It Looks Like Howard Stern Will Retire In 2010



(image via newsday)

Glad to hear that someone on The Howard Stern Show is reading this blog (we often send links to the show's producer, Gary Dell' Abbate). For the first time, the morning talk show host yesterday discussed -- answering, indirectly some of our questions -- retirement, a subject we have increasingly been blogging about. On December 6th, we wrote: "One also wonders what Howard Stern, the 800-lb gorilla in the industry, will do after his contract with Sirius radio expires in 2010? It will end in a down market, so clearly he won't be able to continue earning $80 million dollars a year. At least not on satellite radio. But a return to terrestrial would be considered a defeat. Would Howard Stern take a pay cut to defend an institution that may, in this terrible economy, be in an hour of the wolf? Or would Howard take the money and run and just retire without fighting for his baby -- satellite radio -- in its hour of need (also a signal of defeat)." From Marksfriggin, on yesterday's Stern Show:

"(A caller) went on to ask Howard about retiring in 2 years and if Beth wants him to do it. Howard said he believes that he's going to leave after two years and he's done enough. This is his swan song being there. He said he was ready to quit after the last contract. If satellite radio hadn't been invented he wouldn't have gone on to do more radio.

"The caller asked if Beth is going to run Howard's life like Sharon Osbourne does with Ozzy. Howard said it's not going to be like that and Beth is looking forward to him being around more. He said they get along great and they love being around each other. He said she didn't want him leaving bed this morning when he got up. Howard said that's really sweet.

".. Gary asked Howard about leaving in two years. He wondered if that's pretty definite. Howard said that he's really not sure at this point but he's heard that there is a lot of work out there for them if they do leave. Howard said there are other venues that want them. Howard said that if he's not on SIRIUS he's done. He said that nothing gets better than this and if this show is gone, he's done. Howard said that he's not going to do movies and stuff like that. He said this is really the best.

"Howard said he's not sure he'd do a talk show because he's just hire people to do comedy sketches and stuff. Howard said that he might keep the channels running there if the company wants him to do that. The caller suggested that they just cut the show back to a couple of days a week. Howard said he might do that.

"Howard said that he would do a couple of days a week and maybe take the whole summer off. Howard said that if the fans don't want that then he's not going to do any show. Gary said that Barbara Walters only does one show a week. Howard said that the company would have to want that too. It would be a whole thing they'd have to discuss."

And on the aftershow, the news set in yesterday with Gary, John Hein and Banjy that they will not have a job in 2 years time (which may still be in the thick of the recession) and might want to look at opportunities producing TV talk shows. Again, from Marksfriggin:

"Jon Hein started the guys off talking about Howard's discussion about retiring. Gary said that today seemed to be the first day he was really serious about not wanting to do it anymore. Gary said that he's kind of been preparing for this for years but it still hits him when he hears it. Benjy said he wasn't surprised by it. He's expected Howard to say that. Gary said that Howard doesn't have to work anymore and that's obvious if you read the papers. Benjy said that he thinks that Howard doesn't know for sure and things could change in 2 years.

"Gary said that Howard used to say that he wasn't quite sure but today it seemed like he was pretty set on retiring in 2 years."

As Mel Karmazin battles NASDAQ delisting, the future of Howard Stern on satellite radio -- the very future of satellite radio itself -- doesn't look good. Interestingly, terrestrial radio, which is also navigating the waters of the financial collapse, the uncertain future of the auto industry and its effects on the ad market, probably needs Howard Stern more that anyone and is capable of offering Medici-type monies for his services. The question is: would Stern make that backwards -- and it can only be properly construed as backwards -- leap?

Finally, did CEO Mel Karmazin err profoundly in focusing on getting Sirius radio in cars in light of the collapse of the automobile industry (who, in their right mind, is going to buy a new car in 2009)?

More, new posts here.