In a scathing article, Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield pulls no punches in his review of Howard Stern's new show on Sirius. The title and tagline of the article says it all: Howard's End - Stern's show puts the "um" in "tedium" - OUCH! The thought behind the whole article is that now that Howard has no enemies - no censors, no FCC, no Clear Channel - he also has no substance anymore either.

"He sounds like he no longer has to deal with anybody who doesn't kiss his ass, and as a result he sounds like a bored, gloomy fifty-two-year-old man."

The most painful part to read was this: 

"Howard spends most of the mornings talking about how famous he is, how loyal his listeners are, how many millions of people are running out to buy Sirius radios, while his studio monkey-boys crowd around the mike to say, "Right on, Howard. You still the king." Fans call in to remind him he's still got it. [...] If you thought his sidekicks were useless suck-ups before, get a load of them now. Robin compares him to Martin Luther King Jr. Artie says the main reason he wishes his father were still alive is so he could hear him on The Howard Stern Show. "We're making history," he gushes. And this was the first seven days. By next month, Howard will only be able to keep himself awake ordering the staff to do tag-team ass-to-ass action."

What's your opinion on this? Has Stern lost his edge? Is it a little too early to go judging yet? Were expectations set too high from all the hype?Read the article and sound off here.

[Rolling Stone] 

Great article in the Daily News today featuring Opie and Anthony and their style at XM Satellite Radio.

One of the interesting things touched on in the article is the corporate thinking that caused Infinity to lose two of their most popular talk shows to satrad (that would be Howard Stern and O&A). Had Infinity realized the potential of a "guy talk" station a couple years ago, they might not be driving the downhill road their on now.

[New York Daily News]
Thanks Trevor!

USA Today has a write up on HD Radio today and of course pits HD against Satellite Radio in terms of sound quality, price and selection. Initially I was expecting another one of those ho-hum articles (*cough*) simply regurgitating iBiquity's media kit, but Edward C. Baig actually wrote a very nice and honest comparison. Wow.

His points are all very truthful and valid: HD Radio is still way too young to endorse or decline, HD units are pricey right now but you don't need to pay a monthly fee, Satellite Radio offers far more selection, and satrad is available nationwide.

And while I'm pretty much anti-anything when it comes to commercial radio, I really can't argue against this article. HD really is too young to compare it right now, and satellite radio really does offer more selection nationwide. The only thing I would point out is the headstart that satrad has against HD. Only now did the Radio industry start to get organized with this technology - Satellite Radio is already looking far into the future to bring much more than just "radio" to the table. Let's take a look in a few years and see where both industries are, and then let's do a true comparison, shall we?

[USA Today]

Yesterday the New York Post frontpage (view) featured Howard Stern with the headline "MOUTH TRAP" in their classic sensationalistic style, followed by an article citing "a source" from Sirius that reported an internal standards-and-practices document that will "censor" the show. Howard retorted on his show, pretty much calling it ridiculous - and it is.

Of course, the media has grabbed this ball and is running as far as they can with it. But is it really such a big deal? Afterall, this IS a public corporation we're talking about here, and while there are no concerns about FCC regulation (which for some reason the media is trying to weave into the picture). Instead, the concern is LIABILITY. In a land where lawsuits abound, why wouldn't SIRIUS have a standards-and-practices guideline?

Afterall XM has its own guidelines in place, as Opie and Anthony know, and they have for a while. As a broadcasting media company, they need to have a set standard for which their on-air personalities should follow - but there is no "Dead Air Dave" sitting in a room somewhere waiting to dump out on the show.

Slander, defamation of character and a whole boatload of other possible liability cases are still a reality that these companies need to deal with. Is this a preemptive strike to prevent the FCC from regulating satellite radio? No. Is it a big old conspiracy created by Clear Channel to go after Howard? C'mon. It's just corporations covering their asses - that's all.

[CURSES FOILED AGAIN FOR STERN: NY Post]
[HOWARD COMES TO HIS CENSORS: NY Post]

Thanks Cranky! 

The Advocate has a truly entertaining read about Stern "sidekick" Gary Dell'Abate and the transition to Sirius Satellite Radio.

Of course, they talk about Howard's revelation that he had cosmetic surgery, but the real star of the article is the in-depth profile done on Gary.

Very interesting, and well worth the read if you're a Stern fan.

[The Advocate]

It's sort of a slow day today, so I figured I'd put together some interesting news bits that have been floating around since morning...

• Opie and Anthony To Stern: Bring It On - Sure to stir up the bee's nest in Orbitcast's comments, this cover story about the ongoing O&A vs Stern / XM vs SIRIUS war is a great read no matter what side of the fence you're on.
  
• Stern's pirated, naughty bits air - While not really a big deal in my eyes, since FM broadcasting isn't necessarily rocket surgery, but the media seems to be having a field day with this bit.
  
• Everyone's Aiming at Satellite Radio - Just to step away from the whole 'shock jock' thing, this article in BusinessWeek is very well written and extremely in-depth. From HD Radio, to the new iPod FM Tuner, to Motorola's iRadio service; this article covers it all.
  
• ...and finally XM Seen Topping SIRIUS in 2006 - S.G. Cowen research analyst Tom Watts is giving XMSR the big thumbs up and even projects XM will have 41 million subscribers by 2015 and 24 million by 2010 - 20% above guidance.
  

The New York Sun has a very in-depth article on Howard's new 'defiant fist' symbol. Created by Havas' Euro RSCG (which coincidently is not the same ad agency used by the rest of SIRIUS - Doner handles their business) - the fist symbol is meant to convey a revolutionary attitude.

"It's really simple. It's a symbol of being a revolutionary and being a pioneer in radio," Sirius spokesman, Patrick Reilly, said.

Some people don't necessarily agree with that point though. Such as NY City Council member and former Black Panther member Charles Barron, stating, "he'll do anything to get attention." Adding "using a symbol like that is electoral exploitation in his attempt to appeal to the black community."

...I wouldn't go that far, but I have to agree with the statement made at the end of the article by designer and professor at Pratt Institute, Barry Berger, that the "universality" of the fist removes much of its power and significance. "I think because it is so universal and also so overused, it is not clear what individual message the sender means," he said.

What do you think about it? Thumbs up or thumbs down for the Defiant Fist?

[New York Sun] 

With Howard's first day on satellite radio comes a whole new bag of crappy criticism from the jaded media. First of note was this article in USA Today (hat tip to Engadget) which gave a play-by-play of the morning's activities. Great publicity right? USA Today is major media and always great exposure for the industry. But, it doesn't take long for the tone of the article to turn negative. They actually had someone, an intern I'd hope, sit down and count every swear word said (172 in case you care). First they were celebrating the "King of All Media" and now they can't stand him.

And throughout the day I read whiny annoying little articles popping up all over the place. (sigh) Hypocrites? The media? naaahhhh..