The Howard Stern Show delayed its on-air return to Monday, September 8, after social media accounts for the program posted an update that moved the planned September 2 return to almost a week later.
Newsweek reached out via email to SiriusXM for comment.
Why It Matters
The show’s brief social media-driven campaign had promised a major on-air announcement amid widespread speculation about whether “shock jock” Stern, 71, would continue his long-running program with SiriusXM, which began in 2006, with implications for satellite radio revenue, listener habits, and talent deals across the industry.
Stern has been a decades-long fixture in the United States and beyond, gaining traction and millions of listeners as part of his nationally syndicated radio program that aired from 1986 to 2005. Due to concerns about free speech and government crackdowns on radio and television, Stern announced in 2004 that he would sign a five-year contract with Sirius Satellite Radio and usher in “a new era of radio” unbeholden to tighter creative control.
His initial contract with Sirius was worth $500 million. He later signed another five-year deal that went into effect in 2020.
What To Know
The Howard Stern Show’s social accounts posted on Tuesday: “Howard Stern will now speak Monday, September 8,” moving the previously announced September 2 return without any explanation.
Listeners who tuned in on the morning the show aired heard a broadcast that ran ads and reruns rather than a live show, according to Newsday. Comments to social media posts on platforms like X were turned off, ramping speculation about the show’s future.
In an August 15 Instagram post from the Stern Show, it was promised that Stern would return on September 2. The post stated: “Fired? Retiring? Canceled? Bye-Bye Booey? Howard Stern will speak. Tuesday, September 2. Only on @siriusxm #Howard100.”
Stern reportedly emailed his 95 employees on Labor Day evening “out of the blue” about the news of the show’s delay, calling the decision a result of “frustrations over the new contract” he’s been negotiating with SiriusXM, according to the Daily Mail.
Broader questions about salary and a new contract are claimed to be stifling Stern’s return and amping up the speculation about the next phase of his career.
One industry insider told the U.S. Sun: “Sirius and Stern are never going to meet on the money he is going to want. It’s no longer worth the investment.”
What People Are Saying
Glenn Beck, founder of The Blaze: “Howard Stern did so much to destroy our country. He was a trailblazer for freedom of speech, but he was also a trailblazer for degrading our society.”
What Happens Next
Industry watchers said the September 8 show may clarify whether SiriusXM and Stern reached an agreement, whether Stern planned a shorter renewal, or whether the program’s future would change in a different way.
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