Bubba The Love Sponge And Sirius XM May Agree To Terms After All
It what can only be described as a soap opera gone wild, Sirius XM Radio and Bubba The Love Sponge may still have a sparkle of life in a new deal that would keep the shock jock on satellite radio. SiriusBuzz learned this morning through an announcement on the Howard Stern Show that the King of All Media intends to discuss the issue with management as soon as possible. Bubba The Love Sponge could be back on Sirius XM with a schedule that would match the current one day per week exclusive broadcast, but the radio shock jock and his staff are free to pursue other ventures as well, including unique programming for Internet Radio start-up RadioIO.
SiriusBuzz reported here on New Years Eve that it appeared that the Bubba and Sirius XM negotiations had reached an impasse and that a frustrated Bubba began telling fans to cancel their subscriptions. Over the weekend I reached out to Brent Hatley from the show at his home to see where the dust was settling, and to let him know that I would like to do a piece on whatever their next ventures were. Hatley indicated that there was a slight chance that the Sirius XM deal may be resurrected, but that he was not really sure. He also indicated that he would be programming a few of his own channels on RadioIO, a project he is excited about.
For right now Bubba is indeed off the air at Sirius XM. His usual programming slot will be filled by Mamory Lane for the time being.
Bubba The Love Sponge has been a staple on Sirius XM’s Howard Stern channels since even before Stern arrived at the satellite radio provider. Over the years he has gone from exclusive to satellite to shared deals with terrestrial radio. At times I have been very critical of Bubba’s on air negotiations, and while there are passionate fans that support his every move, there are many fans who do not like the way Bubba tends to burn bridges. He is a very reactionary person, and sometimes would be better served to take pause before lashing out.
I still stand behind my statements that Bubba, while very talented, is taking things too far. His show sometimes becomes a drama-fest, which can have listeners tuning away from the show rather than tuning in. In fairness I can understand some of Bubba’s frustration, but in all honesty, he is not the only shock jock available to fans and that works against him in negotiations. By contrast deals with personalities like Martha Stewart give exclusivity and cache with a demographic Sirius XM would like to see grow. So while Martha does make a good payday, she is offering something Bubba can’t. He simply is not the number one shock jock, and only the number one scores a big payday. Howard still carries that torch. It is the economics and reality of the situation.
On his terrestrial radio show today Bubba read the article from SiriusBuzz that was critical of him, and even encouraged his fans to do a little Twitter harassment. I understand his frustration with my opinion, but if nothing else Bubba knows I am a fair person, which is why I had reached out to the show over the weekend to get additional details on the RadioIO deal, and spoke to Brent as recently as an hour before this piece published.
The official launch of the Bubba channel on RadiIO will happen on January 10th and will feature a main channel as well as “sub-channels” for Brent, Manson, Ned, and Spice. These sub-channels will feature music, talk, and other programming that the team is excited about. Details of these RadioIO channels will be available Wednesday January 5th. Listeners will be able to stream the Bubba Show each day from 10:30 AM to 12:30 Eastern with the RadioIO service. The show will be available for free until March of 2011. Additional details will be made available during the course of the week.
While a satellite radio deal is still up in the air, it has been confirmed that the door for negotiations remains open and that the team would love to remain a part of the Sirius XM family. I can only hope they will try to keep the level of negotiations on a higher tier and stop with the canceling and slamming of Sirius XM.
More details to follow.
