately returned Wednesday evening. His agent also did not immediately respond to an e-mail request for comment.
from the NY Observer
February 5, 2003
Howard Stern has officially ascended from the ranks of Hamptons renters. Recently, the shock jock signed a contract to buy the Amagansett house he's been renting for $5.5 million.
To hear his on-air cohort tell it, the house was already well broken in. During the July 22 broadcast of Mr. Stern's show, "Stuttering John" Melendez told a story about staying at the Amagansett home and becoming so aroused by his boss' romp in the bedsheets with his girlfriend Beth that he and his wife were inspired to have a go at it. When Mr. Melendez asked about the "boom, boom" he heard emanating from the master suite, Mr. Stern joked that it was probably just his nose hitting the wall.
Sources close to the deal confirmed that a closing is imminent on Mr. Stern's two-story shingle-style residence on Shipwreck Drive, a small dead-end road in one of the East End's posher hamlets. It's about 80 miles east of where the self-proclaimed "King of All Media" grew up -- in Roosevelt, N.Y., a small town in Nassau County. His Amagansett spread, which sits directly on the ocean, has six bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, two fireplaces, a one-car garage, and is surrounded by 1.7 acres of land. The house's traditional feel is the work of local architect Frank Hollenbeck (Robert De Niro's onetime designer).
Mr. Stern also owns a penthouse condo in the Millennium Tower on West 67th Street near Broadway.
Mr. Stern has made no secret about his house hunt, giving his radiolisteners -- andTVaudience, on the E! channel-- regular updates on the process. On Aug. 19, Mr. Stern played down a recent New York Post story that had him checking out a $19 million Rafael Viñoly -- designed East Hampton mansion. Mr. Viñoly, the architectural powerhouse behind a semifinalist design for the World Trade Center site, didn't impress the famously under-endowed radio personality, who called the house "gross" and said he wouldn't give $100,000 for the place.
--snips--
from The New Island Ear
November 29, 2002
K.C. Armstrong, associate producer of The Howard Stern Show and one-sixth of triple-x comedy team the Murderer's Row, is a throwback to the sort of man you simply don't see too often nowadays. He still refers to his father as "the old man," uses the word "diarrhea" way too much for someone who's not a proctologist and proclaims that he quit playing sports after college because he didn't want to "go play flag football with the rest of those homos." If that weren't enough, he is, in fact, the man behind the profound prophecy, "When they're your farts, each one's a prize, but when they're someone else's, it's a nuisance." This is also the same Armstrong who is routinely the butt of jokes on national radio for admittedly chewing his own toenails and defecating in his bed, among many other bizarre offenses.
So, it may come as a bit of a surprise that when K.C. sets up an interview at a Holiday Inn bar, he's more likely to be emerging from the hotel gym, sporting a sleeveless gray shirt and orange running pants, clutching a bottle of Gatorade, than lounging in a stool and sipping on an Amstel. As it turns out, he lives "clean during the week," sticking to a steady workout routine and going to bed soon after many of us first get home from work.
He waits for the weekends to get dirty, which is what his self-proclaimed "filthy" performances with the Murderer's Row-comprised of Armstrong and fellow comedians Scott Demo, Jim Florentine, Jimmy "Big Daddy" Graham, the Reverend Bob Levy and Sean Sexton-are all about.
Nearly three years ago, after childhood buddies Armstrong, Demo and Sexton hooked up with Florentine, Graham and Levy by becoming regulars at dwellings like the New York Comedy Club, the six performers began shocking audiences as a collective. With Howard Stern serving as a promotional springboard, the crew quickly gathered a cult following, as audiences flocked to area venues, captivated by everything from Armstrong's unique brand of child molestation humor to Florentine's tips on how to screw with telemarketers (some may recognize Florentine as the voice of Special Ed on Comedy Central's Crank Yankers).
"I love doing the comedy, because you get to do your own thing, and it's all your own ideas," says Armstrong when I ask him to compare his two jobs. "The fun thing about the Murderer's Row is that there's no egos involved. We're like a team-there's no bickering, and we're all supportive of each other."
Armstrong's current career is a far cry from his youth, when he was a "jock that was nice to people," playing a sport each season for Port Jefferson High School and spending his summers practicing at his father's wrestling camp. His years at Western Kentucky University even came on the basis of a football scholarship, where he excelled as quarterback.
Ultimately though, his true talent was being outwardly immature, and after harassing anyone who would listen, he was allowed to team up with a campus DJ known as "The Brain" for his own radio talk show. As proof that persistence pays off, after sending weekly tapes of the program to Howard Stern's producer Gary Del'Abate, [sic] Armstrong's recorded rant-ings as a frequent guest now famously known by Stern fans as "the singing psychic" caught Stern's attention and resulted in an internship, which got him to where he is today.
When it comes to the debate over whether Stern's show is losing its edge, this is the one instance where Armstrong gets a bit serious, insisting that "Howard's a genius, and I don't know why anyone would say the show's been in danger. They wouldn't say that if they listened."
Granted, this was preceded by Armstrong convincing a middle-aged British man that the hotel's fitness center was closed because he had yet to fully clean up the pool of vomit on the floor.
But this is all part of what makes him oddly endearing. While he confesses that he may not be the most intelligent soul walking the earth, Armstrong is a straightforward, approachable guy who enjoys having lighthearted fun at others' expense, but is equally self-deprecating and humble about to whom he owes his success.
It's doubtful that the girl he intentionally misdirected to a non-existent hotel bathroom felt the same affinity, but it was certainly a shining moment for the juvenile jokester that festers in his brain.
He does warn that the material in his performances can be too crass for some, providing the disclaimer that, "If you don't know what you're getting into and are offended easily, you shouldn't come to this show. It's for people who have a good sense of humor and don't take things too seriously." So, when one audience member fled into the lobby to cry after his routine, complaining that she was molested as a child and did not take his treatment of the subject lightly, Armstrong calmly rationalized for her that, "I got bit by a dog when I was five, but I'm not afraid of dogs now." With that kind of sensitivity, it's a wonder that he not only holds down two successful careers in the spotlight, but a steady girlfriend as well, despite the fact that she doesn't want him "to screw around with other girls."
When pontificating his future after Stern goes off the air, Armstrong strokes his goatee, leans in and says assuredly, "I've got a five-year plan. Wal-Mart's always hiring. I hope the stand-up keeps going, but I can't think that far ahead. We seem to be doing well, and people are enjoying it, so that's what I'm doing."
Perhaps this boundary-less renaissance man summarized his past, present and future more succinctly when he declared, "Everyone thinks the Olson twins are hot, but that Bob Saget's a piece of ass!"
January or February 2002
Congratulations to Howard on winning Billboard magazine's 2002 Nationally Syndicated Radio Personality of the Year award!
from the Newark Star-Ledger
December 12, 2001
All TV: Keeping Katie
WILL KATIE COURIC have to change her name to The 14 Million Dollar woman?
--snips--
On the other hand, when TV deals of this magnitude are leaked, they usually turn out to be correct -- if not in the actual amount, then in the overall sense of how far a broadcaster is willing to go to keep a star on staff.
The estimated $30-$40 million multiyear deals that kept Noah Wyle and Anthony Edwards at NBC's "ER," and the estimated $90 million, multiyear deal to keep Howard Stern at Viacom-owned Infinity Broadcasting, were initially pooh-poohed by management, but later proved more or less correct.
--snips--
-- Matt Zoller Seitz
October 12, 2001
Thanks to all who gave what they could to the Howard Stern Show Relief Fund for the survivors of the police, fire and EMS workers killed on September 11.
Howard gave a check for $3,500,000 to New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani this morning.
[Ed. - Howard denied this story on the air today, saying there's nothing official yet.]
from the NY Post
October 8, 2001
October 8, 2001 -- THE King of All Media is this close to permanently adding a new jester to his court.
"Howard Stern Show" regular Artie Lange is on the verge officially taking over for jokester Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling, and all but has the job, sources say.
Lange, who's been sitting in on the "Stern" show for months, is just days away from inking a new contract with the show that will start on Oct. 29.
Under the deal, Lange will join Stern and company about four days a week, but he'll leave the jokeman's chair open for other guest comics if Stern has someone specific he wants to on the program.
Lange, a well-liked comic within the industry, is from Union, N.J. He most recently appeared on "The Norm Show" with Norm McDonald.
He's also appeared in several movies, including "Lost & Found," with David Spade; "The Bachelor," with Renee Zellweger; "The 4th Floor," with Juliette Lewis; and "Mystery Men," with Ben Stiller.
He got his big break several years ago as an original cast member on Fox's "Mad TV," but first appeared on Stern's show about four years ago to plug McDonald's 1998 film, "Dirty Work."
Martling, 53, a Stern show regular for 15 years, has all but vanished from the public eye, and he doesn't seem to be working.
He angrily walked off Stern's program last February during a contract dispute, but appeared several times to be on the verge of returning.
In the months that followed, Martling was replaced by a rotating roster of young comics, including Dave Chapelle, Friar's Roast cut-up Jeffrey Ross, former E! talk show host A.J. Benza, Doug Stanhope, Greg Fitzsimmons and Craig Gass, the impressionist who does the voices of Gene Simmons, "Baby Al Pacino," and Christopher Walken.
Both Lange and Stern show officials were unavailable for comment.
from All Access
September 21, 2001
FCC Commissioner MICHAEL COPPS issued the following statement following jokes made on the HOWARD STERN show on SEPTEMBER 14. "I am saddened and dismayed at remarks reportedly made on HOWARD STERN's nationally syndicated radio program last week during our NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER AND REMEMBRANCE."
COPPS, who said he has received hundreds of comments, said in a press statement that "most of Stern's programming last week seemed sensitive to this and supportive of encouraging a positive reaction to the disaster we had experienced. So it was all the more surprising that remarks were made, from whatever motivation, that so crudely distorted and demeaned the essential nobility of what our people were coming together to accomplish."
While COPPS did not specify which remarks saddened and dismayed him, although SOUTH FLORIDA "anti-indecency" crusader JACK THOMPSON's complaint centered on STERN's suggestion that prostitutes donate oral sex to the rescue workers.
from Radio Ink.com
September 21, 2001
"I am saddened and dismayed at remarks reportedly made on Howard Stern's nationally syndicated radio program last week during our National Day of Prayer and Remembrance. Our country has been through one of the most difficult and trying weeks in its long and sometimes painful history. It was a week of precious lives lost, endless hours of painful and sustained rescue and relief work, countless acts of individual and community heroism, and a reaffirmation of the ties that forge the unity of the American people in times of national emergency.
It was a week when America's broadcast media and other communications companies performed with self-sacrifice and often heroism. Most of Stern's programming last week seemed sensitive to this and supportive of encouraging a positive reaction to the disaster we had experienced. So it was all the more surprising that remarks were made, from whatever motivation, that so crudely distorted and demeaned the essential nobility of what our people were coming together to accomplish. Americans are a tolerant people, but hundreds of complaints coming to me in recent days demonstrate heartfelt revulsion over statements that were, to many, offensive and indecent".
The FCC page of this is here.
from the NY Post
August 14, 2001
August 14, 2001 -- HOWARD Stern says Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling blew his last chance to get back on Stern's payroll by playing the victim and "moaning" to The Post's Page Six on Sunday. [Ed. - see below.]
"I have a TV project I'm producing that I was thinking of perhaps hiring Jackie to write for, but after reading the article I don't want anything to do with this guy," Stern told listeners yesterday.
Martling, who walked off - and then was dropped from - Stern's show six months ago in a contract dispute, told Page Six he "contacted Howard and said I'd like to take the [original] offer, but he wouldn't take me back."
"This is pathetically sad," Stern railed during his show. "Really, the guy should calm down already and stop.
"When a guy leaves and says he doesn't care, I take him at his word," Stern said. "I mean, who knew this was a game?"
Stern implied for the first time yesterday that he had actually "dipped into my own goddam pocket" to rescue Martling after previous contract walk-outs.
"Not only have I bailed him out, he's angry with me - I've done him an injustice [and he's] not being paid his fair amount - then he comes back with a chip on his shoulder," Stern said.
"I'm sick of being mistreated this way. How many times do I have to sit and get put through the ringer?" Stern said, clearly annoyed. "He's still using me to get himself in the paper."
Martling, 53, was believed to be making a six-figure salary at the end of his 15-year association with Stern, but Stern claims Martling's ego was bigger than any paycheck.
"This wasn't about money," Stern said. "This was about teaching me some bizarre lesson - that he's the show and he's the guy."
Martling didn't respond to e-mail requests for comment on Stern's remarks.
from the NY Post
August 12, 2001
PAGE SIX column
By RICHARD JOHNSON with PAULA FROELICH and CHRIS WILSON
August 12, 2001 -- Forgive me, Joke Man pleads.
JACKIE "The Joke Man" Martling is begging Howard Stern to take him back.
"I would love to be back on the show. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out," Martling told PAGE SIX. "I would love for him to give me a second chance."
Martling, who angrily walked out in February in a bid for more money, had rankled the King of All Media by repeatedly threatening to quit unless his high-six-figure salary was increased. Since then, the Joke Man has been relaxing in his collection of houses on the beach in Bayville.
"I wish I could go back to Howard," Martling sighed, "but I don't think so, because I haven't heard from them."
Martling was reluctant to discuss the split: "I don't want to go into the whole thing. I asked for more money, and they didn't want to give it to me. So . . . they offered me a nice raise, and I asked for more, and when I didn't get it, I walked off."
But Martling soon regretted his decision.
"A couple of months later, I contacted Howard and said I'd like to take the [original] offer, but he wouldn't take me back," Martling moaned.
Martling, who worked with Stern for 15 years, said it is too painful for him to listen to the show anymore because he misses it so much.
"I have a little contact with Howard - I mean, we are friends. But I miss laughing and carrying on like a third-grader for five hours a day. I'm sorry if I come across as weird, I am in a weird spot.
"I have been lying very, very low, just living on the beach swimming and riding my bike. I'm not worried about sharks - let 'em eat me.
"It's so gorgeous here, we have fires and barbecues on the beach. I've worked day and night for 20 years, and it's nice to take some time off."
Although Martling doesn't have a steady job, he's gearing up for his uncensored pay-per-view special "Midnight Rider," airing this month on Cablevision. He's also booked some live appearances in casinos and colleges.
As for Stern still using him as a punching bag, Martling said, "Howard ragged on me for 15 years when I was sitting there. I consider him my friend. I would be more upset if they didn't rag on me."
But as much as Martling may want his old job back, insiders say a "hurt" Stern has ruled the Joke Man will never work for him again.
"Howard was hurt by Jackie leaving," the insider told PAGE SIX in June. "He thought they were like family. He thought Jackie was making plenty of money for what he was doing. Howard has said on and off the air that Jackie won't be back."
--snips--
August 7, 2001
In the September 2001 issue of Yahoo! Internet Life, their 5th Anniversary issue celebrating 5 (Internet) years that changed the world, Howard gets two mentions.
In the cover story, page 112, it mentions an article from May, 1997, called "Howard Stern Has Online Private Part-ies." The magazine asked "If you were to exchange sexually explicit e-mails with a woman, would that be tantamount to in-the-flesh infidelity?" Howard answers: "I have a line I draw for all that. My wife, Alison, says that it's cheating and I say it isn't. I say, "Honey, it's just words. It's just play. It's research."
The second mention, page 118, is part of the "Worst of the Internet" for the last 5 years. It happened in May 1998. The article says "Users across the Web heroically unite - to help Howard Stern regular Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf win People magazine's Most Beautiful People Poll online.
August 5, 2001
'SternMD' posted some really good articles in the newsgroup about Howard getting fired from WNBC in 1985 and they're archived here.
from baptizingbyfire.com
by Matthew Randazzo, IV
Howard Stern, like all original entertainers, received a great deal of criticism from the political extreme on either side and his colleagues, who decried his show as a sick man engaging in masturbatory fantasies accompanied by thoughtless, crude humor. The fact that he looked like the offspring of Joey Ramone and a sickly praying mantis did not help; whereas the public and media would have better accepted a more suave, attractive man playing the stereotypical male pig (explain otherwise how the boorish behavior of Russell Crowe is so tolerated), Stern’s appearance alone was enough to put off a great deal of house wives and feminists. With his curly, quasi-Louis XIV mane and heavy metal bands decorating his sleeveless shirts, there was nothing about stern visually that would have eased the acceptance of his often offensive material. He was the normal male id boiled down to a geek show spectacle, devoid of Apollonian traits or masculine myths. With his long, thin body and large head, he even somewhat resembled what a sperm would look like if made human.
Howard Stern, at his greatest, however, was never a cutely defiant male stereotype, like The Man Show, but a fresco of many facets of American life. The American male, especially the married one, was, by the 1980's, stuck in a society that felt his thoughts and desires to be barbaric and pornographic. Feminism had won a great deal of ideological victories, in that its beliefs were adopted by the media as a whole and most people as correct; while many of their positions were justified, the militant distaste with which feminist ideology viewed men, especially white men, was an increasingly oppressive force in American culture. Furthermore, while Reagan’s regime was supported by the average American male, his presidency introduced another new cultural trend, as the white collar businessman and his soulless business instincts were glorified while the American economy left the blue collar workers behind. While the average worker may have voted for Reagan, his jingoistic propaganda appealed more to their pride than to their daily lives. With families to feed and issues they were too overwhelmed to handle or understand, these were men looking for someone to relate to, someone to dignify and publicize their lives.
Stern was the perfect package for his audience. Most importantly, he was a married man who, his entire life, was an undeniable loser: a loser in the eyes of his parents, a loser in the eyes of his employers, a loser in the eyes of women. Now, after a life of getting stepped on and being the failure, it was his turn to strike back, and he did so loudly, viciously, and, though his critics will never admit it, with hilarious originality. While the vast majority of men could relate to a man striking back at all things that had spurned them their entire lives, women also took to Stern, as he encompassed the two stereotypes most attractive to women: the dedicated family man and the bad boy. The fact that, as far as badboys go, he was all talk, and that his marriage stopped him from indulging in his fantasies kept him from being considered more than a normal guy, imprisoned in marriage with the libido of a teenager, by the male audience and a respectable person to his female audience. Added to these core dynamics which were instrumental in retaining his audience, was absolutely outrageous comedy and the voyeuristic thrill of hearing Stern tell every detail of his personal life. These last two sections of his repertoire would gain him the publicity and curiosity listeners, and the above factors would create a bond with the listener.
Stern at his best is an uncontrollably honest and reckless experience: whether it is the extremely revealing celebrity interviews of idiot savant Stuttering John (he presents a ruthless trial by fire for coddled egos, and, naturally, I approve), the hopelessly cruel evaluations of hopeful Playboy Playmates, or one of the many in-house spats, the Stern show is captivating entertainment. Lest it be forgotten, his two autobiographical books and movie were massive hits for a reason: they were funny, very funny. I direct anyone who doubts this statement to the Michael Jackson chapter in Miss America or Private Parts, the movie version. In the movie, Stern, at his best, is distilled perfectly in a surprisingly touching and competent film. He comes across as a man hopelessly bound to both his family and the adolescent alternate universe of his job.
Granted, there were always serious things wrong with the program. First of all, and most redundantly obvious, is the fact that strippers no longer make interesting interviews; a decade or two ago, it was risque and entertaining. Now, when done for the at least 2000th time, devoid of change or innovation, the strippers, porn stars, and prostitutes interviews are usually just vacuous wastes of 20 or 30 minutes, often revolving around painfully dull attempts to get them to disrobe. Stern’s segments with his trademark "Wack Pack" of various freaks are just as likely to be funny as they are to be repetitive, cruel geek shows, Stern and his crew mocking a certain characteristic or personal defect until it has become doubtful whether some of the show’s regulars are not mentally deficient themselves. These sections of the show are, by far, the most offensive, though I am not really offended as much as unimpressed. If all a program can do is point and laugh at someone’s speech impediment for half an hour, that is grotesque laxity on the show’s part. However, for as long as I have been exposed to Stern, segments that were spectacular failures were always measured out by moments of uncontrollable hilarity and unexpected insight.
Howard Stern, however, can no longer be sure of this balance. The most obvious reason for this is that his wife left him, and Howard, the career monogamist, has become a free agent. While this basically destroyed what Stern himself (judging from his movie and books) considered the most important facet to his show’s success, it did not necessarily have to be a disaster. Stern could have frankly dealt with the pain and troubles of going out on his own again, detailing his long-awaited (and assuredly clumsy) return to the singles scene. He, however, felt he needed to protect his teenage daughters from hearing the troubling details of his personal life and has therefore kept an extremely low profile. While this is an uncharacteristically unselfish goal on his part, his show suffers mightily from it, as his audience feels slightedafter two decades of complete disclosure, and his material is now glutted with the inanities of his daily life rather than the meaty issues and topics. Even worse, his audience now is now bombarded with seedy tabloid stories of personal life, such as his supposed dates with Carmen Electra and Angie Everheart. Many of Stern’s listeners had been comforted in the fact that Stern would always be the hapless loser with the ladies that he has always been; how would they react when there were stories of him playing the market like Puff Daddy on New Years Eve?
