Several days ago, a friend mentioned America's Got Talent, which I have not watched since Howard Stern became a judge (haven't watched since before that, actually). I tried watching an episode but couldn't get through it. It got me thinking about Howard Stern though, and how I haven't listened to him since at least the very early 2000s or before, so I looked him up on YouTube and found a ton of shows from HowardTV. HowardTV is apparently some kind of On-Demand thing but it has never been available on any cable/satellite plan I've ever had.
Anyway, I started watching some of them and realized I had never listened to the show with Artie co-hosting - that was all after my time; the last time I listened to it, Jokeman Jackie Martling was still there. I started in on the videos that had famous guests, then moved on to the many videos featuring stories from and arguments amongst the staff and regulars. It took several days, but I got caught up on most of it.
What shocked me is how completely irrelevant Howard Stern has become. His move to Sirius made him an awful lot of money, but almost completely removed him from pop culture. He's managed to make headlines a few times since returning to mainstream entertainment but that attention isn't going to attract more satellite radio subscribers and Howard Stern knows it.
I was never a big Stern fan, but I have always enjoyed his show specifically because it is so low-brow and pointless. It makes for a pleasant diversion while I am doing other things. But I totally get the appeal; after several episodes, I was hooked on these peoples' lives. The main thing I noticed - and this could be a good thing or could be seen as bad - is that The Howard Stern Show hasn't changed at all since the last time I listened to it over 10 years ago. On the one hand, it made it exceptionally accessible after so many years away; on the other, 20 years of the same thing seems excessive.
Howard Stern has proven that he is consistent in an unstable industry, but his move to Sirius decimated his audience. I have to wonder if his show could make it on terrestrial radio today or if it would be considered tired and played.
© C Harris Lynn, 2012
A rambling melange of pop-culture.
1 comment:
This was on Ken Levine's blog about a week before mine appeared but I missed it. I used to read Levine's blog everyday as part of ritual de lo habitual, but I haven't read it much in the past several months.
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