Position – Long Sirius XM Radio
While I respect your point I do feel that Bubba’s show is one of the better shows on Sirius. Obviously this is only my opinion but when I came to Sirius as a diehard Howard fan for many years I did not want anything to do with Bubba’s show and didn’t listen to it for the 1st year. At some point in 07 Howard was on vacation and I tuned into Bubba and from that point I gradually started listening more and more. I am now a diehard Bubba fan, I record every show and want to listen to every second of every show. When he announced that a deal wasn’t going to happen I canceled my subscription of 6 years as I honestly felt there was not much at Sirius that would be worth my subscription cost. I think Howard’s is still a strong show but has absolutely fallen off, especially since Artie’s departure, but I can do without it. I was also a fan of The Football Show on 125 but Sirius’ decision to not stream that channel on the Internet app limits my time to listen to the show to my commute to work (20 mins). I think Sirius has a solid product but I want to have a “must-have” show if I am going to pay $20/month (1 radio + internet w/Best of XM…my former package). To me that show was Bubba’s. I also agree with both he and Howard that some of these celebrity signings ala Martha, Jamie Foxx and Oprah are a waste and could be better spent elsewhere, but again, that it only my opinion. If he were to come back I would definitely re-subscribe.
I am just a trucker.Yes i love bubba the love sponge show.If you were in a confined space for all day with only radio to keep you occupied you would know why we are canceling.Yes howard show is great but some like bubba better.Its like soap operas some like NBC ones and others like ABC ones.I understand your a sirius radio lover so if exclusivity is good for the company why offer shows that garner ratings crap and big name people that produce crap millions.If you are honest you would agree that they can study who listens to what on sirius and bubba IS # 2 show listened too.Who cares if he talks to us (Bubby Army)= radio family = fans about some of the contract problems.Yes it may not be the normal way but he does NOT go into it deep just the surface.Also when you have upper mgmt guys who may have a personal issue with him trying to flex his muscle he will get mad.He only brings things onair to us because he doesnt hide things.He is a Straight shooter just ask any of his listeners that is a quality we love about him.Now when Howard went to sirius he was condoning listeners to leave teresterial radio and follow him.And if he ever goes to The sim card thing he talks about he will do the same then.Will you bash him for that?Bubba tryed to give everyone uncensored exclusive show content but someone didnt want the show from day one in sirius corporate.Way before he ever discussed contract things onair.I will continue to follow them they are unlike any show ive heard IN MY LIFE.
I am listening to Stern fuming that I haven’t heard anything…. Then “all of a sudden” I heard Stern mention it, and it sounded like he supported Bubba’a effort… I was ready to cancel, but if Bubba stays, I will stay with Sirius. It’s really as simple as that. I love Stern, but the way Sirius has treated Bubba, I would cancel just on principle.. Bubba for me the first 6 months was a little rough, and then one day it was “my show”… Satellite radio needs good radio.
Bubba take the offer Sirius made you even though it might not be what you are worth, patience is a virtue and one day you might replace Howard and start making big big bucks but for now keep building your name and your fan base, it all takes time! Going somewhere else is strongly unadvisable.
Bubba has been patient for the last 3 years. And what does Sirius do? They give 3 million to Mad Dog, paid a snowboarder and a street fighter for shows.
I have subscribed to Sirius one year before howard came on. I am like Rob, a former Howard die hard fan. Nowadays, we listen to what dinner Howard attended or what Beth is doing along with Robin’s Charity work. The show is dated and reflects Howard’s contentment with his life.
I like Bubba and now that I have to pay extra for the Sirius feed, I don’t think I am receiving enough value for my subscription.
While I enjoy Octane and Spa, I have a difficult time justifying the ongoing expense of Sirius. Most of Howard and Bubba’s users are feeling the pain economically. I wonder if there will be enough Opera or Martha Stewart fans paying the bills for Sirius. I seriously doubt that since there is no difference in the content between their Sirius shows and what is FCC approved and available on television.
I meant to say the Sirius Internet feed.
I have listened off and on to bubba since he has come to sirius. While he is good at his type of “entertainment” that is where it ends. I mean is it really necessary to bring Porn Stars, Strippers, Web-Cam girls and the like into the show? What does it add for the listener other then some audio-erotica? It seems to me that after all of that, there really isn’t much entertainment from Bubba. If he isn’t on the “chip” about something or lashing out at his producers and co-hosts, what value does his show really bring? At least with Howard, you have great and relevant interviews and awesome guests. With Bubba it’s porn star, after porn star, race Car driver, A band in obscurity, more porn stars, Dr. Mark, The Lawyers and more race car talk. I think it’s time to flip the switch and let Bubba be on his way.
