The Last Days Of Stern

[Keyser Soze]

Stern this morning reacted to the news below that the FCC will be issuing a record fine to target his show. He acknowledged that this is indeed the last days of his broadcast since his parent company cannot continue to do business with the government slowing the process of allowing them to purchase new licenses for radio stations due to pending fines. Stern has been known to be chicken little but he seemed pissed off and concerned.

<font size="5">FCC Plans New Round of Indecency Fines Targeting Broadcasters, Stern</font>
Fri Mar 5, 4:05 AM ET

NEW YORK -- Amid a widening and increasingly politicized campaign to clean up the nation's airwaves, regulators are proposing fines against many of the nation's major radio companies for carrying well-known "shock jocks," Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites) officials told The Wall Street Journal.

About a dozen cases are being finalized, these officials said, and one target is Howard Stern, one of the nation's most popular and controversial radio hosts. The FCC (news - web sites) is deciding on penalties against his employer, Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA - News)'s Infinity Broadcasting. Also facing further scrutiny are Emmis Communications Inc. and Clear Channel Communications Inc. (NYSE:CCU - News) , the nation's largest radio owner, which last week took Mr. Stern's show off six of its radio stations and fired a controversial -- and oft-fined -- Tampa, Fla., radio host, Todd Clem, known as "Bubba the Love Sponge."

Bowing to public pressure, the agency also plans to reverse its earlier finding that singer Bono's use of a vulgarity on live television during the 2003 Golden Globes broadcast wasn't indecent, possibly as soon as next week, officials said. However, it won't impose what could have been a multimillion- dollar fine against General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE - News)'s NBC network, which carried the event, or its affiliates.

The flurry of new cases is the latest sign of a sweeping federal crackdown on controversial content beamed over television and radio airwaves. Congress has held a spate of hearings in the last two months to decry what some legislators call a "race to the bottom" by broadcasters. While a move to act against questionable material had been under way before, it was ignited by this year's Super Bowl broadcast, in which entertainer Janet Jackson's breast was exposed during the halftime show to the embarrassment of broadcaster CBS, a Viacom unit, its affiliates and the FCC.

Feeding the push is an increasingly charged, and polarized, political atmosphere in which cultural issues such as obscenity and gay marriage have become hot topics as the general election campaign heats up. Lawmakers of both parties have been implicitly and in some cases openly threatening legislative action if regulators don't step up their enforcement of existing decency standards.

Wall Street Journal Staff Reporters Anne Marie Squeo and Joe Flint contributed to this report.

[diceisgod]

I'd complain that there would be nothing to listen to on the radio but i don't listen to the radio anyway. But this what Stern does and this is what I would expect from any govt that has any balls. Stern has been pushing the bounds and sticking it in the government's and the public's faces for years. Finally the govt shows who is in charge. There are guidelines to follow no matter what you may think of them. Radio is in the public sphere. Be nice and play by the rules or the govt will kick your ass off. End of story. Now Stern and others can argue free speech and blah blah blah. They are assholes and they know exactly what they are doing. I'm not going to be lectured about the Bill of Rights by some schmuck that farts into the microphone. There are other media outlets to do the kind of comedy he wants. Let's see what the big shot's got. I argue that his only talent and the only thing he had going for him was that struggle between upper management and himself and him taking it to the air. Since that ended and he's been given everything he could ever want he stopped being funny. Sure he could still throw out a quick witted one liner here and there, but who couldn't?

[Mad]

I haven't listened to Stern in a long time, he's boring and repetitive as hell. However, it is extremely dangerous for the FCC/Feds to go around like a bunch of Jack Booted Thugs over a few "dirty" words or images.

The Federal Government has gotten to big for it's britches and needs to be taken down a few notches. The only way I see that happening is if people wake up and we clean house of all those fascist parasites.

<span style='font-size:22pt;line-height:100%'>DEATH TO ALL TYRANTS!!!</span>

[Goatweed]

so we should revolt?

[Mad]

Yes.

First, they take away your right to speech. Then your right to defend yourself and lastly you're put into a train car for points unknown.

