A Sad Day

Yesterday was a great day for democracy.

Today is a bad day for the airwaves. It's the last show Howard Stern will be doing on free radio. Next year, he'll be on Sirius.

Stern has been radio's most popular morning DJ for over a decade. He conquered New York in the 80s and has been syndicating outward ever since. A lot of experts thought people wanted local shows in the morning, and he proved them wrong. A lot of experts thought radio was about playing music, and he proved them wrong. He's probably the most influential on-air talent of the past 25 years (even more than Rush, whom he preceded).

Yet, for all his influence, he's unique. I can't stand his imitators. Stern is known as a shock jock, but no one is popular for over twenty years if all he can do is shock. Sure, he and his gang are willing to go pretty far for laughs, but what strikes me most about the show is its honesty. It's not the forced jollity of so many "Morning Zoos." It's about people digging deep down and saying what they really think. Of all the things he and his crew do--from celebrity interviews to discussions about sex--what they're best at is simply talking about how they feel, often regarding each other. Hearing such honesty over the airwaves, when so much else is just surface polish, turns out the be the best entertainment of all.

His popularity, mixed with his willingness to say what's on his mind, has made him a lightning rod for self-appointed guardians of morality. And because the Supreme Court has refused to allow full First Amendment freedoms over the airwaves (after all, they reasoned in a 5-4 decision, you can always get freedom elsewhere), he's been in constant trouble with the FCC. For some reason, they think it's in the "public interest" to fine the man the public's most interested in. To make matters worse, his employers have paid, rather than fight in court. So (according to Howard, with some justification), he's being chased off the air onto a pay service where (presumably) the government's tentacles can't reach.

I wish him luck. But I won't be following. I've been listening to him since I stumbled across his afternoon show on WNBC when I lived in New Jersey in the 80s. (He actually was on Detroit radio when I was a kid there, but I didn't know.) Still, as much a mainstray as he's been in my life, I can't justify the money, since I don't spend that much time in my car, and free radio (among other things) is still available.

I'm not sure what I'll do. I can't see listening to another "funny" morning DJ. Maybe someday. Just not now.