What exactly did Howard Stern say to get pulled off the air?

Howard Stern dumped from radio station
By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Radio station giant Clear Channel Communications says it is dumping nationally syndicated shock jock Howard Stern from its stations under a new "zero tolerance" policy toward indecency.

In dropping Stern from its six radio outlets that carry his show, Clear Channel cited his interview on Tuesday with Rick Salomon, the man who was filmed having sex with hotel heiress and TV reality star Paris Hilton in a video widely distributed on Internet p*rn sites.

According to a transcript of the show released by San Antonio, Texas-based Clear Channel, Stern asked Salomon if he engaged in anal sex and referred to the size of his penis. Using a racist term, a caller to the show asked Solomon if he had ever had sex with any famous black women.

The action against Stern came a day after Clear Channel fired Florida radio personality "Bubba the Love Sponge", after federal regulators accused him of airing sexually graphic material on Tampa's WXTB-FM and three other Florida stations.

Stern's New York-based show is syndicated by Infinity Broadcasting, a unit of Viacom Inc., which also owns television networks CBS and MTV.

A spokesman for Infinity was not immediately available for comment and a Viacom spokesman declined comment. Neither Stern's agent nor producers of his show were immediately available for comment.

Viacom president Mel Karmazin reportedly has imposed a crackdown on sexually explicit material on Infinity stations, declaring in a recent company-wide conference call: "This company won't be a poster child for indecency."

'ZERO TOLERANCE'

The action against Stern came after Clear Channel announced what Chief Operating Officer Mark Mays called a "zero tolerance" policy toward material deemed in violation of federal decency standards for broadcasting.

"Clear Channel drew a line in the sand today with regard to protecting our listeners from indecent content, and Howard Stern's show blew right through it," Clear Channel Radio president John Hogan said in a statement.

"It was vulgar, offensive and insulting, not just to women and African Americans but to anyone with a sense of common decency."

The San Antonio-based company, the largest U.S. radio station operator with more than 1,200 outlets, said it will amend contracts with all on-air personalities to hold disc jockeys financially responsible for indecent comments on-air.

The Stern show was carried by Clear Channel stations in six markets -- Fort Lauderdale, Rochester, Orlando, San Diego, Pittsburgh, and Louisville.

The policy changes are the latest taken by broadcasters to address decency concerns following the February 1 Super Bowl half-time show, when pop diva Janet Jackson's right breast was exposed on live television.

Said Hogan: "If a DJ is found to be in violation of FCC rules, there will be no appeals and no intermediate steps. If they break the law by broadcasting indecent material, they will not work for Clear Channel."

Hogan and other broadcast executives are slated to testify Thursday before Congress about broadcast standards.

Gordon Hodge, a media analyst with Thomas Weisel, said he doubted the move would have much financial impact on Clear Channel, given that it carried Stern's show in just six markets, and added "He's obviously a very popular personality. I can't image that Infinity would take him off the air."

He predicted that other stations in the six markets would pick up Stern's program. "It would be quite profitable (for a smaller company), he said.

Clear Channel's share price closed on Wednesday 52 cents higher on the New York Stock Exchange AT $43.44. --Additional reporting by Jonathan Stempel and Jeremy Pelofsky in New York and Sue Zeidler in Los Angeles.

 

So what did the Rick Salomon dude answer?

 

Clear Channel has been noted recently for a pretty conservative streak when it comes to broadcasts - the directive to keep the Dixie Chicks off the air after Natalie Maines' comments about the President, their informal organization of "support our troops" rallies around the country, etc. No surprise they were uncomfortable with Stern.

 

The things that Bubba and Stern were talking about may be acceptable to a lot of people. The fact remains that these are shows that are on in the morning, and it isn't the kind of thing I think 6th graders should be listening to on the way to school.

There is a time and a place for everything. The morning airwaves clearly isn't the right time or place.

 

I've said it before, I'll say it again. Howard Stern ain't funny. He's been doing the same tired schtick since 1985.

-Bring in p*rn star
-Tell her how hot she is
-Make her take her clothes off
-Tell how hot she is

Believe me, no one likes a good batch of potty humor more than me but Stern just isn't funny. Want funny radio? Check out my sig...

 

I don't care much about Howard Stern or Bubba the Whatever, but Clear Channel is a terminal disease on radio. They've single-handedly turned regular radio into a mind-numbingly repetitive garbage hole. All the old individuality of formats and DJs and different cities has been levelled and turned in to one massive monolith of musical mediocrity. (remember when radio stations in different cities actually played different songs? when a local station could break a new band that the rest of the country would slowly hear about afterward?) They have killed all the adventure and excitement of the airwaves.

