The Howard Stern Show

File:Hsternshownew.jpeg
Genre	Talk, comedy
Running time	On satellite radio: 4-6 hours On terrestrial radio: 5 hours Contractually: 4 hours
Country of origin	United States
Home station	Howard 100 (2006 to present) WXRK (1985 to 2005)
Starring	Howard Stern Robin Quivers Artie Lange Fred Norris
Announcer	George Takei (2006 to present) Paul Turner (1989 to 2005)
Executive producer(s)	Gary Dell'Abate
Original release	1979 – Present
Opening theme	"The Great American Nightmare" by Rob Zombie with Howard Stern (January 6, 1999 to present) "Tilt A Whirl" by Jimmie Vaughan (April 15, 1994 to December 18, 1998) "In a Mellow Tone" by Duke Ellington (1988 to April 14, 1994) "H.O.W.A.R.D S.T.E.R.N" by The Double-O Zeros
Ending theme	"Tortured Man" by Howard Stern and The Dust Brothers (January 1998 to present)
Website	www.howardstern.com www.sirius.com/howardstern

The Howard Stern Show is an American talk radio show hosted by Howard Stern, currently broadcast on Howard 100, one of his two uncensored channels on SIRIUS XM Radio, a subscription-based satellite radio service. The show however, became known as it is today during its 20 year run at WXRK, a terrestrial radio station in New York City from 1985–2005. During this time, the show was syndicated in as many as 60 radio markets across the United States and Canada since August 18, 1986^[1] while having as many as 12-20 million listeners. When the show left terrestrial radio on December 16, 2005, it was tied with Laura Schlessinger as the fourth most-listened-to radio show.^[2]

Three weeks after the last terrestrial broadcast, the show began broadcasting on SIRIUS XM across the United States on January 9, 2006,^[3] without the content restrictions imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The show returned to Canadian airwaves shortly after through SIRIUS Canada on February 6, 2006.^[4] Four months later on June 19, the show was available worldwide on an Internet stream through SIRIUS Internet Radio.^[5]

For eleven years (June 20, 1994 – July 8, 2005) the radio show was filmed each day and adapted into Howard Stern, a half-hour television show broadcast on E! featuring condensed segments from the radio show, with reruns being broadcast until December 31, 2005.^[6][7] In conjunction with the show's move to SIRIUS XM, Stern created an uncensored iN DEMAND digital cable service named Howard Stern On Demand on November 18, 2005 that was re-launched as Howard TV on March 16, 2006.^[8][9]

Author Anthony Napoleon, in his 2003 book Awakening Beauty, describes The Howard Stern Show as the following:

For those few who are not familiar with the Howard Stern radio program, here is a primer on the show's cast and format. Howard's live radio show is an extension of his personality. He invented a radio format (now so frequently copied that its originator is sometimes forgotten) wherein he and his coterie of friends interact as a family, including the discussion of personal matters, squabbles and familiar banter. Howard introduces into his mix the regular fare of show business guests who stop by to promote their latest project, a few "friends of the show", and Howard's stock in trade, a virtual bevy of strippers, topless dancers, porn stars and an endless stream of girls who audit "Professor Stern's" class on the importance of physical attractiveness.

— Awakening Beauty (2003) by Anthony Napoleon, Page 162.^[10]

What perhaps grew to become The Howard Stern Show as it is known today began in the spring of 1979 where Stern, after two years as a disc jockey and announcer at WRNW, worked at WCCC, a 50,000 Watt FM and AM radio station in Hartford, Connecticut. The station was looking for, as advertised in an edition of Radio & Records, a "wild, fun, morning guy".^[11] Stern was hired after two auditions and earned a salary of $12,000. It was at WCCC when Stern met Fred Norris, a college student at the time, who worked the overnight slot under the identity "Earth Dog." It was not until 1981 at WWDC when Norris joined the show.

After working at WCCC, Dwight Douglas, a radio programming consultant, offered Stern a position at a Burkhart/Abrams station in Columbus, Ohio. The position was turned down as the station was doing well in the ratings, and Stern wanted to take a station "out of the dumps to the top." Stern was interested in an advertisement, again in Radio & Records, for a morning personality at WWWW, an FM Burkhart/Abrams station in Detroit, Michigan. Despite Douglas advising against it, Stern flew to Detroit unknowingly to his wife Alison or Douglas to meet with station management. Program director Wally Clark offered Stern an initial salary of $28,000. Following a call with his father about the offer, Clark accepted a raise of $2,000^[12] and Stern, with Alison, moved to Detroit and began at WWWW on April 21, 1980^[13] replacing Steve Dahl who left for WLUP in Chicago.^[12]

