Howard Stern

Who Is Howard Stern?

Howard Stern, renowned for his provocative “shock jock” style, began captivating New York audiences in 1982, leading to national syndication of his radio show by 1986. Despite facing repeated fines and regulatory challenges from the FCC, Stern’s unfiltered approach continued to resonate with listeners, ultimately prompting his transition to satellite radio in 2004. Beyond his radio career, Stern is a best-selling author and gained further visibility as a judge on the television competition show America’s Got Talent.

Early Life

Born on January 12, 1954, in New York City, Howard Stern is the youngest child of Ray and Ben Stern. He spent his formative years in the small town of Roosevelt, Long Island. Stern’s interest in radio and recording appears to stem from his father, a part-owner of a recording studio who often documented family events. Stern’s father, known for his short temper, would frequently engage his children in discussions about current events, fostering a sarcastic demeanor in young Howard when he struggled to provide the right answers. “So when I asked him these serious questions, he ends up being a wise guy,” Ben Stern reminisced, recalling his frustration with Howard’s responses.

From an early age, Stern demonstrated a passion for performance and an affinity for the outrageous. He often entertained friends with elaborate puppet shows in the basement of his family’s home, an endeavor encouraged by his mother. However, these performances quickly evolved into what Stern humorously dubbed The Perverted Marionette Show, where he added his unique, irreverent twist. “I took something so innocent and beautiful and really just ruined it,” he remarked. His parents remained unaware of the provocative nature of these shows, while his friends eagerly anticipated the entertaining performances.

Stern’s desire for attention was coupled with a sense of alienation. Growing up in the predominantly African American community of Roosevelt, he often felt like an outsider, a theme that has persisted throughout his career. He has recounted experiences of bullying and social isolation during his childhood. In 1969, the Stern family relocated to Rockville Centre, a predominantly white neighborhood that further exacerbated Howard’s feelings of displacement. Reflecting on this period in his 1993 best-selling autobiography, Private Parts, Stern wrote, “I couldn’t adjust at all. I was totally lost in a white community. I felt like Tarzan when they got him out of Africa and brought him back to England.”

College Radio

During his high school years, Howard Stern maintained a close-knit circle of friends and engaged in leisure activities such as poker and ping-pong. In the fall of 1972, he left New York to enroll at Boston University, where the foundations of his future as a “shock jock” began to emerge. At BU, Stern volunteered at the college radio station, gaining his initial experience in the broadcasting industry. His debut program, which included a racially charged skit titled “Godzilla Goes to Harlem,” was met with controversy and led to the cancellation of the show by the university.

While at Boston University, Stern also met Alison Berns, who would later become his first wife. He cast her in a student film focused on transcendental meditation. Their first date involved a screening of “Lenny,” a film about the late comedian Lenny Bruce, featuring Dustin Hoffman.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a commendable GPA of 3.8, Stern launched his radio career at a small station in Briarcliff Manor, New York. It was here that he realized he would be confined to a life of mediocrity as a conventional deejay. In response, he began to innovate, blending phone conversations with music, a practice considered outrageous at the time. This unorthodox approach led him to stations in Hartford, Connecticut, and Detroit, before he ultimately relocated to Washington, D.C., following a format change at the Michigan station.

Shock Jock

In Washington, D.C., Stern made significant strides in his career, forming a partnership with Robin Quivers, a newswoman and former U.S. Air Force nurse, who became a staple of his radio team. Stern’s reputation for wild antics began to take shape. In January 1982, after an Air Florida flight crash into the 14th Street Bridge, Stern called the airline, asking about the pricing for a one-way ticket to the bridge, jokingly inquiring if it would become a regular stop.

Later that year, Stern returned to New York to join WNBC-AM. However, before he could even begin his work, he was handed a lengthy list of restrictions by his new bosses, which prohibited him from making jokes about personal tragedies and engaging in slander or defamation without consent. Initially attempting to comply with these restrictions, Stern quickly rebelled, introducing segments such as “Sexual Innuendo Wednesday” and “Mystery Whiz,” which involved listeners guessing who was in the bathroom. In 1985, after being fired from WNBC, Stern found a new home at WXRK, known as K-ROCK, in New York City.

‘The Howard Stern Show’

At K-ROCK, Stern elevated his radio career to unprecedented levels, boldly tackling themes of race and sexuality in his programming. His morning show quickly surpassed WNBC’s Don Imus in ratings, and within a year, he took the groundbreaking step of syndicating his show, expanding into major markets such as Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, New Orleans, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Dallas, Boston, and Chicago.

With a talented on-air team, including Quivers, producer Gary “Baba Booey” Dell’Abate, writer Fred Norris, and stand-up comic Jackie “the Jokeman” Martling, Stern solidified his status as a radio powerhouse. By 1993, his show was broadcast in 14 markets, boasting approximately 3 million daily listeners.

The show’s fearless approach was exemplified in a memorable incident in 1992, when correspondent “Stuttering” John Melendez attended a press conference held by Gennifer Flowers, who was discussing her alleged affair with Presidential candidate Bill Clinton. Melendez’s confrontational questions, including whether Clinton practiced safe sex, shocked the event’s attendees.

‘Private Parts’ and ‘Miss America’

Stern’s acclaim soared with the release of his autobiography, Private Parts, which offered a humorous and candid look at his life, honoring his wife Alison and her efforts in raising their three daughters: Emily Beth (b. 1983), Deborah Jennifer (b. 1986), and Ashley Jade (b. 1993). With over 500,000 copies sold within its first month, Private Parts became the fastest-selling book in Simon & Schuster’s history, topping The New York Times best-seller list for a month in October 1993. In 1995, Stern released another best-seller, Miss America, and in 1997, Private Parts was adapted into a successful film starring Stern himself.

Despite his soaring popularity and a reported annual salary of $8 million by 1995, Stern’s provocative behavior continued unabated. Following the death of Tejano singer Selena, he controversially played gunfire over her music and made disparaging comments about the musical tastes of Spanish people, inciting protests and leading to a warrant for his arrest in Harlingen, Texas. Stern later issued an apology for his remarks.

Another controversy arose in April 1999, when, in the wake of the Columbine High School shootings, Stern asked why the perpetrators did not attempt to engage in sexual activity with some of the girls before committing their acts of violence. This led to a censure from the Colorado State Legislature.

Stern’s provocative style did not endear him to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which imposed approximately $2.5 million in fines against his employers by 2005.

Final Straw for Clear Channel

Stern embodies a complex blend of confidence and insecurity. Despite his brash persona, he has openly acknowledged his feelings of inadequacy. “Maybe it was the way I was raised, or something, but I always feel like I’m garbage,” he confessed in a 1997 interview with The New Yorker. He explained that even in the face of adoration from thousands of fans, he struggled to feel a sense of fulfillment.

In early 2004, Clear Channel, then the largest radio station chain in the U.S., terminated Stern’s contract following a particularly contentious episode that featured a racial slur from a caller and explicit commentary from Rick Solomon, Paris Hilton’s ex-boyfriend. The ensuing fines and disputes with the FCC prompted Stern to transition from terrestrial radio. In 2005, he signed a landmark $500 million contract with Sirius Satellite Radio, marking the beginning of a new era in his broadcasting career that commenced on January 9, 2006.