Howard Stern didn't just make me laugh this week. He may have saved my job by keeping me awake at my desk.
In case you missed it, Sirius Satellite Radio offered a two-day long free Internet preview of its programming earlier this week. Millions of potential new listeners tuned in to what is being hailed by some as a revolutionary new vista of broadcasting, unrestricted by commercial formats — but more importantly, unrestricted by an ever-vigilant FCC. The drawing card for most was the first chance to hear Howard Stern since he left the commercial airwaves for this brave new world well over a year ago. If you believed the hype put forth by Stern during the two day free promotion, as many as 47 million people tuned in via the Internet.…
Article comments
76 - Chris
For all you that are whining about "missing" Howard, it's $6 a month for Sirius and you can get a cheap radio for under $50 so quit being such cheapies and buy it. Better yet, listen to Opie and Anthony instead, at least they work 5 days a week and don't take 3 months of vacation a year....
77 - chrisd
i bought sirrius for howard only have had it since dayone if your a true fan how can you not subscribe?
78 - Mark Saleski
hey, i just heard your news piece on sirius. bc gets the love!
79 - Glen Boyd
Didja ever doubt me Mark? I told them specifically they had to give out the URL! Sounded pretty good huh?
-Glen
80 - Mark Saleski
yep!
81 - Anderson
Nice article Glen and congrats on being mentioned on the show. You should call in one of these days :D
82 - Anderson
Oh and please delete post 50 as it is an Opie and Anthony douche trying to stir things up.
83 - doesn't get the joke guy
the 47 million listeners figure was clearly a joke.
It was the first thing he said on the air on the first free day, it was clearly meant as a joke.
84 - TDavid
Was nice to hear old friend Blogcritics mentioned today on Howard 100 news. Nice work, Glen :) I've been a subscriber to Sirius for about a month now.
Lots of good programming on satellite radio.
85 - Phillip Winn
And it's nice to hear from old friend TDavid, too!
86 - ANDRE
I find all the i won't pay for radio comments pretty funny....i wonder if thats what people said when cable television came out...now try and find a house without it
87 - FtheFFC
Excellent article. Sirius is amazing. Howard's show is so entertaining. I can't wait to get it on the in the morning and have it on all day! Get Sirius now.
88 - Johnny O
I've been a Stern fan since his arrival in Cleveland, Ohio back in the nineties. I bought Sirius shortly before he began airing, admittedly BECAUSE of Howard. I must say, however, that the music stations are the reason I'm so hooked on it. The variety, along with the fact the music stations are COMMERCIAL FREE are the reasons.
89 - Mark Saleski
and speaking of cleveland, i was listening to the sirius underground garage show the other night and the dj turned out to be kid leo, who i used to listen to on wmms waaaaay back in the late 70's.
90 - Jeff in Florida
I have been listening to Howard for 21 years, and at first was saddened that he was leaving "testicular" radio and I then needed to shell out another $13, which is no big deal, but as we all know, $13 here, $100 there and before you know it, there's more going out than coming in. My wife knowing how I love Howard took my guessing should I or shouldn't I purchase a starmate, purchased one for me over the holidays.
My commute is 40 minutes each way. As I stop at lights and look at other drivers, very few are appearing to enjoy their commute. I on the other hand, can't wait to take my trip, get caught at a light or traffic and just smile or laugh while others are feeling the stress of their day.
The replays are just fantastic. What I might miss during my workday can be made up over the weekends or evenings on Howard 101. In the old days, I would often be a bit late coming into the office due to not wanting to leave the car and missing the end of a bit/interview. Being able to stream the show on our computers now makes me run from the car to my office.
Is it not worth $13 a month to end the misery of a commute? Is it not worth $13 a month if you are at home to be smiling and laughing?
If you are thinking of coming on board, then do it. You are missing out on a genious at work. We're not going to have Howard around forever.
91 - Bryan S
hey I hope all of you guys realize that you can get a life-time subscription to Sirius for only $400. If you got the cash to do it, it saves you a ton of money. Also, the 12.95/month is very misleading. If you pay for the year at one time it is only 9.99/mo. I feel tons more people would subscribe if they knew this.
Go Crazy Alice!
92 - James
Listen to me. GET SIRIUS. Howard is off the chain.
93 - b
i've had sirius since Stern announced his deal, and haven't regretted it one bit. i dont listen to terrestrial radio anymore, barely turn on the tv, and logging into to listen online is my first task at work in the morning. Stern is reviving the audio experience. thank you howard.
94 - Tony P.
Glen,
Great article! The reason that I got Sirius was because of Stern, and it has been great! I like many others took off his first day on Sirius and have not missed a day yet! I read through some of these comments and noticed that people are mad that they would have to pay for radio. $12 a month is nothing for the amount of awesome music and entertainment you get from this service. If Stern was still on S#*t old radio, I would be listening to Sirius as soon as his show ended. People, this is the future of radio! Try it and you will never go back!
95 - diana hartman
I am pleased to tell you this article is part of the Culture Editors' Picks of the Week.
Diana Hartman
Culture Editor
Melita Teale
Asst Culture Editor
96 - thebombbomb (In Montreal, Canada)
HEY!!!