While in Detroit, Stern's show began getting noticed in the radio industry. Stern won a Billboard Award for "Best Album-Oriented Rock Disc Jockey", the Drake-Chenault Top Five Talent Search, and one of Stern's bits was sent across the country in the radio industry.^[11] The ratings book for October-November 1980 indicated that Stern's show had a 1.6 share, with rival Detroit stations WRIF and WVMV receiving 4.7 and 4.6 respectively.^[12] Unknown to Stern, the station was planning to change format from rock to country music. The change to country, where Stern would be known as "Hopalong Howie," quickly put Stern back in the job market after just two weeks, while earning $50,000 a year.^[12] Stern had chances to go to CHUM in Toronto, WXRT in Chicago and WPLJ in New York City, but they were not taken.^[11]

New management had taken over WWDC, branded as "DC-101," an FM album-oriented rock radio station in Washington, D.C. Stern, who signed a contract with a starting salary of $40,000,^[12] was sure that he would not "hold back" on anything to be number one in the Washington market. Once a success in Washington, Stern believed he would then move to New York City, his ultimate radio career goal. Stern also wished for an on-air sidekick to "mix it up" with him. It was then when program director Denise Oliver made Stern listen to a tape of Robin Quivers, a radio newsreader and consumer reporter at WFBR, an AM radio station in Baltimore, Maryland.^[12] Quivers was also given a tape of Stern interviewing a prostitute on the air.^[11] "I had never heard anything like it, and lost my mind at that point" said Quivers in a 1993 interview with FMQB. "I just said, where do I sign? I’ll do anything just to meet this guy!"^[14] The first broadcast at DC-101 was on March 2, 1981.^[15] Fred Norris, who Stern met back at WCCC in Hartford, also joined the show.

Just months after being hired, the show, which inherited a 2.6 rating share from its predecessor, gained a 5.2 in the spring 1981 ratings, increasing this further to 5.6 in the summer.^[16] In less than a year, the show had tripled the morning slot ratings, receiving an 8.0 share.^[13] Oliver received a call from Arbitron before these set of ratings were released, and congratulated her for the station's rating success. Perhaps the most known incident that happened at DC-101 was when Stern "called" Air Florida to ask if the 14th Street Bridge would be a "permanent stop," in reference to the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 on January 13, 1982, that killed 78 people. Stern later stated that the call was in fact fake, and was ridiculing the airline for allowing such an error to occur.^[13] Stern also states in his 1993 autobiography Private Parts that the incident, contrary to popular belief, was not the cause of his departure from DC-101.

Stern's contract at DC-101 was terminated on June 29, 1982 with Quivers being let go from the show on June 17.^[13] Quivers then moved back home in Baltimore, working at WCBM, an AM talk radio station.^[12] Because Stern was not allowed to say goodbye on the air, he presented a "farewell show" two weeks later on rival Washington station WAVA without Quivers.^[13] What made Stern more eager to broadcast in New York was that no one knew who Stern was when he would travel back home. Stern believed that he could topple popular radio morning personalities such as Don Imus and Scott Shannon in the ratings "on his worst day." Jerry Nachman, from WRC-TV and General Manager at WRC Radio in Washington, informed Stern that he was getting news from Stern's show more than on his all-news station in the morning. During a meeting with Nachman at a Vietnamese restaurant, Stern turned down an offer to work at WNBC in New York City. Following a second meeting weeks later, Stern made a deal to work at WNBC, allowing him to bring Quivers and Norris.

For most of its history, WNBC, also known as "66 WNBC", was the flagship AM radio station for NBC. Prior to working his agreed time slot, Stern, who signed a contract for a salary of around $200,000,^[16] was asked by management to do a practice overnight show to play records. In May 2006, show producer Gary Dell'Abate recalled that Stern saw this as a "slap in the face", seeing as he had already been in radio professionally for eight years.^[17] Dell'Abate continued, saying that Stern and Norris decided to broadcast as two flamboyant, gay characters named "Lance Eluction" and "Mr. Blackswell" respectively. Stern then began broadcasting on August 4, 1982, initially from 4:00pm to 8:00pm.^[16][18] In February 1983, after sending Stern his albums and cassette tapes, comedian Jackie Martling would make weekly appearances on the show as a writer.^[15] Martling would begin working full time as the show's "head writer" in August 1986 for initially $1,500 per week.^[12]

David Letterman, at the time host of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC, made Stern a guest four times between May and October 1984,^[13] putting Stern and the show in the national spotlight for the first time. It was also during this time that Gary Dell'Abate, after graduating from Adelphi University,^[16] initially worked for the traffic department at WNBC.^[13] On September 4, 1984, Dell'Abate, who would initially be known as "Boy Gary", began working for the show as an assistant^[19] and later became the show's executive producer. As 1984 unfolded, the show's ratings continued to increase. With a 3.8 share in the spring, the afternoon show grew to a 4.2 in the summer, to a 4.6 in the autumn.^[16]

By the spring of 1985, the show grew to a 5.7 rating share, the highest WNBC rating since a 6.6 by Don Imus in 1981.^[16] The show was beating Imus in the Morning which had a 3.9 share, and the station as a whole with its 3.0.^[16] The show's last broadcast on WNBC was on September 27, 1985, with the show being cancelled the following Monday on September 30.^[15][13] This followed a "Bestiality Dial-a-Date" segment on September 20,^[20] although relations between management and the show had been strained from the beginning. As per his contract, WNBC still had to pay Stern for the following two and a half years. Norris and Dell'Abate however, continued to stay for a short while, even hosting their own show for a short while, until they were brought along to WXRK in November.

