SiriusXM has reached an agreement with its top broadcaster Howard Stern that will keep the radio show host in the driver’s seat of two streaming channels for another five years.
The announcement was made during a live broadcast of the satellite and streaming radio service’s flagship morning program The Howard Stern Show on Tuesday.
A pioneer in hot talk radio, Stern left traditional AM and FM radio in 2005 for the uncensored airwaves of satellite, bringing with him millions of listeners and helping to cement SiriusXM as a premiere audio destination.
“Now that I can work from home, I simply don’t have an excuse to quit,” Stern quipped on his morning show before heaping praises on his employer.
“I am honored to be a part of the greatest content provider in media today,” he continued. “SiriusXM, I love you and I’m thrilled to continue our journey together.”
Outgoing chief executive Jim Meyer echoed Stern’s appreciation, saying the company was thrilled to have reached a deal that will keep Stern broadcasting on the satellite and streaming service for another five years.
“As the leading audio entertainment company, we couldn’t be happier to have Howard, the leading host in all of radio and audio, continue to make SiriusXM the home for his show, channels, and archives while at the peak of his broadcasting career,” Meyer said. “Howard’s home has been SiriusXM and it will remain that way, but we’ve expanded SiriusXM in recent years too, and we are excited about finding the right ways that select content from Howard can find audiences on additional platforms.”
On his morning show, Stern said it would be the last 5-year contract he signs with the company before he retires. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but it includes a stipulation that allows SiriusXM to continue airing content from Stern’s library of satellite and terrestrial radio shows for an additional seven years when the host calls it quits in 2025.
Stern currently oversees the operation of his morning show and a handful of affiliated programs that air on two dedicated satellite and streaming channels, Howard 100 and Howard 101.
SiriusXM customers pay between $14 and $22 a month to get access to his live broadcasts and more than a dozen on-demand shows, including some that offer past episodes and clips from Stern’s time as a terrestrial radio broadcaster.
