Howard’s End

  In the radio business, the water-cooler talk for the last six months or so has been Howard Stern’s impending move to satellite radio: unregulated pastures that, for potty-mouthed Howard, are greener.  How will terrestrial radio survive, losing its most controversial, most listened-to, most irreverent shock-jock?

  The real buzz, however, is about who will replace him.  Radio is, in many ways, a medium in search of a savior.  With recent interest in iPods and podcasting, internet radio and satellite radio, everyone seems worried about the future of the FM dial. 

  But I’m not.  Innovative technology is already being tested in markets as large as Miami—technology that could change the face of radio forever.  Digital signals are being broadcast on sub-bands, allowing four stations (and in some cases more) to use the same FM frequency.  It’s complicated and technical, and we’ll go into it another time.  But it could give the ultra-niche formats of satellite radio a run for their money, all the while being live and local.

  I don’t think that radio needs a savior, but that doesn’t keep industry insiders from talking.  And as long as Stern’s unnamed heir is being charged with saving our world, I guess it should be noted that over the past three weeks we have all come a step closer to finding out who that will be.

  Stern, who no longer has any loyalty to Viacom (his soon-to-be former employer), has let the cat out of the bag.  He claims to have inside information that David Lee Roth will be his replacement in New York City, and that Adam Carolla will be taking over several of Stern’s west coast affiliates, including Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco.  “I know it for a fact,” Stern has said.

  The jury’s still out on whether Roth can hang with radio’s big dogs.  He is inexperienced at radio; he’s a has-been rocker with huge name recognition.  But why would David Lee Roth give up his life as an EMT for the highest-profile gig in radio?  If Roth flops, perhaps they’ll hand the reins over to Sammy Hagar, and he can do it live from Cabo.  Perish the thought.

  Carolla’s show seems more certain and more promising.  On August 4, Carolla called in to talk to Howard about his new Comedy Central show, “Too Late With Adam Carolla.”  Stern quickly shifted the focus to the rumors.  Carolla said that, while nothing had been signed, Stern’s assessment sounded “tentatively correct.”  He also noted that he was told not to say anything about his plans as Stern’s successor.

  I only hope that Carolla’s bid for the Stern show isn’t soured by “Too Late,” which is slipshod and rambling, at best.  Maxim Online recently gave it one and a half stars, noting that “it feels like it was thrown on the air with about 12 minutes of planning.”  I’m a big fan of Carolla’s and would like to see the show succeed, but after the first few episodes it’s hard to imagine it outliving the three-month probationary period.

  Let’s hope that Carolla’s strong showing for ten years on radio’s “Loveline” is enough to seal the deal with the Infinity stations who are looking to pick him up when Stern’s syndication contract runs out next month. 

 -From Pulse
   August 25, 2005