At midnight on July 13, 1985, WKTU, an FM radio station in New York City, changed format from contemporary hits (CHR) to album-oriented rock.^[21] Owned by Mel Karmazin, president of Infinity Broadcasting, the station's call letters changed to WXRK and was re-branded as "92.3 K-Rock." Stern, along with Quivers, began their 20 year run at the station in the afternoon slot from 2:00pm to 6:00pm for three months from November 18, 1985.^[13] Norris and Dell'Abate, who stayed at WNBC for a short while, would be hired soon after. Ratings increased instantaneously, with the afternoon show gaining a 4.6 share after just three weeks on the air.^[13] With such success, the show moved to the prime time morning slot of 6:00am to 10:00am on February 18, 1986^[13][22] replacing Jay Thomas, who was let go from the station. At the same time, Scott Salem, a radio engineer who had worked at WABC and WPLJ, was hired for the show on February 10, 1986.^[13]

Stern had wanted his show to be syndicated nationally since becoming number one in the ratings at WNBC. Now at WXRK, the show was syndicated to its first radio market, Philadelphia, on classic rock station WYSP on August 18, 1986,^[13] opening his first simulcast with "Hello Philadelphia! Welcome to your worst nightmare!"^[23] The local media initially doubted that Stern would be a success in the Philadelphia market,^[24] yet what would repeat itself many times over, the show successfully knocked off the top-rated morning zoo show, hosted by John DeBella on rival rock station WMMR. The show managed to lift WYSP's morning rank among males aged 18 and over from 11 to 3 in just two months.^[16] It took over two years to become number one in Philadelphia, the show being just two tenths of a full rating point away to beating DeBella with his 8.6 rating, by October 6, 1988.^[25] In celebration of becoming top in the Philadelphia ratings, the show held a mock "funeral" for DeBella on May 10, 1990 in Rittenhouse Square.^[26]

The show would then be syndicated to its second market by October 3, 1988 to Washington, D.C. on talk station WJFK-FM.^[27] Stern's kick-off line was "Welcome to WJFK. Assasination radio!" after which Fred Norris played gun shot sound effects.^[12] Stern predicted he would "crush" WWDC, his former station, within six months.^[28] By January 1989 radio personality Doug "The Greseman" Tracht, who replaced Stern in the mornings at WWDC in 1982, began losing his once strong audience in the 25-54 male demographic, losing a 2.5 rating share.^[29] Arbitron on the other hand, failed to show any rise in ratings for Stern that January, and radio observers were beginning to question if it was worth the reported $500,000 he would earn just for the Washington simulcast.^[30] However, The Washington Post reported that in the 18-34 demographic, Tracht fell from a 9.1 share in the fall of 1989 to a 5.0 in March 1990.^[31] The article also reported that in the same category and time period, Stern rose from a 2.2 share in the fall 1989 ratings to a 5.9 the following year.

The show added its fourth market, Los Angeles, through classic rock station KLSX on July 25, 1991.^[32] During the first live simulcast from 3:00am to 5:00am PST (then from 5:00am to 9:00am PST on tape delay) the station's switchboard lit-up continuously with negative calls.^[33] Despite this and the objections from some local listeners,^[34] within one year the show became the most popular morning show in the country's top two radio markets in the summer 1992 Arbitron ratings.^[35] This ended the three-year reign that Mark & Brian on rival station KLOS once had, with Stern gaining a 6.4 share in the 12-plus demographic while still acquiring a 9.5 in New York,^[36] a full 1.1 rating points above its spring 1992 ratings.^[37] In celebration of their defeat, Stern and his crew held another mock "funeral" for the two rival personalities (similar to that of John DeBella in 1990) reportedly attended by 5,000 in the parking lot of the Palace Theatre in Los Angeles on November 25, 1992.^[38][39] The show added its fifth market by syndicating in the Baltimore, Maryland area on talk station WJFK-AM on October 1, 1991.^[40]

The show would simulcast to its sixth market on August 31, 1992 in Cleveland, Ohio on classic rock station WNCX.^[40] Similar to that of previous markets, Stern promised he would become number one in the ratings. On June 10, 1994 during the "Cleveland Funeral" broadcast, William Alford, a radio engineer from rival station WMMS, cut the wires which temporarily stopped the broadcast.^[41]

The show made national news once again on December 7, 1994 by preventing a man from committing suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge that connects New Jersey and Manhattan.^[42] Emilio Bonilla, who called in at approximately 8:10am, was kept on the line by Stern and Quivers for five minutes until Port Authority Police, who found out about Bonilla because their tour commander had been listening to the show, arrived and took the 29-year-old into custody.^[43]