Where has good radio entertainment gone too?
As an investor in SIRI I am happy to see him go. He may be a nice guy but the show cannot bring in advertising revenue. Sirius success is based on duel revenue streams. I would rather see them promote someone new who can bring in the add dollars.
Time for him to pack his bags and go. It’s obvious no one wants him at Sirius. He keeps slamming the company and he is a true backstabber. Smiling in your face and laughing behind your back. Best decision Sirius has made in years. Time to get rid of the dead weight and continue with the true moneymakers.
Joe… Your an idiot…..
Ok Heres The Deal , Howard got rid of Riley on the Phone today how?
The same way he did with Bubba on Saturday nite,
Riley / Bubba “I will talk to them, the bosses and I will ask them were is the money for Riley / Bubba ” OK BYE
Joe if your really an investor which i doubt because they would never come here to post.Show me one replacement that is gonna bring advertising revenue to the company.You should worry about the way they spend money on no talent names i mean shows.and what about the shows they have that play music for commercials? and no advertising? Tell me that.I cant belive im even responding to you cause i know your not what you say you are.
Dick what if your work pays you $5.00 an hour instead of your regular pay? then next year they offer you $2.50? would you take it or go work at burger king for $8.00 hour.
correction burger king’s offer is $2.50 hour at best. No one will pay him more then Sirius radio! And if they pay him less is beacuse he is not worth the money business is business and in Mel Karmazin I trust!
Business is not business, the only reason people get ahead in life is by kissing ass, Bubba doesn’t kiss ass, except for Howard and that is because Howard revived his career and he will always be thankful for that. As for the investor, how would you know what advertisers he had or lost? Everyone is just full of sh*t these days. How about spending 50 million on Oprah when you can get her show for free on tv? good job… Oh right, she has a name and kisses ass, got it…
I’m a Howard fan, and I also like Bubba’s show. All the comments thus far are dead on, but tom’s is probably the best advice for Bubba. The problem is that Bubba is just too stupid for his own good. He’s no different than poor white trash that wins the lottery….you just know they are going to blow it, and it’s going to be fun to watch! God bless Bubba! I hope he not only burns the bridge, but the whole f’n town on his way out. No sooner than he’s gone we’ll have another Bubba. Trash is less than a dime a dozen these days.
been a subscriber for 6 yrs. [4 subscriptions] if bubba goes so will i at least for awhile like howard and the music but
They need to dump this guy. If its Not Exclusive, We shouldn’t pay for it. Who wants just a Friday show? I hope Mel has more sense than to give this guy another chance. He dug his own grave, Now lets make sure the sand is shoveled on top of him.
Brad im not gonna argue with you we all wouldve liked him exclusive again.But on Sundays I can listen to the nfl team i like (buffalo bills) on my local radio station near albany ny or the ny jets and i can hear the same broadcast on sirius so thats technically not (exclusive) is it?Im sure if I dug further i could give other examples but i dont want to bother.The whole situation sucks for both sides.
Like it or not the three headed monster of Stern, Bubba, and Scotty were by far the best radio ever and losing part of the team sucks. I never anticipated growing up that I would spend the entire day listening to the radio but it happened. One thing that people seem to forget to mention is the only reason that there was the show on “regular radio” was because for some reason Sirius decided to wait until the last minute to renew the original contracts. These guys have families they need to provide for and found an alternative method to supplement their income and protect themselves in the event that their contracts were not renewed. I would also say that while I came for Howard, I hooked several of my friends on Bubba and he is the only reason they subscribed to Sirius in the first place. I think that his show along with Howard and Scotty all helped to grow the number of Subscribers and that both Scotty and Bubba are overlooked as contributing to this success by management. At the very least if people come to Howard they stay on his channels for the other entertainment.
