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Howard Stern Show
April 6, 2005
Howard Stern Begs Viacom To Fire Him
Calling it a "slam dunk" for Viacom, syndicated morning man Howard Stern was pleading today to be let out of his contract. "I am begging Viacom, openly, over these airwaves, to fire me," said Stern this morning as he discussed the comments made by U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI) that those who flagrantly violate FCC indecency standards should be subject to criminal prosecution rather than a regulatory process.
"Infinity should get me out of here," said Stern. "They're holding me to the contract and I'm afraid to break the contract, because I don't want to ever do anything illegal or wrong. I'm very, very clear on that. I'm a pretty honest guy. I try to live by the laws, but it seems like I'm being set up."
Stern railed on politicians for considering legislation that would regulate pay services such as cable television and satellite radio. "For years they have tried to get me off radio and television," said Stern. "Sponsors haven't gone away. The audiences haven't gone away. I've got the number one goddamn radio show in the country and it's driving people nuts."
"All of a sudden this heat is on me," he continued. "And regulating satellite and cable, it has nothing to do with indecency. It has to do with Clear Channel somehow getting ahold of the politicians they back and saying 'You bastards, we're going to lose all our radio stations to satellite. You've got to do something.' That's what has to be looked into. I find this very disturbing that since I signed my deal with satellite, there's a lot of rich, powerful people in this country trying to figure out how they hold on to these dumb radio stations of theirs and how they are going to get people to listen to censored media."
Stern was also annoyed over a report in the Los Angeles Times that Comcast CEO Brian Roberts is considering removing Howard Stern's E! show from the Comcast cable itinerary. "It is so ridiculous and frustrating," proclaimed Stern. "If E! pulls me off the air, I don't care."
"They can't figure out how to get rid of me, so they want to get rid of me by legislating me out of here," he said, adding later that he is "such a target of the government. And if anyone thinks I'm lying, one day I'll write the book."
"I am begging Infinity, Viacom to take me off the air," pleaded Stern. "If they care anything about me, let me go, please, today, serve notice on me. I want to leave. I swear to you, it serves my interests to stay here and do this show. Every day I do a good show, it reminds people to come to satellite radio. You are doing yourself an injustice by keeping me on the air. Let me go now. Let me leave. Let the audience forget about me."
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