They reacted, unsurprisingly, by leaving the show. Until very recently, Stern’s audience had been taking a nose dive since his wife left him, to the number of over 600,000. This was compounded by Howard’s refusal to get involved with head comedy writer Jackie Martling’s negotiations, which resulted in Martling leaving the show. Predictably, the carefully constructed comedic balance of the show was destroyed, and Howard, not helping matters, has responded by replacing Jackie with an endlessly changing carousel of guest cast members, alternating between unknown comics, failed actors, low-level entertainment executives, and violent gossip columnists. The show, which was once a reliable family, is now an unorganized mess, and the great comedy comes much more infrequently now that Martling has left the show.
The looming question about The Howard Stern Show is whether it has anything left to offer. It completely remade the radio playing field over the past two decades, and it broke down countless barriers and taboos, for which it has paid dearly due to an Orwellian campaign by the FCC. However, Stern seems more disconnected from the average person’s reality by the day. What defense can there be made for Howard’s attacks against Hamptons’ culture and the rich New Yorkers who go there during the Grubman story when, for months, he has spoken about going to the Hamptons and how much he enjoys it. One can only claim ignorance to the daily grind of most Americans when he endlessly chatters about having to wait in traffic in his limo, his problems with his TiVo system, and his obsession with high-priced, avant garde restaurants that no one but the most elite eat at. Even worse, his domineering demand to be the best, to win the rating wars and constantly innovate, has suddenly vanished. His inferiority complexes lead to some of his best, most inspired radio. He seems, more or less, content with his show’s status quo; there have been no new innovations, no new campaigns, nothing at all to suggest a dynamic, changing enterprise. He continues with his tried and true stripper and porn star routines and his increasingly less revealing celebrity interviews, where he usually is content with just asking if the star likes anal sex and the chit-chatting without any rhyme or reason from there . Like many originators, it seems, Howard Stern is prepared to leave his initial innovations as his final ones. While his tried and true formula will lead to passable entertainment, a static, docile Howard Stern is no more relevant in today’s entertainment environment than Jay Leno.
July 26, 2001
The fight: AJ Benza gets banned from the show for trying to punch Stuttering John. See it here in Real Media format.
from Catholic League Press Release
On July 2, Catholic League president William Donohue wrote a letter to Jeffrey C. Bible, the CEO of Philip Morris Companies, Inc. (Philip Morris owns Miller), requesting that Miller drop its sponsorship of the show; Miller is the most prominent sponsor of the program. Philip Morris directed the issue to Miller Brewing and on July 13, Michael Hennick, marketing communications director for Miller, told the Catholic League that the decision to sponsor the show is based on what "our consumers are telling us they want to see and hear." While he regrets that the program offended people, he also said that the Miller Brewing Company was standing by the "Howard Stern Show."
William Donohue announced today the Catholic League's response:
"In my letter to Mr. Bible, I told him how Unilever, which owns Lipton, had recently acted responsibly by withdrawing an ad that offended Catholics. I was hoping that Miller would also act responsibly and drop its support for the 'Howard Stern Show.' But instead they have decided they'd rather stick it to Catholics.
"Howard Stern is no Mel Brooks. His assault on Catholic priests is mean-spirited, vicious and humorless. That Miller Brewing would stand by this attack is reprehensible."
from Catholic League Web Site Press Releases
Catholic League president William Donohue spoke for the league today:
"It will not do to say that Stern is not an anti-Catholic bigot because he is known for targeting every group. It is one thing to poke light fun at African Americans by playing 'Black Jeopardy,' quite another to trash priests in the vile way that he did on Friday. Moreover, if he goes too far with making fun of blacks, his sidekick Robin Quivers stops him. Just who is around to stop Stern when he-and Quivers-attack Catholics?
"Miller Lite is one of Stern's sponsors. Philip Morris owns Miller and that is why I am writing to Philip Morris CEO Jeffrey C. Bible asking him to get Miller Brewing to stop advertising on the 'Howard Stern Show.' If he shuns his corporate responsibility, he will leave the Catholic League with very few options. It is my hope that this can be resolved quickly, fairly and amicably."
from All Access
--snips--
Hats off to R&R Publisher ERICA FARBER and her entire crew for an incredible convention this past weekend at the CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL. Over 2000 folks turned out for the event which was highlighted by keynoter President BILL CLINTON on FRIDAY (6/15).
Here is a complete list of the winners from R&R's Acheivement Awards. Congrats to all who won:
NATIONAL RADIO AWARDS
--snips--
Syndication Personality/Show Of The Year - HOWARD STERN, DON BUCHWALD AND ASSOCIATES
--snips--
from Lycos Top 50
We talk a lot about television shows and movie stars on the Lycos 50, but what about that other big communications medium: radio? Reports of radio's demise have been greatly exaggerated so many times that Mark Twain might as well retire the phrase.
I'm an old radio jock myself (here's a link to one of my old stations) so the Lycos 50 decided to take a look at the leading radio hosts online. And the winner won't surprise you: it's the King of All Media himself, Howard Stern. Stern can now add King of the Internet to his titles.
Here is a listing of the top 20 radio hosts and teams with the most searches over the past two months. We've computed each host's percentage when compared to the King of all Media, just to show how dominant in his field Stern is.
Howard Stern has been the most popular radio host each week since we began compiling the Lycos 50 two years ago. The only exception to this was immediately before and after the 2000 election when he was toppled, briefly, by Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh is down to 5% of his peak during election week, but in his defense that week was the best-ever performance by a radio host on the Lycos 50 (he was #11).
There are two major surprises here. The first is Don and Mike at #6. They are a syndicated team who appear on WNEW in New York and WJFK in Washington, among other stations, from 12-3 pm Eastern. Their regular guests include "Homo Joe" and "The Nipple Guy" so their show seems to feature fairly adult humor. I must admit they are the only names on this list I had never heard of before compiling this report.
The other surprise is how far down Don Imus is. While Imus is beloved by the media and the Beltway crowd, he is less popular on the Internet than the shock jock team of Opie and Anthony or the classic American voice of Paul Harvey.
Nearly every host here is syndicated in some fashion; Phil Hendrie of KFI in Los Angeles is probably the only one who has no syndication deal. The one host who seems to be growing over the past few months is Jim Rome. He is by far the most popular sports talk host on the Internet.
Of course, radio in the twentieth century comes out of your computer, as well as your car dashboard and home stereo. Lycos has you covered with both our musical Lycos Radio (at the Lycos Music page) as well as the talk jocks of Lycos Talk Radio. Start you career as a budding Howard Stern (or even a budding Michael Medved) by hosting your own show on Lycos.
TOMORROW: Someone you might be hearing on the radio very soon.
from the NY Post
Martling, who angrily walked out in February in a bid for more money, rankled the King of All Media by repeatedly threatening to quit unless his high six-figure salary was increased.
"Howard was hurt by Jackie leaving," says an insider. "He thought they were like family. He thought Jackie was making plenty of money for what he was doing. Howard has said on and off the air that Jackie won't be back."
Martling did not return calls, but in late April he told The Post that he hoped to come back and hasn't been able to listen to "one second" of the show since he quit.
Martling has been replaced by a rotating roster of young comics, including Dave Chapelle, Jeffrey Ross, E! talk show host A.J. Benza, Doug Stanhope, Greg Fitzsimmons and Craig Gass, the impressionist who does the voices of Gene Simmons, "Baby Al Pacino" and Christopher Walken. It is unclear if Stern is auditioning a permanent replacement for Martling or whether he is content to dole out guest gigs.
"From my perspective, it's like if you've been watching the Flintstones all your life and they asked you to come on and be a character," says Ross, a stand-up comic and formidable Friars Club roaster. "I said, 'sure.' I mean, it's Howard. You gotta pinch yourself."
While Ross and the other comics summoned to Stern's show are pinching themselves, Martling is probably kicking himself for leaving the popular morning gabfest, which landed him stand-up gigs and drove sales of his comedy albums and "Jokeman" merchandise.
Martling, a Stern show regular for 15 years, has all but vanished from the public eye and doesn't seem to be working. He pined for his old position in an interview with The Post's John Mainelli six weeks ago.
"My only regret is that I'm not still there," Martling mused then. "Nobody believes me, but I haven't listened for one second.
"I tried for five minutes once and I felt terrible. If it's funny, I feel bad. If it's not funny, I feel really bad."
But Martling, 53, maintained that he is not staying home feeling sorry for himself. He recently appeared at a celebrity golf tournament in Florida and has been on the road plugging his latest CD, "F. Jackie."
--snips--
from the New York Radio Message Board
First of all, Opie & Anthony, like Howard Stern, understandably don't want to distance themselves from their young male fan base by having it known they make more than all of them will ever see.
Secondly, I can't reveal the sources for $30 million estimate, but I can assure you it's very close to what the team will collect over the next 3 years.
Thirdly, some perspective on today's incredible paychecks for radio's mega-talent:
-- Detroit DJ Jim Harper last week jumped stations for a formally-announced $25 million over 7 years. That's $3.6 million per year vs. O&A's $10 million -- more than a third of what O&A now make for New York and 22 other major-market Infinity stations. And Harper's getting that in DETROIT with NO SYNDICATION!
-- Howard Stern collects $20 million per year under his new deal (he denies it also). That's twice what O&A are now making, even though O&A have an excellent chance of generating considerably more than 50% of the spot revenue that Stern does. In other words, O&A are a relative bargain at their new rate. (There's also a very good chance that O&A will end up having more Infinity stations included in their master agreement than Stern does.)
-- Newsweek said, in a 1999 profile, that Don Imus makes "$7-10 million" per year. When the Post (me) pointed out that $5 million was more like it, Imus (who doesn't mind appearing rich) protested loudly, claiming Newsweek had it right. In any event, when you look at Imus' ratings in recent years, and his dwindling affiliate base, O&A look like an incredible bargain compared to him -- whether he's making $5 mil or $10 mil.
from Entertainment Weekly
Hot Topic
July 16, 2001MILLER BREWING STICKS IT TO CATHOLICS
On June 30, porn star Rebecca Lord, Howard Stern and Robin Quivers (Stern's sidekick) slandered Catholic priests on the "Howard Stern Show" on E! Entertainment television.
"I am writing to all the nation's bishops telling them what Stern and Quivers said about priests. It is nothing if not slanderous to wildly charge Catholic priests with child sexual molestation. I will also make copies of the tape available to those who are interested. But most of all, I will tell the bishops, and our members across the nation, about the corporate arrogance and irresponsibility of Miller Brewing.
July 2, 2001HOWARD STERN SLANDERS PRIESTS
On Friday night, porn star Rebecca Lord appeared on the "Howard Stern Show" on E! Entertainment. When she said she had a comment to make about religion, Stern gave her the okay. Lord said her complaint was with the Catholic Church for being critical of her line of work. At that point Stern jumped in saying, "Catholic priests are having sex with young boys." He added that those who work in the pornography industry were healthier than Catholic priests. In an angry voice, Stern charged that priests show boys pornography so they can molest them. Then his companion Robin Quivers commented that the Catholic Church would like to stop Lord from practicing her profession. Lord then undressed on the show.
"Thanks to someone who had seen the Stern show Friday night and had alerted me to it, I saw the show when it was repeated on Saturday, July 1, at 2:30 a.m. What I witnessed was not a Mel Brooks comedic spot but a vicious segment that libeled all Catholic priests. Perhaps most revealing, the segment was wholly devoid of humor. This was not a colorful satire of priests-it was a hate-filled attack.
June 18, 2001
June 13, 2001Radio Radio
Aaron Schatz
100.0% Howard Stern
30.3% Rush Limbaugh
23.6% Art Bell
15.8% Dr. Laura Schlessinger
9.7% Paul Harvey
9.4% Don And Mike
5.5% Opie And Anthony
5.4% Don Imus
5.2% Jim Rome
3.5% Tom Joyner
3.5% Mancow
2.9% G. Gordon Liddy
2.6% Larry King
2.2% Phil Hendrie
1.9% Tom Leykis
1.5% Joan Rivers
1.4% Oliver North
1.2% Dr. Demento
0.8% Michael Medved
0.7% John Boy And Billy
June 7, 2001PAGE SIX
By RICHARD JOHNSON with PAULA FROELICH and CHRIS WILSONJune 7, 2001 -- Stern bars door to Jokeman
FORMER Howard Stern sidekick Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling desperately wants his old job back, but insiders say a "hurt" Stern has ruled Jackie will never work for him again.
Posted by John Mainelli on June 6, 2001 at 19:23:08:
Re: Re: Question for Allan about OA
In Reply to: Re: Question for Allan about OA posted by Allan Sniffen on June 06, 2001 at 17:26:29:
May 23, 2001
Sex Drive
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Lately, news reports have detailed a downturn in the ratings for Howard Stern's syndicated radio show, including his fall to second place in both L.A.'s and New York's morning drive slot. Those stories have also advanced a number of theories as to why. Some suggest that the recent China crisis and stock market instablity sent listeners scurrying to all news stations; others blame disappointment over the loss of longtime cast member Jackie "the Joke Man" Martling, boredom with the limited entertainment value of LISTENING to women get naked on the air, or frustration at the exhaustingly long commercial blocks that interrupt the comic action.
At least some of that speculation is on the mark, but for me, a devoted fan for nearly 20 years, something more insidious -- and heartbreaking -- has happened: Howard Stern has become a celebrity. Yeah, I know, he's been rich and famous for a long time, but somehow he just never FELT like a beautiful person before. Somehow, despite the multimillion dollar income and stratospheric ratings, we longtime fans felt a deep kinship with a guy who spent his off duty hours holed up in a Long Island basement, a mass of melancholy, misanthropy, and sexual frustration.
We identified with him in his rage against name dropping "phony baloney" jet setters, saving particular ire for those middle aged stars who, as soon as they hit the Hollywood jackpot, dump the long suffering spouses who stayed with them through the salad days, only to hook up with bodacious chippies a decade or two younger than them. That Us against Them kinship may have been illusory, but it was an exciting, comforting illusion, crucial to the familial devotion felt by fans for the ostensible King of All Media.
Then in 1999 Stern got separated from his wife Alison (his long suffering spouse who stayed with him through his salad days), bought himself a fabulous new apartment in Manhattan, and began living the single life. Since then, Howard has sounded decidedly more content and engaged with life than ever. Unfortunately, he's also become one of Them... and it shows.
These days you're prone to hear Bizarro Howard blather on about the fabulous cuisine he sampled the night before at one chi chi New York eatery or another, or the marquee name acquaintances he made at various velvet roped hotspots. Or maybe, as he did recently, he'll reminisce about taking in a performance of "Cabaret" on Broadway so as to see his sexy "friend" Gina Gershon, or recall a hopping Malibu beach party where he hung out with another new pal of his, Carmen Elektra.
At the same time, he's seemed to acquire a disturbing taste for the mediocre, whether it's jumping on the "Survivor" bandwagon or buddying up to the likes of E! channel gossip hack A.J. Benza and unctuous frat boy Craig Kilborn. Say what you will about showbiz oddities -- and former Stern show regulars -- like "Grandpa" Al Lewis and "The Legend" Steve Rossi, they were not mediocre.
The whole thing has been a traumatic spectacle for true Stern acolytes, something like that agonizing high school moment when your best friend suddenly deserts you and starts sitting at the cool kids table. Presumably, to love someone is to want them to be happy, which Howard seems to be. And his is still the funniest syndicated show on the air, bar none, still capable of reaching the gut busting heights of its halcyon days. But something deeply special has been lost, and us former fanatics have to wonder, Was it all a big lie? Has Howard Stern grown up... or just flaked out?
from Talkers via Radio
Business Report
May 3, 2001
The estimates of weekly audience are based on Arbitron ratings and other factors, and rounded to the nearest quarter-million. We’ll let the results Talk for themselves.
Rank Host Audience
(in millions)
1. Rush Limbaugh 15.00
2. Dr. Laura Schlessinger 14.00
3. Howard Stern 8.50
4. Dr. Joy Brown 5.75
5. Jim Bohannon 4.50
5. Don Imus 4.50
5. Bruce Williams 4.50
6. Ken & Daria Dolan 2.50
6. Clark Howard 2.50
6. G. Gordon Liddy 2.50
6. Mike Siegel 2.50
7. Neal Boortz 2.25
7. Dr. Dean Edell 2.25
7. Mike Gallagher 2.25
7. Michael Savage 2.25
8. Tom Joyner 1.75
8. Kim Kommando 1.75
8. Tom Leykis 1.75
8. Jim Rome 1.75
8. Doug Stephan 1.75
9. Bob Brinker 1.25
9. Matt Drudge 1.25
10. Phil Hendrie 1.00
10. Motley Fool 1.00
10. Dave Ramsey 1.00
10. Michael Reagan 1.00
from the Los Angeles Times
April 27, 2001
Stand-up comedians need radio exposure, particularly the kind offered by "The Howard Stern Radio Show." In addition to Stern's sizable reach (at least 8.5 million listeners over the course of a week, according to the radio industry publication Talkers magazine), there is also the stamp of approval from Stern, who has the kind of clout to make an endorsement meaningful. Ask touring comics about promotion, and chances are they've been on endless local "morning zoo" shows, doing two minutes of material to tease that weekend's club dates.
Unlike television, there are fewer opportunities to reach chunks of the country at once. Comics go on "The Bob and Tom Show," the morning-drive show syndicated out of Indianapolis, to reach Middle America. But it doesn't beat exposure on "Stern."
So when Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling, Stern's resident comic and joke writer, left the show in a contract dispute in March, comics and managers smelled an opportunity. Though the show--heard locally on KLSX-FM (97.1) and syndicated by Viacom-owned Infinity Broadcasting Corp.--hasn't presented their appearances as such, numerous comics seem to be auditioning for Martling's role.
Stern indicated on the air this week that Martling wouldn't be back. In his place, the young, anointed ones have included comedians Doug Stanhope, Craig Gass, Greg Fitzsimmons and Jeffrey Ross.
"Howard now has the opportunity to cast out to see what other elements may work on the show," said Don Buchwald, Stern's longtime agent. "We've culled a list of people, some comics, some writers, some voice people who have been participating on the show."
They aren't exactly household names, but neither was Martling when Stern enlisted his services in 1983, shortly before the radio personality's move from Washington, D.C., to New York and gradual ascension to "King of All Media"-hood. Martling was along for the ride, part of Stern's comedy circus, an encyclopedic teller of off-color jokes and plugger of stand-up dates at places like Governor's comedy club on Long Island.
What fewer listeners realized was that Martling was also writing material for Stern--one-liners he would hastily print on a piece of paper with a Sharpie pen. Martling says he would then put the paper under a camera lens so that the gags and messages would appear on Stern's monitor. Sometimes Stern ignored the jokes, sometimes he used them--the point was to get them up there, to feed the Stern maw. "Flying gag writer" is what Martling called himself.
"As far as I know, I invented it, not that there's any great invention to it," Martling said. ". . . I don't remember ever seeing pictures of Bob Hope talking on radio and someone handing him notes as he went along. He was reading from a script."
Martling, 53, got on the phone with the media this week to promote his appearance on "Son of the Beach," the "Baywatch" parody on cable's FX network. It's a low-rated series, but it has Stern's name on it (he's executive producer), and Stern has made ample use of his airwaves to talk about how fantastic the show is. Stern's radio show, in fact, has increasingly become less a show than a PR platform for his TV production arm, whether it's "Son of the Beach" or his late-night shows on CBS and E! Entertainment Television or an animated series, "Doomsday," that has been in the development ether at UPN for several years.
Martling, for his part, seemed to be yearning for a return to his former radio family. "Everybody keeps e-mailing me and saying, 'Why don't you compromise?' " he said.
Martling declined to discuss financial specifics, although it is believed the sides were at odds over six-figure proposals. "We were ready to keep negotiating. . . . But what do you do? What card do I have to play? I have one card, and that's [to] stay home."
Martling isn't just staying home--he's still on the road and pushing his latest CD, "F. Jackie" ("I just did a show at Trump Marina [in Atlantic City]. It wasn't advertised on the Stern show, and we sold out 1,600 seats," Martling boasted.
Becoming part of Stern's world is not a position gained easily. Like Martling, Stanhope, says Judi Brown, his manager, had been sending his material to the show for a year and a half before Stern began playing a suicide bit from Stanhope's CD, "A Little Something to Take the Edge Off." Stanhope's Sam Kinison-esque subjects--sex, death and midgets, to name three--evidently helped recommend him. He has sat in during the show twice, an honor that for today's comic is something akin to Johnny Carson's coveted "wave-over," wherein Carson invited certain comics to sit down with him after their "Tonight Show" sets went well.
Doing well on Stern's show, Brown and others say, doesn't involve polishing your best six minutes. It involves understanding Stern's rhythms, the fact that he's not looking for material so much as a personality with whom he can mesh.
