I think this is a good thing to discuss since Stern has made overtures on his radio program(which he has done in the past, as most people know) that after this deal is up(Dec 31st, 2010), he will most likely retire.

And this time, I think it should be taken seriously(no pun intended).

Look at it this way:

1. He will be 56-57 years old at the end of the deal.

2. His youngest child, unless Beth O. pops out a puppy a long the way, which is not out of the question, will be 17-18, and graduating High School on her way to college. His "job" as a parent, will be prettyy much fullfiled.

3. He made the BIGGEST DEAL of his life with this current deal(5 years/$500 million, whether or not he disputes it. I am sure it is accurate), and it is MOST LIKELY, a combined company or not, could NEVER come close to offering up that type of Jack again. Not REMOTELY CLOSE. He would have to take a pay cut in order to stay, and I don't think his ego will allow it.

4. Or he just may be plain tired of actually doing the show at this point. Let's face it, getting up at 4:00am 4 days(used to be five) a week for over 25 years would takes it toll on anyone. Both physically and mentally. It just blows getting up that early. I bitch about getting up at 6:00am(I would prefer 11:00am or later), and that qualifies most of the working people in this country, most likely.

How many of you would leave, drop out if he goes?

This would be the Stern effect in reverse, of course.

Do you think Sirius, or a combined compnay, would try to FORCE people to stay?

They still have that damn $75 cancellation fee, which they tend to hold over peoples heads when they try to leave sometimes.

It has been posted here countless times here(which has me bugged in case I want to leave. I prepay year to year) what a PIA it can be sometimes to leave, and some people have been hit with that $75 fee(granted they fought to get it removed, but some people won't just to avoid the headache), while others have not.

The new company may use threat tactics to keep people if they notice a gargantuan drop in subs because Stern is now gone.

Granted he could just re-up(I really don't think they can afford him), and this could be moot(3 years max, I would guess). He will NEVER go back to terrestrial radio, even if they offered up the Jack/money. Unless there is some sort of complete 180 degree swing on their(FCC/government) policies towards language/content on terrestrial radio.

If he does, I think he would switch to afternoons(2pm or later start time) as a way to leave, and let someone else do mornings.

Even though mornings is where it is AT in terrestrial radio, satellite radio is a DIFFERENT BEAST all together. Since his show repeats all day(and why would that change), they could just record LIVE in the afternoon/early evening, and play it all night, and into the next day(his morning show would be a repeat of the previous days show). I think that this is a strong possibility for him staying, but HE WOULD have to take a PAY CUT, no doubt.

Or Sirius/XM company could just say thanks, and try to sign a bunch of radio talent(radio, not just media/star talent) like Rush Limbaugh, Ron and Fez, Opie and Anthony, Bubba, Imus(if he is still alive), Dan Patrick, Tony Kornheiser, Jim Rome, etc... and hope that all that talent signing EXCLUSIVELY with them could keep everything going. Not all of them, but a good percentage of the above mentioned RADIO TALENT would be needed to helm ride it out IMHO.

I don't know what I would do.

I have had satellite radio going on 5 years now(first XM, then Sirius), and have been more than happy with it.

BUT, I walways had Stern in the morning on terrestrial then satellite radio, and satellite during the rest of the day.

I think if it was pretty clear if he was going to retire in 2010, I think I would:

1. Switch to MONTH TO MONTH in 2010 just as an easier way to get out at the end of the term of my sub. My sub runs from July to July, so in 2010 i would switch to month to month, and no longer have a 1 year pre-apid, so i am not locked in.

2. Maybe DOWNGRADE my subscription to a lower tier(music only) just to lower the cost, and go to terrestrial for talk/sports.

I don't know, but just wondering how others felt.

XM 202 nuff said.

^^^^
Huh/What?

I figured this would probably degrade into some sort of pointless O and A/Howard thread, but that is not the point.

But the asses on both sides usually appear, no matter what.

Stern who? Are we talking about Stern John, the soccer player? I didn't realize he was that old. Does he have a show on satellite radio?

Seriously, I subscribe to XM, not Sirius, but the thread was for satellite radio subscribers, so I can answer.

Obviously, the immediate answer for me is no. It wouldn't mean squat to me if he disappeared tomorrow. Obviously it means a great deal to some, but not me. YMMV.

