Howard Stern

In an interesting turn of events, it is quite possible that an advertisement read on the air by Howard Stern himself could pave the way for Sirius XM subscribers to catch his show on Apple iPhones and the iPod Touch. Howard, unlike other high profile talent on Sirius XM, has not been touting the new Sirius XM app, but he has been doing live reads for another iPhone app for LogMeIn Ignition.

LogMeIn is an application that allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to access their home or office computer from their devices. In the ad for LogMeIn Ignition, Howard touts, “If it’s on your computer, it’s on your iPhone.”

In theory, a consumer who downloads the LogMeIn Ignition app onto their iPhone has complete and unfettered access to their home computer through the device. A look at the LogMeIn Ignition website reveals that those that upgrade to the LogMeIn PRO function will allow users key features that should make listening to Howard 100/101, as well as other content not available through the iPhone app, very possible.

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Last week Sirius XM finally launched an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The app made big news in a couple of ways. First, the fact that Howard Stern was not available on the app was the major attention getter. The other newsworthy item is that despite Stern’s absence, the app has enjoyed a huge number of downloads, and quickly became one of the most popular apps to hit the market.

With all of the excitement, news, and reviews, there is still one question on the minds of many. Why isn’t Howard Stern available. Speculation ran wild, and calls to Sirius XM were met with an overall silence with regard to the issue. Some felt that Sirius XM was holding back, others felt that there was a potential worry about bandwidth on AT&T’s network, and still others thought the issue may revolve around Stern wanting more money.

While any official confirmation has not been made, there are several indicators that would point to the fact that Stern is a central part in this issue.

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When people talk about satellite radio, the name Howard Stern almost always arises. Whether you like him or not, Stern is a radio and media icon who’s influence on entertainment can not be doubted. Some look at Howard with a jaundiced eye because of his edgy style, but he is much more than that. His boisterous fans who clamor to every bit or sketch are joined by many “closet” fans who enjoy his show on their commute, but never admit to listening to him.

How does Howard Stern command such a vast audience from such a wide spectrum of people? The answer is that he posses an ingrained talent to balance edgy content with informative discussion. He looks at life through a humorous prism, and for a few hours a day, allows some to laugh out loud while others curiously listen from the sidelines. Howard has an uncanny ability to bring out the most from his interviews, and shed a little light on aspects of his guests that no other interview brings out. The great thing about him is that you are compelled to tune in because you don’t want to miss radio gold like his interview with Paul McCartney.

When Howard Stern signed with Sirius Satellite Radio there was huge discussion about whether the cost was worth it. Stern fans loved the move while detractors labeled him as washed up, and over the hill. In the end, it was Howard Stern, and not the NFL, NASCAR, Eminem, or Martha Stewart that delivered subscribers in huge numbers to Sirius. Even in the face of a huge boost in subscriptions, some claimed that he was not the major factor in Sirius’ sudden growth.

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Whether you like him or hate him, one truism exists about Howard Stern. He is popular and likely the biggest draw in satellite radio. Bearing that in mind, Sirius XM radio has rolled out a promotion that will give the subscribers to the XM side of the service a taste of Howard for free from May 18th through May 25th.

It is a great idea, and one that promises to help XM’s subscriber base experience the content available on Sirius. Howard is typically available to XM subscribers through a “BEST OF SIRIUS” package that comes at a cost of about $4 per month.

The company recently announced that roughly 500,000 XM subscribers buy the “BEST OF SIRIUS” Package. This is in contrast to about 200,000 Sirius Subscribers who pay $4 extra to receive the “BEST OF XM” deal. It will be interesting to see how these numbers balance out in future quarters. In my opinion, the biggest differentiators between the tow “BEST OF” packages is Howard Stern, and it appears that the company will capitalize on that.

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Blackberry, Twitter, and Facebook have something to celebrate. After long deliberation, and personal reviews of many cell phones, Howard Stern has made his choice on which device will clip to his hip. The iPhone was in the running, but in the end it was the Blackberry Bold that got the nod of approval from The King of all Media.