"Howard is amazing to watch work," said Ron Zimmerman, a comic and writer who has known Stern for more than 20 years and has been a writer-in-residence on the show in recent weeks. To see Stern work, Zimmerman says, is to understand how seamlessly he blends disparate voices and comedic elements. Zimmerman likens it to a bandleader. "Howard is like Duke Ellington. Everybody is an instrument in the orchestra that is 'The Howard Stern Show.' "
Lately, says Zimmerman, who lives in L.A., he and Stern have been informally brainstorming on-air bits via phone calls and e-mails. "We have very similar senses of humor about show business and women," he said.
Martling's departure comes at a time when "The Howard Stern Radio Show," while still powerful, has suffered some ratings defeats. In the media centers of Los Angeles and New York, the show dropped in the winter quarter Arbitron rankings, released Monday, finishing behind AM all-news stations in both cities. In L.A., the show trailed KNX-AM (1070), placing seventh overall among morning-drive shows.
* "The Howard Stern Radio Show" can be heard weekday mornings on KLSX-FM (97.1) live from 3 to 6 a.m. with a rebroadcast from 6 to 10 a.m. Copyright 2001 Los Angeles Times.
from the NY Daily News
April 26, 2001
Howard Stern yesterday slammed the door on a return of former sidekick Jackie Martling.
 Buy it now! |
"It's not working," Stern told listeners. "It's done. I don't know how to be any clearer about it."
In March, Martling walked off the job after failing to agree on a new contract with WXRK radio, home to Stern's popular morning show. At the time, the two sides could not agree on money.
Martling told The News he would love his deal with WXRK to work out and that he missed his former radio colleagues.
"My intention was not to break up the Beatles," he said.
Rather than negotiate with Stern, Martling's previous contracts were with WXRK radio, and that's where the problems arose. He and station management could not come to terms.
Stern, based on what he said on-air, didn't sound open for a reunion with Martling anyway.
"Somehow, we're getting along without him," Stern said.
Indeed, yesterday Stern filled out his on-air team with comics Craig Gass and Jeffrey Ross. Likewise, Stern mentioned how much he liked having the other voices on and that he'd want the other comics around even if Martling were still part of the program.
A spokesman for Infinity Broadcasting yesterday reiterated what Stern said on the air.
Martling did not respond to an e-mail request for comment.
"It's over," Stern said. "Go to 20 other radio shows. I don't care. It doesn't even matter to me. That's the end."
from the NY Daily News
April 24, 2001
Jackie Martling, who left Howard Stern's morning radio show back in March, may not be out of the picture altogether.
Martling told the Daily News yesterday he hoped a deal could be worked out to get him back on the popular show, though when pressed, he declined to discuss specifics.
"The only thing I'll say is I would love for it to work out," Martling said.
Asked if talks were going on, Martling was similarly vague: "I can't say yes, I can't say no."
Martling has been off the Stern show since early March, when he and the management at WXRK radio failed to reach an agreement. At the time, Stern told listeners that Martling had stopped showing up for work and hadn't discussed the matter. He said he was upset that Martling left without talking to him.
"My intention was not to break up the Beatles," said Martling, who explained that although he worked on Stern's radio show, his contract was with the radio station, and that's where the money problems erupted, prompting his walkout.
A spokesman for Infinity Broadcasting, which owns WXRK, declined to comment.
Since leaving, the comic said he has had "some tiny irons in the fire" and last weekend performed at Atlantic City. Tonight at 10, he turns up in a bit on the Stern-produced series "Son of The Beach" on FX.
Indeed, considering what occurred with the Stern radio show, Martling admits he's a bit surprised his "Son of the Beach" clip remained in the program. In the segment, which airs at the end of the episode, Martling shares some ethnic jokes with series star Tim Stack.
"I'm thrilled," he said. "It's a funny show. It was right up my alley. There's no animosity on my part. I thought they would cut me out of the show. But they're my friends. I would love for things to work out."
Besides the "Son of the Beach" part, Martling said he was working on a movie and had ideas for hundreds of projects.
"I'm flirting with a lot of stuff in my mind," he said. "I've got a little bit of savings and a little bit of time."
Another gig in radio is not in the cards, though. That was something, he said, that only worked with Stern.
"I'm not a radio guy," he said. "Me and Howard banged into each other, and it was a perfect marriage."
Martling said he hasn't tuned in to the show since he left. "Not for one second," he said. "There's no upside. If I listened -- first of all, if it made me laugh, I'd feel terrible. And if it didn't, I'd feel terrible.
"The last time I was off for contract negotiations, I tuned in," he continued. "I got a bad feeling about it. It's like an old girlfriend. If it doesn't work out, hide the pictures in a drawer. And if it does, bring them out."
While he doesn't listen, he certainly gets reports back on what's said about him.
He won't say whether he has spoken to people on the show.
In the week after he left, Stern repeatedly referred to the problem being over a difference between the two sides of about $50,000.
"I'm not talking about money," Martling said. "I will say, everything that was said was way off."
Stern has relied on a group of comics, as well as CBS executive Vinnie Favale, to help fill out his on-air staff. And he has often made mention of how the station has more money in its coffers because Martling is gone.
"I miss Howard and Robin [Quivers] and the whole gang, no matter what's said by anyone," Martling said. "How much is true and how much is theater, I don't know."
from the NY Post
April 24, 2001
April 24, 2001 -- LONGTIME Howard Stern sidekick Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling says there's still a chance he might return to Stern's show - despite all evidence to the contrary.
Martling, who walked out nearly two months ago in a salary dispute, told The Post he seriously misses the shock jock's show - and hasn't been able to listen to "one second" of it since he bolted.
"I'm still hoping there's a chance it can work out," said Martling, who will be appearing in an episode of the Stern-produced "Son of the Beach" tonight (10 p.m.) on cable's FX.
Martling, who filmed his segment of the raunchy "Baywatch" parody before he split on March 5, refuses to bad-mouth his former boss.
"Anything I say can and will be held against me," he said. "I love the show and have always loved the show."
Asked if negotiations for his return continue, Martling said they're "at a standstill. I don't know. Who knows if it's the end."
Martling, 53, says he has no regrets about his decision to cut his 15-year association with Stern - even though Stern has hinted on the air that Martling was making in the neighborhood of a cool million.
Stern is believed to be making $20 million per year under a new contract inked last December.
"My only regret is that I'm not still there," Martling says. "Nobody believes me, but I haven't listened for one second.
"I tried for five minutes once and I felt terrible. If it's funny, I feel bad. If it's not funny, I feel really bad."
Martling, who insists his salary demands "weren't really outrageous," said he's talked to Stern "a little" since his walkout but wouldn't say if they've talked lately.
"I refuse to answer that, but I miss them all. It's a good job," he said.
Stern hasn't mentioned Martling in weeks and happily continues auditioning potential replacements.
A spokesman for K-Rock owner CBS/Infinity declined comment on the status of negotiations that the company, not Stern, has handled.
from The Record - Bergen County
April 20, 2001
After more than 15 years helping Howard Stern reinvent radio, Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling recently left the morning radio program.
So, what's next for the walking dirty-joke encyclopedia who will appear Saturday at Trump Marina?
"I'd love to tell you I have big plans to take over the world, but I don't," says Martling, 53, who gained national prominence by supplying Stern with a steady stream of off-color and deliciously irreverent one-liners and by being the constant target of ridicule by other cast members.
"The whole idea is to rethink things," he says. "I don't know if I'll be doing a lot of stand-up or no stand-up, whether I'll do 20 more CDs or no more CDs. I don't have a battle plan. I'm just going to take things as they come." While he is contemplating the future, Martling is reveling in one aspect of life after Stern.
"It's great sleeping late," he says after years of rising in the middle of the night. "You'd be amazed at how easy it is." As Martling weighs his options, he will not be totally out of sight. In June, he can be seen in the comedy "High Times Potluck," co-starring Jason Isaacs ("The Patriot"), Cheech Marin, and Frank Gorshin. And in late summer, he will be seen in "Red Squares," a comedy starring Danny Aiello.
There's also his online business, www.jokeland.com, through which fans can order his videos, five CDs, and other merchandise.
And, of course, he'll be at the Marina, ripping through scores of jokes that are alternately politically incorrect and X-rated (and often both). In this age, how does he get away with it?
"It's just good fun; it's not vicious," he says. "You realize I'm making fun of everybody. Everybody gets a shot taken at them."
Martling recalls the only time someone complained about his material.
"About 10 years ago, the publisher of a Polish magazine heard about me and got upset. So, he sent a bunch of people to check me out at a show. Afterward, they came up to me and said, We loved the Polish jokes. You were hysterical."
from the Boston Herald
April 13, 2001
The Federal Communications Commission released an incredibly detailed - and sometimes downright lurid - document last Friday defining what it considers to be indecent on the airwaves.
But the agency doesn't monitor radio or TV broadcasts nor does it blow the whistle when someone crosses the line. It depends on documented complaints from the public before it will investigate.
So what can listeners do the next time they think Howard Stern on WBCN-FM (104.1) or Rocko and Birdsey on WAAF-FM (107.3) has gone too far?
A simple phone call to the FCC won't do the job, neither will a letter with second-hand or general information.
"Given the sensitive nature of these cases and the critical role of context in an indecency determination," the guidelines state, "it is important that the Commission be afforded as full a record as possible to evaluate allegations of indecent programming."
That record generally must contain:
1. A full or partial tape or transcript or significant excerpts of the program. (No wonder many "cutting-edge" stations claim they don't tape their daily broadcasts. Many would be setting themselves up for a potential fall.)The whole package then must be sent to the FCC's Investigations and Hearings Division. All tapes and documentation filed with the FCC become its property and won't be returned.2. The date and time of the broadcast.
3. The call sign of the station involved.
If a complaint isn't documented according to the guidelines or if the "indecent" comment occurs during the "safe harbor" hours of midnight to 6 a.m., the FCC will immediately reject the complaint. The offended listener will receive a letter of explanation from the FCC and it's likely the station will never know it was targeted.
But if the complaint passes Round One . . . well, that's when the fun begins. The FCC would choose an "appropriate disposition," which could range from a dismissal of the case all the way to a hefty fine or a license suspension.
Records indicate 144 indecency complaints have been filed with the FCC since November 1999. The agency pursued nine cases, and sought legal action three times, while 75 cases were dismissed and 60 have not yet been investigated.
from the NY Post
April 10, 2001
April 10, 2001 -- Many of the nation's largest broadcasters were uncharacteristically silent yesterday about a massive FCC "policy statement" that threatens to crack down on out-of-control radio shock jocks with fines - or worse.
The radio industry is digesting long-awaited FCC "indecency" guidelines that Commissioner Gloria Tristani fears will become a "how-to manual for those . . . who wish to tread the line drawn by our cases."
CBS/Infinity, which broadcasts the raunchy Howard Stern show, and execs from 1,170-station giant Clear Channel, which owns five New York City stations, didn't respond to requests for comment.
A spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters said its lawyers are still reviewing the FCC document.
The 28-page document - containing dozens of extremely graphic examples of sexually explicit no-nos and not-so-bads - was released late Friday to settle a 7-year-old suit brought by a now-defunct radio group demanding specific guidance for avoiding FCC punishment.
"Understandably, the public is outraged by the increasingly coarse content aired . . . at all hours of the day, including times when children are likely to be listening," said FCC Commissioner Susan Ness.
"It is time for broadcasters to consider reinstating a voluntary code of conduct. The flood of letters and e-mails we receive reflect a high degree of anger."
In its report, the FCC promises to lower the boom on DJs who are "explicit" and "graphic" when they "dwell on or repeat at length descriptions of sexual or excretory organs or activities" and if their comments "[appear] to pander or [are] used to titillate" or are "presented for . . . shock value."
Ironically, examples of indecency cited from Stern's syndicated K-Rock (92.3 FM) show were the tamest of the lot, even though his long-time employer - Infinity, now owned by CBS - has been fined several times and paid $2.1 million in the late '80s to clear the table of remaining FCC complaints.
The report goes on to cite dozens of much steamier, more raunchy and tasteless examples of comments the FCC won't tolerate, while conceding that the feds will consider the "context" in which allegedly offending comments are made.
The FCC continues to allow raunchier programming during the so-called "safe harbor" hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. - but cautions that "obscenity" won't be tolerated at any time.
Stern is on vacation and several executives and lawyers from CBS/Infinity couldn't be reached or declined to comment.
from Reuters/Variety
April 9, 2001
WASHINGTON (Variety) - The Federal Communications Commission has pulled a stun gun on shock jocks, releasing unprecedented indecency guidelines for broadcasters.
In other words: Howard Stern, the government has just given the public a big bar of soap to wash out your mouth.
The FCC order, released late Friday, refers to several examples of morning radio banter -- as well as songs -- in spelling out what might be lewd and patently offensive to the listening public.
"Understandably, the public is outraged by the increasingly coarse content aired on radio and television at all hours of the day, including times when children are most likely to be listening or watching," Democratic FCC commisisoner Susan Ness said. "The flood of letters and e-mail we receive reflects a high degree of anger. Despite an onslaught of on-air smut, the commission necessarily walks a delicate line when addressing content issues, and must be careful not to tread on the First Amendment -- the constitutional bulwark of our free society."
Indecency has long been defined by the FCC as broadcast programming that describes or depicts sexual or excretory organs or activities. New parameters are designed to make it easier for everyone involved to figure out what's not acceptable. A main thrust of the guidelines is premeditation and intent.
The FCC has not and will not monitor the airwaves; rather, it will be the average citizen who brings a complaint.
Punishments Real
If a broadcaster is cited for airing indecent content, the FCC can revoke a station's license, impose a fine or issue a warning.
The ban on patently offensive broadcasts runs only from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., the hours when kids are most likely to be tuning in.
Issuance of the document is a defining moment for new FCC chair Michael Powell, a Republican appointed to the top slot by President Bush.
In 1994, a court directed the FCC to clarify what's patently offensive, the longtime standard. It has taken the FCC until now to do so, with Powell the first chairman apparently willing to tackle the matter.
Powell did not release an accompanying statement to the order, as did his colleagues Ness, commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth and commissioner Gloria Tristani.
Key Factors
Here are factors the FCC will consider when processing indecency complaints:
-- The explicitness and graphic nature of the broadcast. The more explicit the language, the greater the likelihood of indecency. To illustrate the point, the FCC referred to several Howard Stern comments, including "Have you ever had sex with an animal? Well, don't knock it. I was sodomized by Lambchop."
-- The extent to which sexual innuendo is repeated. The FCC referred to a segment of KLOL-FM's "Stevens and Pruett Show" in Houston, in which the shock jocks talked about size.
The more fleeting the reference, the less likely it will be judged indecent. Conversely, persistent references to sexual or excretory organs or activities may get a broadcaster into trouble. FCC cited the song "Bubba, the Love Sponge" as indecent, for its repeated reference to a sexual act.
The FCC, however, deemed that a newscaster on KPRL-AM/KDDB-FM in Paso Robles, Calif., was not indecent for the expletive "Oops, fucked that one up," since it was a fleeting and isolated statement.
FCC cautioned that even a fleeting reference may be indecent if it describes, let's say, sex with a minor.
Audibility also plays a factor. A garbled track may be off the hook, even if explicit.
-- The extent to which a broadcast panders, titillates or possesses intentional shock value. The purpose of the broadcast weighs heavily in determining whether it's indecent.
The FCC referred again to the following transcript of the "Stevens & Pruett Show": "Sex survey lines are open. Today's question, it's a strange question and we hope we have a lot of strange answers. What makes your hiney parts tingle?"
Just because explicit language is used doesn't make it indecent. For instance, a bona fide news report using such language is probably in the clear.
Context Important
Context plays a critical role. In the past, the FCC has ruled that a radio talk show discussing sex education and teens was not indecent. Same went for an "Oprah" segment addressing how to have better sex with a partner. Likewise for "Schindler's List," which pictured frontal nudity.
Democrat Tristani, a longtime champion of citizens' filing indecency complaints, said the regulatory agency didn't go far enough, and more rigorous enforcement rules are needed.
She said the guidelines will "likely become instead a 'how-to' manual for those licensees who wish to tread the line drawn by our cases."
Ness said it is time for the broadcast industry to take responsibility and institute a voluntary code of conduct.
"Release of this policy statement alone will not solve the festering problem of indecency on the airwaves. However, it is entirely within the power of broadcasters to address it --and to do so without government intrusion," Ness said. "I encourage broadcasters, the Bush administration and Congress swiftly to resolve any antitrust impediments to such action and move ahead."
from fmqb.com
April 6, 2001
Since 1978, the Commission has defined indecency as language or material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary and community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory activities or organs. In its new policy statement, the Commission says the determination of whether certain programming is patently offensive is not a local one but is based on "an average broadcast viewer or listener." The Commission also emphasizes the context in which the material aired: "Explicit language in the context of a bona fide newscast might not be patently offensive. While sexual innuendo that persists and is sufficiently clear to make the sexual meaning inescapable might be."
More specifically, the Commission reveals that it uses three criteria in ruling on indecency complaints.
1. Explicit and graphic versus indirect or implied. The more explicit and graphic the description or depiction, the greater likelihood the material will be deemed patently offensive. But, and this is an important "but," just because the material consist of double entendre or innuendo doesn’t mean it’s not indecent, "if the sexual or excretory import is unmistakable." So when someone on The Howard Stern Show said, God my testicles are like down to the floor.. you could really have a party with these… use them like Bocci balls, the Commission ruled it indecent. But when The Bob & Tom Show aired a bit containing the line, Dick suggests maybe getting like a mega-Dick to help out, but you know, you remember the time the King ate mega-Dick under the table, it’s not indecent because the "surrounding contexts do not appear to provide a background against which a sexual import is inescapable."The entire 28-page policy statement can be accessed at www.fcc.gov.2. Dwelling and repetition versus fleeting reference. Repetition and "persistent focus" on sexual and excretory activity increases the likelihood of material being deemed indecent, while a one-off or "fleeting" reference decreases that likelihood. As an example of repetition working against a licensee, the Commission quotes long passages from Bubba The Love Sponge, including one where he asks a listener to take the phone and rub it on your Chia Pet and uses the word beaver a dozen times. Yet, surprisingly, stations that used the phrases motherfucker, and oops, fucked that one up were not fined since the phrases were "fleeting and isolated."
3. Pandering or Titillating or for Shock Value. Howard Stern has long maintained that Oprah Winfrey and other daytime TV talk show hosts get way with graphic discussion of sex because they’re supposedly "instructional" or "clinical." This portion of the FCC policy statement will do little to appease Stern because it talks about how the "apparent purpose for which material is presented can substantially affect" whether it is deemed patently offensive. Material that’s "pandering or titillating" or done for "shock value" is an exacerbating factor, while discussions that are part of a bona fide news story or public affairs programming or instructional or clinical in nature mitigate that determination.
from Reuters
April 6, 2001
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government issued formal indecency guidelines for radio and TV broadcasters Friday, seven years after announcing its intent to do so and 27 years after the Supreme Court allowed limits on indecent material.
The Federal Communications Commission policy statement offers no radical departures from existing practice but simply spells out the agency's enforcement criteria, satisfying a 1994 agreement to help broadcasters determine what constitutes indecency.
The guidelines go beyond the list of "seven dirty words" made famous by comedian George Carlin -- never a basis for FCC policy -- to emphasize that context and tone are important factors in determining whether a broadcast is indecent or not.
FCC spokesman David Fiske said the guidelines are meant to provide a fleshed-out legal summary of previous indecency decisions.
"It's case law. This isn't a checklist," Fiske said.
Offensive descriptions of sexual or excretory acts have no place on the public airwaves, according to the FCC, which provides many examples of both decent and indecent material.
Foul language itself, such as spontaneous cursing by newscasters or an expletive-laden tirade from convicted Mafia boss John Gotti, is not indecent if it is unintentional or part of a bona-fide news story, the commission said.
The Holocaust movie "Schindler's List," which depicts full nudity, and an "Oprah" TV show featuring explicit discussion of sexual relationships were also given the green light, as both were determined to serve a legitimate purpose.
Radio "shock jock" programs such as the "Howard Stern Show" and "Bubba the Love Sponge," with their repetitive, explicit description of sex acts, were held up as examples of indecency.
Material that relies primarily on innuendo could be found indecent as well, the commission said, if its intent is unmistakable.
Programs broadcast between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. are given greater latitude, as children are less likely to be listening at those hours.
Commissioner Gloria Tristani issued a dissenting statement, saying the agency should focus more on enforcement rather than issuing guidelines that could encourage more abuse.
"This policy statement will likely become instead a 'how-to' manual for those licensees who wish to tread the line drawn by our cases," she said.
Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth voted to approve the report, but said the need for content restrictions may fade as the media landscape diversifies.
"As alternative sources of programming and distribution increase, broadcast content restrictions must be eliminated," he said.
Both Tristani and Furchtgott-Roth criticized the agency for taking seven years to issue the statement, a process that should have taken nine months according to the terms of the 1994 agreement.
Fiske said he did not know why the agency took so long.
The Supreme Court said in 1974 that the FCC has the right to regulate offensive speech on radio and television, due to the "uniquely pervasive presence" of the medium.
