Howard Stern, one of highest paid radio personalities in broadcast history is one who is responsible for phrase “Shock Jock” Howard Stern has proclaimed himself “King of Media” With his great success he pioneered what is known as “Shock Jock” radio programs. It is commonly believed that Howard Stern’s exploitation of women, sex and his discrimination of certain ethnic groups is one of main ingredients for his success. Howard Stern is most fined personality in radio and actually encourages fines and touts these FCC fines as if they were medals of Honor. The Howard Stern radio show was beginning of a revolution in radio.

The Ingredients of Shock Jock Success

What is it about this type of radio program that brings so much success to these bad boys of airwaves? The total shock value of their programs is one of main ingredients to their success. For example, on one of Howard Stern’s radio shows, he convinced a female caller to have phone sex with him on air. He made deep buzzing noises into his microphone, and had her sit on a speaker with volume turned up until she reached an on-the-air orgasm. Another notorios example occurred on DC101 Radio in Washington D.C. in which Stern called Air Florida Airlines and asked what fare was for a one-way ticket from National Airport to 14th Street Bridge. He was making light of crash of an Air Florida flight into Washington D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge one day earlier, on January 13, 1982. That June 29, Stern was fired from DC-101 radio after being suspended for criticizing his station management and two other radio stations.

The number of commercials aired during his radio show has greatly increased from 1980s to present. Though Howard Stern has brought much critisism to this form of entertainment, he still seems to be able to draw hords of listeners. Despite provocative content of Stern's show—or perhaps because of it—many listeners and critics consider Stern to be a talented on-air personality and formidable interviewer.

The FCC and Broadcast Industry Cracksdown

Howard Stern’s fame has brought out a number of imitation "shock jocks" who try to top Stern in terms of offensiveness and rudeness, but these imitators have found themselves with more troubles to worry about than listener ratings. In 2002 fellow Infinity Broadcasting Corporation jocks Opie and Anthony had their nationally syndicated WNEW-FM "extreme talk" show cancelled after they managed to get a couple to engage in sexual intercourse at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, then airing a running commentary of act on their show.

Though Stern’s show is generally considered not to be as offensive as Opie and Anthony, on February 25, 2004, Clear Channel Communications "indefinitely suspended" him from six markets because of alleged indecency. The broadcasted show that brough so much retribution, featured Rick Salomon, whose sole claim to fame is release of video showing him having sex with Paris Hilton.

During this show Stern held a sexually-oriented interview with Soloman, asking him graphic questions about anal sex. This came only a day after Clear Channel fired Bubba Love Sponge for nearly same reason.

This is considered to be part of a crackdown triggered by Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy. Because Clear Channel and some of its executives have donated over $200,000 to Republican Party, Stern claims company was trying to penalize him for his ruthless criticisms of President George W. Bush. He endorsed John Kerry in 2004 U.S. presidential campaign, and encouraged listeners to vote for him.

How does satellite radio work?

When you subscribe to satellite radio you will get an extra band on your home or car radio, for which you will be charged a monthly fee. A special antenna receives signals from satellites, much in same way as a satellite dish receives signals for satellite television viewing. You will then enjoy access to a range of channels, giving you incredible choice over what you listen to whether you are in home or travelling in your car.

What are benefits of satellite radio?

There are a number of benefits to subscribing to satellite radio. You can enjoy far more choice for a start, with a range of channels to select from including commercial-free channels. You can enjoy much better reception whilst driving, and you won’t have to put up with poor quality and static as with AM/FM radio. And you can enjoy these benefits at a low monthly fee, enabling you to enjoy a revolutionized radio experience without breaking bank.

Satellite radio providers: Sirius VS XM

The competition has already started in world of satellite radio, and two main players in field at moment are Sirius and XM. Both of these providers work in same way, offering over one hundred satellite radio stations for one monthly subscription fee. Both offer necessary equipment to enable listeners to enjoy a unique, high quality digital radio experience, and both offer affordable packages.

XM has been around for longer than Sirius, and started broadcasting in September 2001. With over two million subscribers and rising, XM enjoys backing from big names such as General Motors and Honda. Located in Washington DC, XM network boasts two geosynchronous satellites along with repeaters in major metro areas.

Sirius is a relatively new player when it comes to satellite radio. Sirius started broadcasting in July 2002, and currently has a customer base of under one million. Located at Rockefeller Center in New York, Sirius has three elliptical-orbit satellites, and does not have a many repeaters as XM radio. Other than this you can enjoy same digital quality and excellent choice with Sirius as you can with XM.

How do you choose between Sirius and XM satellite radio?

The services, packages, and quality of satellite radio from Sirius and XM is very similar, so it can be difficult to choose. The best way to decide on which service will best suit your needs is to look at various satellite radio ratings and make satellite radio comparisons.

Both Sirius and XM will enable you to enjoy high quality digital radio, with a wide choice, some commercial-free channels, parental blocks where necessary, talk radio, news channels, and accessibility within continental United States. You will find some slight differences in programming, so you may want to take this into consideration, and also read up on a satellite radio review or two before you make your decision.

If you are looking to buy a new vehicle, many now come with satellite radio already installed, so you won’t have to make choice as either Sirius or XM will already be available. It is those with older vehicles or those that want to enjoy satellite radio within home that need to decide between XM or Sirius radio.

Satellite radio comparisons