Why would someone pay a $75 cancellation fee when a 1-year subscription doesn't cost much more than that? Just let your subscription lapse; there's nothing they can do about it except offer you a better deal. Follow whatever steps you need to do to not renew your subscription if renewal is automatic. If the process is unfairly arcane or impossible, let your state Attorney General know. If they charge your credit card without authorization, refuse to pay it and let Sirius deal with your CC company. Push comes to shove, if they have your card number on file, just cancel that card and get a different number from your CC company before "automatic renewal" time. It may not apply to Sirius, but AFAIK, with XM you can pay up to 5 years in advance and cancel whenever you want and get the unused part back (this was what I read on their website a year ago, anyway).

Some of my thoughts on some of your other questions - they are worth about as much as you paid for them (i.e. nothing), but here goes:

If I had just finished a $500,000,000 contract it wouldn't make any difference how many kids I still had in school. If I wanted to retire, I'd retire, unless I had squandered the money and had little or none left. Going to the office every day isn't the biggest job of being a parent; providing for your kids is. In most cases, even a small part of $500 M should do quite nicely with plenty left after taxes and paying retail at the most expensive college in the country, unless you failed dismally at some other aspects of being a parent. Any idea how much Mr. Stern has left?

If you're talking about Sirius keeping Mr. Stern working for them, nobody can FORCE someone not worried about money to stay unless they have evidence against them.

If you're talking about Sirius FORCING subscribers to continue subscribing, how in the world can they do that? Are they going to threaten to send someone to your house to break your knees? Probably not cost-effective and definitely a disincentive for new subscriptions.

If you're that worried about it, just go month-to-month when the time gets near, and use a CC number you don't mind cancelling.

I could never go back to FM radio.....never!

I dont listen to Stern anyway so it dont matter. I'll stick with Sirius. the only way I'd think about switching is if college and NFL football switched. of course, if the merger goes through, it's all moot.

i'll stick with sirius... i cant go back to Fm.... its not the same anymore....

He is on vacation most of the time so it wouldn't be much differant if he retired.

He is on vacation most of the time so it wouldn't be much differant if he retired.


O&A pest allert.....

Oh...did they save FM yet?

lol...

Favorite shows will always come and go but the overall Sat radio experience is so far ahead of FM now that I can't imagine living without it.

There's no fee to cancel satellite service. That's utter nonsense. There's a $75 fee to transfer lifetime service in between radios, but Sirius waives it most of the time.

I will likely keep at least one radio, but Sirius needs to come up with something to replace him. I was hoping it would be Bubba, but now it seems like they have screwed that up.

I had Sirius before Howard and I'll have Sirius after Howard but I'm really enjoying the ride while he's here!:D

Stern could have retired in 2006 if he wanted to. Sure the Sirius money is huge (though contrary to what most people think he doesn't get the full $500M) but he was already ridiculously wealthy.

He does the show because it's his life. I don't see him flat out retiring. He'll probably do 3 days a week, or maybe he'll switch to afternoons. Fact is there is nobody who can replace him. Bubba? No way. O&A? (Crickets.) There is nobody on his staff who can fill his shoes. When he goes, it's the end of an era, the end of a legend. And I'm not sure he's ready to face that at age 54.

I'll keep Sirius for my car because satellite is far superior to FM. But in the house I won't have any use for it.

OK I agree I liked Stern when he was on FM. I kinda like O&A on XM. But I have been with XM since 2001 and listened to Bubba the Love Sponge when he was on FM but also on XM.

I honeslty could care less if XM/Sirius merge. BUT I would like to have it so I continue to get all my XM stations and ALL of the Sirius stations. I would rather not go out and buy another receiver just to listen to all Sirius has to offer.

The fact of the story will be there will be some stations that go since there is no need to 2 "90's" stations. But Stern and O&A with the same company... wow that is hard to digest.

OK I agree I liked Stern when he was on FM. I kinda like O&A on XM. But I have been with XM since 2001 and listened to Bubba the Love Sponge when he was on FM but also on XM.

I honeslty could care less if XM/Sirius merge. BUT I would like to have it so I continue to get all my XM stations and ALL of the Sirius stations. I would rather not go out and buy another receiver just to listen to all Sirius has to offer.

The fact of the story will be there will be some stations that go since there is no need to 2 "90's" stations. But Stern and O&A with the same company... wow that is hard to digest.


why would that be hard to digest?