Unfortunately not much I can do except instead of getting another Sirius-XM subscription for my new car use that money for radio-io instead (which is currently free for a month or two by the way).
Bubba was one of the best parts of there line up. He was what kept the true radio listener going. The only reason most truckers and working men had sat radios. Not every listener of sat radio has stock or listens to martha and sips whine in the garden.
As a life time subscriber and a stockholder …. I would like to know the reasons why Bubba is getting jerked around. He was/is a great revenue producer and had the second largest audience on the Sirius channels. I haven’t been able to figure out why Sirius spent the money for Martha Stewart and Oprah…. both hardly have any listeners. I guess the same executives that hired Martha Stewart and Oprah got rid of Bubba. Maybe someone should look at their contracts.
Bubba was one of the best parts of there line up. He was what kept the true radio listener going. The only reason most truckers and working men had sat radios. Not every listener of sat radio has stock or listens to martha and sip wine in the garden.
YES!!!! agreed Phil,Jongravel,Rick
ive been a sirius subscriber three days before howard came on and i started listening to bubba that same day and have ever since. in my opinion yes his non exclusive shows arent near as good as his exclusive ones are, and even those arent as good as the all exclusive ones 06′ and 07′, but they have kept my hanging on to sirius. i love howard and have for yrs but id say the bubba show wins me over 55% to 45% and if they dont bring him back ill leave sirius. it just doesnt seem right w/o him, and how many times have we heard mammery lane? i mean come on. so many big names that never do a live show (oprah, eminem, etc.) make so much more on sirius, its crazy. it shouldnt be though, i would bet a lifetime subscription that the bubba show is the 2cnd most listened to show on sirius…how can they not resign him?
I love Bubba. Like a lot of fans I came to Sirius because of Howard then fell in love with Bubba. Bubba provides us fans with a way to support Sirius and the Howard channels with the ability to buy shirts and go to concerts he puts on across the county.
I think that the best example of the way upper management treats us listeners and Howard/Bubba fans is the way the Paul McCartney concert was handled. Sirius advertised that the concert was for the “fans”. However Sir Paul himself said that the place was filled with Celebrities. The reason that Sirius was able to have 20 million sub. was due to Howard and not once did Sirius acknowledge it nor did they have Paul McCartney say the obvious. Scott Greenstein did not make Sirius successful with Martha, Opie and Anthony, or even Oprah. Howard Stern did. If Howard says that Bubba is his guy then they should not screw with Howards people, or his channels. Bubba has been nothing but patient with Sirius and has been a good partner to Howard. Sirius should take note and maybe give Bubba the respect he deserves and “Show him the F-in money!”
I will subscribe once again as long as Spencer Osborne continues to write his blogs regarding the inside truth about the sponge. Howard has everything out on the table each and everyday but the SPONGE has an ego that is bigger than life and that is what makes him the SPONGE and who he is. “YOU GO BUBBA”
Good riddance to Bubba the Drama Queen. He was once called the Best Howard Stern Immitator in America, and it still holds true to this day, even going as far as to immitate Howards channel format. His call to cancel at most cost sirius around 10K subs, which will be replaced by double when Howard makes his TV appearances. Just like his failed attempt to control the Florida elections thru the Bubba Army, he will again find out that the Bubba Army is the weakest army on the planet.
After publicly maligning the company, he’s still wanting to negotiate? This guy needs to go. Why should he be paid for content he’s giving away in terrestrial deals anyway? Perhaps he should have thought this and his handling of the negotiations through more carefully and been a little more grateful for what he had while he had it.