Try doing that with regular FM radio... Yeah, sure… Good luck. You are lucky if you don’t loose FM signal when you drive past a skyscraper…
It is about time Howard can speak at will, and not worry about who he will piss off this minute, or the next… When they had the Howard Stern Show in the Montreal area market, some dumb asses called in to complain, saying that the show was to offensive. “IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, CHANGE THE CHANNEL". So we lost Howard, and I have not been the same since. The morning commutes were extremely long, and road rage was becoming an issue…
Anyway, Sirius RULES!!! I really do not mind dishing 200$ a year, or what ever it costs. (See, I don't even care about the price... Trust me; I really do not mind paying for commercial free radio, with awesome shows.) Also, no one mentioned that you never lose signal, unless you are underground, in a tunnel of sorts, but even then, we have a tunnel, the "Ville Marie Tunnel" that passes under the core of Downtown Montreal, and we only loose signal about 20 seconds... I was amazed. (Regular FM stops on the way in, and only comes back when you clear the tunnel... For most of us, that was the best 2-3 minutes of FM radio. No junk, no music, no commercials, no signal...) Now, with Sirius, those are the longest 20 seconds in my life, on the way to work. I must add; I drive around a lot for work, in and out of the city, sometimes to other cities, to the states and stuff to see customers... I never loose signal, the channels do not change, and I always have the music or show I like on...
Anyway, that was a great article, and I could not agree with you more. Sirius is an awesome product, and what is 15 - 20$ a month? You spend more than that on some chick who will forget your name as soon as you hand her the drink you just bought her at some lame ass bar... Guys, gals, you have to get Sirius. You have to. I can not express to you how much this product is worth every penny. To top it off, you also get a web listening account, for those long 6 -9 hour days at the office. Trust me, the days fly by with good music. Trust me...
Anyway, I wish you have a great day, and kudos to Sirius, for making our world a better place...
Later dudes & dudettes...
Regards:
thebombbomb
From: Montreal, Canada
(For those of you who do not know where Montreal is, it's in Canada, the country on top of the US, and no, we do not live in Igloos, and we do not eat seal meat and what ever else you heard of. We drive cars, and we lives in houses, just like the rest of the world... Oh yeah, Montreal Female & Male strip clubs: we have REAL beer, and the stripers take it all off. Yes, they TAKE IT ALL OFF... Male & Female... Oh, now I got your attention... Maybe you should pass by, and see for your self... We are 5 hours away from New York City, going dead north... Check it out!!!)
97 - Steve Y.
I got Sirius a year ago,I'm a truck driver, because I can't take the dribble, commercials,and the search for a station. I hit paydirt!!You can
listen to the same station for 3,ooo mi. 40cents
a day? Then there's Stern, Farrell is pure gold!!Folks,then pipe it through the computer, no xtra!
98 - Chris the Cop
If more people would listen to Howard, their would be less road rage and people would want to wait in traffic.
Chris the Cop
99 - BigMike
Fantastic article Glen.
I got Sirius in May without even knowing about Howard's channels. Now, we're hooked on Stern. And the music channels rock. Toronto Maple Leafs on Sirius rock too!
Glen - your article really describes my Sirius/Howard experience.
100 - Glen Boyd
Thanx BigMike. They really are the alternative aren't they?
-Glen
101 - Marisa
Never thought twice about getting Sirius. I haven't listened to regular radio since!
102 - MJ
I just found your piece today and while it was great to hear the Stern show one more time, I still can't justify shelling out $$$ for the 'privilege' of listening to the radio. Between satellite radio, cable TV and internet access, I really resent that quality media comes at a price. For me, it's a conscious choice but what about people who can't afford the goodies and have no choice but to consume entertainment that has as much nutritional value as refined sugar?
103 - Kevin D.
I guess that people that can't afford 42 cents a day to listen to COMMERCIAL FREE UNCENSORED radio to the tune of 130 plus channels of EVERYTHING .. should be used to a diet of refined sugar.
That's all they will get from here on out. Someday folks will wake up to the fact that testicle radio is being PHASED OUT. I guess you didn't read of the many Clear Channel jockeys that were dismissed last week. You're right, though, play Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" AGAIN for the umpteenth Million time...+ commercial + commercial + commercial. Catching on yet ?
104 - Mad Greek
I just read this article and its almost a month old. I just have to say that I subscribe to sirius and its incredible. My girlfriend got it for me for christmas one year before howard. And at first I was upset that I'd have to start paying for radio. But honestly--this isnt just radio. I love football and the NFL channel alone was worth it. 24 hours football all year long.
When Howard came on it just put an exclamation point on the whole thing. I LOVE SIRIUS. I dont even want to go in a car that doesnt have it. I got it for my brother last christmas and now hes hooked. Im telling you it is well worth every penny.
My only issue is i look at the receiver a lot, trying to see what music I want to hear next---it tells you what song is playin on every channel. So you have to be careful and still pay attention to driving.
I cant tell you how many times I sit in the car listening to Howard when I'm parked to come in my house. And now they put it online too. fantastic.
So anyone with any doubts should definately give it a try...I promise you wont be sorry
Mad Greek
Chicago
105 - fifilafoo
If the radios were free, I wouldn't hesitate but the fact is that if anything should happen to Howard, I would have no use for a Sirius radio as I'm not a music appreciator and only Howard would be the reason for my paying $156.00 per year to listen plus buying a special radio for that show alone.
Another thing, I've been listening to some old tapes of Howard and that cackling, intrusive Robin reminds me that I wouldn't want to pay for her. Have they toned down her interruptive presence on the show?
Howard's disappearance from regular radio has left me with nothing but NPR to listen to, not a very entertaining respite from the day.
So, I'm left here thinking, what shall I do? On regular radio, Howard was only giving us part of an hour anyway due to the 20 minute-long commercial segments.
You can hear how I've been having long arguments with myself about what to do. The argument continues...