On April 3, 1995, following the shooting of Tejano music singer Selena on March 31, Stern caused controversy after commenting on her music. While playing her music with added mock gunfire over it, Stern said "Spanish people have the worst taste in music. They have no depth. Alvin and the Chipmunks have more soul."^[44][45] Stern also called one of her records "awful music that could only be popular with that segment of society."^[46] Mexican Americans and other Hispanic groups were outraged, especially those in Texas. Furious callers from KEGL, the show's affiliate in Dallas since September 1992,^[47] jammed the station's switchboards.^[48] The League of United Latin American Citizens attempted to get the show off the air through the FCC, while angry listeners called for boycotts against the show's advertisers and KEGL.^[49][16] Later in the week, Stern responded to his comments in Spanish with the following statement: "As you all know, I am a satirical person. My comments about Selena's tragic death were not made with the intention of causing even more pain to her family, friends and those who loved her. It infuriates me that this young woman's life was snuffed out in such a senseless way. Her murderer has to be dealt with to the full extent of the law. Thank you."^[50][16] Following Stern's apology, Justice of the Peace Eloy Cano of Harlingen, Texas, issued an arrest warrant on Stern on charges of "disorderly conduct."^[51] One March 1993 article from the Morning Star of Wilmington, North Carolina reported that the warrant still "remained in the books."^[52]

The show on November 15, 1996 was the last broadcast from the small studio at 600 Madison Avenue, New York City.^[53] The week after, on November 18, the show was moved to 57th Street^[53] and a studio that could accommodate live performances from bands and show stunts. The group Cheap Trick were the first to perform live in the new studio, playing acoustic versions of "I Want You to Want Me", "Ain't That a Shame" and "Day Tripper".^[53] The show would continue to broadcast from 57 Street until the last terrestrial radio broadcast on December 16, 2005.

The show began syndicating to Canada on September 2, 1997 on classic rock stations CILQ in Toronto, Ontario and CHOM in Montreal, Quebec.^[54][55] After announcing it that morning, Stern made several anti-francophone comments, causing issues with Canadian listeners. The show was ultimately dropped in Montreal on August 27, 1998 after frequent listener complaints to the CBSC and CRTC.^[56] The show was later dropped in Toronto on November 26, 2001 after John Hayes, who was General Manager during the show's time at WNBC, became Program Director of Corus Radio.^[57][58] Toronto listeners however, were able to hear the show without the heavy content restrictions that they and Montreal listeners faced from February 26, 2001 when the show began syndicating to Buffalo, New York on WBUF.^[59]

The show on April 21, 1999 drew angry criticism and official "censure" from the Colorado State Legislature for Stern's comment regarding the motives of the two male students who murdered 12 classmates and 1 teacher in the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado. "There were some really good-looking girls running out with their hands over their heads" commented Stern. "Did those kids try to have sex with any of the good-looking girls? They didn't even do that? At least if you're going to kill yourself and kill all the kids, why wouldn't you have some sex?" Stern continued, saying if he was going to kill some people, he would "take them out with sex."^[60] Stern did not apologize, but argued that he was trying to figure out what was wrong with the two attackers. Stern believed much of the furore was roused by presenters at competing radio stations in the Denver market. "There has been a tragic shooting in Denver", said Stern. "It's a national horror and what are the deejays doing? They're announcing my sponsors trying to get them to pull out. Are they really caring about the Denver community, or are they really just saying "Hey, maybe we can get Howard Stern off the air?" If I'm so vicious, why would you draw attention to me?" Stern explained his remarks by saying "I had zero intent to make fun of the situation. The point in making that comment was an attempt to try to understand a motive. We didn't know anything about motives [the morning after] and were trying to consider all possibilities."^[61]

On March 5, 2001 it was officially announced that show writer Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling had left the show after failed contract negotiations. Over the next several months, various comedians auditioned to get Martling's seat on the show. On October 29, comedian and actor Artie Lange took Martling's place on the show.

The show was broadcasting live during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks,^[62] and stayed on the air with most of the show's staff, until around 12:15pm. Prior to the attacks, Stern and the crew in the middle of a discussion about a rendezvous with Pamela Anderson, when Stern first mentioned the World Trade Center was on fire. The show's live reporting was one of the first to report the incident for many of those listening on the East Coast. Many listeners called in to share their own stories of survival, loss and witness of the attacks. On September 11, 2006, the fifth anniversary of the attacks, the September 11, 2001 show was played from the moment of the first attack, around 8:58am on Howard 100 and Howard 101 followed by a special edition of The Wrap-Up Show around 12:20pm. Following this, the show on September 11, 2002, which had no commercials, was replayed in its entirety.

