Five years after Howard Stern predicted his “final five years in radio,” the (former) shock jock has changed his mind. Stern, who’s a major draw for Sirius XM subscribers, struck a new deal with the satellite radio juggernaut. This decision came after speculation that Stern would sign on for a different subscriber service or even pull an Adam Carolla (who runs the world’s most downloaded podcast from the luxury of his own home). Sirius was reportedly anxious to not test social media claims that people would cancel without Stern in the saddle, but their worries are over for another five years. Sirius XM will hold onto its most prized voice.
Stern’s new deal will not only keep him on air until 2020, but he’s made a number of amendments to his current perks. He’ll stretch his long legs into video programming (with a video app), but there’s a catch — Sirius will have free reign with Stern’s audio and video library (for 12 years). His current salary is $80 million per year, and it’s highly likely that Sirius upped that amount. Stern seems pleased to announce the renewed deal to his listeners:
“I am living a dream here on satellite radio, and [Sirius CEO] Jim Meyer is my life partner, and the baby we are about to have is our new streaming video app. As a broadcaster, it does not get better than working at Sirius XM, and I’m truly excited for the future with this great company. I happen to think that its best days are ahead. So, if you are not listening to Sirius XM and The Howard Stern Show, then you are really more like a zombie, a rotting corpse monster, living half a life, deadened and blackened inside. It’s as if you were still watching black-and-white television while shopping in actual stores on your way to the post office to fax a memo.”
Zombies and corpse monsters? This is a typically hilarious Stern take, and his deal is a sweet one. He broadcasts from his own channel three days a week, and he doesn’t have to hustle like he did during those early days at WNNNNNNNBC. Not bad, not bad.
(Via Hollywood Reporter)