Obscene material, which is not protected by the First Amendment, is not permitted on broadcasts.
Reuters/Variety REUTERS
from Newsday
April 7, 2001
In one of its most significant actions in years regarding what one commissioner called "an onslaught of on-air smut," the Federal Communications Commission issued a long-awaited policy statement Friday about broadcast indecency standards.
The 28-page document that summarizes and explains how the commission reaches its decisions includes detailed examples of what the FCC has previously ruled to be unacceptable. Interestingly, Howard Stern, who has been fined millions of dollars for his show, is named only once, while "Bubba the Love Sponge" of WXTB/97.9 FM in Tampa, Fla., is cited four times.
Although the report was approved by a vote of 3 to 1, the commission appeared to be badly split. Commissioner Susan Ness, decrying "an onslaught of on-air smut" and a "festering problem of indecency on the airwaves," urged broadcasters to work with Congress and the president to reinstate a voluntary code of conduct. But Harold Furchtgott-Roth argued that, what with the Internet and cable there are now so many sources of content, all restrictions should be eliminated.
Still, they both supported the statement. The one dissenter, Gloria Tristani, said that the real problem was "lax enforcement" of the rules, that the statement would become "a how-to manual" for broadcasters, and demanded that the FCC "get serious" about enforcement.
Indecency is defined, the FCC said, as "language or material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory activities or organs."
But indecency, it continued, depends heavily on the context of the broadcast; one or two words in a newscast are acceptable, as is an Oprah Winfrey program about sex. But persistent, clear sexual innuendo might be indecent. In addition, the measurements of "patently offensive" and "contemporary community standards" do not refer to any one town or area, and do not consider the sensibilities of any one individual.
"The full context is critically important," the FCC declared.
The principal elements in deciding whether a broadcast is indecent, according to the statement, are the explicitness or graphic nature of the description, whether the matter is dwelled on or repeated at length, and, most important, "whether it appears to pander or is used to titillate, or whether the material appears to have been presented for its shock value." As for the specific examples cited, none could be printed here. One involved using the names of candy bars to symbolize sexual activities, another graphically described excretion, and another referred to sex with a child.
The broadcast industry had no immediate response to the statement. "Our lawyers are looking over it," said Dennis Wharton of the National Association of Broadcasters.
[Ed. - This is what the FCC is using as an example of Howard's breaking the rules. To see what other shows are doing click the link for the FCC's policy statement. Lots of stuff worse than Howard is out there...]
from FCC Policy Statement (FCC 01-90)
April 6, 2001
--snips--
13. Following are examples of decisions where the explicit/graphic nature of the description of sexual or excretory organs or activities played a central role in the determination that the broadcast was indecent.
WYSP(FM), Philadelphia, PA "Howard Stern Show"Indecent - Warning Issued. Infinity Broadcasting Corporation of Pennsylvania (WYSP(FM)), 2 FCC Rcd 2705 (1987), aff’d 3 FCC Rcd 930 (1987), aff’d in part, vacated in part on other grounds, remanded sub nom. Act I, 852 F.2d 1332 (D.C. Cir. 1988) (subsequent history omitted). Excerpted material (only some of which is cited above) consisted of "vulgar and lewd references to the male genitals and to masturbation and sodomy broadcast in the context of . . . ‘explicit references to masturbation, ejaculation, breast size, penis size, sexual intercourse, nudity, urination, oral-genital contact, erections, sodomy, bestiality, menstruation and testicles.’ - 3 FCC Rcd at 932.God, my testicles are like down to the floor . . . you could really have a party with these . . . Use them like Bocci balls.
(As part of a discussion of lesbians) I mean to go around porking other girls with vibrating rubber products . . .
Have you ever had sex with an animal? Well, don’t knock it. I was sodomized by Lambchop.
--snips--
If you'd like to contact the FCC, their contact information is here.
from the NY Daily News
March 21, 2001
Stern & Co. said they saw Martling in his car, riding around the building that houses WXRK Radio. Martling apparently told some folks not to mention that they saw him.
Of course, the Martling sighting set off Stern.
"Dude, we're not at war with you," he told listeners yesterday. "If you don't want to work here, we can't force you. It's okay."
"What does he think we're going to do, kidnap him?" said sidekick Robin Quivers.
"He wishes," Stern shot back.
Turns out that seeing Martling around the WXRK building is not unusual because he still rents garage space nearby.
Martling has been off the air since earlier this month when he and 'XRK management failed to reach terms on a new agreement. Stern has repeatedly mentioned that the two sides are $50,000 apart.
Insiders say that Martling is done for now and that no talks have been held.
With Martling out of the picture, Stern has brought in a handful of different comics and personalities - including one CBS executive - to provide humor for the show.
Richard Huff
from the NY Daily News
March 10, 2001
Howard Stern said yesterday that sidekick Jackie Martling's walkout this week was an attempt to undermine his wildly popular morning show on WXRK-FM.
"It's almost like an angry thing at me," Stern told listeners.
"I don't know what it is; it seems like a vendetta," he said later.
Martling stopped showing up for work after he was unable to negotiate a new contract with WXRK management. His absence became a topic of conversation all week.
Stern recently signed a five-year deal with CBS estimated to be worth nearly $100 million. However, Martling deals directly with the station, not Stern. Stern said Martling admits the two sides are close on salary figures.
"In his income bracket, if it's a $50,000 swing, $100,000 after taxes, if you're making that kind of dough, you're not going to blow your deal with us over $50,000," Stern said. "I say it's spite."
Stern noted that he started the show without all his sidekicks - Robin Quivers, Fred Norris and Martling - but that he and the show were better with them.
"But the show will go on, and as a matter of fact, next week we start bringing in other people who do this kind of work," he said.
It's not the first time Martling has walked out on Stern. The last time, he was off the air for six weeks. Likewise, such walk-off stunts have become commonplace in radio lately. For example, WNEW-FM recently pulled off a programming lineup change, which was presented to listeners as a walk-off and and firing of some on-air talent.
 Buy it now! |
from the NY Daily News
March 9, 2001
Martling stopped showing up for work this week when he couldn't come to terms with WXRK-FM over a new contract to sit alongside Stern.
Yesterday, Stern told listeners that over the next couple of weeks, comedians would be sitting in on the show to fill in for the missing Martling. Indeed, Stern said he might ask frequent guest Gilbert Gottfried to come on at least once a week.
Martling has walked off in the past in similar situations -- the last time it lasted six weeks -- only to return in the end.
However, insiders sense this time could mark the end for Martling.
"This is not a stunt," a source said yesterday. "Howard doesn't need the publicity."
Stern recently signed a five-year deal worth an estimated $100 million. However, Martling deals directly with WXRK-FM and not Stern.
It's not publicly known how much Martling makes. In addition to the money he received from the show, he was paid for appearing on Stern's E! show as well as Stern's syndicated series that airs locally on WCBS/Ch. 2. Perhaps more important, the multiple shows provided a platform for Martling to endlessly plug his comedy albums and shows.
Martling did not respond to an e-mail message yesterday.
Stern also told listeners yesterday he might try to get former show regular Billy West back on board. West, known for creating multiple voices and characters, also left the show over money.
Richard Huff
 Buy it now! |
R.H.
--snips--
from FMQB
March 8, 2001
Stern told listeners on Wednesday (3/7) that he didn't think Martling would be back with the show this time. (Martling walked off the show for six weeks during a contract dispute in late '97.) "We're done with each other," Stern said. "I spoke to him last night on the phone... told him he made a big blunder, and wished him luck."
The New York Post (3/8) said Martling called after reading that Stern was upset with him for not talking with him before walking off the show. "He goes, 'I didn't want to involve you in negotiations,'" Stern continued. "I go, 'What negotiations? You work with me for 15 years and you don't pick up the phone and say goodbye and tell me what's on your mind?... The thing that pisses me off is that you walk out and expect me to keep the show going and make everything nice and comfortable for you.'"
from Newsday
March 8, 2001
Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling is at it again. The head writer for Howard Stern's morning show on alternative K-Rock (WXRK/92.3 FM) has walked off the show in a contract dispute, just the way he did in 1997.
And Stern is saying just about the same things about it now as he did then.
Martling, a Long Islander who had a career as a stand-up comedian before he hooked up with Stern in 1986, left after Friday's show and hasn't been back.
Stern and those around him don't respond to phone calls, but the big man himself discussed the matter on Monday's program. "He tells me he loves me, but he sends me a note-doesn't even call me. It's like, 'screw you, keep the show going while I walk out,'" he said.
Martling's contract was up at the end of December.
According both to Stern on the air and sources at Infinity Broadcasting, the walkout is about the terms of the writer's new contract. Stern and the rest of the cast settled their contracts in the fall.
But Martling has a history of troubled negotiations. He was off the air in 1997 for six weeks.
Back then Stern complained very much the way he did now: "Jackie is going through another one of his contract disputes, which I don't think will ever be settled. So I think Jackie's gone. Just split, didn't say goodbye to any of us or nothing."
from the NY Post
March 8, 2001
WANNA be the next court jester for the King of All Media?
Howard Stern says he's actively seeking a replacement for Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling, the longtime comedy writer and sidekick who walked off Stern's show this week after three months of contract talks stalled.
"I spoke to him last night on the phone . . . told him he made a big blunder, and wished him luck," Stern reported to K-Rock (92.3 FM) listeners yesterday. "I told him I hope he gets all the money he wants somewhere else, but I don't know that he can."
Stern said Martling called him after reading in The Post that Stern was upset because Martling didn't phone him before he bolted.
"He goes, ‘I didn't want to involve you in the negotiations,'" Stern relayed. "I go, ‘What negotiations?! You work with me 15 years and you don't pick up the phone . . . and say goodbye and tell me what's on your mind?'
"I raised my voice to him and said, ‘If I sound angry, I am. I love you and think you're a great guy, but you gotta understand, our show goes on,'" Stern continued.
"I told him, ‘The thing that pisses me off is that you walk out and expect me to keep the show going and make everything nice and comfortable for you.'"
When a caller asked if Martling, 53, might come back as he did after a six-week "strike" three years ago, Stern was emphatic: "No. We're done with each other."
New York's top-rated morning man announced he'll audition replacements by playing "Win Jackie's Money" - a take-off on Comedy Central's "Win Ben Stein's Money" game show.
"When I told a comedy writer in L.A. what Jackie was making, he fell off his chair and I said, ‘Yeah, and they offered him more!'" Stern said.
Martling, who didn't respond to e-mail from The Post, is not only losing a fat paycheck, but also on-air promotion for his stand-up comedy appearances and his merchandise-packed website (jokeland.com) - not to mention numerous other Stern-show perks and, possibly, additional appearances on TV's "Hollywood Squares."
"No offense, but I don't think ‘Hollywood Squares' would be calling me if I left the show," Stern warned.
If you're a Jokeman (or Jokeperson) wannabe who covets Jackie's job, be advised that professionals-only need apply.
 Buy it now! |
from the NY Post
March 6, 2001
LONGTIME Howard Stern sidekick Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling has walked off the show in another contract dispute and - this time - Stern vows he won't be back.
"Quite frankly, that's it. It's over," an exasperated Stern told listeners yesterday morning. "I love Jackie, think he's a great guy, but we've got to move forward."
The "Jokeman" turns deadly serious when he negotiates contracts - going AWOL for a full six weeks when his last deal expired three years ago.
(Martling negotiates with CBS/Infinity's K-Rock, not with Stern himself.)
Martling, 52, also refused to let E! photograph him for its Howard Stern simulcast until he got his own contract with the showbiz cable channel.
"Much to my chagrin, after 15 years, the man has walked out because - out of all of us - he's the only guy who can't figure out how to get a new contract without walking out," said Stern, who successfully negotiated a five-year renewal for himself last December worth nearly $100 million.
Martling, who started with Stern as a part-time comedy writer in 1983 when Stern was at the now-defunct WNBC, went full-time in '86 when the show moved to K-Rock (92.3 FM).
It's not known what Martling currently collects, but Stern told listeners: "I know what they're offering . . . and I guarantee there's a lot of writers out there that would fall on their head [for that]."
Stern says he's especially upset about the way Martling handled his latest ankling.
"He tells me he loves me, but he sends me a note - doesn't even call me," Stern moaned. "It's like, 'screw you, keep the show going while I walk out.'"
Meantime, Stern partner Robin Quivers - the show's most senior veteran and never a fan of Martling's - happily fanned the flames.
"You gave him a job. Tom [Chiusano, K-Rock's manager] didn't give him a job," Quivers clucked. "But who does he lash out against when things go bad? You!"
After his 1997 walkout, Martling told The Post he never threatened to write a tell-all book about Stern, contrary to widespread rumors at the time.
Martling didn't respond to e-mail from The Post and, as of yesterday, hadn't included anything related to his "strike" on his website (jokeland.com).
Chiusano didn't return calls but told Stern's listeners yesterday that Martling delayed his walkout while talks continued.
"We negotiated long and hard in good faith and we just couldn't agree," Chiusano said. "We made what I thought was a real, significant and substantial offer."
March 5, 2001
Howard announced this morning that Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling has left the show, again, in a contract dispute. He left after the Friday, March 2, 2001, show without saying anything to anyone. Jackie had been working without a contract since December 31, 2001.
Howard sounded pretty down about the announcement...maybe this time Jackie's walk-out is for good. Howard put up with this once before but this time says he's not going to help out and is ready to move on without Jackie. Tom Chiusano claimed that during contract negotiations he wanted Jackie to stay but that Jackie thought he was insulted. Apparently all Jackie really wanted, according to Tom, was a pat on the back and when he didn't get it he walked out...
Howard is turning it into a bit he's going to call "Win Jackie's Money" where comedians and/or writers will be invited in for a week at a time and get Jackie's salary during the time they're there.
Jackie left the show once before, in December 1997. You can read about that walk-out here. That walk-out lasted about five weeks.
Howard said this report of his earnings is not true on today's (March 2, 2001) show...
from Radio & Records
You can view the entire "Celebrity 100" list, courtesy of Forbes, here.
Older crew salary information can be found here.
Today (January 12, 2001) is Howard's 47th birthday. Here's a listing of some historical events for today as well as some other people who are having a birthday today.
from the Associated Press
Today's Highlight in History:
On January 12th, 1971, the ground-breaking situation comedy "All in the Family" premiered on C-B-S television.
On this date:
In 1519, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian the First died.
In 1773, the first public museum in America was established, in Charleston, South Carolina.
In 1915, the U-S House of Representatives rejected a proposal to give women the right to vote.
In 1932, Hattie W. Caraway became the first woman elected to the U-S Senate.
In 1942, President Roosevelt created the National War Labor Board.
In 1945, during World War Two, Soviet forces began a huge offensive against the Germans in Eastern Europe.
In 1948, the Supreme Court ruled that states could not discriminate against law-school applicants because of race.
In 1964, leftist rebels in Zanzibar began their successful revolt against the government.
In 1966, President Johnson said in his State of the Union address that the U-S should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there was ended.
In 1986, the shuttle "Columbia" blasted off with a crew that included the first Hispanic-American in space, Dr. Franklin R. Chang-Diaz.
Ten years ago: A deeply divided Congress gave President Bush the authority to wage war in the Persian Gulf. The Senate voted 52-to-47 to empower Bush to use armed forces to expel Iraq from Kuwait; the House followed suit on a vote of 250-to-183.
Five years ago: Chechen fighters holding more than 100 hostages in the Russian village of Pervomayskaya freed about a dozen of their captives and pledged to release the rest if four top Russian officials took their place.
One year ago: The U-S Supreme Court gave police broad authority to stop and question people who run at the sight of an officer. Forced to act by a European court ruling, Britain lifted its ban on gays in the military. Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills was killed in a crash during a drag race.
Today's Birthdays: Actress Luise Rainer is 91. Former South African President P.W. Botha is 85. Country singer Ray Price is 75. Singer Ruth Brown is 73. Singer Glenn Yarborough is 71. The Amazing Kreskin is 66. Country singer William Lee Golden (The Oak Ridge Boys) is 62. Former heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier is 57. Singer-musician George Duke is 55. Rock musician Cynthia Robinson (Sly and the Family Stone) is 55. Actor Anthony Andrews is 53. Movie director Wayne Wang ("The Joy Luck Club") is 52. Political commentator Rush Limbaugh is 50. Country singer Ricky Van Shelton is 49. Radio personality Howard Stern is 47. Actress Kirstie Alley is 46. Rock musician Tom Ardolino (NRBQ) is 44. Rock musician Charlie Gillingham (Counting Crows) is 41. Actor Oliver Platt is 41. Rock singer Rob Zombie is 35. Rapper TBird (B-Rock and the Bizz) is 34. Model-actress Vendela is 34. Rapper Raekwon (Wu Tang Clan) is 31. Rock musician Matt Wong (Reel Big Fish) is 28. Actor Andrew Lawrence is 13.
December 15, 2000
Howard announced today that he signed another 5-year contract with Viacom/Infinity. This contract will run out at the end of December, 2005. Some news stories I've collected on the new contract are here.
from Radio Ink magazine
Neither the FCC, the religious right nor copycat competitors have been able to uproot Howard Stern from his entrenchment as, arguably, the most successful Radio personality of all time. If you were to ask Stern, he’d tell you that no one comes even close. Has Stern decided to uproot Stern?
His Radio success opened the door to becoming a superstar spanning all media, including books, television and the movies. The Internet will soon follow, according to Stern. With a successful production company, asyndicated Baywatch spoof called Son of the Beach on cable, and movie ideas and scripts thrown at him from many hollywood Howard lovers, has Radio run its course in Stern’s life? After all, getting up at 4 a.m. and talking for more than four hours a day, five days a week, can get pretty old. At the end of this year, Stern’s contract with Infinity Broadcasting expires. The big question is: Will Stern be back?
INK: In the Year 2001, will Howard Stern be heard on the Radio?
STERN: I have thought long and hard about this, because getting up early is the bitch, but I am motivated to do Radio. I love doing it, and I think I will be doing it, provided I can come to an agreement with Infinity or whoever they are. I think they are Viacom or CBS now. It changes daily. If that can all be worked out, then I will absolutely be on the air.
Have other groups, such as Clear Channel or Emmis, tried to woo you over?
I have heard from a lot of people but, first and foremost, I would like to work out an agreement with Mel [Karmazin, president/COO of Viacom], because Mel is someone I have been with for 15 years. He has been tremendous to me. He is somebody I feel a sense of loyalty to. At the same time, I have to be realistic. I hope the deal can be worked. If that happens, then I am in business.
At times it sounds like you are fed up with Radio and, to some extent, the company you work for. Is that true or just part of the show?
Like anyone with a job, I get frustrated. On the air, I let everything come out. If I am sitting there and a piece of equipment doesn’t work, then I blow off steam about it. There are things about Radio that frustrate me, particularly the censorship issues, but for the most part, I still feel Radio is my primary career. If I were not on the Radio, then a huge chunk of my life would be missing. I blow off steam on the air, but I have been doing that since I first got into it. Nevertheless, I do love it.
Could you ever imagine yourself not being on the Radio?
There are times when I fantasize about moving into other areas. I actually have gotten a tremendous amount of satisfaction executive producing this Son of the Beach show and working with the writers on Doomsday, which is an animated series. My production company has a couple of films in development. I enjoy that.
People who know you say you really do love our industry.
Yes. Honestly, I knew what I was going to do with my life when I was 5 years old. I knew I would be in Radio. My father was a Radio engineer. I was fascinated with it. Later on, my father had a recording studio, and I watched Don Adams and Larry Storch record cartoons all day. I was enamored with the industry. I was not a kid who grew up listening to a lot of Radio. I did not listen to the Top 40 DJs. I listened toTalk shows. It was always my dream that I would go on rock ’n’ roll stations and talk. I don’t know where that came from. I would do these Radio shows into a tape recorder until I was 13. I would do characters. I did these skits. Oddly enough, when I was offered my first job in Radio, I almost backed away. I got cold feet. I could not imagine I would be able to make a living in Radio. I could not imagine people letting me do the kind of work that I wanted to do. Low and behold, many would not, but there were those few who did.
With all the changes Radio has experienced since our last interview (four years ago), do you still feel that way?
Yes. I think consolidation has made it less of the romantic notion I had. What I used to love about Radio early in my career was packing my bags every nine months and ending up at a different Radio station. Now, with consolidation, you work with one company, because there are only three. Nevertheless it is still Radio, and what is so brilliant is its immediacy — the fact that I don’t have to go through a bunch of layers to get my program on the air. Whatever ideas come into my head, I go on the air and do them. Radio is such a natural medium for me, and I love it. I have always felt I had my finger on the pulse of what people want. I must, because there are 10 million other guys doing what I am doing.
Are there fewer FCC issues with your program than there were five years ago?