On February 25, 2004 Clear Channel Communications "indefinitely suspended" Stern from six radio markets because of indecency involving sexual and racist dialogue during his show.^[63] The show in question featured an interview with Rick Salomon, whose claim to fame includes a publicly released home video showing him having sex with Paris Hilton. Stern held a sexually-provocative interview with Salomon, which also included racial humour, asking questions about anal sex and making light of a caller's use of the word "nigger." Clear Channel president John Hogan said Clear Channel had "drew a line in the sand today with regard to protecting our listeners from indecent content, and Howard Stern's show blew right through it. It was vulgar, offensive and insulting, not just to women and African-Americans but to anyone with a sense of common decency." The move came only a day after Clear Channel fired radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge for similar reasons. Due to the timing of the incident, this is considered to be part of a wide-ranging backlash against obscenity triggered by the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy. By April 8, 2005 Clear Channel announced it would "permanently terminate" its relationship with Stern after being fined $500,000 by the FCC.^[64][65] However on July 19, Stern returned to four of the six markets Clear Channel had booted him from, and added five new ones to the roster, this time on Infinity-owned stations.^[66] Stern turned against Bush because neither Clear Channel nor Bush "Got the FCC off my back." Stern perceived Bush's religious beliefs as fanatical and has described Bush as a "Jesus freak", "maniac" and "an arrogant bastard."^[67] Stern endorsed John Kerry in the 2004 presidential campaign, and urged his listeners to vote for him, the latest in a long string of political endorsements Stern has made.^[68]

After announcing his move to become the on-air announcer for The Tonight Show, show staffer "Stuttering John" left the show on February 27, 2004. Stern has consistently claimed the hiring of Melendez was an attempt by Leno to steal ideas from his show, citing Melendez's speech impediment, heavy New York accent, and limited show business resume as questionable qualifications for the announcing job. Prior to this, Stern accused Leno's "Jaywalking" segment of being an appropriation of his radio show's "Homeless Game." After the hiring of Melendez, Stern accused Leno of stealing additional bits such as goofy red carpet interviews and booking Wack Pack member Kenneth Keith Kallenbach as a guest).^[69] On July 1, after a search and auditioning process known as "Get John's Job", Richard Christy (former electrician and drummer of various death and heavy metal bands including Iced Earth and Death) was announced the winner, receiving 30% of the listener's vote and was hired as Melendez' replacement. Sal "The Stockbroker" Governale, who was runner-up in the contest with 24%, was later hired in September 2004.

On October 6, 2004, Stern announced that he had signed a five year, $500 million deal with SIRIUS Satellite Radio, now known as SIRIUS XM Radio following the merger of SIRIUS and XM Satellite Radio.^[70] The deal also contained an additional one-time $225 million stock bonus, in which Stern did receive when he attracted a certain amount of listeners to SIRIUS in a given time. The $500 million contract and $225 million stock deal placed Stern at the second richest celebrity of 2004 at $302 million, ahead of George Lucas, Oprah Winfrey, The Rolling Stones and Tom Cruise.^[71] The deal, which took effect on January 1, 2006 (when Stern's terrestrial radio contract ended) enabled Stern to broadcast his show uncensored, without content restrictions imposed by the FCC. The move met with controversy, as Stern talked about his move to SIRIUS on terrestrial radio, including telling listeners how to purchase equipment and subscriptions.^[72] To promote his move, Stern held a rally in New York City where he gave out coupons for free or discounted SIRIUS products. In one incident, Farid Suleman of Citadel Broadcasting billed Stern $200,000 for the advertising plugs he gave SIRIUS. Citadel eventually pulled the show off 4 stations in Grand Rapids, Providence, Syracuse, and the lower Susquehanna Valley area of Lancaster, Harrisburg, and York during the show's Christmas vacation in 2004. Infinity Broadcasting suspended Stern for one day on November 8, 2005 because Stern was excessively promoting his move to SIRIUS.^[72]

On April 6, 2005 Stern pleaded on-air for Infinity Broadcasting to let him out of his contract, citing the reason of possible prosecution, per House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner's recommendation. FMQB.com quoted Stern saying that "Viacom was holding him to his contract" yet he didn't want to "do anything legal" like "breaking the contract" yet he felt that Stern was "being set up".^[73] Within Stern's contract with Viacom and Infinity Broadcasting, if he were to have been fired or have his show cancelled, his employer would have had to pay him and his production company $20 million.

In early June 2005, show comedian Artie Lange began missing shows, prompting concerns of a possible relapse into the substance abuse which had affected him in previous years. Lange at times would be spotted behaving incoherently and belligerently on the air. On July 27, Lange infamously sneered at Stern and the rest of the crew that "Artie's gonna do what Artie's gonna do." Lange then missed the next two days of work, with his absence being was written off as stress from doing the radio show in the mornings and the production of his film Artie Lange's Beer League. The real reason was made public in a spontaneous revelation on September 21, 2006 where Lange acknowledged that he was regularly snorting heroin from February to June 2005. Lange discussed prior episodes of heroin use, beginning when he was a stand-up comedian and continuing until Beer League was set to begin shooting. Lange detailed his painful withdrawal, which included common side effects such as cold sweats, shaking, and vomiting. Lange was threatened with legal action by producers of Beer League if he failed to show up for the first day of shooting in June 2005, which led Lange to secure a home visit from a doctor who prescribed Lange with Subutex to alleviate his heroin dependency.