Never listened to him, probably never will

SHUT UP!!! He'll never retire, damn you...

But seriously, I don't know. I would keep it for another year, and then decide. See what kind of talent is added. But, the day satrad becomes purely a musical distribution system to me, is probably the day I consider cancelling. Something like a slacker radio that automatically updates daily with new music, would be an option. There are a lot of options actually.

Plus, eventually, like everything else, prices will rise. Now, I am happy. Heck, I get so much daily entertainment from Howard, I'd pay even more for it. But once he's gone, AND prices rise.. I'd have to at least consider cancelling.

I will never go back to testicle radio. If he retires, he retries. It will suck and I'll begin to hate my job even more without him and the crew in the mornings. I'll just catch up on my Colin Cowherd when he's done. Man, the more I think about it the more it's gonna suck.

I'll keep it. Ellis aka The Future aka 6 lbs soft is a great Stern Alternative. He's still improving but by the time Stern is leaving he should have his show down.

music is the best.......


Stern or O&A whatever your pleasure are icing on the cake.

Could never go back to cookie cutter Radio with hosts who have the Marv Albert Yucking it up approach to radio.

I probably would pay up to $50 a month, that's how important music variety is to me.

Never listened to Stern so I really don't care, I use Sirius for the music. I would never go back to terrestrial radio. We are going on a 5000+ mile road trip this summer and Sirius music will make every day pleasant.

Depends on if the merger goes though and what Sirius looks like then. It is better than FM...not the sound quality but the content...also the fact that I can drive anywhere in the country and listen to my favorite shows.

why would that be hard to digest?


Stern and O&A really don't mix well. Stern kept O&A off the radio.

That is why when O&A came back they were part of the "extra cost to listen" deal.

I listened to Howard a few times when he was on locally in Indy for a year or two. I honestly don't "get him". Is he funnier uncensored on satellite than he was on "free" radio? I swear to God, my friends and I have funnier conversations every day than he had on his show, at least those I listened to.

By the way, I have XM and don't think O and A are funny either. I have nothing against "edgy" comedy, It just needs to be funny. I guess some people are more easily amused than others.

Stern and O&A really don't mix well. Stern kept O&A off the radio.

That is why when O&A came back they were part of the "extra cost to listen" deal.
Stern did not keep them off the air and had nothing to do with them coming back as premium programing on XM.

I don't think Stern will retire, he loves himself too much.
I think he may change the format to suit him (less hours yet more money).
But if he does, staying with satellite will depend on what Sirius does.
It is not worth the ~ $13 per month at the current quality.
Sound quality is too awful for me to pay a premium. If they think variety is more important than sound quality, well, my iPod can hold 10,000+ songs easily and sounds 10 times better than Sirius in my car.
So they would have to drastically lower their price, offer ala carte programming for a better price, or up the quality to at least 128k mp3, which to me is the standard.
Currently, it sounds like 64k quality.

I listened to Howard a few times when he was on locally in Indy for a year or two. I honestly don't "get him". Is he funnier uncensored on satellite than he was on "free" radio? I swear to God, my friends and I have funnier conversations every day than he had on his show, at least those I listened to.

By the way, I have XM and don't think O and A are funny either. I have nothing against "edgy" comedy, It just needs to be funny. I guess some people are more easily amused than others.


Do you find anyone/anything on the radio funny?

Do you find anyone/anything on the radio funny?

Not so much, really . I admit I don't listen to many regular "morning shows" anymore. Here where I live, in the Indianapolis area, there is a morning show called "The Bob and Tom Show" which used to be very funny when it was only a local show, but several years ago they began to syndicate themselves around the country and to tell you the truth they became less funny almost as soon as they did. They have too many so-so comedians on their show when they are in town at the local comedy clubs. Bob and Tom do have some funny stuff still but they get old real quick. Even so I think their show is still MUCH funnier than Howard Stern.

I used to think Phil Hendrie (sp?) was really funny, but I don't think he's on anymore (if he is, please somebody let me know when and where!).

