Are you sirius?!

I just read that Howard Stern is mad because only 4 million of his fans have followed him to Satellite radio. Did he really expect the 120 million people who listened to him each morning to pay $12.95 a month to listen to the radio? I liked the show, but I never once thought about getting satellite radio.

The argument now that satellite radio is in its infancy and just as with cable TV, it will become the norm. I think that at this point it should be compared with HBO. Basic cable is a must-have, but HBO is an added expensive that I am alright with paying for. The shows that HBO puts out are great and not just because they can swear, they are well written and acted. Even if you did not want to pay the extra money for HBO, you can rent the shows at the video store or by Netflix. The Stern show is topical. It is daily. It only works because he can comment on events as they happen. If you can not get his content when it is fresh, why would you want it?

Stern's show also worked because it was free and pushed the boundaries of what was allowed on the air. The way in which he conducted NC17 conversations without actually using offensive language was clever and took imagination and creativity. I do not blame him for taking all of the money that Sirius offered him, but if he thought this move was going to instantaneously change the face of radio, he my have believed his own hype.

I do miss hearing his social commentaries on politics, entertainment, and celebrities, but I really do not think that his satellite show will ever live up to his past work.