Check out this very long and in-depth interview with Howard Stern in this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly.

Definitely a worthwhile read, where Stern talks about everything from Howard 100 News, to the Howard TV VOD service and the general evolution of the show since it's moved to SIRIUS.

Even if you're not a Howard fan, it's worth checking out just for the photos.

[Entertainment Weekly]

Thanks Tim! 

According to this Reuter's article, SIRIUS CEO Mel Karmazin said, at the Sports Business Journal's annual World Congress of Sports event, that he met with Howard Stern on Monday to try to get him to extend his term with similar pay structure.

Howard wasn't interested.

"He'll take his chances when the contract is up," said Mel Karmazin.

The only reason why I could see Howard turning down an extension of the contract would be either:

1. He's considering retirement.
2. He's waiting to see how much advertising revenue he can bring in within the 5 years.

I can't really blame him if you think about it. At the current rate of growth, why would lock in the current salary when it could be much bigger in 5 years?

Thanks Cranky Media Guy! 

[Reuters] 

Audiographics is quickly becoming one of my favorite Radio-related sites. Ken really does call it like he sees it. His latest article, Radio Industry's Use of Words About Howard Stern, features a perfectly snide and accurate look at how terrestrial twists things to be artifically positive.

Let me place two sentences side by side that describe Howard Stern and his move to Sirius. See if you react differently to each:

•  New Jacobs Study Says 70% Of Stern Listeners Stayed With Terrestrial Radio
•  New Jacobs Study Says 30% of Stern Listeners Moved To Sirius

[...] 

Perhaps, if the radio trades followed the same style word usage for Arbitron's RADAR national audience measurement service, instead of seeing the headline "Arbitron: Radio Reaches More Than 230 Million People," we'd have been witness to "Arbitron: 63 Million Persons Not Listening to Radio." 

Of course, as Get Sirius Info points out, Jacobs Media (the company who did the survey) is regularly contracted by major terrestrial radio companies... like CBS Radio.

Considering the sensitivity of this information, I really need to stress that this is currently speculation and based on 2nd hand information. But according to sources, there is a strong rumor that Howard Stern was served a subpoena by the SEC last Wednesday (March 22nd). The grounds for the subpoena are unknown.

Several attempts to contact SIRIUS regarding this went unanswered. The only feedback I received was to forward me to Patrick Reilly, SVP of Corporate Communications at SIRIUS, but then further communications stalled. I had really hoped that SIRIUS could at least confirm or debunk this rumor before posting, but after multiple attempts I've still heard nothing. I'm no lawyer, so I don't know if they're even allowed to make a statement at this point anyway.

So there it is. As I find out more information, I'll post it. If you yourself have more information you can email me here.

Thanks Jonathan! 

Fred Jacobs ran a 25,000-person web-based study from 79 rock stations in late February and learned that 70% of listeners decided not to do the jump to satellite radio. In the study he states that "the biggest winners appear to be many of Stern's former FM competitors," though he backpedals a bit and says that there's no doubt that Howard has been a "big plus to Sirius."

Let's see, because today the Phase II Arbitrends are due, and I don't see David Lee Roth or Adam Carolla doing so well. 

According to comScore Media Metrix, it looks like Howard Stern hasn't lost his edge in terms of traffic even after moving over to SIRIUS Satellite Radio. His site even beats out Rush Limbaugh.

Here's the comScore chart showing a year's worth of traffic details: 

Interestingly enough, these don't correlate with Alexa's traffic numbers, here's Howard Stern vs Rush Limbaugh's Alexa numbers:

Now, of course statistics are only as good as the data they're derived from - so it can be argued that more "adware friendly" people will visit Rush's website and thus are more likely to skew the numbers for Alexa. But more than anything, I'd look at these charts in terms of trending. Don't look at the hard numbers (and be wary of them), but instead compare the two in terms of the peaks and valleys. Comscore doesn't seem to be registering the spikes on Dec 16th, 2005 and on Jan 9th, 2006 - so I'd assume they're doing a rolling average of some sort.

Either way, it's neat stuff to look at and to help decide whether the "Long Tail" of Howard actually exists or not. Read more on The Back of the Napkin.

Speaking of Long Tail, there's a free, anonynous survey targeted to Howard Stern fans to help determine whether the Stern Effect was actually limited to Dec-Jan. It's completely free and anonymous - so go fill it out here.

Thanks Jim and Mike! 

According to recent report by April Horace, analyst for Hoefer & Arnett Inc, Cablevision reported over 5,000 people signed up at $9.95/month in the first two days of launching Howard Stern’s VOD service.

Even though SIRIUS won’t be enjoying any of the revenue associated with these fees, Horace believes it still shows the power of Stern is running strong, at least in the Northeast.

Thanks Brian! 

Howard Stern is pissed and he's not going down quietly. In an interview with the NY Daily News, Stern said CBS Radio attorneys sent him a letter asking him not to speak publically about their legal battle.

"I don't think they expected me to talk about it," Stern told The News. "Obviously not - why are they sending me a letter to say shut the f--- up?"

A CBS spokesman confirmed the network sent the letter after a lawsuit was filed last month. Stern also alleged that CBS threatened to pull advertising from the trade paper Daily Variety unless its editors killed a favorable piece about him.

"As for Variety," the CBS spokesman said, "we have never threatened to pull any advertising from that publication, ever." Daily Variety editor Tim Gray called the claim that pressure had been placed on the paper "ridiculous."

Separately, but just as entertaining, according to the NY Post - Stern isn't too happy about CBS Radio releasing his salary history in the 43-page lawsuit. According to the article:

Stern was first signed by CBS Radio in 1985 for a now-modest $705,000. According to the CBS filing, by 1996, when his show was in all the top markets, he was making $39.1 million over five years with another $8.85 million in annual bonuses and stock options. When Stern's contract was extended in 2001, "the base compenation increased to over $58.8 million over the five-year term." 

[New York Daily News]
[New York Post]

I don't really know what to think about this. It's obviously meant to capitalize on the CBS Radio vs Howard Stern lawsuit hype - what with a press release even being sent out - but it also attacks terrestrial radio, and that can't be a bad thing.

Whatever the motivation, go ahead and check out Les Is My Bitch and maybe you'll find something for yourself... or your dog.

Many people have doubted the 'consipiracy theory' that Howard Stern issued a gag order against Opie and Anthony during both their terms with Infinity Broadcasting (now CBS Radio). Well, Howard admitted to the gag order on Hannity's show last night. Listen to the audio here.

I often wondered about the supposed gag order where O&A were not allowed to bring up Howard on their show. You can understand, especially after hearing this audio, why they're so obsessed with him. They actually weren't really competing with each other at the time - with Howard in the morning and O&A on a separate station in the afternoons - and even moreso in that they worked for the same company.

While I totally understand the thought that Stern is brand and he wanted to protect that brand (honestly, I can appreciate that), it's just sad that statements like "I'm a strong supporter of MY free speech," would actually be made - let alone enacted upon. If you want to know why this war between the two is going on, listen here.

Thanks OneWithDog!