Nostalgia

Was it only five years ago when Howard Stern left terrestrial radio? His multi-million dollar contract with Sirius is coming up, and he'll have to decide what his next move is. Howard is wealthy, so I think it's his coworker/employees who are most concerned.

The rumor he'll become a judge on American Idol is laughable, but he still has plenty of options. I wish he'd return to regular radio so I could listen to him again, though after five years of no censorship, he may not wish to put the chains back on.

There's a good piece in the Wall Street Journal on what he might do. It's one of the few pieces that understands his appeal, which is less shock jock than soap opera:

"The show is so great and so complicated, but non-listeners think it's just lesbians making out and porn stars taking off their tops," says Ira Glass, host of "This American Life" and an icon of genteel public radio. A fan going back to the 1980s, Mr. Glass compares Mr. Stern to Jack Benny in the way he conducts a shifting tableau of comic characters. Yet it was often Mr. Stern himself who played up the salacious shtick of his show during public appearances. "It was better for business, but as a result, he's had to live with the fact the show is widely misperceived," Mr. Glass says.

Mr. Stern plays the father figure to a sprawling family of employees, associates and social misfits with nicknames like Medicated Pete, Eric the Midget and Jeff the Drunk. For all his guests, from D-listers to stars including Benicio Del Toro and Ozzy Osbourne recently, the most compelling moments of the show amount to eavesdropping on a room full of bickering co-workers. Hours are devoted to supposed slights and missteps, such as the bar stools that producer Gary Dell'Abate selected for his home theater—an apparent decorating gaffe that Mr. Stern excoriates him for.

I miss all those people, corralled by Stern. It's true, they do become part of your life.

I should add there's a wrap-up show after Howard leaves that discusses what's going on with the whole gang. It's hosted by Dell'Abate and a friend of mine, Jon Hein, who's best known as the Jump The Shark guy. He was able to parlay that fame into a spot as a Stern regular--though Jon, unlike most satellite figures on the show, is a rational, intelligent, financially sound individual. He's also a talented performer with a fine voice for radio.