Howard Stern, once the self-proclaimed 'King of All Media' and one of the most powerful figures in American radio, faces a uncertain future at SiriusXM as his reported $500m contract expires at the end of the year. The 'shock jock' who revolutionised listening habits in the 1990s and 2000s has seen his audience decline markedly, with some attributing the trend to his softer, more liberal stance and increased competition from podcasts.
SiriusXM has lost subscribers in recent years, shedding 445,000 in 2023 and 296,000 last year. While Sirius does not publish listenership figures for Stern's show, unique viewers to his YouTube page fell from 4.5 million in June 2024 to 3.1 million a year later. Industry observers note that Stern's show is no longer as singular as it once was, when 20 million tuned in for his controversial content.
Stern was instrumental in Sirius's growth after leaving terrestrial radio in 2006, joining for $100m a year for five years. At the time, Sirius had 600,000 subscribers; by the end of 2006, that number reached 6 million. He renewed his deal in 2010, 2015 and 2020, when Sirius had 35 million subscribers. However, the podcast industry has since boomed, generating $7.3bn in sales last year, and hosts like Joe Rogan and Alex Cooper now command similar cultural influence.
Stern's career was built on controversy, from prank calls to outrageous interviews. But today, analysts say satellite radio no longer offers the unique platform it once did. 'It used to be that satellite radio gave you a very unique platform because the alternative was over-the-air radio, where there were limits,' said Matthew Dolgin of Morningstar. 'That is no longer the case for audio entertainment.'
The expiration of Stern's contract comes amid broader challenges for SiriusXM, as listening habits shift towards on-demand and video podcasts. Whether Stern will sign a new deal remains unclear, with a planned announcement on his future pushed back from 2 September to 8 September.
