More from Howard himself which confirms that Frontmed and others are just plain manipulating liars.
DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ
The show started with Howard talking about an article that appeared in today’s New York Post that claimed he was set to return to terrestrial radio. After reading the story, whose writer, John Mainelli, stated there were “rumors” that Howard was going back to regular radio, Howard announced, once again, that he was not returning to terrestrial radio. Howard added that the report also said the show’s guests have “dried
up,” which he noted was another unfounded claim, explaining the caliber of the show’s guests hasn’t changed since its days at K-ROCK, and that he still turns down many guests who ask for interviews. Howard also refuted the article’s claim that his popularity on the Internet had waned in the past few months, noting that, despite unfounded claims to the contrary, both Google and Yahoo report no significant decline in Howard Stern searches. Finally, he pointed out that SIRIUS surpassed XM in market share last year and recent
figures show that they are increasing their lead, while also noting experts predict the service will have over 6 million subscribers by the end of the year. Howard added he wasn’t surprised reporters write about him, seeing as his name sells newspapers, but admitted he didn’t understand why he was singled out for criticism while most other celebrities get “free passes.”
Gary took issue with the guests comment in the article, and read names of some of the celebrities who have been on the show since January, a list that included Jon Stewart, Sarah Silverman, Paul Giamatti and Donald Trump – just to name a few. Howard then asked Gary if there was any way to get the reporter on the phone, but Gary recalled that the guy had never agreed to be interviewed when he wrote disparaging pieces about him in the past, so he didn’t think there was much of a chance today either.
THE NEVER-ENDING LIST
Gary mentioned he and Jason came up with the following list chronicling why critics have suggested Howard was “over” throughout the years:
• His divorce
• His move from afternoon to morning
• His syndication deal
• His Selena statement
• The claim that “Private Parts” made him “too mainstream”
• The assertion that the shock value of the show was wearing down
• The feeling that his competitors were going to “dethrone” him
• His switch to SIRIUS
Upon reading the list, Gary recalled that when the show was number one in New York for over 20 years, no one ever reported that, but, if the show took a dip in ratings, they had no problem writing about it, even though it was still the most-listened to show in the country. Robin then told Howard he should take the write-ups he gets as compliments, which he responded he did, but that he sometimes felt obligated to address them on the air. |
