from news-press.com
The self-proclaimed "King of All Media" Howard Stern will no longer be heard on local airwaves.
Officials at the Beasley Broadcasting Group said Thursday Stern’s contract with Beasley ran out Wednesday night and will not be renewed despite being the area’s top-rated morning radio show. What or who replaces him won’t be known until Monday.
Beasley’s 96K-Rock 96.1 WRXK 96.1 FM carried the shock jock’s 6-10 a.m. morning show since 1997.
The reason behind the move is Stern is not renewing any expiring contracts with broadcast radio.
Late last year, Stern expressed his frustration with the Federal Communications Commission over continued scrutiny of his program--as well as indecency fines levied against his show.
Stern told listeners in October he will jump to Sirius Satellite Radio beginning Jan. 1.
John Rozz, K-Rock’s program director, told listeners Stern will be missed.
"We do love Howard," Rozz said. "Our deal expired ... He’s going some place else at the end of the year."
Rozz also said it’s clear to everyone around Stern he no longer wants to be on broadcast radio and under the FCC’s microscope.
"He spent the entire day yesterday in front of the parent company Viacom begging to get out of his contract," Rozz said.
Finding someone to fill Stern’s shoes will be challenging not only for K-Rock but for all the 46 markets where he’s carried. Rozz, however, is optimistic.
"We’ve got some exciting things happening and we expect to announce a new line-up on Monday," he said.
Stern, known for his loyal fan base who have been known to crank-call notables from Larry King to news anchors such as Peter Jennings during O.J. Simpson’s flee from justice, was not only a radio renegade but a best-selling author.
"Private Parts" is Simon & Schuster’s fastest selling autobiography ever. His "Miss America" is one of Barnes & Nobles Booksellers fastest selling book in history.
He also starred in the highly successful motion picture adaptation of "Private Parts" which also became the fastest-selling soundtrack in motion picture history.
Fort Myers resident and Stern fan Bob Wilder said Thursday it’s a sad day for people who liked to get a laugh or two on the way to work.
"The thing I liked about him was that he told it like it is--from his perspective," said Wilder, who noted Stern’s rants against President George W. Bush last fall were some of the most biting commentary anywhere. "Last year he was particularly good."
Wilder also said fans of his show know him as something more than what his critics call low-brow sophomoric humor.
"I didn’t hear the show on 9-11, but I did get the tapes of it," Wilder said of Stern’s show which broadcast throughout the morning. "I think on that day, he really showed his critics that he is a real human being and one who has a lot of compassion."
Fans of his show, however, will still be able to catch Stern on TV. "The Howard Stern Show" which airs at 11 p.m. on E! is that television network’s most successful show.
from cnn.com
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - A battle between Howard Stern and a southeast radio station owner heated up this week as the shock jock pulled his morning show off a Florida station.
The decision by Stern not to renew a contract to air his talk show on a Fort Myers station owned by Beasley Broadcast Group was a strange turn for Stern and his battles with radio station owners over his often raunchy broadcasts.
Stern, who is scheduled to leave AM-FM radio at the end of this year and move to subscription-based satellite radio, said he yanked "The Howard Stern Show" from the Beasley station on Wednesday when his agent contacted him about renewing an expiring deal.
Stern said he was willing to go along until his agent reminded him that Beasley (Research) had earlier pulled him off the air in Miami because of its concerns over possibly indecent material.
Stern said that Beasley hasn't paid him under terms of his contract with the Miami AM station. Stern suggested it was hypocritical of Beasley to air him in one market and not another if the core issue is about obscenity.
"You've got to be kidding me," Stern said. "How am I indecent in Miami, but I'm not indecent in (Fort Myers)?"
For the last year Stern has found himself on the defensive as radio station operators, including Clear Channel Communications (Research) and Citadel Broadcasting Corporation (Research), have cancelled his highly-rated show in the face of a government crackdown on programming on public airwaves that is deemed indecent.
Stern cited the government campaign last fall when he announced a five-year, $500 million deal to move exclusively to Sirius Satellite Radio (Research), one of two satellite radio operators. Unlike public broadcasts, satellite and cable programming are not subject to federal indecency rules.