The show's last live terrestrial broadcast was on December 16, 2005 from 6:00am to around 10:00am.^[74] 56 Street, the location of WXRK, was blocked off from traffic to allow a stage to be constructed for Stern, his radio show colleagues and Wack Pack members to make their "goodbye" speeches. The speeches began at around 8:10am, with Wack Pack members Cliff Palette and Fred The Elephant Boy starting them off while Stern was continuing the broadcast in the studio. As the show went on, each in-studio staff member would leave the studio for the last time and make their speech. First was Artie, followed by Gary, Fred then Robin. Howard then made his final speech at around 9:35am. Stern thanked the New York City Police Department and dedicated the show to Sgt. Keith Manning, a friend of the show who at the time was serving in Iraq. Many of Stern's final statements were edited out over the radio and even on the Yahoo! Internet broadcast. These statements largely pertained to Stern's animosity towards Clear Channel and the future at SIRIUS. Stern wrapped up with a final "F-Jackie!" and thanks, with the crowd chanting Stern's name as "Tortured Man" from the Private Parts film soundtrack was played out. When off the air, Stern and the show staff went to the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square on an open-top bus where Martha Stewart, who was broadcasting on her own SIRIUS XM channel, was on hand to induct Stern into the SIRIUS XM family.

As a response to the show leaving terrestrial radio, many of the radio stations under ownership of CBS Radio, including WXRK, changed format from talk to music. Just 8 months following the move to satellite, Advertising Age reported that revenue from the show became a third of what the terrestrial show commanded for a live read spot.^[75]

The first complaint sent to the FCC against the show was filed in 1986, when Stern asked a caller if they ever had sex with an animal. After replying "No", Stern responded to the caller by saying "Well don't knock it. I was sodomized by Lamb Chop. You know, that puppet Shari Lewis holds."^[76] The Commission decided only to issue a warning to WYSP, the show's Philadelphia affiliate, for broadcasting such "indecent" content.^[77] Because the Commission's indecency provisions of Section 1464 had been applied for the first time in many years, its standards of "indecency" no longer limited itself to the "seven dirty words" made famous by comedian George Carlin in 1972.^[78] However, in a 44-page reply by Karmazin, there were no complaints regarding any of the words contained in the Carlin monologue.^[16] Beforehand, the Commission's citation against the seven dirty words stood as a simple guide for broadcasters to follow.^[16] Later in 1987, the Commission redefined indecency as "language or material that depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory activities or organs."^[79]

In November 1990, following the broadcast on December 16, 1988, Infinity Broadcasting was fined a total of $6,000, with WXRK, WYSP and WJFK being fined $2,000 each.^[80] This was the first FCC fine in the show's history. In The History of Howard Stern, the fine included the incident whereby a man, who was in the station's bathroom to obtain an erection, played to the tune of "Jingle Bells" on a piano with his penis.^[81] Infinity vowed to fight the sanction, arguing that the results of a Gallup poll showed that no children under 12 years of age listen to the radio show on an unsupervised basis.^[82] Infinity owner Mel Karmazin, in a 1992 edition of New York Magazine, commented that he "would have done that show again" and had "provided the FCC with an awful lot of information that says that Oprah and Geraldo are discussing the same thing."^[83]

October 27, 1992 saw KLSX, owned by Greater Media, fined a record $105,000 by the FCC for broadcasting 12 incidents of alleged "indecent material" from Stern's show from October 30 to December 6, 1991.^[84] Greater Media had 30 days to respond following a 19-page complaint by Al Wescott, a 45-year-old musician who resided in Los Angeles before moving to Las Vegas.^[85] Infinity president Mel Karmazin believed Greater Media shouldn't feel obligated to pay the fine. "I am totally supportive of Stern's comments and by no means do I believe the excerpts are indecent. The FCC once again has mistaken free speech for indecency...if the letter were directed toward Infinity, we'd fight it big time," said Karmazin.^[86] It was later reported in a 1997 edition of Broadcasting & Cable that the settlement between Greater Media and the FCC included two $52,000 payments to the U.S. Treasury, in exchange for the dismissal of Wescott's complaint, the preceding fine and a later complaint against KLSX for indecency made in 1994.^[87]