To tell you the truth, about the funniest radio personality I hear today is Steve Czaban on Fox Sports Radio in the mornings. I recently turned 44 so maybe I'm just too damn old.:)

Since I'm not a Stern fan, I'm with XM. But I almost never listen to the talk/sports stations on XM (comedy channels being the exception with the local traffic station). I'm there for the music. To be honest, his departure would improve my chances of staying with the combined company if the merger goes through. I'm not really into my subscription helping to pay his mega-salary. To be honest, they could drop him, O&A, Oprah and all the other personalities and I'd find SatRad greatly improved. *g* Same goes for the sports. They all just drive up the cost of the service.

Since I'm not a Stern fan, I'm with XM. But I almost never listen to the talk/sports stations on XM (comedy channels being the exception with the local traffic station). I'm there for the music. To be honest, his departure would improve my chances of staying with the combined company if the merger goes through. I'm not really into my subscription helping to pay his mega-salary. To be honest, they could drop him, O&A, Oprah and all the other personalities and I'd find SatRad greatly improved. *g* Same goes for the sports. They all just drive up the cost of the service.

I have a different outlook.

The companies merge. Howard continues to attract large numbers of new subscribers, even more so post merger. The subscription numbers increase, the combined company becomes profitable, everything is rosey, then he retires, freeing up 100s of millions more in revenue.

I have a different outlook.

The companies merge. Howard continues to attract large numbers of new subscribers, even more so post merger. The subscription numbers increase, the combined company becomes profitable, everything is rosey, then he retires, freeing up 100s of millions more in revenue.

And then Howie developes a cure for cancer, eliminates hunger in the world and brings peace to the Middle East :)

Stern will always be a legend in radio and their's just no replacing him, period. With that said, he will inevitably retire when there is nothing left for him to conquer in the radio world. I just don't see him going on as long as Imus.

And then Howie developes a cure for cancer, eliminates hunger in the world and brings peace to the Middle East :)

Wrong again... Howard knows this would lead to over population, more starvation, anarchy and world war.

He chooses to keep cancer and hunger and small scale wars.

I have a different outlook.

The companies merge. Howard continues to attract large numbers of new subscribers, even more so post merger. The subscription numbers increase, the combined company becomes profitable, everything is rosey, then he retires, freeing up 100s of millions more in revenue.

You miss the fact that when he retires, there will be a ton of cancellations. That's when we'll really know what the "Stern effect" really was.

Sure he's paid a ridiculous amount, but 1 million subscribers easily covers that cost, and he's responsible for at least three times that amount.

I'm just hoping that after the merger, they put Stern on XM so I can buy the car I really want ;)

You miss the fact that when he retires, there will be a ton of cancellations. That's when we'll really know what the "Stern effect" really was.
My guess is there are lots of people that tried out Sirius because of Howard, but won't leave if/when he's gone as now that they've tried it the convenience of commercial free music, good reception & tons of programming choices will keep them even sans Stern. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I tried Sirius primarily because of Howard's move, but have a tough time listening to regular radio anymore. Even if Howard left, I don't think I'd go back to regular radio anytime soon...

My guess is there are lots of people that tried out Sirius because of Howard, but won't leave if/when he's gone as now that they've tried it the convenience of commercial free music, good reception & tons of programming choices will keep them even sans Stern.

I agree and I am sure that Howard was pitching the same effect when he was originally working out his $500 million deal with Sirius.
There are plenty of people that have already been "hooked" by satellite radio and will continue their subs even if Howard retires. I'm one of those people.:)

My guess is that Howard loves broadcasting so much that he could never completely let it go. He may not be doing the morning show on a regular basis like we are used too, but he will still be involved in some way. Howard is loyal to his listeners and it will be interesting to see what happens after he leaves.

I can't listen to Howard since he is on SAT radio. It is just too much. I have Sirius now so him retiring would have no effect on my subscription.

I can't listen to Howard since he is on SAT radio. It is just too much. I have Sirius now so him retiring would have no effect on my subscription.

Did you initially subscribe to Sirius Radio because of Howard?

No I subscribed because that is the SAT radio that is compatible with the OEM radio in my new car. This was after Howard had already switched to Sirius. My Dad is a huge Howard fan and got Sirius just for him. I have been in the car with him while listening to it and had to ask him to turn it off. I used to listen to Howard almost daily for years when he was on FM so it is not like I am some up tight person. I think the way he used to push the limits of what he could do made it fun. Now that there are no limits the show has gone to an ugly place that I do not care to listen to. Just my opinion.

I listen to the Jagger show now in the morning which is a local FM talk show. It is great.