On Thursday, Stern reiterated that he is fed up with the current climate and implored Infinity Broadcasting, his current Viacom-owned employer and the country's No. 2 radio operator behind Clear Channel, to release him from his contract before its December 2005 expiration.
"Get rid of me now," said Stern. "Take me off the air." Stern acknowledged, however, that Infinity might be reluctant to give up his show's hefty advertising revenues at a time when Viacom (Research) and other AM-FM radio operators are struggling to compete with newer satellite and Internet radio services.
What's more, satellite may not be such a safe haven for Stern for long.
Some legislators in Congress are pushing legislation that would extend indecency rules to cable and satellite operators.
Earlier this week newly-installed Federal Communications Commission chief Kevin Martin, speaking at a cable industry conference in San Francisco, warned satellite and cable operators to avoid greater government scrutiny by self-policing their content.
from FMQB
August 5, 2002
In Brief...
--snips--
The syndicated Bubba the Love Sponge topped Howard Stern in the just released Ft. Myers Spring ratings. Bubba, whose show airs on WRLR (Real Radio 100.1), drew a 9.0 (Persons 18-34) topping Stern by more than two ratings points. Bubba’s show was also ranked number one Men 18-34 on WPLA (The Planet)/Jacksonville with a 21.2 share, besting Lex and Terry’s 17.9 share...
--snips--
from FMQB
August 2, 2001
--snips--
A couple morning shows are boasting about recent ratings successes. The Lex & Terry Morning Radio Network gave WJBX (99X)/Ft. Myers its highest morning ratings ever. In their debut book, the Jacksonville-based duo ranked first in Men 18-34, Adults 18-34, Men 25-54 and Adults 25-34. The pair beat out other syndicated morning shows Howard Stern, Bob & Tom, and John Boy & Billy.
--snips--
Thanks to robk for sending these in:
12+ WRXK/STERN 10.6 WAVV 9.1 WXKB 7.5 WINK-FM 6.5 WWGR-F 5.5 WCKT 4.7 WOLZ 4.5 WJBX 4.0 PERSONS 25-54 WRXK/STERN 16.2 WINK-FM 8.1 WXKB 7.8 WCKT 5.5 WOLZ 5.2 WARO 5.1 WWGR 5.1 WJBX 4.6 MEN 25-54 WRXK/STERN 23.6 WCKT 6.3 WARO 6.0 WXKB 5.8 WJBX 5,2 WOLZ 5.2 WINK-FM 3.7 WWGR 3.4
I have my grubby little hands here on the Ft. Myers Fall Arbitrons. So here's a ton of numbers -- probably more demos than you could ever want! I will try to keep the lists short -- limited to the top 20 overall and top 5-10 demos! ...Roger