Less than two months later on December 18, 1992, Infinity Broadcasting was fined again for "indecent" broadcasts on WXRK, WYSP and WJFK, for a record $600,000.^[88][89] Citing "the apparent pattern of indecent broadcasting exhibited over a substantial period," the Commission fined Infinity for airing the same broadcasts singled out in the KLSX/Greater Media case on the three Infinity-owned stations.^[16] Commissioner James Quello said that the panel voted 4-1 in issue of the fine, rather than subject Infinity to a hearing on whether it should lose its radio license.^[90][91][92] "Stern's rude social commentary and scatological humor are well within traditional First Amendment protection...such comments are hardly likely to harm children, who so frequently engage in similar humour themselves," responded the southern California office of the ACLU.^[93] Later in August 1993, acting on additional documented complaints about the show, the Commission levied a fine of $500,000 against Infinity as well as a $73,750 penalty against KFBI, the show's Las Vegas affiliate since November 9, 1992, for alleged indecency.^[16][94]

It was reported on September 1, 1995 that Infinity Broadcasting and the FCC had come to a settlement, following a $1.715 million "voluntary contribution" to the U.S. Treasury by Infinity, resolving all previous complaints made to the show for indecency.^[95] On September 11, the first live show following the settlement, Stern accused the FCC of "extortion...the biggest shakedown in history." Stern also said he was "sad" and "disappointed," adding that "The bullies have won. I lost. That means we all lost."^[96] Stern however, did praise Infinity. "They fought as long as they could. Honestly, I don't know what I would have done in their shoes. Everything they want to do has to go through the FCC, and they got jerked around plenty."^[97]

In 2004, the show was fined again.

After midnight on January 1, 2006, Stern called into the special New Years Eve show on Howard 100 presented by George Flowers and Lisa G of Howard 100 News.^[98] This was Stern's first time on satellite radio after his terrestrial radio contract expired at midnight on December 31, 2005.^[98] Following two live test broadcasts on January 3 and 5, a heartbeat sound effect could be heard on Howard 100 which got progressively faster. Television interviews of Stern could be faintly heard in the background.^[99] At 5:55am on January 9, the heartbeat broke away to Also sprach Zarathustra with added flatulence sound effects. George Takei then introduced himself as the show's new announcer. With no commercials to play, (the first being played on January 10) music was played to fix technical problems. It was revealed that 180,000 SIRIUS receivers were activated the day before on January 8. One of the first bits to be played included the uncensored versions of the Pat O'Brien sex tape along with song parodies about it. Stern also announced the list of revelations for the anticipated Revelations Game, where the show's staff told an unknown secret about themselves the following week on January 16 and 17.

In May 2006, Stern said that he had received offers from three major companies to return to terrestrial radio. Although he would never return, Stern did mention that it would be "cool to go back and kick their asses". None of the three names were released or came forward. Media organizations announced that Stern was thinking of returning to terrestrial radio. To clear up the rumors, the Associated Press were called on-air on May 10. While talking to the Associated Press, Stern said "the story is I wouldn't do terrestrial radio for any reason".^[100] That September, rumors once again arose that Stern would be returning to terrestrial radio. These rumors were once again denied by Stern and SIRIUS. SIRIUS representative Patrick Reilly told news agency United Press International that there were never "any discussions of Howard Stern in any way, shape, or form being anything but exclusive to SIRIUS." "Published reports suggesting otherwise are wrong."^[101]

On June 7, 2006 Stern announced on his show that the lawsuit settlement with CBS Radio (formerly Infinity Broadcasting) finally gave SIRIUS exclusive rights to Stern's entire back catalogue of radio shows from his time at WXRK which spanned over twenty years from November 1985 to December 2005, totaling almost 23,000 hours.^[102] It was reported that SIRIUS agreed to pay CBS $2 million for the rights, which equates to approximately $87 per hour of tape.^[103][104] SIRIUS holds the rights to the tapes until the end of Stern's current contract with SIRIUS (finishing in January, 2011) when all rights will return to Stern. This has allowed various special shows such as Mammary Lane, Stern Spotlight and The History of Howard Stern to be produced and aired while the show is on vacation.

On April 10, Artie Lange attempted to physically attack Teddy, his personal assistant, while on the air. An off-air argument between the two regarding the photocopying of Lange's passport escalated on the air as Stern asked Lange to explain the situation. The argument quickly turned to issues regarding money that Lange had loaned Teddy, and several staff members had to restrain Lange who lunged at Teddy, following the throwing of drinks at him. During the argument, Teddy referred to Bloomingdale's as "Bloomie's", which Lange thought was "gay". When Lange calmed down and returned to the studio, he blamed Stern for the fight, saying that he had "pushed" him to breaking point, and mentioned that he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't snap again in the future. Lange then informed Stern he loved him and "resigned."^[105] Following a week's vacation, Lange returned to the show on April 21.

Stern is a polarizing figure in the entertainment industry.^[106][107] In 2005, aides to former FCC Commissioner Michael Powell admitted that Stern is a lightning rod (for FCC action), while entertainers like Oprah Winfrey who also discuss issues like sexuality are "untouchable".^[108]

Over Stern's career, the Stern Show has drawn FCC complaints for indecency. These complaints are paid by the broadcast station against which the complaints were filed, not by Stern or the Stern Show. Stern routinely corrects callers and journalists about this misconception that Stern himself had to pay the various FCC fines.