I won’t listen to anyone else other than Howard and Bubba. The people that want Bubba to go are the superfans who want to listen to the history of howard 24/7 like we were stuck with on TWO channels over the holidays. 3 million for yet another sports guy who doesn’t sit down and Bubba can’t get a legitimate deal.
if sirius is dumb enough to pay millions on martha then they should step up and pay bubba martha brings 0 subscribers sirus stop wasting your money and give us what we want bubba
i joined sirius for howard but then was introduced to bubba , i think sirius really made a huge mistake not giving bubba the respect he deserves. Sirius obviously thinks he is just a hillbilly redneck, well guess what so am i and i can relate to his show and really enjoy it. So i have canceled all 3 of my subscriptions to sirius and i am gonna follow bubba where ever he goes. Hopefully Sirius gets there s$#t together and signs Bubba exclusively
Bubba needs to take a mulligan and keep the limited sirius exposure at the very least–Howard will retire in 5 years and sat radio is growing–Bubba must realize that as the apparent Heir to the Stern throne, he must be a company man, maybe take a step back to take two forward–(make less now and then after building up a following on Sirius, be professional in his dealing with Sirius and have the big payday after howard retires–The constant whining about Sirius on air is a turn off–Do it behind the scenes)
When Bubba went to a Friday only uncensored, it became very boring. The Opie & Anthony show is far superior to Bubba with better guests and the hilarious little Jimmy Norton as well as Patrice. And they are uncensored every day. They are much closer to being the Howard Stern replacement down the road. I wish Bubba would stay, but if he has been griping non-stop on his show, then dump him. There’s nothing more frustrating than listening to a show where the on-air personality thinks the listeners get a kick out of hearing him bitch and complain non-stop. Shut up and bring in a guest or create something to fill the time. If you can’t fill your four hours without an hour whining session, then you don’t deserve a show.
I won’t miss him, far too full of himself (and by his weight, VERY full)
You can only listen to soo much of his crap about his kid’s racing (anyone with decent skills and money can win the national events in the younger ages because most people only race regionally, they can’t afford to travel)
“I’m Bubba the love sponge bitch” – sums it all up for me
It wasn’t enough they couldn’t come to terms. He likes to buen bridges. Once he told people to cancel their subs even for Sterns show,I would’ve been done with him.
Stern was a supporter and he was even willing to stab him in the back by telling Sterns fans to cancel.
Does Sirius really NEED to put up with this guy?
I am going to cancel. Management doesn’t care about what their customers want
Cancelled mine this morning. Over 100 refund coming. Just need to find the best subscription for Bubba at RadioIO.
Pay Bubba…
I hope so. Canceled my Sirius today because of no Bubba. Told the girl if he comes back i will as well.
First off, I love the whining and other content on the show, that is “real”, who gives a crap about boring ass semi celebrity guests?? The content that is gold are the “real” discussions on the show, the same goes for Howard, I get bored listening to supposedly hot women talk about their C**ty lives, I want to hear what the people on the show think and say on a daily basis because that is what is most real. Sirius is just another big stupid company that does not give a crap about their employees unless they have a name. Celebrities mean nothing to me and I want the show to be filled with as little interviews as possible because the interesting parts of both Howard and Bubba’s shows are when callers call in with interesting stories and we hear what those guys think and then make fun of them. That is what I want to hear, not some lame ass bi*ch that is only interested in doing the next guy to climb the ladder. I think that Sirius has treated Bubba like crap and he shouldn’t have to take it, we all have our value in society and we all need to grow up, we all have the right to be treated fairly which is something this world has lost long ago, not the way big business and government treat us, they can suck a co*k for all I care, they do not spend one second thinking about anyone but their rich selves. Down with corporation and give me more “real” content to listen to!
If he did tell people to cancel sirius then that is his opinion, the fact that people run out and do whatever other people tell them is on that person, not Bubba, we all need to take responsibility for our actions, not blame anyone and everyone else but ourselves. The fact is, he was hurt because sirius wouldn’t come to terms with him after all those years of service. He should be mad at them. Plus the fact that they didn’t even call him until the very last minute is messed up, if my job was ending in one month and my boss has said zero to me about staying on, I would spend the next month looking for a new job. Way to go on treating your employees sirius, just another company that doesn’t give a crap about anything other than making money.