Stern’s moniker as King of all Media has stepped up in the tech world with not only the Blackberry news, but also because of announcements on the show that Twitter and Facebook are now in the Stern arsenal. After only one hour Stern already had thousands of followers on Twitter, and the news that Stern wanted to post a video via Facebook already has people clamoring to find the Sirius XM entertainer on that service.

As we have seen demonstrated time and time again, Stern carries a lot of influence with his fans. Blackberry has certainly been impacted by brisk iPhone sales over the past eighteen months, but with Stern endorsing the Blackberry platform, the company is sure to put a dent in the “coolness” factor that iPhone has enjoyed since its launch. Tweeting on Twitter is a phenomenon that is wide reaching, and Stern is now participating, which will bode well for the show as well as fans. Facebook has had mentions on the show in the past, but Stern was reluctant to use his private Facebook in a way that fans could participate. With a show based Facebook page, the interaction and updates may be more frequent, giving Stern followers even more Stern material.

As a fan of satellite radio, it is great to see Stern make these moves. Other shows should consider following suit, and Sirius XM in general should consider the same. Technology is moving fast, and participation in platforms such as Twitter and Facebook can give Sirius XM additional outlets to market their services and shows.

So what brought on all of this sudden activity on the net? We have Sirius XM’s Tim Sabean to thank. He is pushing for more synergies, and for that we are all thankful.

Position - Long Sirius XM

After just missing the “honor” in 2007 Howard Stern is back on the Lycos most popular search, coming in at #8 on the top searched men list.  The top 10 men of 2008:

1. Clay Aiken
2. Barack Obama
3. Heath Ledger
4. Paul Newman
5. John McCain
6. Tupac Shakur
7. Johnny Depp
8. Howard Stern
9. Travis Barker
10. 50 Cent

What I found most entertaining was the fact that whoever wrote the press release could not resist throwing in the following jab

…reappearing in 2008 after falling off the list in 2007 is Howard Stern, who, despite seeing a continued decline in his Sirius Satellite ratings, managed to keep himself in the headlines, marrying long-time girlfriend Beth Ostrosky.

of course Howard couldn’t have just made the list because his talent and growing ratings, instead they suggest that he made the list because of his marriage to Beth. Which only leaves one question… who the hell still searches the net with Lycos?

Artie Lange has once again proved to American children across these great states, that anything really is possible. With his first book being described as “Outrageous, raw, and painfully funny true stories straight from the life of the actor, comedian, and much-loved cast member of The Howard Stern Show ”, Artie Lange has snagged the #1 spot on the New York Times Best Sellers List.

Artie is a true man’s man storytelling genius but, lets not get the reason why this book debuted at number one twisted. People like to question the power of Howard Stern since moving to Sirius but make no mistake about it, without Howard this book doesn’t go straight to number one… hell it probably would have never been written in the first place.

If you are looking for an affordable gift that any fan of Artie or the Stern Show would love this holiday season, look no further then Too Fat To Fish on sale now for only $13.72 (45% off!). Just in case you missed Artie on his late night circuit book tour, we have the videos of his interviews on Letterman, Conan O’Brien, and Jimmy Kimmel right in the forums.

When Howard Stern was going from terrestrial to satellite, he was everywhere. When he knew he was in a position to get some bonuses, he hit the circuit talking up Sirius. Lately he has not been anywhere. Howard did not earn a bonus last year, and this year getting a bonus seemed promised to be an even harder task. The merger has happened, and Howard seems virtually silent.

Sure, he is in bumpers that air on both Sirius and XM, but where are the Letterman appearances? Where is the push to get the word out? Perhaps tying the lack of activity to a bonus is wrong, but money is a powerful motivator, and we did see a lot more activity when he did get bonuses than when we did not.

One frustrating moment came when Scott Greenstein suggested that Howard broadcast the show from the Super Bowl in January. Howard did not seem thrilled with the idea, indicated that his studio was in New York, and that live remotes are not as good as studio shows. While this may be true, live remotes bring their own promotional value, and listeners understand this. Besides, a live remote would give Howard exposure to people that otherwise have not heard Stern in quite some time.

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