It is no less a problem. The FCC and I have learned to coexist. I am able to function within their ridiculous guidelines. If I sit there and dwell on the FCC, I become Lenny Bruce, reading court transcripts and fighting about them. The fact is, the audience always comes first. I want to entertain my audience. I don’t want to sit there and listen to a bunch of asshole government bureaucrats try to prove to the constituency that they are doing something. They are not doing a thing. What little child has heard what I do on the air? You know from looking at the ratings that we don’t have children listening. Six to 10 in the morning is the only time people actually supervise their children. They are getting them ready for school. It is ludicrous to think there are unsupervised kids listening to my show. All these sex shows that are on at night are what kids listen to and watch unsupervised. That is the funny thing about it. I am not going to dwell on it, because it gets boring after awhile. It was exciting at the beginning, but now it is mundane. I will leave it to others to fight it.
Did you ever really think you would be able to create a media empire when you first got into this business, back when you were interviewing the head of the ASPCA in Hartford?
My father always says he loved that public affairs program in Hartford. He told me it was some of my best Radio -- just me, sitting there, making these guys interesting. Frankly, that show represented what I wanted to do on Radio more than anything. Take the average guy and dissect what he does. Robin (Quivers) says one of the reasons she became so attracted to working with me was because of an interview I did with a hooker in Detroit. It was very matter-of-fact. I was not judging her. I was just finding out how much money she made and what her life was like.
Who else besides Mel Karmazin has affected your career?
First and foremost would be Don Buchwald [Stern’s agent]. He understood my work for the market. He has been a tremendous friend to me. I can’t place a value on how important he has been to my career in helping me understand the business and my own worth. He was one of the people who was instrumental in sticking by me when I said I didn’t want to over-commercialize. I did not want to sell cups, mugs, T-shirts, and bumper stickers, like DJs. I wanted to elevate my career, and he assisted me in that. He understood my career from the beginning. I thank him a lot. He took care of a lot of the business that I couldn’t. And there’s Mel, of course. And Robin has been so good with me on the air. My whole Radio crew -- Jackie Martling, Fred Norris and Gary Dell’Abate -- has supported me in every way. When I got really down, like during the worst part of the FCC thing, they were there for me.
You have unwavering loyalty to that group?
Absolutely. Early on, there were some people in management who were amazing, like Wally Clark. I will always have a warm spot in my heart for Wally. When I was in Detroit, it was a tough time in my career. He was very supportive of me. He sat me down and told me I was one of the most talented guys he had ever heard in Radio. Wally bolted to St. Louis, but he was good to me. Randy Baumgarten, at NBC, liberated me there. I was under siege, as documented in my movie, Private Parts. Management was brutal to me, but Randy came in and told me I was terrific and stuck by me. There have been some great people in my career.
Did you get any feedback from the people who were negatively portrayed in the movie?
No. Oddly enough, the guy who in real life was my Israeli GM at WRNW was thrilled. I have not spoken to Kevin Metheny in years. He said the movie was an exaggeration -- yeah, I made him look too nice.
How much of your show is staged before you go on the air? You are constantly ragging on yourself. Is it all a gag?
Very little on the show is made up. I am one of those people who can look at ice cream and gain weight. I run six miles a day. One of the weird things about having the Radio show on TV is that you have to look at yourself a lot. When I first got into Radio, I was so against looking at myself. I am a Radio guy. I don’t have to worry about my appearance, but my health was going to hell. I was overweight and getting sick. So, I watch what I eat.
There is much debate in our industry about overloaded stopsets. Your show could be the poster child for this argument. What are your thoughts on the 10- to 20-minute stopsets during your program?
Management can get greedy. However, I have had such tremendous success, even with these 18-minute stopsets. I have said to them many times to limit the amount of spots -- to bring it down to 14 an hour and raise the rate. I would be happy to do that. What has happened is that the show is so successful and easily soldout, especially around peak times, that they have just kept it up. I remember when I first got to K-Rock (WXRK in New York), we would sell only 13 units an hour; and then at Christmas, it would become 15 or 18. There are days when there are 20 to 22 minutes an hour. Part of that makes me happy, because I am able to hold an audience even with the huge load, and that is a compliment to me. Also I am happy because the stations are making money. I have never deluded myself and thought I was there for any other reason than to make money for my Radio stations. That is the greatest high. If you have your head screwed on straight, that is the highest of highs when you can watch a company make money. I am always aware of the product and the audience. And I know it is frustrating to listen to stopsets that long, but there is no way around it.
Are there markets you want that you are not in now?
I am really focused on this, and the reason I will stay in Radio is that I do want this show to be heard all around the country. It is a pet peeve of mine that there is some guy in Atlanta who has never had the opportunity to hear the show. He thinks the local Bob and Jimmy show is the be-all and end-all. If there ever were a license for intellectual property, I would have the greatest lawsuit of all time. There are so many guys who have benefited because I am not in their market. I am focused on keeping this show on the air in markets we are already in, and also expanding it throughout the country. I know the show makes money for people. I know we (everyone on the show) are serious about the business of broadcasting. We want to come to your town and make a lot of money for you.
In 1996, you spoke of the Howard Stern Radio Network’s consisting of three or four Radio talents. Whatever happened to that?
I spoke with some guys about it and started to develop it; but I got sidetracked between our production company and the network thing, and did not think I could give it my full energy. I actually have written a 10-page paper to Mel and Don about what I want to accomplish in the next three to five years. Part of that is an offshoot of the Howard Stern Radio Network. I have some ideas for the future, and that will happen, but in another form. In the last two years, I have concentrated on the production company. Putting together Son of the Beach was a joy but a lot of work. I never like to spread myself too thin.
Are there any other air talents you respect?
I don’t listen to a lot of Radio anymore. I tend to get depressed when I listen to it. Most guys I hear, who are supposedly moving up the ladder, sound just like me. I listen and can’t believe that in the last 20 years I have been on, there has not been one innovation. They get on and say, ‘Howard is the old, and we are the new guys.’ Well, for fresh young guys, they have failed to get off their fat asses and come up with a new idea. It is the same shit over and over again. I love how they pray for my demise, but I wonder what they would do for material.
Is Opie & Anthony on WNEW (a New York Infinity station) an example of that?
That is an entire Radio station devoted to Howard Stern soundalikes. It is all guys who sound like me. It is The Howard Stern Show 24 hours a day. I told the company that if they make a Howard Stern show all day, it dilutes what we do. It burns everyone out.
Who are the most interesting people to have on the show?
I love this guy Beetlejuice. He is a dwarf with a tiny head, and he is funny as hell. I don’t get too impressed by celebrities. Geraldo is a great interview. He is willing to answer any question. He was cheating on his wife on this boat, and he left pictures for her to find; then, to make up with her, he brought her on the boat. To me, he is fascinating in terms of his approach to broadcasting, but also he is willing to talk about this.
What will it take for someone to rival you in ratings and success?
No one is doing anything original, so they will never have the success I have. They all look at me and say, "Why him?" Why? Because I am the original. I am the one who has the sex appeal, ratings and national mystique. Someone would have to come along and do something original and fun. But to be an imitator? Nobody cares.
When young talent say they want to be like you, what do you say?
If that means you want to do something unique and take chances, great. If it means you want to steal my personality and live a clone life, I say, "Pathetic you."
You’re a huge fan of the Internet. You have also recognized that audio and video are still not viable. Are you trying to figure ways to grow your company, using the Web?
Yes. I will be doing some stuff with the Internet, but I refuse to do it until it is right. I have a cable modem and, even with that, the quality of streaming video is poor, although audio is better. It will allow us to narrowcast like never before. It will outstrip Radio. We can target audiences like never before. Radio is still a mass-appeal medium. When I go on the air, I am not trying to reach 18-34; I am trying to reach the whole audience. The Internet represents my future and what I want to do. I have seen the Internet grow so much in the last 10 years. I don’t think technology is where it needs to be for my ideas. These Radio Websites are as embarrassing as bumper-sticker promotions.
It seems that, if there were one person who could alter listening patterns on the Net, it would be you.
This 10-page paper I outlined to Mel and Don addresses that.
Does it make any difference to you that you are nominated for a Marconi award?
I am a bit of a wise-ass, so whenever they want to give me an award, I laugh at it. I do like to be recognized by the industry. But I am so out there and brutally honest that I think people tend to resent me. Radio awards are so goofy. I guess part of me wants them, but the other part laughs at them. I look at the list of people I am up against and think, ‘Who in their right mind would give it to anyone else but me?’
Would you advise your daughters to get into this industry?
I have not advised them to do anything. My oldest is serious about acting. When you have a passion for something like this, no one can tell you not to do it. My father told me I wasn’t that good, that I didn’t speak well. Whatever he said freaked me out, but I went into the business anyway. If my daughters said they wanted to do it, I’d say, "Great; go for it, but be prepared to blow a lot of program directors."
What else do you want to do?
There are few film ideas I want to do, and one I am going to direct. Betty Thomas and Ivan Reitman [director and producer of Stern’s movie, Private Parts] were such an inspiration.
ASTRONET Stars on Stars
Birthday: January 12, 1954, New York, NY
His name really resonates with his Sun Sign. Radio's "shock jock" Howard Stern is harsh and uncompromising. He will deliver sex-laden monologues over the airwaves -- no matter how much the FCC objects. As a Capricorn, Howard's dedicated to winning public recognition, but he has to do it in non-traditional ways.
His fans seem to love Howard's lowbrow humor, whether it's delivered over radio waves, in print, or on screen. His autobiography, "Private Parts," sold millions of copies and the movie version earned Paramount its highest test-screen ratings ever.
Saturn governs Howard's Capricorn Sun and also his tenth house of profession. It's placement in his natal horoscope shows exactly how he'll express this planet's energies. Saturn represents self-discipline, control, and life's limitations. Howard's Saturn is "peregrine," or without any essential dignities in his chart. This encourages him to resort to uncommon means to achieve recognition. Howard is perfectly in control of his seemingly out-of-control behavior. It is done for effect and he knows it's his shock value that makes him a star.
Saturn is in Scorpio, the sign most connected with sex, so Howard's radio programs are designed to showcase sexual indecency. Further, this planet opposes his Moon in Taurus, the sign of money and resources. The Moon governs instincts and emotions. Howard has fine-tuned his delivery of sexually scandalous comments to a point where he can generate more money than he loses. The FCC fined Infinity Broadcasting $600,000 in 1992 for being indecent on public airwaves, but this was a minor amount compared to Howard's overall earning capacity.
Other planetary configurations drive Howard's extreme actions. His Sun, which governs his will and ego, opposes quirky, erratic Uranus. He derives a certain amount of self-satisfaction from being eccentric. Pluto, Uranus, and Jupiter are parallel (conjunct by declination), and all are contra-parallel (opposing by declination) Venus. The three in conjunction are "social" planets, signifying where Howard interfaces with the larger community. Pluto represents all that is hidden beneath the surface, Uranus is an in-your-face arbiter of social change, and Jupiter magnifies and expands their energies.
Howard's Venus in Capricorn signifies traditional values and mores. Interestingly, this shows that he really does esteem these values in his personal life. He is driven, however, to challenge society's hypocrisy in sex and politics. His personal life confirms this as he is actually quite conservative compared to some of his generation.
Venus governs his seventh house of marriage. In 1999 Howard separated from his wife of twenty years, Alison Berns. They have three children. He practices transcendental meditation and does not smoke, drink, or take drugs. This makes his private behavior more in line with traditional values than the behavior of archconservative radio personality, Rush Limbaugh. (Howard and Rush share a January 12 birth date. See Rush's profile in Stars on Stars.)
Howard's progressed Jupiter has recently gone direct from its retrograde position. It's about to return to its natal degree. At the same time, transiting Jupiter will conjunct this point. This will greatly magnify Howard's professional opportunities. He will soon embark on two or more new projects. One will be a new book, the other perhaps a television variation of is radio show.
Jupiter governs politics and Howard will run for public office again. He was the 1994 Libertarian candidate for governor in New York, but dropped out before the election. Howard's Sun has progressed into gentle Pisces in his solar twelfth house of hidden events. This is a dual sign, confirming that the private Howard is really quite different from his public persona. Here's hoping that he'll soon reveal his spiritual side more openly.
Copyright, 1995-2000
Another horoscope for Howard...
from harmoniclife.com
Description: Howard Stern
Natal Date: Tuesday, January 12, 1954
Planetary Positions:
Sun Sign
In Capricorn the Sun gives a quiet, thoughtful, serious nature, deep mind and good reasoning ability; generally practical, economical and given to investigation. Capricorn's act with dignity and self-esteem, are somewhat particular, ambitious and persevering; never entirely discouraged although often disappointed; thorough and hard workers. Careful, cautious, frugal, and make the most of opportunities. Usually meet with some heavy obstacles in the path of desires and progress, yet by dint of persistent, patient and concentrated effort often butt their way through and triumph over circumstances. Saturn is the planetary ruler of the sign Capricorn.
Longitudinal Aspect Legend
Cutoff for error is 3.00 degrees.
The less the error the more powerful what is written for each aspect. Error of zero being strongest.
Good aspects:
Longitudes
SUN Opposite-180 degrees URANUS with an error of .7 degrees.
Hope for a good aspect with other planets, in order to moderate extreme manifestations of the following: A tendency toward broken promises, separation, and even scandalous betrayal of marital vows, especially where a bad aspect with Venus exists. Averse to long-term ties in general; tendency toward impulsive, erratic action; fond of risk-taking, in business and romance. Particularly bad in a woman's horoscope. Prone to jealousy, love affairs, short-term partnerships. Interest in occult societies; a tendency toward accidents, especially those involving explosions and natural calamities.
SUN Square-90 degrees NEPTUNE with an error of 1.21 degrees.
Unstable, with a tendency toward discord in relationships; lacking determination; often given to weird relationships, desires; sapped of vitality; robust health and longevity turns to poor health and hospitalization due to ailment of undeterminable nature or origin; creative vision turns to preoccupation with the mysterious; confusion; absence of clear thought; lax morality; vulnerable to fraud, deception; frequent misunderstandings, loss of trust.
SUN Conjunct-0 degrees CHIRON with an error of .76 degrees.
This is one of the most powerful aspects that is not a Super Aspect. It helps the native to be noteworthy and or charismatic. If the native also has a Super Aspect formed by Chiron, then he or she can have a hypnotic or mesmerizing influence on most of us. This is also a female Romance Aspect where the native (person born with the aspect), if female, has an unusually intense desire for marriage and children. Such women often marry and have children when they are very young.
MERCURY Opposite-180 degrees URANUS with an error of .49 degrees.
Active mentality; impulsive, irregular and sarcastic turns of mind; very observant, ingenious and critical; unsuccessful in literary pursuits; public criticism probably through the press; difficulty through societies, friends and kindred. Skeptical and peculiar; a reformer's spirit and extreme or radical ideas; constant desire for new fields or modes of action; sudden and unexpected adverse changes and removals. Restless, dissatisfied, discontented, daring, audacious, defiant, adventurous. Subject to accidents, especially in travel.
MERCURY Square-90 degrees NEPTUNE with an error of 2.4 degrees.
Unreliability, obstacles and misfortune. The memory is apt to be poor, the mind vacillating and somewhat unpractical, affected by spells or periods of mental aberration, abstraction, lack of concentration, absentmindedness, dreaminess, or irresolution. It tends to nervousness, sensitiveness, restlessness, changes, and liability to trouble through slander, deception, imitation, fraud, intrigue, and bribery. Danger through drugs and poisons. Difficulties through changefulness, unexplainable psychic conditions, lack of cautious self-control and the liability to be led by the impulses, sensations, appetites, emotions, sympathy, and by the ideas, thoughts and advice of others, resulting in nervous, restless excitability, which exhausts the vital processes. Then native should benefit through study of dietetics.
MERCURY Conjunct-0 degrees CHIRON with an error of .44 degrees.
It is the most powerful aspect in helping someone to be a charismatic speaker (Evita Person was born with this), writer, or singer. This aspect also promotes a New Age outlook and makes the native highly intelligent, adventuresome, and self-reliant.
VENUS Semisextile-30 degrees JUPITER with an error of 2.37 degrees.
A born leader; champion of sports; very fortunate; love of God; money from the realms that Jupiter rules, including knowledge, publishing, law, banking.
URANUS Square-90 degrees NEPTUNE with an error of 1.91 degrees.
This is not a very serious aspect; it gives the same quick, keen intuition and faculty for the curious, with attraction for and desire to investigate the mysterious and things occult, but indicates obstacles, difficulties and danger in following extremes in the foregoing. The person is subject to psychic conditions, consciously or unconsciously, therefore, my be influenced by surroundings and environment to his detriment. Many inexpressible moods and emotions will be felt, such as from trance, ecstasy and bliss to vague, semi-hysterical states. Subtle attraction and revulsion. Should exercise great discrimination in choice of friend, confidante or confrere.
URANUS Opposite-180 degrees CHIRON with an error of .06 degrees.
NEPTUNE Square-90 degrees CHIRON with an error of 1.97 degrees.
Declinations
SUN Contra-Parallel-180 degrees URANUS with an error of .6 degrees.
Hope for a good aspect with other planets, in order to moderate extreme manifestations of the following: A tendency toward broken promises, separation, and even scandalous betrayal of marital vows, especially where a bad aspect with Venus exists. Averse to long-term ties in general; tendency toward impulsive, erratic action; fond of risk-taking, in business and romance. Particularly bad in a woman's horoscope. Prone to jealousy, love affairs, short-term partnerships. Interest in occult societies; a tendency toward accidents, especially those involving explosions and natural calamities.
MERCURY Parallel-0 degrees VENUS with an error of .87 degrees.
Intelligent; good communicator, deft in articulating a point because this pairing a symbolizes beauty of speech and communication; a beautiful voice and success at singing; good reflexes and coordination; money form sources ruled by mercury, including transportation and transport vehicles, communication and teaching, photography, telecommunications and the equipment thereof, anything that improves or enhances vision.
VENUS Contra-Parallel-180 degrees JUPITER with an error of .46 degrees.
Strong desire for grace, refinement, talent, beauty and luxury, but forced to be content with these to an ordinary or limited extent and satisfied with best show or substitute possible. Unless other testimonies offset this, it is not a good aspect for the accumulation of money, as a great deal is spent for appearances in dress, ornaments, luxury; inclines to easy good nature and fondness for pleasure, producing lack off accurate business instinct, resulting in loss through carelessness, fraud, deception, desertion, separation, prosecution, speculation, and unsound investments or securities. Difficulty in love and marriage through faithlessness or misrepresentation. Liable to overdo in the gratification of desires for pleasure and amusements; apt to be overliberal, extravagant and amorous. Blood or skin disorders; loss through floods.
VENUS Contra-Parallel-180 degrees URANUS with an error of .62 degrees.
Trouble and jealousy through courtship and marriage; difficulty through the opposite sex. Unconventional; liable to hasty, impulsive marriage leading to divorce. The mid is imaginative, curious, alert and hastily influenced by unrestrained feelings, which make the native liable to be led astray; troubles by broken promises and scandal; separations, estrangements and difficulty with friends. Losses through sudden and unexpected circumstances. An unfortunate aspect for matters connected with the opposite sex. Loss through unreliable friends, associates or partners, and through risky ventures.
VENUS Contra-Parallel-180 degrees PLUTO with an error of .15 degrees.
Jealousy and possessiveness enters relationships; ultimately causing loneliness in the native. A strong sex drive can lead to uncontrolled lust and immoderate behavior. Relationships are full of conflict. The native often loses friends without understanding the reason why. The native feels emotionally insecure and rears the inability to love or be loved.
MARS Parallel-0 degrees CHIRON with an error of .41 degrees.
One of the Male Sexual Aspects, it creates the ultimate high energy level, generates more pure energy than any other aspect, and rates as a Super Sports Champion Aspect (a term from Astrology Really Works!). But the Chiron -Mars aspect does not help coordination in the way the Venus-Mars aspect does. The native needs aspects that help coordination in order to most beneficially harness the energy this aspect provides. If the aspect in not well used and controlled through moral teachings, there can be constant moral slippage toward excessive aggressiveness, and even belligerency.
JUPITER Parallel-0 degrees URANUS with an error of .17 degrees.
Super fame; talented at dealing with the public and audiences; great natural ability in areas ruled by Uranus, including the general public, politics, entertainment industry (especially movies and broadcasting), telecommunications and any public performance including political speeches acting and modeling, flying and space travel, technology and other agents of change; Uranus also rules recognition so this pairing means being fully recognized and credited for achievements.
JUPITER Parallel-0 degrees PLUTO with an error of .31 degrees.
More than any other pairing, this one symbolizes super success; super powerful; super rich; unbelievably fortunate; remarkably enterprising we know that Pluto rules power, but it also rules elevated talent and gifts and is an enhancer, so this pairing also means being incredibly talented (which makes sense because how else can you have power?).
URANUS Parallel-0 degrees PLUTO with an error of .47 degrees.
Ability to have power and control over the pubic, or to enforce significant change on the populace; ability to move or sway the public to act or embrace an idea, or to command attention and appreciation from the public or an audience; for athletes, this is also an energy and coordination enhancer to the other pairing in an M/Q, especially if the other pairing includes Mars, Mercury, or Sun.
from the NY Post
Howard Stern unleashed a 25-minute, on-air tirade against CBS after reading yesterday's Post story calculating that he's paid only half of what he's worth.