Clear Channel was the last (and biggest) nail in the coffin of commercial radio.

...so long live college radio!

 

The radio in general just sucks. The people are annoying, the music is overdone and crappy, the viewpoints are always narrowminded and radio commercials are the worst.

Internet radio's where it's at. In the new hybrids, they need to have connectivity to internet radio or something else high tech so we don't have to put up with the craphole that is radio.

 

He was just talking about how he banged Drew Barrymore when she was 15.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02252004/gossip/16493.htm

 

you are so right, listen to 30 mins of KTBZ and you want to jam a wooden cooking spoon in both ears.

 

Yeah, but did he do the Baqui with Paris?

 

then be a damn responsible parent and don't play that station when you have children in the car..

just like ya dont watch p*rn in front of your child, don't put on Stern


responsibility, its the other white meat

 

Damnit, I want to know too!!!! Rick Saloman rules!!! Paris Hilton and young Drew Barrymore, yummy......

 

Technically he didn't get pulled off the air. He is still broadcasting on the Infinity affiliates. He was just dropped by the Clear Channel affiliates.

 

this from drudgereport...

LIMBAUGH WARNS OF DANGER TO FREE SPEECH
THU FEB 26 2004 12:28:21 ET

THE NATION'S TOP RADIO HOST RUSH LIMBAUGH WARNED OF GROWING GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION IN BROADCASTING CONTENT.

LIMBAUGH MADE THE COMMENTS AFTER HIS PARENT COMPANY CLEAR CHANNEL DROPPED VIACOM'S HOWARD STERN FROM ITS STATIONS.

'SMUT ON TV GETS PRAISED. SMUT ON TV WINS EMMYS. ON RADIO, THERE SEEMS TO BE DIFFERENT STANDARDS,' LIMBAUGH EXPLAINED.

'I'VE NEVER HEARD HOWARD STERN. BUT WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GETS INVOLVED IN THIS, I GET A LITTLE FRIGHTENED.

'IF WE ARE GOING TO SIT BY AND LET THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GET INVOLVED IN THIS, IF THE GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO 'CENSOR' WHAT THEY THINK IS RIGHT AND WRONG... WHAT HAPPENS IF A WHOLE BUNCH OF JOHN KERRYS, OR TERRY MCAULIFFES START RUNNING THIS COUNTRY. AND DECIDE CONSERVATIVE VIEWS ARE LEADING TO VIOLENCE?

'I AM IN THE FREE SPEECH BUSINESS. ITS ONE THING FOR A COMPANY TO DETERMINE IF THEY ARE GOING TO BE PARTY TO IT. ITS ANOTHER THING FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO DO IT.'

 

'SMUT ON TV GETS PRAISED. SMUT ON TV WINS EMMYS. ON RADIO, THERE SEEMS TO BE DIFFERENT STANDARDS,' LIMBAUGH EXPLAINED.

So, to summarize Limbaugh's positions...

1. He thinks Hollywood smut/violence is bad.

2. He doesn't think government should regulate it.

3. He's a capitalist, and thus likely thinks corporations should do what makes money.

So essentially, he rails about how society is falling apart, but he doesn't any solutions for fixing it.

'I AM IN THE FREE SPEECH BUSINESS. ITS ONE THING FOR A COMPANY TO DETERMINE IF THEY ARE GOING TO BE PARTY TO IT. ITS ANOTHER THING FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO DO IT.'

Wasn't this a Clear Channel decision, and not a government decision?

 

Major -- I don't understand his position, either. Particularly the government part...unless he's bemoaning some govt connection with Clear Channel, or something??

 

The dichotomy of "I want morality in the media but I don't care if US corporations are exploiting child labor in the Phillipines so I can have inexpensive shoes" is really an odd one to me.

Interestingly enough, the Clear Channel thing is tying directly into their testimony before Congress. All of these hearings essentially came about because of Janet Jackson's exposure during the Super Bowl.

The whole damn country has gone crazy over a single boob. (insert joke here)

With all due respect, Ref, it isn't my or the govenrment's responsibility to protect your children's ears from the radio in your car. There are plenty of radio stations available that provide perfectly suitable content for 6th graders every morning. You can also play a tape or CD. There is also silence.

I have no problem with standards, in general, but if you have a myriad of choices, it isn't anyone's fault but your own if you choose Stern for morning drive time listening with your children and he says something distasteful or offensive.