Howard Stern: Diamond in a Rough Patch

For a man who almost single-handedly revolutionized the broadcasting industry and profoundly influenced modern American pop culture, radio personality Howard Stern continues to be spectacularly disrespected by his own colleagues and the media itself that he so radically transformed.

While personalities like Jack Benny and Edgar Bergen popularized radio as a medium for entertainment, Howard Stern transformed it into a weapon of mass destruction. He annihilated cultural taboos, relentlessly exposed the hypocrisies and double standards in society and the entertainment field. He confronted the charlatans in religion, politics, and the media -- who often proved to be the worst offenders of the very things they railed against. He treated the physically and mentally disabled, the social misfits and other cast-offs from society like celebrities; while mercilessly ridiculing the rich and famous for their delusional sense of self-importance. His radio show was itself the first true, unflinchingly honest reality series long before the concept was even a glint in the eyes of television producers.

Through all the years and all the controversies -- the obsessive efforts of the FCC to crush him with millions of dollars in fines for indecency; the relentless pursuit of fanatical fringe groups seeking to knock his show off the air because they thought him rude, crude and obnoxious -- he not only persevered, he triumphed. He dominated the entertainment industry as one of the most popular radio personalities in North America -- and in the history of broadcasting -- for more than 20 years. He wrote two New York Times best sellers and starred in a number-one movie about his life. At the peak of his popularity, his radio show was syndicated in more than 60 markets in North America, with a listening audience estimated at 20 million.

When Stern moved his show from terrestrial to satellite radio in 2006, he caused a seismic shift in the dynamics of the two media. He instantly lifted the struggling satellite technology to prominence, while driving another nail in the coffin of terrestrial radio by creating a vacuum of talent that pushed it to bleed listeners faster than ever before. The company he landed on, Sirius Radio, struggling to lure memberships up to that point, saw its subscriber base skyrocket. More than 180,000 new receivers were activated on the day before he launched his show on January 8, and millions of more fans signed up in the coming months. The $500 million paycheck that Sirius gave Stern made him one of the richest persons in show business, rivaling Martha Stewart and Oprah. Time magazine voted him among its 100 "Leaders in the Limelight" and Forbes ranked him in the #7 spot on its annual celebrity power ranking.

If anyone ignored, dismissed or denied the existence or impact of Howard Stern before, they no longer could.

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Yet, all of Stern's accomplishments have apparently never been enough to earn him the respect of the entertainment community. It continues to dismiss him as a minor irritant, a c-list celebrity who does not deserve recognition or attention. Fellow entertainers brazenly steal material and ideas from his show, and when confronted, wave off his indignation -- as if it was coming from a delusional man who believes he also invented the wheel and discovered fire. On-air personalities screw up their faces in mock pain whenever they mention his name, as if he was a dose of bad-tasting medicine they had no choice but to swallow. Industry award organizations like the Radio Hall of Fame routinely pass him over to induct inferior talent. His own alma mater, Boston University, until recently, pointedly excluded him from their hallowed halls, refusing to hang his portrait among the other celebrity graduates.

Today, Howard Stern toils away in the significantly smaller listener universe of satellite radio, which, after a surge in membership following his acquisition, now finds itself struggling to survive. Even the unstoppable force that was Howard Stern could not save the technology, which hit the immovable objects of an economic meltdown and increasing competition from alternative media. Commanding less than ten percent of his former audience, Stern is now marginalized as a cultural phenomenon that has passed his prime.

Yet, driven by a relentless need for perfection, his show remains a masterpiece of improvised dialogue; a mosaic of brilliant observations about society; of exquisite interviews of celebrities and even ordinary people that surgically cut to the heart of their humanity and illuminate their vulnerability as no other interviewer in any other medium ever has -- or ever could. His humor continues to push the boundaries of cultural decorum, running the gamut from the sublime to the ridiculous, from the raw to the refined.

Stern readily admits to being bitter and bewildered by the dogged obstinacy -- even hostility -- of the entertainment industry to recognize his contributions and give him the respect he is due. Yet, he refuses to yield or solicit their approval, and rather revels in the role of the outsider -- like the fallen Archangel who defiantly proclaims he would rather be ruler of his domain than serve a vain and capricious God in heaven.

 

Follow Mario Almonte on Twitter: www.twitter.com/almonte

Comments

[Loophole]

Thanks, Mario. I agree with every word.

[texastrixie]

Maybe there is resistance to his being honored the way he wants to because half the world is women? Or maybe half the people in the country (and in the media) think that far from treating the physically and mentally disabled, the social misfits and other cast-offs from society like celebrities, he merely used such individuals as the centerpiece of ridicule? Or maybe its just the passing thought that he has lowered the level of "entertainment" to a significant degree all by himself.

Me, I'd vote for all three.

[MWMom]

I'll second that!

[RevBookburn]

I agree with the author that he should get credit due. However, it's a myth that he invented naughty radio or that everyone who is unconventional is a copycat. Rev. Bookburn - Radio Volta

[blackhole2008]

Listened to HS for many years in the NY market, pretty much every morning on the way to work. I enjoyed his straight forwardness and his stubborn style of comedy. I was glad that his show expanded to other markets especially when I moved to the south. That didn't last long , local sponsors dropped out under pressure from so-called decent folk. When he jumped to satellite, I haven't heard him since, missed the show tremendously, and I couldn't listen to all the copy-cat shows that sprung up all over the radio (they all could not hold a candle).