"My story is the biggest horror story in the paper today. I'm feeling all ripped off. I'm getting bamboozled. I'm angry," ranted Stern on his K-rock show.
"I was feeling good about the money I was making, and I don't even make what they say.
I got plenty to talk about with my agent today," Stern said. The Post figured that Stern's income from just four CBS/Infinity radio stations should have been $21 million last year. Forbes Magazine recently reported Stern's entire 1999 take at $18 million -- and that included more than 50 other radio stations, his CBS TV show, his E! cable show, video and cable revenue from his movie "Private Parts."
"It says here that Arnold Palmer made more than I did. Isn't he dead? A dead guy is making more money!" Stern said. (The legendary golfer is very much alive.)
"Everybody yells at me and hates me when it's contract time," moaned Stern. "They forget to treat this show like it's the bread-and-butter of the radio station."
Stern swore "on the life of my children" that he hasn't been talking about quitting radio in order to get more leverage for his contract renewal talks this summer.
"Life is passing me by because I have to get up so damn early in the morning."
from the NY Post
Is it possible that Howard Stern -- who earns a reported $18 million a year -- is underpaid?
More than possible.
CBS/Infinity may be paying its biggest radio star only about half of what he's worth, according to a Post survey of radio station managers, talent agents, ad agency executives and radio-revenue reports.
"All I would really comment on is that, obviously, Howard is the engine that drives the train," said Bob Moore, CBS-owned KLSX/Los Angeles general manager. "It's an extremely lucrative relationship," he says.
Stern's contract is up for renewal this summer. And, as always around this time, he is making noise on the air about quitting radio -- presumably to gain more leverage during negotiations.
So we decided to look at just how much Stern pulls in for his employers and discovered that he may, in fact, be worth much more than the $18 million that Forbes Magazine recently reported as Stern's total take last year.
Radio's baddest boy neither confirmed nor denied that figure when he recently commented on his show about the Forbes "Power 100" celebrity chart.
His annual income rank was 50th -- behind golfer Arnold Palmer and just ahead of basketball star Karl Malone.
That $18-million figure includes not only his salary from his flagship station (K-Rock/92.3 FM) and at least six other CBS/Infinity-owned stations, but also syndication earnings from 50 other big-city affiliates that carry his radio show, his Saturday night CBS TV show, his E! cable show, video and cable revenue from his movie "Private Parts" and probably some early development dough from his brand new network TV productions "Son of the Beach" and "Doomsday."
By comparision, Rush Limbaugh, whose 1999 activities were basically just his radio show and newsletter, pulled down $22 million -- $4 million more than Stern.
Stern is believed to have signed his last CBS/Infinity radio contract four years ago, though neither his agent, Don Buchwald, nor K-Rock boss Tom Chiusano would comment for this article.
That was just before the federal government relaxed radio regulations and allowed single companies to own almost as many stations as they want.
Meantime, as the U.S. economy exploded, radio has seen double-digit revenue increases every quarter for the last four years.
A one-minute commercial on Stern's show -- the hottest ticket in town -- can fetch "up to $7,000," according to a competing station manager.
In Los Angeles, KLSX virtually drops off the ratings chart when Stern's show ends -- and yet it recently became the nation's tenth highest grosser, nearly doubling its take in just two years.
The Post conservatively calculated from station-revenue reports that Stern's paycheck from just four CBS/Infinity-owned radio stations (New York, Los Angeles, Washington and Chicago) should have been $21 million last year by 1999 standards.
That amount alone is $3 million more than what Forbes says he grossed from absolutely everything he does for a living -- all the rest of radio, TV, cable, movies, home video, you name it.
(The Post conservatively arrived at Stern's $20.85 million, four-station- only total by taking 1999 gross billing data from BIA Financial Network ($142,800,000) and subtracting 15 percent ad agency commissions. 60 percent of the remainder was assumed to be Stern-generated revenue (expert estimates range between 60 and 80 percent, depending on the station). $3 million was then deducted from the New York-only balance, assuming generous salaries for Stern sidekicks Robin Quivers, Fred Norris, Jackie Martling, Gary Dell'Abate, etc.). 30 percent of the remainder was assumed to be Stern's pre-tax payout share (estimates range between 30 and 40 percent for talent of his caliber). Taxes, AFTRA union pension and welfare assessments, and agent/management fees were not considered.)
from the New York Daily News
ELSEWHERE, THE WINNERS ARE: The trade magazine Friday Morning Quarterback has named Howard Stern its air personality of the century, and Scott Shannon, formerly of WHTZ and now of WPLJ, as its programmer of the century.
--snips--
FMQB also named Stern most influential broadcaster of the decade...
from the New York Daily News
Radio shock jock Howard Stern, who plugged his happy marriage even as he drew listeners into the off-color world of kinky sex, porn and bathroom humor, is separating from his wife of 21 years.
Stern's breakup with Alison, who was a Boston University student he met when he was just starting out, "is amicable," said family spokesman Dan Klores.
"Following mediation, both Alison and Howard, who care for each other very much, have come to an agreement and settled all their concerns," Klores said.
Who would care for the Sterns' three daughters - ages 16, 12 and 6 - was unclear.
The couple, both 45, reached a financial resolution but had no immediate plans to file for a divorce, Klores said.
Forbes magazine estimated Stern's 1999 earnings at $20 million, placing him 49th on its ranking of 100 richest entertainers.
Stern built a legion of fans by publicly lusting after a parade of porn stars and centerfolds.
Although constantly testing marital boundaries, Stern always insisted he never actually strayed.
Yesterday, there was only speculation about what caused the split.
A close friend of the WXRK-FM morning star said, "I don't think there's a third party. I think it's his career. He's obsessed with work. It's taken a toll."
The breakup has been "very painful for him," the friend added.
In addition to his radio gig, Stern appears on television's E! and Channel 2.
People close to Stern said he regularly "goes home" to Long Island to be with his family, but that he also has been spending more and more time in the upper West Side condo he bought last year for $5.9 million.
His 4,000-square-foot penthouse is in the Millennium Tower on W. 67th St. near Broadway, the same building Regis Philbin and Marv Albert call home.
Despite his on-air fixation with sex, the self-proclaimed King of All Media has long maintained he's hopelessly devoted to Alison.
The former Alison Berns from Newton Center, Mass., is portrayed in his autobiographical book and movie, "Private Parts," as his rock of redemption.
The book is dedicated to Alison "who stuck with me through thick and thin, who never gave a s--t about material things or put any pressure on me ... who loved me before I had a radio show."
The ever-patient Alison occasionally became an on-air voice when she called the show to tell him to stop lying about their sex life or to simply "grow up."
But friends say that some of Stern's banter about the intimacies of their life badly hurt Alison.
Perhaps the most painful episode was when Stern discussed Alison's miscarriage on the air.
But one friend of the couple said, "Alison long ago accepted that there are good and bad things about being married to Howard Stern."
from the New York Daily News
To a whole lot of women, the only reaction to the news that Howard Stern and his wife, Alison, are separating is going to be, "What took her so long?"
It has always been a standard part of Stern's radio shtick to talk in specific detail about their sex life — or, on occasion, what he complained to be a lack of it.
It isn't every woman who would want 10 million radio listeners every morning hearing her husband discuss her bodily functions in detail or suggest she should use mechanical devices so he wouldn't have to work as hard during sex.
Stern frequently has acknowledged, "It isn't easy to be married to a guy who does what I do." His movie, "Private Parts," includes a scene in which Alison, while house-hunting in a real estate agent's car, is so uncomfortable with one of Howard's raunchy on-air routines that she turns the radio off.
Yet "Private Parts" also reinforced something that's always been a central part of the Stern mystique — that for all the outrageousness of his radio persona, at home he's a straight arrow: a faithful and loving husband, an attentive father, a regular poster boy for old-fashioned family values.
A scene in the book "Private Parts," which was given even more prominence in the movie, shows Stern telling Alison during their courtship that he just knows she is the woman with whom he wants to spend his life. Of course, Stern also has a reputation to uphold among his fans, which is that mush and sentiment must be ridiculed or neutralized at every turn. So the book then recounts, with a short crude phrase, exactly how far he got on their first date.
This Good Howard versus Bad Howard has always been a central point of his show's dramatic intrigue: He regularly has female guests strip in his studio, yet at the end of the day he's always made it clear he went home to Alison.
In fact, Stern keeps his off-air life as private as possible. What people know about him is mostly what he has said on air — which he maintains is his real honest self, but at the same time has clearly been calculated. He has been as good at building a persona as he has been at hosting a radio show, and he has been good enough at radio to parlay it into an income estimated at $20 million this year.
So it's hard even to guess what may have been happening at home, out of public view. It's a safe bet that much effort will be devoted to keeping further details as private as possible.
But at the very least, it makes the aura of Howard Stern look a little different.
from the New York Post
"This is an amicable separation," Dan Klores, a spokesman for the couple, said last night.
"Following mediation, both Alison and Howard, who care for each other very much, have come to an agreement and settled all their concerns."
It's believed the long-haired loudmouth's workaholic ways - a daily radio show and weekly TV show, plus book and movie deals - doomed the 21-year union.
Howard, 45, had turned his seemingly rock-solid marriage to Alison, 44, into a mini-cottage industry, using it as fodder for his best-selling book and 1997 big-screen biopic "Private Parts."
Alison - who gamely endured Howard's raunchy repartee with strippers, drooling over lip-locked lesbians, and on-air chatter about their sex life - was depicted as the devoted wife who supported him on the long road to superstardom.
The couple, who tied the knot in 1978 and have three daughters - Emily, 16, Debra, 13, and Ashley, 7 - said nothing about plans for a divorce.
It's understood Howard will be shuttling between the family's home on Long Island and a swank apartment he bought in Manhattan last year so he can see his daughters.
Rumors the relationship was on the rocks have been circulating since the self-proclaimed King of All Media plunked down $5.9 million for the 4,000-square-foot condo in the Millennium Tower on West 67th Street.
In addition, Alison has not called into his K-Rock morning show in months - and Howard has halted his frequent on-air complaints about how often they have sex.
The couple met in 1974 when Stern, then a junior at Boston University, dropped into a friend's house - to borrow a blow-dryer after getting caught in the rain - while Alison was visiting.
Though she initially resisted his advances, he talked her into appearing in his student film. On their first date, he took her to see "Lenny," a movie about the profane comic Lenny Bruce.
They married in 1978, and Alison followed Stern to Connecticut, Detroit and Washington, before he hit the big time in New York City.
The biggest crisis in their marriage occurred when Howard joked on air about Alison's miscarriage.
But the pretty blond social worker has generally turned a deaf ear to her husband's X-rated rantings - occasionally calling in to chastise him for extra-sleazy shenanigans.
"When he stops talking about these women, then I'll be concerned," she said in a 1997 magazine interview.
Howard - who has always vowed he would never cheat on his wife even as he openly fantasized about bedding female guests - called Alison his "best friend."
"The world is filled with temptation, yet we are here and still together," he said. "Of course, it could fall apart tomorrow. It's not a done deal. She could throw me out any day now."
It was unclear how long Alison and Howard - who has often joked that he could never get a divorce because there's no prenuptial agreement - have been separated.
Famed divorce lawyer Raoul Felder, who does not represent either one of them, said it is unusual for a celebrity to use a mediator instead of attorneys for a separation agreement.
"Maybe they're very civilized," he said. "It suggests they've worked out their differences and come to terms and eventually they'll get an uncontested divorce."
The couple's pals were tight-lipped about the situation.
"I have no comment at all," said Long Island lawyer Dominic Barbara, a close friend, "except that my wife and I love them both dearly."
from the New York Post
Loudmouth Howard Stern's lewd and lascivious radio routine helped kill his two-decade marriage to wife Alison, marriage counselors said yesterday.
But counselors gave the celebrity ex-couple high ratings for keeping lawyers out of the breakup and settling everything face-to-face for the sake of their three kids.
Dr. Robert Butterworth, an L.A.-based therapist, said Stern's look-but-don't-touch sexcapades with models, porn stars and actresses took a toll on his personal life.
"The beauties killed the beast," quipped Butterworth. "It must be hard to be Howard Stern with all these beautiful women coming up to him all the time. My gut reaction is that he was probably tempted by all these babes."
Butterworth ridiculed the couple's official statement that the separation was amicable.
"If another celebrity couple were saying that, Stern would be criticizing them for it," said Butterworth. "Does he think we're stupid?"
"He's hypersexual, and his profession is hazardous to his marriage," he said.
Dr. Alice Stephens, a Manhattan-based counselor, said that while Alison probably became immune to Stern's on-air antics, the raunchy routines still drove a wedge between the couple.
"My guess is that it must have been very difficult for his wife to sustain her feelings with him when everything was fodder, everything was exposed," said Stephens.
"She probably insulated herself in a certain way ... but with that has to come a deadening of feelings so that she could tolerate what he was doing to their relationship."
Stern turned his love affair with Alison, whom he married 21 years ago, into a wildly successful film, "Private Parts" - but one expert said the details of their breakup would make for a very dull plot.
"Relationships fail on things that wouldn't make a great movie, everyday kinds of things, and in my view it's practically always about intimacy," said Dr. Joel Block, who works in Dix Hills, L.I.
Stern's incessant ogling of bare-breasted women, and his endless comments about which celebrities he would bed if he were single, had to wear on his wife, said Dr. Patricia Farrell.
"Howard had the best of both worlds, and I don't think his wife has," she said. "I think that probably it reached a point where she couldn't tolerate what he was doing, and he couldn't stop doing it because it was part of his act."
Throughout her marriage to the self-proclaimed "King of All Media," Alison appeared to handle Howard's bathroom barbs with good humor - except when he mentioned her miscarriage on his radio show.
But one hint of tension that could have ended the relationship popped up in his book, "Miss America."
In it, he quotes his wife as saying, "Can't you spend time with us? You're the life of the party at work and you come home and you lock yourself upstairs."
Industry experts estimate Stern made $20 million last year, with a nationally syndicated radio show, and two television programs, one on the E! network and a late Saturday-night show on CBS.
The couple's spokesman, Dan Klores, would not discuss details of any financial settlement, saying only that they have "settled all their concerns."
Stern is expected to split his time between a $5.9 million condo he recently bought on the Upper West Side and the couple's home in Long Island to see his three daughters, aged 16, 13, and seven.
Meanwhile, media analysts wondered what the split will do to Stern's carefully crafted image of a crude-minded cretin.
"Howard's persona is very well-served by the counterbalance of people knowing he's a happily married family man," said Michael Harrison, editor of Talkers magazine, a trade publication.
"There's a danger of him losing that balance ... He's lost a certain level of license to play the game that he plays so well."
Bob Grant, a fellow radio gabber and occasional guest on Stern's show, said he was surprised the split didn't come sooner.
"The temptation has been too great," said Grant. "I would predict that somewhere down the line ... she'll go her way with half of his money and he'll go his way with half his money and all the broads he wants."
What's it like to work as an Intern for The Howard Stern Show? Find out here at VaultReports.com.
from allaccess.com
Billboard Monitor Awards
The folks at BILLBOARD/AIRPLAY MONITOR reports record attendance of over 1400 between the seminar and the awards show this past weekend in MIAMI at the FOUNTAINBLEAU HOTEL.
NATIONALLY SYNDICATED AIR PERSONALITY - INFINITY BROADCASTING/HOWARD STERN
(All other winners snipped)
from: Radio & Records
R&R Industry Achievement Awards
There were a number of awards given out, but the one we care about is:
Syndicated Personality of the Year: Howard Stern
Way to go Howard! Congrats!
August 1999 - check out the Penthouse magazine articles about Fred, Jackie and Stuttering John!
NEW ORLEANS (Variety) - Calling himself "the man who put the 'sin' back in syndication," shock jock Howard Stern proudly took credit for pushing the boundaries of salty language heard on radio and TV in his speech here Wednesday to the National Association of Television Program Executives.
"I revolutionized this industry," said Stern, who was broadcasting his syndie radio show live from the NATPE convention hall, complete with Robin Quivers and the rest of his on-air ensemble.
"Every time Ricki Lake says the word 'penis' on the air, you have me to thank," he said. "There's a loosening-up (of broadcast standards), and I seriously think our show had something to do with it."
Not surprisingly, Stern berated the packed house of TV business executives for not recognizing the "pure genius" of his work in TV over the years, most recently with his "Howard Stern Radio Show" telecasts on cable's E! network and in syndication.
But overall, his tone was tame, probably because even the self-styled "king of all media" recognized he couldn't afford to alienate potential buyers of his syndie weekend vehicle.
"I can't tell you to kiss my ass," he said. "I'll be kissing ass here. I have a program to sell. ... But I still don't understand why I have to go stand in a booth."
Stern punctuated his general-session address with several career highlight reels. One included an clip of an E! interview he did several years ago with Phil Hartman and his wife, Bryn -- who fatally shot the comedian and herself last May -- that brought an eerie silence to the room.
Naturally, Stern offered a few four-letter digs at sacred cows such as "60 Minutes" chief Don Hewitt and former NBC and MTM Prods. chief Grant Tinker. CBS topper Mel Karmazin was affectionately described by Stern as both "the most important woman in my life" and "a man who makes me wish I was gay."
For all his irreverence, Stern did offer a certain tribute to the medium of television.
"I learned everything I know about sex from TV," he said, citing Tina Louise of "Gilligan's Island" fame as a major influence in his teenage years.
"What makes for a good TV program? Anything that makes a guy pull down his pants and grab himself is good TV," Stern said. "I believe I am a great broadcaster."
Wednesday's general session began with the presentation of NATPE's chairman's award to veteran broadcaster John Conomikes, president of Hearst-Argyle Television. The contrast between Stern's vision of broadcasting and Conomikes' could not have been sharper.
"A lot of people have been saying that free over-the-air broadcasting is in trouble," said Conomikes, who got his first job as a prop mover at Pittsburgh station KDKA in 1955.
"I don't believe it for a second. Otherwise we wouldn't have spent $3 billion over the last 18 months to buy TV stations," Conomikes said.
The foundation of the entire TV industry is "good broadcasters who work hard in their local markets and are involved with their communities through news and public affairs. ...This can be the best and most rewarding business."
January 15, 1999
A Stern Sentence: A stalker who referred to shock jock Howard Stern as "Dead Man Walking" in letters threatening the radio personality's life has been sentences to 2 1/2 years in prison. The sentence was nearly twice as much as federal sentencing guidelines called for in a case that began when Michael Lance Carvin sent four letters to Mr. Stern last spring from Las Vegas. Mr. Carvin, 44, was convicted in 1976 of threatening the life of the president for pointing a toy gun at Ronald Reagan, who was then a candidate.
November, 1998
Courtesy of Architectural Digest magazine, take a look inside Robin's old apartment!
Read former intern Steve Grillo's E!xit Interview!
Shock jock Howard Stern used his morning radio show yesterday to make light of the ex-con who allegedly made death threats against him, but acknowledged the menacing letters had upset him.
"Let's pray they lock this guy away for a long time," Stern told his listeners on WXRK-FM.
Suspect Michael Lance Carvin was indicted in Manhattan Federal Court on charges of mailing death threats to Stern and his wife, Alison, at Stern's New York office.
Carvin had been arrested in 1975 after waving a toy gun at then-presidential candidate Ronald Reagan and making phone and letter threats to Reagan, President Gerald Ford and Vice President Nelson Rockefeller.
Carvin was released from prison in 1982 after serving six years of a 10-year sentence. He was arrested by U.S. postal inspectors in South Carolina on April 29 in the Stern case.
"This guy went to prison and they say he was fine, then he snapped when it came to me," Stern said during his show. "I don't think we should talk about this too much, because I don't want this kind of attention. It's an upsetting thing."
The self-proclaimed King of All Media received seven missives from Carvin in March and April, according to the indictment.
"One day when you least expect it, I'm gonna be there, and I will without a doubt kill you," one letter said.
Stern told his listeners, "It was death threats and weird stuff."
He then launched into a series of jokes about Carvin, comparing him with a man arrested Sunday for allegedly stalking singer Deborah Gibson.
"Hey," Stern said, "why not take my stalker and her stalker, put them together and let them kill each other?"
Michael Lance Carvin, 43, was indicted in Manhattan Federal Court earlier this month on eight counts of using the U.S. mail to make threats and is being held for psychiatric examination.
Carvin is no stranger to crazed death plots: In 1975, he was arrested for pulling a toy gun on Ronald Reagan, then a hopeful for the Republican presidential nomination.
Carvin also was convicted of issuing threats to former President Gerald Ford and Vice President Nelson Rockefeller.
After serving nearly six years of a 10-year sentence, Carvin was paroled from the Federal Corrections Institution in Butner, N.C., on Jan. 4, 1982. He began leading a normal life, his relatives said, but his abnormal behavior returned with Stern.
The indictment does not identify Stern by name. However, several sources confirmed that Stern was Carvin's intended target. Most were reluctant to discuss the matter for fear of encouraging copycat crimes.
