I am – Hercules!!
Radio phenom Howard Stern is booked for a rare appearance Monday on CBS’ “The Late Show With David Letterman” – despite the fact that CBS Radio is suing Stern for millions.
CBS claims Stern unfairly promoted his new radio home Sirius Satellite Radio, while he was still on the air at CBS.
Stern claims the suit is frivolous, and timed to distract from the abysmal drop in ratings CBS radio has endured since Stern’s departure in December.
Arbitrend ratings released Feb. 27 (the day before the CBS suit was filed) demonstrate that in January David Lee Roth's first month in Stern’s timeslot on New York’s WFNY (formerly WXRK) among its target audience of 18- to 34-year-olds fell from 13.8 percent to 1.3 percent.
Things are not much better for radio vet Adam Carolla, who took over Stern’s slot on Los Angeles’ KLSX, or for “Rover,” a shock jock who took over Stern’s slot in the Chicago market.
From E! Online:
Roth pulled a 1.8 rating for listeners 12 and older in New York in January, compared to Stern's 7.9 rating in December; Carolla was down to 0.7 in the demo in Los Angeles from Stern's 2.9; and Rover barely registered with a 0.4 rating in Chicago, down from Stern's 2.4.
Will CBS attempt to exert influence on Letterman - a longtime Stern listener who is richer than the gods - to get tough on Stern, or even advocate CBS’ position? Dave surely would not disappoint us in such a way.
While we’re on the topic, there was good news for fans of Stern’s new Sirius morning show on Friday when Stern announced his morning show would begin satcasting more-or-less around the clock on Howard 100, displacing much of the news programming on that channel. If I understand correctly, the auxiliary programming – “The Howard Stern News,” “Superfan Roundtable,” “The Intern Show,” “Meet The Shrink” and their ilk – will now be found on Howard 101 after the West Coast (starting 6 a.m. PT) and its wrap-up show is completed.
Hopefully this means West Coast commuters (the ones who don’t own the Sirius S50
) will be able to listen to Stern on their commute home, no matter what time they head home.
11:35 p.m. Monday. CBS.
Record The Stern Show while you sleep! The tiny Sirius S50 and the Sirius S50 home dock permits such an act!!