But some just call me insane.

[Goatweed]

will there be a full open bar on the train?

[Mad]

Cash bar with bottom shelf liquor and stale peanuts. Of course you won't have any money, so you'll just drool as the JBT's drink up and take your women for themselves.

[PeterDragon]

I agree with Mad. Stern jumped the shark years ago, but you see all the rhetoric thats out there. There is plenty in current Republican leadership that doesnt want the traditional republican values of small government, but rather wants to impose a moral standard on everyone. This is a cycle, and unfortunately we are in a repressive part of the cycle.

and DIG, normally i might agree, but Stern knows full well how to walk the line of what is legal and what isnt; but right now the FCC wants to redraw the lines and hit people up for past events that were fine when done.

Its sad to be in an environment where brilliant comedy, like the things Richard Pryor did, wouldn't be allowed because some Idaho house frau doesnt like it.

[diceisgod]

There is plenty in current Republican leadership that doesnt want the traditional republican values of small government, but rather wants to impose a moral standard on everyone. This is a cycle, and unfortunately we are in a repressive part of the cycle.

Yes but this struggle occurs at what level? Between a goofy radio show and the bueracracy (i hate trying to spell this word) of the US govt. Take this down to street level like in many thrid world nations? You can all sing about revolution but when your house is leveled and burned you won't be singing anymore. Fuck Howard Stern and his patriotic bullshit. Pull the show. Who cares? When the govenrment goes to far as far as censorship and they start knocking on my door THEN it's time to check them. Then let the bloodletting begin. Until then I could care less about this farce. Granted he did things BEFORE that wmay have warranted his getting pulled off the air. But the govt is huge, and the red tape and beureueueueuracraacy is so thick it takes some time to get things done. He made his money. Now he should just shut his mouth and use the multitude of other venues he has available to do his schtick.

[PeterDragon]

There is plenty in current Republican leadership that doesnt want the traditional republican values of small government, but rather wants to impose a moral standard on everyone. This is a cycle, and unfortunately we are in a repressive part of the cycle.

Yes but this struggle occurs at what level? Between a goofy radio show and the bueracracy (i hate trying to spell this word) of the US govt. Take this down to street level like in many thrid world nations? You can all sing about revolution but when your house is leveled and burned you won't be singing anymore. Fuck Howard Stern and his patriotic bullshit. Pull the show. Who cares? When the govenrment goes to far as far as censorship and they start knocking on my door THEN it's time to check them. Then let the bloodletting begin. Until then I could care less about this farce. Granted he did things BEFORE that wmay have warranted his getting pulled off the air. But the govt is huge, and the red tape and beureueueueuracraacy is so thick it takes some time to get things done. He made his money. Now he should just shut his mouth and use the multitude of other venues he has available to do his schtick.

I just think its more than him; and i really hate defending him because he made his money long after he stopped being funny.

I get worried when I see that the FCC wants to regulate cable TV and Satellite radio. I may be over reacting, but I see the same people who are so crazy about Janets tit are gonna pull South Park, and force the Sopranos to act like Murder She Wrote.

[PatCooper]

So i guess O+A are coming to KROCK in the summer.

[drusilla]

this morning he said he was sick of all the censorship & editing & he didn't want to do this anymore. he said he wanted to start looking into satellite.

[2 tired 2 give N F]

The government would have a problem with this website because since we've gone public we're in the public sphere and all the Swastickas and Hitler references might be offensive to some people. They'd try to shut us down too if we were as far reaching as Stern. I think the problem is everyone is concerned with everyone else's feelings and beliefs. It's not enough to say 'don't like it don't listen' anymore. What really bothers me is that the media is never supposed to be censored that's the idea behind free speech. The whole having standards thing is bull shit. In a capitalist system which is what we're supposed to have the government shouldn't regulate Howard Stern the people should. If what he is saying is SOOO bad then let the listeners stop listening, he loses sponsers and the company drops his show. The government is just pissing off people. I don't like Stern personally and I think he stopped being funny a long time ago too but it's the principle behind it. Freedom of speech is absolute. Take the responsibility back to the listeners.