![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
They will be reairing the show this evening. I listened to it this morning before hubby took the radio off to work, but George Takai was the first guest - what a good sport, he's not even promoting anything.
As His Sirius Show Begins, Radio Ponders the Stern Effect
By ERIC A. TAUB, The New York Times, January 9, 2006
When Howard Stern begins his first broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio this morning, he may be playing to a diminished audience, but his impact on the future of satellite radio has already been substantial.
The next question is whether Mr. Stern's extraordinary compensation will have any effect on the way on-air talent is paid.
Last week, Sirius announced that it had granted Mr. Stern and his manager more than 34 million shares of common stock, currently worth about $225 million, because certain subscriber levels had been reached. That is on top of the $500 million that Sirius had already agreed to pay Mr. Stern for his salary and production costs. Mr. Stern now holds more shares than any other single investor, according to David J. Frear, Sirius's executive vice president and chief financial officer.
Whether or not Mr. Stern's show, which begins at 6 a.m., is a success, his decision to jump from free broadcast to subscription radio has bestowed legitimacy to a medium that many had regarded with skepticism. Sirius's number of subscribers has jumped from 660,000 at the time Mr. Stern's deal was announced in October 2004, to 3.3 million today.
( Read More )
As His Sirius Show Begins, Radio Ponders the Stern Effect
By ERIC A. TAUB, The New York Times, January 9, 2006
When Howard Stern begins his first broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio this morning, he may be playing to a diminished audience, but his impact on the future of satellite radio has already been substantial.
The next question is whether Mr. Stern's extraordinary compensation will have any effect on the way on-air talent is paid.
Last week, Sirius announced that it had granted Mr. Stern and his manager more than 34 million shares of common stock, currently worth about $225 million, because certain subscriber levels had been reached. That is on top of the $500 million that Sirius had already agreed to pay Mr. Stern for his salary and production costs. Mr. Stern now holds more shares than any other single investor, according to David J. Frear, Sirius's executive vice president and chief financial officer.
Whether or not Mr. Stern's show, which begins at 6 a.m., is a success, his decision to jump from free broadcast to subscription radio has bestowed legitimacy to a medium that many had regarded with skepticism. Sirius's number of subscribers has jumped from 660,000 at the time Mr. Stern's deal was announced in October 2004, to 3.3 million today.
( Read More )