At K-Rock (WXRK-FM), where Stern records his nationally syndicated show, general manager Tom Chiusano said, "I'm very well aware of who Michael Carvin is, and other than that I don't want to say anything."
Carvin allegedly sent from his Las Vegas home to Stern's New York office a series of chilling postcards, letters and packages in March and April containing explicit death threats.
The first letter, sent sometime in March, referred to Stern as "Dead Man Walking" and warned, "I will absolutely, without a doubt, kill you. And this is 100% guaranteed," according to court papers filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah Landis.
Then came a postcard stating, "I've been thinking about the various ways in which to kill you. How do you feel about a bullet to the brain? I also have other methods to kill you, which I'd rather not detail to you for obvious reasons. See you soon, Dead Man."
By April, Stern received a letter containing a fuse and a flammable material, with the note, "You can get your head blown off opening the mail."
Later in April, Carvin apparently switched his ire to Stern's wife, Alison, stating "he felt very confident he would encounter the addressee's wife, and would slit her throat," the indictment charges.
Carvin followed with a postcard repeating six times "Alison is dead" and last sent perhaps the most frightening message of all - a package containing a knife piercing a photograph of Alison Stern, the indictment alleges.
Carvin was arrested April 29 in South Carolina, where his older brother, Barry, lives. A federal magistrate ordered him held pending a 60-day psychiatric evaluation, and on May 4 he was indicted in Manhattan.
His attorney in South Carolina, Bart Daniels, declined comment. But Barry Carvin said that when he talked with his brother, he had no explanation for his actions.
"There is no rationalizing as to why he did that," he said. "He wrote some letters he shouldn't have wrote. He's a guy who needs help, and hopefully he'll get it. There wasn't anything sinister or a plot or whatever."
Barry Carvin said his brother never attempted to follow through on the threats and didn't realize the ramifications of his actions. "Unfortunately, my brother just took the wording too far," he said.
Michael Carvin came to the world's attention Nov. 20, 1975, when he lunged at Reagan outside a Miami motel where Reagan had just announced his first campaign for the presidency.
Carvin was wielding a toy replica of a .45-caliber handgun, and Secret Service agents quickly wrestled him to the ground.
They later learned that the then-20-year-old University of Denver dropout had made threatening phone calls to the Denver Secret Service office and sent threatening letters to a Miami TV station targeting Reagan, Ford and Rockefeller.
In his threats, Carvin demanded the release of Lynette (Squeaky) Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson who had tried to kill Ford months before he pulled his toy gun on Reagan.
Carvin was convicted in April 1976 and jumped bail. He was quickly captured and sentenced to 10 years in jail.
"He was fine for years and years after that," said Barry Carvin. "He did very well, got married and got a job. And he must have fallen off the wagon the way people who drink fall off the wagon."
While we all know what opinions are like, you can tell from these pages this I'm a major fan. I first heard of Howard Stern when I was a senior at my college radio station in January 1982. The event was the Air Florida crash in Washington, DC, and Howard's now (in)famous jokes about that which I read in Radio & Records Magazine that first turned me on to him. (The morning after an Air Florida jet crashed into the 14th Street Bridge and then fell into the Potomac River on January 13, 1982, killing 78 people, Howard - then with DC101 - called the airline and inquired about the price of a one-way ticket from National Airport to the bridge.) The first thing I did was laugh about Howard's jokes and I was hooked and remembered his name. Since I wasn't in school anywhere near D.C., I had no way of hearing the show, but I always remembered that experience. Update: Dec. 5, 2008 - On a repeat of Sirius' History of Howard Stern that aired today they went over this incident and actually played a tape of the incident from DC101. Howard did not call the airline after all - rather he did a satirical, completely faked, incoming call that lasted all of 10 seconds. This incident not why he was eventually fired from DC101. This was mis-reported in the press at the time and has become part of Howard's urban legend.
One thing to remember, when you get pissed at Howard or wonder why he does certain things on the air, is that he's entertaining himself first. We, the listener's, are along for the ride. If you don't like it, Howard's probably hit on your soft-spot. Get over it, and always remember, first and foremost, that it's a comedy show and not brain surgery.
Well, A&E aired their "Biography" on Howard tonight, July 29, 1996. It was a pretty good portrayal in my opinion, and seemed to be fairly accurate without trashing Howard as many may have expected. Look for it in frequent re-runs.
Howard Allan Stern was born on January 12, 1954. Yes, he shares his birthdate, though not the year, with Rush Limbaugh. Other show birthdays are: Robin Quivers (August 8, 1952), Fred Norris (July 9, 1956), Jackie Martling (February 14, 1948), Gary Dell'Abate (March 14, 1961), "Stuttering" John Melendez (October 3, 1965).
Howard graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston University in May, 1976, majoring in broadcasting and film.
Howard and Alison's wedding anniversary is June 4, 1978.
Howard and his crew have been on New York radio for over ten years. He made his way to New York via WRNW-FM in Westchester, NY., WCCC in Hartford, CT., WWWW-FM in Detroit, MI., and WWDC-FM in Washington DC.
He first came to the now defunct 66 WNBC-AM in New York (it's now WFAN-AM) after a very successful run on Washington DC’s WWDC-FM. On WNBC, he had the afternoon show from 3PM-7PM. Howard often called WNBC his "dream job," as he was in a lineup that had Imus in the Morning, Soupy Sales from 10-3PM, and Wolfman Jack following Howard at night. Though he wasn't/isn't that fond of these guys, it was the station that thrilled him. At the time, NBC also had a thriving nationwide radio network, carried on hundred's of stations (Howard was not a part of the network). Howard’s ratings soared despite on and off-air arguments with WNBC management concerning "conceptual differences," leading to the WNBC brass firing Howard & Robin in the fall of 1985.
A few months later, New York’s newest classic-rock radio station, 92.3FM WXRK (K-Rock), hired Howard & Robin (and later, the rest of the crew) and put them on during the afternoons from 2PM-6PM. Approximately 6 months after that (the fall of 1986), after firing morning man Jay Thomas, (yes, that Jay Thomas that you've seen on tv), the Stern gang took over the morning slot and have been there ever since.
For those unacquainted with Howard Stern, self-described "King of All Media," press-described "shock-jock," 6' 5" typhoon of the airwaves, words can't really suffice -- unless, of course, they're his. Stern on Elizabeth Taylor: "(She) should be stuffed like Trigger and taken on tour." On Connie Chung (addressed to her husband, Maury Povich): "For an Oriental woman, she's got big breasts." On the benefit of the civil rights movement for black men: "Porking WHITE BABES!" On homosexuality: "You're stuck in that phase of your life where you just hang out with the boys."
Sounds like Stern himself: His No. 1 radio show, which is heard by an estimated 25 million listeners (not all of whom are real-life Beavis and Butt-heads) in some 15 areas (none in the Bible Belt, of course), is four-plus hours of Stern-and-cohorts picking the brains, or rather the loins, of his B-list celeb guests; soliciting strippers to strip; insulting people; bemoaning his boy-sized manhood ("I'm hung like a raisin"); insulting people; portraying his alter ego, Fartman; analyzing the news (most things boil down to lesbians and bodily functions) with Robin Quivers (for the record, an African-American woman who alternates between cracking up and putting Stern in his place); and insulting people. Some favorite targets: gays, immigrants, blacks, Hollywood, Johnny Carson and Kathie Lee Gifford.
Stern has been a favorite target of the FCC. In 1988 the agency began slapping Stern's syndicator, Infinity Broadcasting, with big fines for airing "patently offensive" descriptions of "sexual and excretory activities and organs." Seven years later Infinity paid up -- $1.7 million, an industry record.
Fortunately for Stern, that's not the only record he holds. His 1993 autobiography Private Parts -- banned from Caldor and Wal-Mart -- became the fastest-selling book in Simon & Schuster history, drawing some 10,000 worshipers to signings in New York and Philadelphia. His second effort, 1995's Miss America, also hit No. 1. Stern's 1993 pay-per-view sleaze-fest, Miss Howard Stern's New Year's Eve Pageant, grossed $40 million, unrivaled for a non-sporting event. His current TV show (two earlier efforts lasted one and two years, respectively) is tops on E! Entertainment Television (though his much-touted network show, The Howard Stern Radio Show, garnered less-than-stellar ratings for CBS after its '98 debut). And with critics having praised his self-portrayal in his debut film, 1997's Private Parts (which did respectable, if not humongous, box office) -- and with his wallet bulging from his reported income of $10 mil a year -- "King of all Media" may not be entirely accurate,
but you can see where Stern gets his delusions.
It was a different title, that of "moron" (repeated often by his recording engineer father during Stern's childhood in Roosevelt, Long Island) that helped set Stern on the path to fame. Stern, who started experimenting with a tape recorder when he was 7, decided to prove his old man wrong. When his mother gave him marionettes to play with so he'd grow up to be "sensitive," young Stern, running true to future form, put on perverted puppet shows for his pals instead.
After high school, where Stern claims to have been beaten up regularly by his mostly black classmates, he attended Boston University's College of Communications. Though fired after his first day at the radio station (for a bit called "Godzilla Goes To Harlem"), Stern graduated magna cum laude in 1973. He then did radio stints in Westchester, NYC, Detroit and Hartford before throwing decorum to the Fartmanish-wind in Washington, DC, where he ruled the ratings with a say-anything brand of broadcasting. New York's WNBC wooed him to the Big Apple in 1982 but fired him after two years, over a charmer called "Bestiality Dial-a-Date."
In 1985 Stern landed on the doorstep of WNBC's struggling competitor, WXRK-FM, and signed with Infinity, which syndicated Stern throughout America. By voicing what many wished they could say -- and sitting in close proximity to large-breasted, largely undressed women -- Stern hit a chord with male commuters aged 18 to 52. His show went No. 1 in NYC, LA, DC and Philly.
Stern's fans are so rabid that the radio jock says he rarely leaves the basement office of his Long Island home -- a fact that may explain his 19-year marriage to wife Alison, a social worker and mother of his three daughters -- whom he doesn't allow to listen to his show. Of his better half, Stern told Esquire in 1997: "I just know that out of anyone in this universe, there's a person here who would never do anything hurtful to me or attack me. . . .That's why I will never cheat. Plus the germs." Howard Stern, devoted family man? Now that's shocking.
-- ERICA CARDOZO
If you'd like some more detailed info, please check The Howard Stern FAQ.
For even more detailed info, check this timeline page.
For those of you who are really new to the show, check out this page dedicated to the Howard Stern radio family.
Howard Stern's sidekick and head writer for the last 15 years, Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling, has left the show in a contract dispute - but no one knows if it's a bluff.
Martling, the king of dirty jokes who also has the uncanny ability to know the punchline of any zinger that's thrown his way, has been AWOL from the Stern show for the last week. Sources close to Martling say he's left for good and is angry at WXRK (K-Rock) General Manager Tom Chiusano for not paying him more.
But staffers at Stern's show said, "Jackie is in contract negotiations," and referred all questions to the respective agents for Martling, Stern and producer Gary Dell'Abate. None returned calls, nor did Chiusano.
The cold shoulder has taken Martling's colleagues by surprise and maybe hurt a few feelings. On yesterday's show, Howard finally broke the silence. Though staffers would not provide a transcript, a copy circulating on the Internet quoted Stern: "Everyone keeps calling and asking where Jackie is. Jackie is going through another one of his contract disputes, which I don't think will ever be settled. So I think Jackie's gone ... just split, didn't say goodbye to any of us or nothing."
Stern elaborated, "He was in negotiations with Tom and evidently, I guess, called them off ... Jackie's trying to get more money. Well he stopped trying. It's over. That's it. And me, Robin Quivers and Fred Norris ... have not heard from Jackie nor did Jackie tell me he was leaving." Though Stern says they'll miss him, he lamented, "I'm not thrilled with Jackie and I'm not thrilled with Tom."
Stern added that he would try out new people and was confident fans would embrace the eventual replacement just the same.
In a previously completed interview in today's Steppin' Out magazine, Martling, as if anticipating he might not be giving a formal goodbye to his colleagues, gave his thoughts on each to editor Chaunce Hayden.
Of Quivers, he says, "Funny, strange and voluptuous. Sometimes annoying, but always entertaining." On Howard: "He's the boss. I appreciate him. I love him. And he drives me up the wall." On Dell'Abate, "A real good guy. A real hard worker. The unsung hero of the show. But he's really got to do something about his huge ass!" And on Norris: "My partner in crime. Even crazier than we make him out to be. Maybe the funniest human being I've ever worked with and a real good pal."
Finally, Martling says, "It's the greatest show on earth and I'm happy just to be a part of it."
Martling, who insiders say is making a dubious career move if he actually leaves, says in the interview he may write a tell-all book or a sequel to his new dirty joke book.
from the NY Daily News
David Hinckley Column
WXRK (92.3 FM), his flagship station, has placed newspaper ads seeking a replacement for his long-time writer/comedian Jackie (Jokeman) Martling, while speculation intensifies about Stern's future in Canada.
Martling walked off the show two weeks ago, apparently in response to unsatisfactory contract negotiations. Stern, on the air, has seemed to distance himself from both Martling and the situation, saying that "Jackie left" and that he's "heard" that Martling broke off further talks.
It's not uncommon for radio personalities, including Stern himself, to make noises about leaving while negotiating a new deal. But Martling, it's generally felt in radio, has somewhat less leverage. While he has been a valuable part of the Stern team, he's not on the integral level of, say, sidekick Robin Quivers. Furthermore, Martling's outside career is attributable in major part to Stern's plugs for his records and appearances.
In any case, WXRK has placed this want ad in The Times: "Associate producer/writer for nationally syndicated radio program to write sketch comedy, research and assist booking guests. Fluent in Lotus Notes/Windows. Resumes only, writing sample required to Gary Dell'Abate, WXRK, 40 W. 57th St., New York, N.Y. 10019."
John Mainelli, editor of the trade sheet Radio Notes & Commentary, notes that this ad makes it sound as if K-Rock is looking more for someone to do the off-the-air work than to take Martling's on-air slot. This would make sense, since Stern isn't likely to automatically put a new person on the air.
The next word from Stern is unlikely to come before he returns Jan. 5.
Meanwhile, a couple of trade publications have very different takes on Stern's future in Canada. His first two affiliates there, CHOM in Montreal and CILQ in Toronto, recently agreed to monitor his show to make sure he doesn't offend women or French Canadians- two things that critics said he immediately did when the show started there this fall.
Columnist Bob Newman writes in the new issue of the trade magazine Talkers that he suspects Stern will be forced off the air in Canada, because that country just isn't sophisticated enough to appreciate his humor.
On the other side, the trade magazine M Street Journal predicts soon there will be more Stern affiliates in Canada. CHOM and CILQ have had such huge ratings success with Stern, says M Street, that they will do whatever finessing is necessary to keep him - "and don't be surprised if the coast is now clear for more Canadian stations to pick him up.
There are already rumors about it."
As of today (1/28/98) Jackie has worked out his contract issues with WXRK and is back on the show!
All is right in the somewhat creepy, tight-knit family that is The Howard Stern Show. Head writer Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling resolved his seemingly bitter contract dispute with Stern's Manhattan-based flagship radio station, WXRK (K-Rock), and returned to the air Wednesday morning after a six-week absence.
However, the self-professed "King of All Media" offered little insight to his subjects on the Martling holdout--in fact, there was no press conference or media release announcing the gag writer's return to morning syndicated radio.
At around 6:25 a.m. ET, right before a commercial break, Stern merely told his audience to stay tuned for the return of the Joke Man.
"I can tell by the stink of booze in the room Jackie has returned," said Stern after the break. "I have to admit it was a lot more pleasant smelling in here while he was gone."
Asked what he did while off for a month and a half, Martling replied, "I drank, fought with my wife...It got very old, so I said, 'What the hell' and came back to work."
Since he left the program, supportive fans have been flooding phone lines. Especially when, early on--as talks with WXRK general manager Tom Chiusano stalled--it didn't look as though he was coming back.
"Jackie is going through another one of his contract disputes, which I don't think will ever be settled," Stern said mid-December, in one of the few on-air disclosures about the situation. "So, I think Jackie's gone...just split, didn't say good-bye to any of us or nothing."
Fortunately for Stern fans--many of whom swamped Stern's show and various zealot-created Web pages with e-mail, asking what happened to Martling--there's a happy ending.
But they shouldn't ask for details. Outside of the odd tidbit you hear on the program, Stern and his colleagues prefer not to discus their financial situations (although show sources did say an agreement was hammered out Tuesday night).
Seeking more information, however, E! Online tried Don Buchwald, Stern's New York-based representative (Howard calls him his "superagent"), who wasn'thelpful. "If I did know anything,"Buchwald groused, "why would I tellyou?"
You have a nice day, too, Don.
from the NY Post
JACKIE "The Joke Man" Martling returned yesterday to Howard Stern's radio show after a six-week contract dispute.
The self-styled X-rated comic has signed a three-year contract with the national syndicated morning program, The Post has learned.
Martling told The Post he came to "a very amicable agreement" with K-Rock (92.3 FM) and CBS Radio.
"We had wonderful show. It was like I never left," he said of yesterday's program, his first since Dec.15.
Martling denied the many rumors that circulated after his departure from the Stern show in December.
"No, there was never a tell-all book about Stern, and I was never looking for another job with another show," he said.
"I was never asked to write for the Fox TV show "King of the Hill' and I didn't go to "Saturday Night Live' - the only thing they didn't have me doing was becoming a nun!"
The first on-air clue that something was amiss came Dec.15, when Martling didn't show up for work. Stern said nothing about the walk-out until mid-week, telling an on-air caller that the Joke Man was "holding out for more money."
At the time, Stern declared Martling's contract dispute was solely between K-Rock, station owner CBS Radio and Martling - not the Stern show or its crew.
But Stern did speculate that walking out without giving notice was the Joke Man's way of "taking it out on me." He then dubbed sidekick Fred Norris, the new head writer.
A few days later, Stern shrugged off rumors that negotiations had broken off between Martling and management by saying, "People come and go all the time" in show business.
After that first week, Stern said very little about his head writer's absence. In mid-January a caller asked if the Joke Man would be returning. Stern claimed he didn't known much about the negotiations but said he hoped "they" (management and Martling) worked it out.
Martling's return was as downplayed as his departure. Some members of K-Rock's programming staff say they didn't even know a deal had been signed. "I woke up this morning, turned K-Rock on, and there he was," one remarked. "I heard that unmistakable laugh."
If you were listening to the show during the last week of July 1998, you heard Howard, Gary, Fred and Jackie get "fluffed" and measured. It turns out Howard's penis was measured at 6". Is that small? ...you decide.
From a book excerpt that appeared in the Sunday (6/23/96) L.A. Times Magazine:
His gross earnings in 1995 from radio work would total about $8 million, based on the author's knowledge of Stern's contract with New York's K-Rock and the fees from affiliate stations that he split with Infinity. In addition, as the marque name of E! Entertainment Television, he was receiving some $1.5 million a year for the cable channel's nightly videotaped playback of his radio shows. A contract with ReganBooks, a division of Murdoch's New Corp., to write a second book paid him an advance of about $3 million. Like his first book, "Private Parts," the new "Miss America" became a big bestseller. Bottom line: Stern was expected to earn about $12.5 million in 1995. A new contract with Infinity, the paperback sales of "Miss America," and plans to syndicate the radio show into many more markets promised to increase his earnings this year.
from: THE BALTIMORE SUN
--snips--
Motor-mouths also got paid handsomely, with Rush Limbaugh getting $22 million and Howard Stern taking in $18 million. Yet another sign that women don't get a fair shake on the pay front: Joy Browne and Laura Schlessinger got only $2 million and $13 million, respectively.
More up-to-date information on what Howard makes can be found here.
Thanks to Clay for the explanation.
As of April, 1997, Quaker Oats has sold Snapple, and they have returned as a sponsor.
1) Howard was preceded by a mid-day DJ named "Captain Frank," (Reed) who did an all-request music show. Unlike Howard during this period, "Captain Frank," was always happy and cheerful. Frank claimed he was happy because he was a born-again Christian.
2) During this period, as the show got more popular, it got more hate mail, which was of course, read on the air. Howard asked for a breakdown of the groups that wrote the most (and most angry) mail. It turned out to be Italians and Catholics. (Long- time listeners will remember Howard's problems with Bill Fugazi and his Italian-American anti-defamation group.) Howard was also very impressed at the license given only to members of a group to mock the group. For instance, why Blacks can say "Nigger" with impunity.
Times sure change!
(If you were taken in by this bit, don't feel bad. It began not too long after Howard came to New York, and he has stuck to it, with rare exception, ever since.)
The Stern lineage as reported in "Howard Stern, King of All Media" by Paul Colford, St. Martins Press, NY, 1996 (p. 2):
Howard's Grandparents on his Father's side: Froim and Anna (Gallar) Stern, natives of the former Austria-Hungary.
Howard's Grandparents on his Mother's side: Sol and Esther (Reich) Schiffman, also from Austria-Hungary.
