HAS Howard Stern jumped the shark?
Howard Stern: trendsetter, influential, innovative, controversial, in the center of lawsuits, always fighting The Man, pushing the freedom of speech issue in our faces…his place in talk radio history has been assured. He’s been on Sirius subscriber-only radio for the last few years, so it’s very hard to gauge his quality now. After all, most of his listeners are fanatical loyalists who actually pay money to listen to him. However, I read some internet forums from some former subscribers, and have my own ideas.
For the record, I listened (or watched) Howard probably from 1989 to 1999 on and off. The late night TV shows I saw on WWOR were border-line legal for TV- and I shamed to admit I liked them; I even liked his E! TV show in 1990’s. As far as radio goes, I tended to get burned out after a few days before putting him on again. After a while, the content became too sexist and abusive. Too unhealthy.
Since jumptheshark.com has sold out, here are some possible scenarios outlining when/why Howard Stern has lost his peak:
1) NEVER jumped; Howard is still relevant today. Become a subscriber and listen to how funny and cool he still is.
2) DAY ONE: The man is filth personified and a pervert, who should have never been able to use public radio waves or public TV.
3) 1995: Racist parody of the death of Selina
4) The King of all Media: Movie, TV, book, radio, E!
5) The Divorce. Part of Stern’s on-air personae and appeal was actually being married and somehow remaining true to his wife; then came the Big D. His 2001 divorce was THE time for listeners to live through Howard’s single life, but he never explored it.
6) Jumping to paid radio. $12.95 a month vs for FREE. Take your pick. The size of his market has shrunk because of it. With sooooo many free options on the internet now…why would 9-5 workers pay $12.95/month for satellite radio?
7) 2004: The multi-millionaire Howard goes political, and becomes a left-wing Rush Limbaugh.
2008- Has he become the cliche rich @$$hole that he made his listeners despise all of this years? He was shocked about how much a gallon of gas was. Howard uses callers to make the show, not his own life anymore.
9) Network bans, changing stations, FCC violations, CBS lawsuits, kicked out of Canada…tiring after a while?
10) Time/era. Is there anything left in the envelope to push anymore, even on “uncensored” Sirius radio? It’s 2009…what makes Howard different, unique, or entertaining anymore. Yeah, a bestiality dating show back in 1985 was fresh and innovative (if not offensive to many)…but what about now?
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