The FCC has fined for content on The Howard Stern Show upwards of $5 million since 1990.^[76]

Stern feels that he has been selectively targeted by the FCC. Though this defense has never been used against the agency, some legal scholars believe that Stern's case passes the selective prosecution test and that the FCC's regulation of indecency is not proper.^[111] However, in a 2004 interview the FCC commissioner Jonathan Adelstein stated that the FCC was not out to drive Stern off the air and was just enforcing the law. "I don't think it's a necessary outcome that good content is driven away from the radio," Adelstein told Billboard Radio Monitor.^[76]

Media watchdog groups have been especially aggressive in attacking The Howard Stern Show, and Stern personally. Jack Thompson, a disbarred Florida attorney, has stated he thinks Stern should be in jail.^[112] The Parents Television Council headed by Brent Bozell has been one of Stern's chief critics,^[112] organizing write-in campaigns to the FCC and frequently appearing on television to speak against Stern.

One criticism of the show is that Howard is only funny when he has an enemy to rail against. After his move to Sirius in 2006, Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield wrote, "No wonder he's bored - he's got nobody to piss him off anymore".^[113] Stern has responded to these criticisms by making analogies like, "That's like saying Chris Rock's HBO special would have been better if he had a censor to fight."^[114]

For the Wack Pack regulars see: The Wack Pack

• Jackie Martling
• Steve Grillo "Gorilla"
• David Race as "Dave the Intern"
• Stuttering John
• Billy West
• Tom Chiusano, former general manager at WXRK
• Mitch Fatel as Mitch Fertel

• Bill Maher (angry at the show staff, refuses to appear anymore)^[115]
• Patrice Oneal (offended because Stern could not remember his name. Oneal decided to appear exclusively on Opie & Anthony.)^[116]

• Gina Girl
• Gina Man

• Chaunce Hayden (for misrepresenting Howard in the media ^{[citation needed]})
• Crazy Cabbie: former WXRK DJ^[117][118] (Cabbie was presumably banned for planning to sue Howard over disparaging comments about a weight loss product Cabbie was promoting on a June 2007 appearance.^[119][120]
• A.J. Benza: Physically fought with Stuttering John Melendez in 2001, and was banned from the WXRK building almost immediately after the altercation by Tom Chiusano. Recently has phoned in and was told that he could come back into the studio, as the Sirius studios are in a different Manhattan building than WXRK, and Melendez and Chiusano are no longer with the Stern show.

• Jackie Martling - Host of "Jackie's Joke Hunt" program on Sirius Howard 101 Channel.
• Adam Carolla - (The West Coast terrestrial radio replacement for Stern. Stern joked that when Adam gets fired, he is welcome back on the show.) Adam has called into Howard on Sirius and aired it on FreeFM in Los Angeles.
• Kidd Chris Hosted radio show on WYSP, but was fired in May 2008.
• Dead Air Dave - Former WXRK DJ and show censor on terrestrial radio. Now the afternoon drive host on WWFS New York.
• Andre Gardner, who formerly "hit the button" to censor Howard's show at WXRK, now hosts a radio show on WMGK in Philadelphia.

• Jackie Martling - Has never officially said "never" to re-joining the show, is the host of "Jackie's Joke Hunt" on Howard 101, has been subject of and interviewed for a Stern Spotlight showcase special, and The History of Howard Stern programs on Howard 100. However, he has admitted the demands of working on the Stern show as a full-time member are "An extremely tough life."
• Nancy Sirianni - Jackie's ex-wife. Appeared on Dial-a-Date in 2006.
• Barrett Moore also known as Veronica Caine (adult film star)
• Richard Simmons (may return as a regular, as they had been close friends on and off the air; he recently reconciled with Stern on the air after more than 10 years but again left in tears. Afterward Robin and Howard doubted the authenticity of Richard's emotional outburst.^[121])
• Billy West - Former employee, left due to disagreement with K-Rock management. He has returned to the show in a sense by appearing on Howard 101 with Greg Fitzsimmons. He was also interviewed due to his being the subject of a "Stern Spotlight" showcase special on Howard 100.

• List of celebrity guests on the Howard Stern Show
• The Howard Stern Show games and bits
• The Wack Pack

• Stern, Howard (1993). Private Parts (1st ed.). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0671880163. OCLC 28968496. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |chapterurl= and |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
• Stern, Howard (1995). Miss America (1st ed.). Regan Books. ISBN 978-0060391676. OCLC 33432817. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |chapterurl= and |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)

• HowardStern.com - Official show website including show run-downs since July 2004.
• MarksFriggin.com - Daily radio show run-down since September 1995.
• HowardStern.wikia.com - Howard Stern Wikia Project.