Howard's parents were married by a rabbi at the Imperial Garden, a kosher catering hall in the Bronx, on May 17, 1947.
Thanks to AnonGuy
Here's an interview I found (published here first) in April 2000.
PI: What happened between you and Howard Stern?
Billy: I was in negotiations, I wanted to work more days on the show, I was only working like three days a week. And I was negotiating to get a salary raise, and you know it was dragging on and on and I hadn't heard anything. They weren't even returning my lawyer's phone calls...the management. So I just decided that it wasn't going to, I mean if you stay in the part of the pool where people pee, then shame on you. It has nothing to do with anybody else, so it was time to move on. In other words, there was no money in it. They didn't want to pay me, so I went into Howard and said listen, I'm leaving. And that was that. Everybody has a bottom line and can relate to that. I want to make a lot of money and the chances of that happening in radio were pretty nil.
PI: What was your favorite impression you ever did for Howard Stern...The Jackie Puppet, O.J., or Marge Schott?
Billy: The Marge Schott impression was pretty brutal and pretty grotesque, but I guess it was a way of pointing out the grotesqueness of racism. It's hard to say you're proud of doing something like that, but I think most people got the joke. I loved doing the Jackie Puppet because the whole idea was totally surreal. It was so venomous. And it was a puppet looking exactly like a guy sitting right in front of me. It couldn't get any more surreal or Twilight Zoney than that, you know what I mean? And I think most of those characters that I did, I was sort of being used as an attack dog, because I never got attacked much on the show. I was sort of spared that, and I was being used to ream other people out. But you know, they play rough in there. And I thought it was very organic and exciting.
Billy West is the voice of Fry in the animated, futuristic comedy, Futurama.
Everyone on the web wants to know... "Is there anyone broadcasting Howard's show on the web?" Well, someone finally asked Howard about it on the air today. He said that he will not be broadcasting the show over the web. He gets paid to broadcast on the radio and if the show were broadcast on the web then no one would want to pay him. Howard said that he's had some sites closed down because they were broadcasting his show illegally over the web. If you can't hear a radio signal broadcasting Howard's show then you're out of luck.
Thanks to: marksfriggin.com
Network concerned that real-time audio from Web sites competes with radio stations' on-air broadcasts.
Out of fear that Internet audio transmissions compete with the network's on-air radio station broadcasts, CBS has prohibited its radio stations from simultaneously Webcasting their daily programming including the Howard Stern Radio show from their Web sites.
"Webcasting" is just one of the terms used to describe the new process of broadcasting real-time, digitized audio signals from a Web site to a user's computer. The computer's speakers then play the live sounds, just as if it were coming from a radio rather than from over the Internet. The terms "simulcasting" and "Netcasting" are also used to describe this process.
During the last year, many radio stations have rigged their Web sites to simulcast their daily on-air programming, allowing growing numbers of computer users to listen to real-time news, music, traffic reports and other standard radio fare as they sit at their keyboards. About 500 radio stations now offer such Web site audio with a number of different "streaming" audio technologies such as RealAudio, NetShow and Streamworks. Each system requires the computer user to download a free software program onto his or her machine. After the software plug-in for a specific system, say, RealAudio, is installed, the user can receive high-quality audio feeds from any site Webcasting with RealAudio technology.
Prohibitions at 77 CBS stations
In a move that indicates the radio industry's growing concern - and confusion - about just how to deal with these new technological developments, CBS has issued a policy prohibiting the 77 radio stations it owns from offering such real-time Webcasts of their daily programming.
Meanwhile, ABC appears to be headed in the opposite direction as it prepares to encourage its stations to integrate Webcasting into their overall operations.
A CBS spokeswoman, who asked not to be identified, said the corporate prohibitions against such real-time Webcasting apply only to company- owned radio stations and not affiliated stations. She indicated that some of the thinking inside the network held that "if you want to listen to the radio, listen to it in its original form – on the radio."
At the WCCO Web site in Minneapolis, a CBS station, general manager Chuck Dickeman recently posted a message informing visitors that the new corporate policy blocked simulcasting. It read: "WCCO's parent company, CBS, has issued a company wide policy that asks all stations to refrain from providing RealAudio on the Internet. The theory is that RealAudio provides, one more competitor for the station. If we can figure out a way to increase revenue by broadcasting RealAudio, we might be able to appeal the corporate policy. Until then, I regret to say we have no plans to provide RealAudio for WCCO any time in the near future."
'Show me the money'
In an interview with ZDNET News, an online service of Ziff-Davis, WCCO vice president and general manager Jim Gustafson responded to a question about the CBS corporate prohibition by explaining: "Why should I (let the radio programming be Webcast)? When I look at it, I don't see the benefit to the station. Show me the money from it."
MediaINFO.com's phone calls to Dan Mason, the president of CBS Radio, for additional comment, were not returned.
Analysts say that the CBS policy may be shortsighted. They cite the broadcasting company's earlier hesitations about entering the fledgling cable television business. CBS is owned by Westinghouse Electric Corp.
Is CBS hurting itself?
Mark Cuban, president and co-founder of AudioNet, which promotes real- time sports, news and music on the Internet, said he thinks CBS is hurting itself in the long run because "it gets more expensive every day to capture and build brand equity and traffic on the Net."
Howard Freedman, publisher of the newsletter iRADIO, said he thinks the new president of the CBS Stations Group, Mel Karmazin, views the Internet as a distraction at the moment. "He likely feels broadcasting audio services serves no purpose, except reaching people outside of local markets, and at times in other countries, that his advertisers don't care about," said Freedman. "Karmazin also likely feels that if someone listens to his stations online, they are taken away from the radio dial," said Freedman.
ABC takes opposite approach
Meanwhile, a completely different philosophy appears to be evolving at ABC, which is owned by the Walt Disney Co. Julie Hoover, a spokeswoman for ABC in New York City, said ABC Radio is reviewing its Internet- related options. "We are in the process of formulating a policy regarding Internet, real-time broadcasting. We do have a couple of our stations streaming real-time audio," said Hoover, who noted the stations are using RealAudio technology.
Some confusion about ABC's plans was caused in early October when a public relations agency erroneously announced that ABC Radio would use Microsoft's NetShow streaming software to Webcast ABC radio stations in the 25 top markets. ABC then issued its own statement contradicting the PR agency's release.
Thanks to: koam.com
Here's the latest news on that Harlingen, Texas, arrest warrant that was issued for Howard back in April, 1995 because he doesn't like Tejano music. Also, background article's for those of you who missed out on how the whole Selena thing started and a link to the audio of what Howard really said regarding Selena's murder.
And if you need to lose some weight, here's one of Howard's diet plans, courtesy of CrabNapy. Remember, always consult your doctor before starting any diet or exercise plan!
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Snack
Dinner (no later than 6 PM)
Late Snack
Exercise
Return to the Bio page.
Return home.
This page © 1997-2004 by The Complete Howard Stern Links!
March 2, 2001Radio Stars Earn Top Dollar
Limbaugh, Stern place on Forbes' "Celebrity 100"
The money magazine will publish its list of the 100 most-powerful celebs in its March issue, and it states, "What radio lacks in glamor, it makes up for in dollars. With rich profit-sharing deals and hours more airtime to sell, deejays do just fine." No kidding. Rush Limbaugh landed at No. 27 with a $31 million take (and access to a corporate jet, thanks to his latest deal with Premiere Radio Networks). Close behind at No. 29 is Howard Stern, who took in a cool $30 million in earnings (which, Forbes says, will grow even more next year thanks to a new deal with Infinity Broadcasting). ABC's Paul Harvey landed at No. 31 with $29 million in income.
Today in History - Friday, January 12th, the 12th day of 2001. There are 353days left in the year.
September 9, 2000
Interview
Howard Stern: Will He Be Back in 2001?
Early in my career, I needed to be the guy out front. There are times now when I enjoy being part of the writing, working with writers and being behind the scenes to solve problems in a management capacity. But a huge part of me still has to be out front and get a lot out of my system. It is sort of cathartic. So much of who I am is me on the air, so it would be hard to walk away.
I don’t think when I was in Hartford I could ever have imagined it would become as big as it did. I remember getting on my knees and praying during one show to get me out of Hartford. It was so horrible working there. There was no money. As good a job as I was doing and, for the hours I was putting in, I was not rewarded financially. I guess I did not have any idea how big it would get. I just wanted to make my living doing Radio. I did not get into it for the money.
When I first went on Letterman, the coolest thing, I thought, was I never gave a thought to what I looked like. I just went on with whatever I was wearing that day. But then you start to realize that there is a visual presentation. Quite frankly, I had to start losing weight for health reasons. I was shot. My throat was always sore. I got pneumonia all the time. I would be on the air having Chinese banquets. It was a romantic notion of mine -- being on the air, with guys delivering food and us talking about it, but I was killing myself.
Early on, the station asked if I wanted to do a Saturday "Best Of" show or repeat the show. I told them no, because it dilutes the show. That is the nature of the industry. Imitation is a serious form of flattery. At the same time, I think it is odd that people try to pass themselves off as original.
Dennis Rodman is a great interview. We called him regarding his Website, where he has cameras on in his house. It sounded as though he had been drinking heavily or something, and he was great.
James Brown is a great interview because you can’t understand a word he says. David Spade is also a good interview.
Howard's Horoscope!
Howard Stern: Radio's Shock Jock
By AstroMaggi
AstroMaggi for Astronet
August 31, 2001
Sun 292.98 -21.77
Moon 17.42 13.10
Mercury 291.44 -23.88
Venus 288.46 -22.98
Mars 221.34 -14.82
Jupiter 76.82 22.46
Saturn 216.65 -11.99
Uranus 112.84 22.29
Neptune 204.73 -8.47
Pluto 150.42 22.76
mean Node 296.07 -21.29
true Node 295.90 -21.31
mean Apoge 189.77 -9.70
osc. Apoge 179.36 -5.04
Earth 0.00 0.00
Chiron 292.72 -15.33
Pholus 305.62 -21.44
Ceres 194.45 7.29
Pallas 147.84 -23.43
Juno 143.51 0.53
0 degrees (Most Powerful)
120 and 240 degrees (Very Powerful)
30 and 150 (Powerful) equal
Aspects that can be negative or present challenges but can still be good:
180 degrees
90 degrees
45 degrees
Aspect strength = 82.38%
Aspect strength = 69.82%
Aspect strength = 81.00%
Aspect strength = 87.70%
Aspect strength = 39.90%
Aspect strength = 89.08%
Aspect strength = 40.84%
Aspect strength = 52.20%
Aspect strength = 98.62%
Aspect strength = 50.82%
Aspect strength = 84.90%
Aspect strength = 78.33%
Aspect strength = 88.55%
Aspect strength = 84.42%
Aspect strength = 96.20%
Aspect strength = 89.64%
Aspect strength = 95.86%
Aspect strength = 92.36%
Aspect strength = 88.22%
STERN: THE POST IS DAMN RIGHT
By John Mainelli
April 4, 2000
Memo to Howard Stern
By John Mainelli
April 3, 2000
January 01, 2000
By DAVID HINCKLEY
Daily News Staff WriterNYC Achievement In Radio Awards
--snips--
Shock Jock Separation
Stern, wife scrap 21-year marriage
By George Rush and Leo Standora
Daily News Staff Writer
October 23, 1999
Good Howard, Bad Howard: Who's Her Hubby?
By David Hinckley
Daily News Staff Writer
October 23, 1999
October 23, 1999SHOCK-JOCK SHOCKER: STERN AND WIFE SPLIT
By Tracy Connor and Emily Lambert
Sex-obsessed shock jock Howard Stern, who for years has been bragging about his two-decade marriage, has split from his wife Alison.
October 24, 1999EXPERTS: CRASS ACT CRACKED MARRIAGE
By Devlin Barrett and John Mainelli
Lots of interesting, supposedly behind the scenes info.
October 13, 1999
June 15, 1999
Howard addresses 1999's NAPTE convention!
Much ado about Howard
(Reuters/Variety)
Article Date: Thursday, January 28, 1999
An Upbeat Stern Upset by Threats
By GREG B. SMITH
Daily News Staff Writer
May 27, 1998Crazed Fan Indicted In Stern Death Threat
Feds: Letters sent to DJ, wife
By GREG B. SMITH
NY Daily News Staff Writer
May 26, 1998
Howard Stern was threatened by a crazed fan who sent a torrent of hate-filled letters vowing to kill the radio shock jock and his wife, the Daily News has learned.
Through various moves I lost track of him until 1992, when he debuted on Dallas' KEGL-FM in September of that year. I've listened attentively virtually every day since then. I have laughed more times than I can possibly count. I've been pissed at Howard a few times too, just like anyone else.Update: F' KEGL & Nationwide Insurance!
Since I outed us as the Dallas CIA-Holes live on the radio with Howard on July 28, 1997, I figured I may as well out us here. That was the day KEGL dropped "The Howard Stern Show" here in Dallas. (For all the info on that crapola, go here.) Days are dark in Dallas now. Support the sponsors of the show! Howard's absolutely right when he says that that's the way to keep the show alive in your city.
If you'd like a copy, post a note to alt.fan.howard-stern, and someone may be able to help you out. You can also go here and buy a copy online.
Howard Stern Bio
(from People Magazine - 1997)
from the NY POST
December 18, 1997Howard's joke man takes a jaunt
Page Six column
By Richard Johnson with Jeane MacIntosh and Sean Gannon
December 25, 1997
Daily News Staff WriterMeanwhile, In Stern-Land
Even as Howard Stern takes his holiday break, little minidramas about his show keep breaking out.
from E! News Online
January 28, 1998, 1:45 p.m. PTJackie the Joke Man Returns to Howard
by Daniel Frankel
January 29, 1998LAUGHS ON STERN AS JACKIE RETURNS
By CHRISTINE BURKE
Gary, before he was married, used to collect cartoon cel art. Those are the plastic sheets the movie studios hand-colored to make their cartoons, one cel to each frame of the cartoon. Anyway, one day Gary announced that he was very excited because he'd just acquired a "Baba Booey" cel. Once Howard and the gang pointed out to Gary that the character's name in the "Quick Draw McGraw" cartoons was "Baba Louie," not "Baba Booey," a legend was born. This bit is frequently re-run during "Best of Stern" shows.
Howard and Robin were amazed that Michael Jackson identified himself as the
"King of Pop" and the media bought into it. Since Howard was on radio & tv
and a soon-to-be published author, he decided to give himself the title
"King of All Media." (And he was right--the media bought it!)
Well, I don't know from personal experience, but this does seem to be one of Howard's running gags whenever sex or sexual performance comes up. From more reliable sources, such as Alison Stern, he seems to be a normally developed, 6'5" heterosexual male.
Knee-jerk answer: none of your business. Reality: no one except Howard, Infinity, Mel Karmazin, Don Buchwald and Alison Stern really knows for certain. Almost certainly it's 7-figures, but what that figure is is anyone's guess. The New York Post and Forbes say it's upwards of $15 million/year. Generally, it is believed that Robin makes in the mid-6-figures, and everyone (Gary, Fred, Jackie) else considerably less-around $100K/year. During one appearance, Pat Cooper said Jackie was making $90,000/year from the show. Stuttering John has said on the air that he makes about $20-25K, Gange & Grillo, still technically being interns, make nothing from WXRK, but probably get $$$ from Howard on the side.
April 19, 1999Stern tops list of media salaries
Brill's Content looks at media salaries this month, and, no surprise, the big bucks are in TV. Still, the top payout goes to shock jock Howard Stern, who gets $17 million a year, roughly $10 million more than his nearest radio competitor, Don Imus.
Others who get fat paychecks: Barbara Walters ($10 million); Robert Jelenic of the Journal Register Co. newspaper chain ($11.3 million); NBC's Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric ($7 million each); "Today" co-host Matt Lauer ($2.5 million); Peter Jennings of ABC News, the highest-paid anchor among the three major networks ($8.5 million to $9 million).
Senior editors at Time and Newsweek can expect to start at around $100,000, but the typical Newsweek writer starts at $40,000 to $80,000.from the NY Daily News
March 2, 2000
Daily Dish - Mitchell Fink
The reason Howard has soured on Snapple is because Snapple was one of the first of the coward sponsors that bailed during the "Selena" controversy. Since they left the show, their stock prices have plummeted. I say good riddance to horrible swill.
Back in the dark ages of WNBC, there were two themes on the show that formed the genesis of the "half-Jew" standing joke:
Management, which was very, very, nervous about what Howard was doing on the air (read the Colford book), told Howard to treat"Captain Frank" with kid gloves, because, (hushed voice), "He's a CHRISTIAN, you know." Howard went wild about this on the air, saying that nobody treated HIM with kid gloves. He complained that management said he couldn't curse- even off the air- around "Captain Frank," because of Frank's self-proclaimed religious status.
Howard noticed that the only evidence of being born-again management needed, was the "Captain's" own proclamation. He wondered why he couldn't just claim something similar, and cash in on this special status. At this time, management treated Howard like a runner-up to Imus. Imus got a Limo, while Howard rode the subway from Queens.
This was the first step in the bit- Howard's on-air realization that you could give yourself whatever religious identity you wanted, and others would accept it without question.
Keeping all the above in mind, Howard started claiming, when it suited his comedic purposes, that he was a combination of Jewish and either Christian, born-again Christian, Italian, or Catholic. He admitted that his last name prevented him from going all the way to 100% gentile. He loved to get angry callers or letter-writers from various groups on the air and make them back down- when he suddenly claimed to be one of them. Many of these bits depended on Howard's personal details not being well-known to his critics. (Robin was described as being blond and blue-eyed.)
When he dealt with angry complainers, the audience always knew what was the truth, while the angry caller was kept in the dark. At this point in the evolution of the show, Howard was very much against fooling the regular listeners- he ridiculed pro wrestling and "zoo" morning radio for not having the guts to be totally honest. He said that fooling the listener was just another wacky bit used by "schlocky zoos."
His Father: Ben Stern.
His Mother's maiden name: Ray Schiffman. (Ray is the correct spelling.)
Howard married Alison Berns at Temple Ohabei Shalom in Brookline, Mass., on June 4, 1978. They were both 24.
Billy West left the show to go to California to try to advance his career. He wasn't fired from the show, but then again Howard has never really talked about it on the air in great detail and said exactly what did happen when Billy left. Howard has said that Billy was welcome back at any time, so there appears to be no animosity between them.
"Pig Virus" was Kevin Metheny, program director of WNBC under general manager Dom Fioravanti, circa 1982.
Pig Vomit was the name of the house band Howard used for several of his local appearances at that time.
All Howard contact information is here.
Howard has talked about this "editing" of the show many times on the air. When Howard cuts something he tells you or says something about it, such as "You can't say that word. I had to bleep you." If you don't hear Howard say something like that then it is probably WXRK's General Manager Tom Chiusano doing it. He has his own "bleep" button in his office. As for whether or not your local station is cutting the show, that's going to be harder to figure out, because they'll deny they do it. According to popular rumor, two stations that do cut the show are KLSX in LA and WJFK in Washington.
Well, that depends upon how you look at it. If you go strictly by box-office returns, then you could possibly make that argument. As I write this, (4/16/97), it's approaching the $42 million mark. Is that a failure? Maybe to detractors of Howard who look for anything to knock him down. Most, if not all, fans of the show do not consider it a failure. Certainly most of them would agree that's it's a little disappointing. Personally, no way is "Private Parts" a failure. I saw it 3 times, and laughed every time. Go see it, it's more than worth the trip to the theater. One thing to consider when you talk about the box-office numbers is many people simply skip going to the movies altogether, their reasoning being that in a few months they can see the same movie in their living rooms on pay-per-view or HBO. Or they wait for the video release. This is something Howard's detractor's will never figure out. By this time next year, after the pay-per-view's have happened and video sales are underway, it will have made plenty of money. Yes, it would have been nice for "Private Parts" to have made $100 million in the theaters, but it's not going to, and that's ok with me.
As of today, (1/28/98), Private Parts has made about $85 million for Paramount, so it doesn't seem like too much of a failure to me.
Why Howard's Not Broadcasting On The Web. 1/27/98. 9:45am
CBS Prohibits Radio Station Webcasting!
Courtesy Of Editor & Publisher By David Noack
-1 cup shreadded wheat
-1 banana, whole
-a little skim milk
-a rice cake with an apple
-1 baked potato, no butter
-1 small can tuna or 1/3 ounce piece of broiled chicken
-1 salad with 1 tsp canola oil
-1 or 2 rice cakes
-1/3 ounce piece chicken breast w/a little mustard
-huge salad w/1 tsp canola oil tomatoes, purple cabbage, carrots, 1 half cup kidney beans
-6 ounces fish or meat (sliced deli turkey or flounder, shrimp, small can tuna)
-a green apple or peach
-walk 1 mile in 15 minutes for first 2 weeks
-3rd week: 20 mins
-4th week: 25 mins
-5th week: 30 mins
-6th week: 35 mins
-7th week: 40 mins
-8th week: 45 mins
-9th week and after: 45 mins a day