Howard Stern signs new contract with Sirius-XM satellite radio
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I am a fan of the Howard Stern Show and have been ever since he moved to satellite radio five years ago and since I hate music in the morning I have become an avid listener. As a result I was pleased when I heard him say he was staying on. Here’s the story from The New York Daily News:
Howard Stern ended months of speculation Thursday morning and announced he’s signed a new five-year deal to stay with Sirius Satellite Radio.
“If we’re going to stay in radio, we should stay here,” Stern told listeners and his staff Thursday morning. “We’re in an incredible position and suddenly there’s real growth. It’s a real business.”
Stern rocked the radio world in 2005 when he started at Sirius backed with a $500 million contract. His renewal announcement came with just a handful of regular shows left in his current deal.
Stern declined to discuss his salary, though he said earlier this week he wouldn’t take a pay cut.
“The contract was fair,” Stern said. “I know Sirius was happy with it and I’m happy with it.”
One of the keys to the deal was Sirius would be distributed on other platforms, such as the iPhone, which hadn’t been in place before.
The announcement ended months of speculation and hand wringing over his future and the future of Sirius. Five years ago, his move to Sirius led to millions of new subscribers for the company, many of which followed from terrestrial radio. At the time, Sirius had just 600,000 listeners. Now, through his arrival and a merger with competitor XM Radio, along with additional marketing and business deals, the company reaches as many as 20 million people.
“Deep down in my heart I knew I wanted to stay here,” Stern said.
Stern said he’d considered other offers along the way, but ultimately decided Sirius was the way to go. He reiterated that he thought terrestrial radio was dead.
He said he hoped all of his staff, who all negotiate separate deals, would stay with him.
He did say there would be some changes to his workload, but said those deals are still being worked out.
“Sirius is allowing me a lot of flexibility with the show,” he said. “I guarantee there will be plenty of me to go around.”
He currently works a four-day week, with Friday being a best-of show.
“It’s really important to our listeners that we do a fresh show in the morning at 6 a.m.,” he said. “I believe a fresh morning show is what our fans truly want.”
“I don’t want to see what we started disappear,” co-host Robin Quivers said, reacting to the news.
Under the new deal, Stern will continue to program two channels.
“I can’t see us going to another place,” Stern said, “we’ve got a good little machine here.”
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