A Howard Stern Podcast?



(image via highspeedsat)

He was supposed to revolutionize satellite radio. In fact, if this was 1999 and not 2009, Howard Stern may well have. But who wants to invest in pay satellite radio in what may well be the early stages of a Depression? And who, with the demise of the auto industry, is going to buy the automobiles where optional satellite-capable radios are included in the car’s purchase price? It's a hell of a mess Mel Karmazin is in.

This puts Howard Stern, who has always fancied himself something of a populist, in a bad position. He makes an astonishing $100 million a year ($80 million in cash) and has ruled out ever returning to terrestrial radio again (It is a point of pride). He just may retire branded with the scarlet letter "G," for Greed, for having put a nail in the coffin of independent satellite radio by bleeding it dry with his salary demands. Or, he may try something completely different media-wise. From Entertainment Weekly:

"With the news that the struggling satellite radio conglomerate Sirius XM may be filing for bankruptcy, fans of fart jokes and Artie Lange death-watchers everywhere are asking the question: What will happen to Howard Stern?

"If Sirius XM needs to cut costs, getting rid of Howard would certainly free up some cash: $100 million a year, actually, which would pay for an awful lot of classic-rock deep cuts. But then again, cutting loose Howard Stern is a good way to lose a lot of subscribers. Stern was saying on his show just this morning that there's nothing to worry about, it's just a minor snafu and satellite radio will be ruling the free world on schedule. Obviously, that's what he needs to say -- it wouldn't do to have the flagship host crapping his pants on air. And if it comes to pass that satellite radio does sign off, Stern's listeners needn't panic because satellite radio needs him more than he needs satellite radio.

"I was e-mailing with marketing wizard and lifelong Sternophile Ernest Lupinacci, and he proposed that Stern could easily do the show on his own and sell it as a daily podcast, using the Ricky Gervais model. 'In the new digital age, distribution is fungible,' Ernest wrote, adding that if Stern builds himself a studio, he can record a daily show and then easily distribute it to subscribers. Let’s say he has 3 million listeners willing to pay just $3 per month for daily podcasts. (As compared to Sirius XM’s $12.95 monthly rate.) That’s $108 million in revenue a year."

This actually sounds like something that Stern, who has ruled out looking backwards to terrestrial radio, might go in for. It is forward; it is edgy; it is Sterny. More here.