[Eris23]

David Lee Roth was like an insult after Stern's departure.

[MariosResponse]

Hart, Howard did build satellite radio, but he can't continue to do it all by himself - and it would be unfair to expect him to. He did his job (and justified his paycheck ten times over) and gave the medium an enormous amount of publicity and goodwill - but they have to pull their weight, too, and I don't feel they have. Sirus (now Sirius-XM) has never marketed itself correctly. It can still succeed, but it needs to completely revamp its promotional and public relations campaigns to position itself in the right way.

[Vandenbroek]

The Era of Howard has passed. He should have simply followed the advice of the A.E. Houseman poem:

"Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man."

Will he have a third or fourth act? It simply depends on whether he can hop to yet another medium. The schtick has been tired for years. Howard's message has always been based on the delivery system - not the delivery.

[Maezeppa]

No it has not. Howard is in his prime. He has not dropped one stitch.

[MariosResponse]

As the author of this piece, I have been listening to Stern for many years and continue to do so. I became a Sirius subscriber soon after he moved his show there.

[BlackJAC]

Howard Stern's own immature antics resulted in the so-called "disrespect." The simple fact that he lost 80% of his audience in the switch to satellite shows his fanbase either couldn't afford or were unwilling to pay to hear him.

[Maezeppa]

Oh, please. His antics are comic and smart. He's got a wide range, from Mad Magazine to Groucho to Mark Twain.

[PerryWhite]

I hope that, before his retirement, Howard can learn the difference between dress and skirt. He conflates or reverses them about 90% of the time.

[x76]

Howard Stern on Sirius has sold out in a major way -- no Friday shows, no real effort being put into the show the four mornings it's on -- Howard is in major denial, thinking that "the show has never been better" while hardcore fans are now in open revolt against what the show has slipped to.

I can only presume that the author has not heard the show since it left FM radio. Talk about major loss of erection -- this is a textbook example. We have the Hamptons mansion, the younger trophy wife, absolutely nothing interesting on the air, D-list celebrities on air... it's a train wreck. The Howard Stern show is in a death spiral. I finally gave up on my subscription once it became clear that neither Sirius nor Howard Stern gave a damn about the show having become what he once railed against.

A tragic end to an otherwise innovative and dedicated career. A genuine disappointment.

[24hourrifle]

thanks for a terrific piece...
stern has necer recieved the credit/praise he so clearly deserves.and thats because he has always refused to kiss the right asses.and he has never even sniffed hypocrisy.but heres the bigger point you failed to mention...

w/out stern,not only would there be no opie/anthony or mancow or the thousands of ripoffs over the last few decades,
there would be no rush limbaugh.there would be no glenn beck,hannity etc...

i know that talk radio obviously existed before stern,but never had anyone gone on air for 3-4 hrs at a time w/out playing music,while talking so personally about their own life,with no phony radio voice etc...

most people who truly understand the history of radio know this to be true.

[thinkingwomanmillstone]

a well deserved landing in obscurity. Howard was originally a very funn, off beat often off color radio personality. Then he read his own press and decided he was the second coming, sex God that he currently embodies. I was an avid fan but now can't even listen to a minute of him. I don't feel sorry for him, he has the money he went for. Hang up the cleats, go quietly and enjoy your obscurity.

[satanlite]

Shock jock. It's not genius. It's not talent. It's just willing to go one more step to shock the audience.

[LushLife72]

Stern is arguably one of the most influential personalities to change and alter pop culture in the last twenty years. Of course he over does the treenage antics and some shows shine more than others. Still, he is an excellent interviewer. It would be interesting to see if he could/would ever make the transistion to do a mainstream TV interview show, a sort of edgy Dick Cavett for the 21st century. I doubt it would ever happen but it would be a cool, logical next move. He's underrated by the mainstream as a buffon but he has the chops, if so inclined, to take any of them on I believe.

[Happy4LA]

Howard might as well hang 'em up. He's sold out and become Charles Foster Kane. In trying to make his model wife the star she wishes to be, Howard has sold out to once enemies like Chevy Chase and Rosie O'Donnell. He's known by many of his old fans as "Hamptons Howie" because he kisses up to his new neighbors in the Hampton, obviously embarrassed by the vulgarity and porn that made him uber rich. Howard once was a rebel, but his big payday proves that everyone has a price. Sure, Howard's show is still vulgar at times--emb­arrassingl­y so at times--but he's now so PC because he doesn't want to rock the boat and risk his multi millions. Howard proves that many people would choose hypocrisy and wealth over staying true to what got them where they are. But maybe Howard was all about money all along. So long Howard--sell out and hypocrite.

[Veronikaleblanc]

Calling Stern a sellout is so stupid. Did you ever listen to his show? He was the pitch man for just about any crap product that came down the pike. His show was always half commercials. It's like calling Billy Mays a sellout. He's still funny.

[Happy4LA]

Do you even know what "sell out" means? Obviously not. I'll ignore the "stupid" comment and consider the source. Howard "sold out" by becoming a kiss up to his Hamptons neighbors and other people in the entertainment industry that can help his wife launch her career. He kissed up to Rosie after calling her vile names just so his wife could get on the View. He even stopped crticizing Tyra Banks after Tyra hired his wife. Howard is all about the money and pleasing his wife--his long time fans be damned. Not to mention his refusal to work on Fridays.