One other thing, to be honest, I think this radioio gig is better for the show than sirius because radioio wants it to succeed and they have done a good job setting it up so far, I like the replays, the bits and best of stuff is interesting since we never heard that before unless you lived in fl. So what if they modeled it after Howard’s channels, it is a good model and I am sure that he has no problem giving Howard credit. Either way, I think that this is a bigger deal for them than any sirius deal, but as always to be realistic, they hopefully will get a deal with sirius again which will help promote as well. I think the radioio thing is a good thing and they are treating the show good by giving them a bunch of channels to program in addition to the show. This is how a company should support their employees, not brush them off and hope they go away.
First off I love Bubba. I listened to his show everyday. I am a truckdriver and his show made the miles go by a little faster. BUT I am not gonna cancel Sirius because of Bubba. For a man who complains about money, he has purchased an airplane, half owner of a night club, doesn’t seem to have any problems financing his sons race team. And lets not forget that if he worked for more than 6 or 7 months of the year maybe Sirius would be likely to cut a deal. I mean come on the man took the whole month of July off. Plus every other week was a replay of something from a couple of years ago. I agree with the writer of this article. Bubba has claimed his devotion to Howard Stern (FYI I am not a Stern fan), but jumps up and tells people to cancel their subs. Which does effect Howards Ratings. I first heard Bubba about 9yrs ago when I was delivering in Tampa. Loved the show and as soon as I heard he was on Sirius I went and got Sirius for my truck. Thankyou Bubba, but I am not gonna give up the money I paid for a Lifetime sub with sirius and go spend my hard earned money on Radioio. Anyway who know if that will last?
Bubba is done, Now that he has insulted some of Sirius’s big Hollywood stars and made users cancel subscriptions, I dont see him ever coming back
He is just a BIG CRY BABY…wah your not paying me enough..wah oprah gets paid more…wah eminem makes too much money at sirius..wah opie and anthony are still on how come i’m not…wah…wah..wah
I WILL CANCEL SIRIUS XM IF BUBBA DOESN’T GET RENEWED…I GOT TWO SUBSCRIPTIONS.
I already cancelled my subscription to the once SIRIUS satellite radio!! BRING BACK BUBBA !!
Bubba leaving Sirius was the best choice. Now I get 7 channels of btls content and don’t have to sit through “the history of Howard”, every other month. Luv Howard, but now I get to choose what to listen to when there on vacation ( wish Howard left too ).
Six year’s, three sub’s………………..done
Screw off Kenny. You don’t know the crap that’s been going down behind the scene. Keep on listening to a satellite service that keeps giving you less for your money all the time. The music channels now typically repeat songs every 5 or 6 hours. Never used to be that way. Sound quality is still crap and will always be way overcompressed. The talk content will soon be available on most any streaming radio. The music quality on streaming radio is far superior to Sirius.
Bubba is second only to Howard, He should get paid more then oprah, martha, eminem, maddog and fox.
I guarentee he has more listeners then any 3 of them combined.
Besides the rock stations the only thing worth buying Sirius for is Howard, Bubba, and the NFL.
loseing one of those three is gonna hurt the company. Whoever is in charge better wake up. At the price we pay theres no excuse not to have the best. Get rid of the crap and pay that money to keep the guys that the listeners want. Its that easy.
BRING BACK BUBBA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
His show is the same old shit anyways. Im glad stern renewed. Bubba is good to a point. The problem is a lot of people really dont care for him. Sorry but its the truth. More people listen to opie and anthony replays than bubbas only live show on friday. Im a die hard stern fan, and will be. When stern retires, i will still stay with sirius. They have so much to offer. Internet radio will NEVER be as good as sirius. What happens when you dont have internet service in a town, no show for you. Internet radio is just a fad. It will never be as big or better than Sirius.
Pay Bubba so I dont have to cancel
bring bubba back
bring bubba back i will cancel sirius if they dont come to terms.
bring back bubba f.t.e