12+ WAVV 11.7 (13.1) EZ Listening/Big Band WXRK 8.7 (11.0) Howard Stern WXKB 8.1 (6.9) Randy and Melody WOLZ 6.1 (4.3) BJ & the Breakfast Bunch WWGR 5.4 (3.7) Country WINK 5.4 (6.1) Bennett & Birch WJBX 5.1 (3.0) Lee Daniels WCKT 4.7 (5.3) Rick McGee WINK/WNOG 3.9 (7.1) News WOST 3.8 (2.0) Scott & Julie WARO 2.9 (2.9) Bob & Tom WQNU 2.7 (2.1) Bear and Billy WTLQ 2.6 (3.8) Don Imus WJST 2.5 (5.1) Cliff Shell & Al Richards WTLT 2.2 (1.6) Lite Rock WJGO 2.2 (--) Satellite Grooving Oldies WWCL 1.8 (.6) Spanish WCCL 1.8 (1.2) Satellite Classical WDRR 1.4 (1.7) Jazz WWCN 1.3 (1.7) Sports Persons 18-34 WRXK 16.1 (24.5) Howard WXKB 13.2 (14.0) Randy and Melody WJBX 11.0 (6.2) Lee Daniels WOST 7.5 (2.7) Scott & Julie WWCL 6.3 (1.2) Spanish WINK 6.0 (3.9) Bennett & Birch WQNU 5.6 (5.1) Billy & Bear WCKT 4.1 (5.1) Rick McGee WWGR 3.5 (3.1) Country WAFZ 2.8 (3.5) Spanish (down much lower-- Imus w/ a .4 and Bob & Tom w/ a .6!) Persons 25-54 WRKX 12.3 (17.1) Howard WXKB 8.7 (6.6) Randy and Melody WINK 7.8 (7.9) Bennett & Birch WJBX 6.6 (3.0) Lee Daniels WOLZ 6.2 (5.9) BJ & the Breakfast Bunch WOST 5.6 (3.5) Scott & Julie WARO 4.7 (4.6) Bob & Tom WJGO 3.8 (--) Satellite Grooving Oldies WQNU 3.5 (3.2) Bear & Billy (Imus had a meager 1.5) Persons 35-64 WOLZ 9.6 (7.5) BJ & the Breakfast Bunch WRXK 8.8 (10.5) Howard WINK 6.7 (9.4) Bennett & Birch WWGR 6.4 (4.8) Country WAVV 5.7 (8.5) EZ Listening/Big Band WXKB 5.3 (3.4) Randy & Melody WARO 5.3 (4.4) Bob & Tom WCKT 4.9 (5.5) Rick McGee WTLQ 4.0 (3.9) Don Imus Men 18-34 WRXK 24.1 (35.3) Howard WJBX 9.8 (8.3) Lee Daniels WOST 7.5 (1.9) Scott & Julie WXKB 6.9 (9.0) Randy and Melody WWCL 6.9 (.6) Spanish Men 25-54 WRXK 18.2 (25.1) Howard WINK 7.8 (3.7) Bennett & Birch WARO 6.9 (6.1) Bob & Tom WJBX 6.6 (4.3) Lee Daniels WOLZ 6.1 (4.3) BJ & the Breakfast Bunch Men 35-64 WRXK 13.3 (16.1) Howard WOLZ 9.3 (6.6) BJ & the Breakfast Bunch WARO 7.7 (7.0) Bob & Tom WINK 6.5 (6.6) Bennett & Birch WWGR 5.6 (3.8) Country Women 18-34 WXKB 18.3 (17.2) Randy & Melody WJBX 12.6 (2.0) Lee Daniels WINK 7.7 (8.8) Bennett & Birch WOST 7.7 (3.9) Scott & Julie WRXK 6.3 (8.8) Howard WQNU 6.3 (3.9) Billy & Bear Women 25-54 WXKB 12.6 (10.2) Randy & Melody WINK 7.9 (12.8) Bennett & Birch WJBX 6.6 (1.5) Lee Daniels WRXK 6.3 (7.5) Howard WOLZ 6.3 (7.9) BJ & the Breakfast Bunch
Here are the Ft. Myers spring ratings ...not 12+, but the big money demo 25-54.
Here is the 25-54 morning breakdown:
Station (Show) Spring '99 (Fall '98) WRXK (Howard Stern) 17.7 (14.9) WINK (Bennett and Birch) 7.6 (11) WXKB (Randy and Melody) 6.6 (10) WOLZ (B.J. & The Breakfast Bunch) 5.9 (6.1) WCKT (Cat Country) 5.4 (5.7) WARO (Bob & Tom) 4.6 (4.7) WOST (Scott & Julie) 3.5 (3) WINK/WNOG (News) 3.7 (2.8) WSGL 3.4 (1.5) WQNU 3.2 (3) WJBX 3 (4.2) WWCN 2.9 (0) WWGR 2.5 (5.7) WTLQ (Imus) 2.4 (2.7) WAVV 2 (3.5) WDRR 2 (1.7) WTLT 1.7 (1.4) WAFZ 1.7 (1.4) WJST 1.4 (.2) WHPT 1 (1.7) WWCL .8 (1.5) WGUF .5 (.7)
Everyone lost ratings, except Stern!
You can add the shares of 2-3-4 and just barely beat Stern.
Thanks to Roger and robk...
I don't have the actual numbers, but from what I hear and understand, The Howard Stern Show has garnered itself another #1 rating!
Back to ratings.
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